Housekeeping

I've been more than a bit rubbish at keeping this blog up to date over the last month so there are quite a few outstanding bits and pieces to be dealt with. A barrage of posts are likely to be going up over the next few days but firstly I am going to deal with a few quickies - get ready for a hyperlink attack:

1. 3 Men in a Boat Challenge - pictures now posted. Look how sunny it was, hopes were raised for a long hot summer. Now we realise that week was summer.
2. Short Story Challenge - One I haven't mentioned before but back in April i entered a short story into an international competition. I got the result back recently and needless to say I didn't win but the challenge was completed by entering. Anyway, I'm going to tweak the story a bit and try again. If no luck then I might just try to find a website I can put it on and link it back to this blog - stay tuned (or even subscribe) and read my Chekhovian stylings.
3. Article in the National Press Challenge - Turns out the article can be read online so if you were too tight/late to buy a copy read it here for free.
4. New Qualification Challenge - I got sidetracked on this one as it requires a little bit of research, which I hadn't expected. The coursework will be finished in the next week or so then I just have to sit my exam and I will be sufficiently qualified to tell you exactly what bus route leads to my restaurant.
5. Some new friends - two additions to the Wall of Gratitude: First up is Chris who has accompanied me on 3 Men and 3 Peaks. Not only has he parasitised these but also done some challenges of his own to raise money for Emma's Bubble Trust. It is a good cause and he has a justgiving page so click through if you want to support him. However, if I find anybody sponsoring him who hasn't sponsored me then I will get all huffy. Second is Laurie Lambrecht, a photographer who I had the good fortune to sit next to on my flight to New York. Not only is she a fascinating person who advised me on a lot of things to do whilst I was there but she is also a very talented artist. Check out the stunning Lake Trees collection.
6. Triathlon - I apologise for the skimpy outfit I am wearing in the photos that are now up. You can also access a breakdown of my time and placings for the event in relation to overall, gender, category, discipline and whatever. It pretty much sums up what I already knew, as a general rule I am average. However I confess to being pretty chuffed with my my placing in the run (top 8% of all competitors including the elite athletes) and my division (9th out of 411 men age 30-34). And to end on a downer, it turns out the NY Triathlon had its first death this year. It was somebody in my division which makes it rather poignant for me, not least because he may well have been standing in the pen next to me at the start, I certainly didn't see anything ahead of me when I was swimming. Mind you my goggles were fogged up (sorry, I didn't want it to be too morbid).