The Time Bubble

Because of the relocation of the school, we have a longer Christmas holiday than usual with several extra days tagged on to the beginning and the end. Fortunately the weather has been kind so with the mercury nudging up towards the mid teens in recent days we've not had to be confined in the house as can happen in the winter months. Just as well really as there's over a week until Christmas still and I do like to get out and about when the weather allows - just as we did in October when we made it on to the beach at Skegness. Today Claire was working and I didn't want to be cooped up at home all day so we decided to go to Towcester for a day out, one of the places we've been considering moving to if we don't make it up to Louth or can't get a decent place near the new school. We got there late morning and went for a walk up the Bury Mount which is the remains of an ancient castle, now just effectively a big green hill. You can wind your way round this read...

This blog entry is predominantly about horse racing so if it doesn't interest you, it's probably best to look away now. I suggest looking back through the archive for some of the "funny" posts about sausages instead! Our school's motto is "Dare to be wise". I like this. I have changed one word though for the purpose of today's post, because I like to "Dare to be different". What do I like to dare to be different about? Well all sorts of things really. When it comes to popular culture, the more popular something is, the less I like it. Mass market TV such as The X Factor is a big no-no for me. I've always nailed my mast to the cult and niche interests. In my teenage years and beyond it was indie music all the way. In fact if a song by an act I liked made it to No.1 in the charts, I'd go off them! Fortunately the likes of The Smiths, Depeche Mode and others never scaled such dizzy heights. Being a Doctor Who fan was also tough g...

What have Towcester and Perth got in common? Answer - they are both towns that are home to National Hunt racecourses - one here just 20 minutes drive from Bicester and the other up in bonny Scotland. Towcester - on a sunny and somewhat warmer day than we had For the non-converts to the glorious game, National Hunt is the name given to jump racing here in the UK, just in case anyone starts accusing me of killing foxes. Ha ha - bet you thought I was talking about the other Perth, in Australia, well I will get on to that in a bit. First - Towcester - UK. A nice little town, straight up the A43. And what makes Towcester's racecourse different to all the others in the UK - simple. For most meetings (except very big ones on Boxing Day and Easter Monday) - it is free to get in! Get that - a free day out? Compare that to the cost of getting in to other racecourses - £25 last time I went to Cheltenham. And not to mention other sporting things you might like to do - £25 is the g...