The Time Bubble

You've got to love cake. Is there anyone who doesn't? Fortunately in my personal and professional capacity I come into contact with rather a lot of it. Having a wife and a best friend who live and breathe making cakes there's plenty around, not to mention all those lovely buffets I encounter as a DJ. Speaking of which, I may be in for some treats tonight as I am off to to DJ at a wedding in Chipping Norton, a rare Friday wedding. Perhaps the groom didn't want to to miss the FA Cup Final. So what motivated me to write about cake? Well I rarely buy shop bought cakes. When you are used to home made they are never the same. The one exception is the "Caterpillar" cake which both the boys love, though I expect it would be possible to make one's own which would probably be far superior. On the odd occasion I have had bought any sort of cake in, I have to hide it if Lynda comes around. A few weeks ago she came round one morning and noticed some "Fabulou...

My birthday. How time flies. But lovely spending it here. It's almost midnight and I am sat outside the apartment tonight on the patio but it is so hot tonight, outside is the way. Now when you have a birthday in summer like bestie Lynda you don't have to worry much about the weather but nobody wants to party in mid February.   All good here though. The hottest day yet by the pool, and Claire surprised me when we got back with a cake, which she got from the Hiper Dino but then garnished in icing, maltesers, and various other lovelies. All ate well. I was going to offer some to our lovely Irish neighbours but unfortunately Ollie decided to lick the icing off the top of the remaining cake rendering it unsuitable for any further consumption by anyone else!   We went out for the evening, really wanting to enjoy a lengthy stay in a nice restaurant - tricky plan with fractious little ones, especially Jamie, but by a stroke of luck he fell asleep along the strip and by the tim...

No - that's not an exclamation from Robin in the 1960s Batman TV series, though I am sure he said it at some point! No in fact today was my second son's baptism. Because of the unusual way in which we work - i.e. I am usually working over the weekends and off in the week, we arranged this to happen as part of the Wednesday morning communion service at the church. Unlike Ollie's baptism, we decided it would be just a quiet affair this time. We asked our very good friends Lynda and Duncan to be godparents and they were delighted to accept. So just before 10 I collected Ollie from school and we all met at the church and enjoyed a very nice service from Teresa, who is the vicar at St Edburg's. Ollie was very well behaved throughout - he is definitely getting better on these big occasions. I do enjoy Teresa's services as she talks a lot about everyday events, and even for those who attend special occasions who are not Christians, there is still plenty to be taken o...

The last time I found myself single, about six years ago, for reasons that escape me now, I decided that I really must choose my next partner carefully. Compatibility! That's the thing! I decided therefore that I would screen all future suitors via a questionnaire, so I could be sure I was meeting the right type of person. However, before I could complete this momentous task, I met Claire and the rest, as they say, is history. However I still think it was a good idea. I can't remember the exact content of the questionnaire but I thought I would attempt to recreate it here, so you can see if had you been around back then you would have fitted the bill. And who knows, if you are single, perhaps it could inspire you to create your own questionnaire, and help you find the man or woman of your dreams. I have decided to go for a mix of written and pictorial questions. There are 7 in all. When you have finished tot up your scores, a), b) or c) and see how you did. 1) What wou...

...is a cigar called? Well I wouldn't know, though the last time I had one, after the birth of my second child (forced on me by the lads in the pub) I did enjoy it. I'm not a smoker as you know, one of the few sins (as well as drugs) that just aren't me. As for all the other things, well, you have to enjoy life, don't you. And enjoy it, I certainly do. I have a pretty enjoyable lifestyle I have to admit, I earn enough money, in one way or another (don't ask) on top of Claire's earnings for us to have a pretty comfortable life. Quite honestly, I think people should turn their talents to whatever suits them and if you can find a way to live, without having to work yourself into an early grave then do it. I say this, because if it hadn't been for that health scare eight years ago I doubt whether I'd be here now. At 33, I may have owned a house, had a good job and all the rest of it but I wasn't happy. Two nights in hospital with blood pressure of 20...