Taormina holiday photos

I took only a few photos on my phone but this selection gives some idea of what Taormina and the surrounding area, including Mount Etna, looks like

The O' Jays

I've always loved the Third World version of this song and didn't know until recently that it was a cover of this original

Pat Kelly

This is included on Good Times Skank a Trojan Records compilation put together by Joey Jay. It's a brilliant collection of classic reggae tunes with great sleeve-notes, and would make a good intro for anyone looking to find out more about roots music

Crossroads

I had my first run for three weeks last night. We ran from the Crossroads pub between Keighley and Haworth out along the Worth Way before picking up the Yorkshireman marathon route up near Harden Moor and returning back to the pub. There was a great turnout from the club and the Copper Dragon Black Gold was in tip top condition when we returned. I'm not a big fan of Copper Dragon beers but like Black Gold

The run felt okay in spite of putting on around four pounds in weight and not doing any real training on my trip to Bangladesh or the two weeks in Sicily. It's time to get some focus back into training again now!

Suspended in time

Stef's operation was cancelled after she'd spent all day yesterday hanging around in hospital waiting to be seen. She was back home at tea-time and is understandably down. The most likely scenario now is a three week wait before the next appointment!

Wednesday Week

The Undertones were one of my favourite bands when I was 15 or 16years old. This still sounds fantastic to me 30years later

Stef's operation

Stef went into hospital earlier this morning for her hysterectomy. Her mum and dad are in Southampton with her for the next couple of weeks or so and I'm going to go down and spend August Bank Holiday there. Our plan is for Stef to come up to Yorkshire as she recovers and have a few weeks up here with me

The operation is being done using the keyhole technique and although hopefully recovery will be relatively quick for the operation being done we have no real idea how soon it will be before Stef will be able to do any kind of real exercise. We're hoping that perhaps some gentle bird-watching walks will be possible in maybe three to four weeks time

I hope Stef will update her blog while she is off work and I'm going to encourage her to do so

Blow your head

Post holiday plans

I've not got my holiday photos sorted out yet but when I do I'll post a few. Every time I go to Italy (I've been maybe five times on holiday plus I used to go to Milan several times a year on business until quite recently) I come back with the same plans:

1) Buy a scooter. Not in a naff Quadrophenia mod way but a cool 'I'll just nip out with my shades on pretending I'm Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday way'. It never happens and it never will

2) Buy a pink polo shirt. I saw a beautiful Lacoste raspberry pink number in a shop in Taormina. Not baby pink but the colour of raspberry ice-cream. It never happens but might if I got my act together

3) Learn Italian. I'm terrible with languages, having absolutely not aptitude whatsoever. It'll never happen although I'm slowly learning a few more words

4) Eat more pasta. My favourite jeans either shrunk in the wardrobe whilst I was away, or more likely, I put a few pounds on due to the ice-cream and pizza. Eating more pasta is the last thing I need to be doing just now!

5) Drink more coffee. Not the most ambitious plan but it might just happen 

Al Green

Stef and I have been in Sicily on holiday for the last two weeks (more to follow) and after the alarm went off at 4-00am this morning I was in my car to drive back up to Yorkshire from Southampton before 4-30. I pressed 'play' on the CD player and this came on. Cheered me up no end!