Merry Christmas!!

Just in case I forget to say I hope all my readership has a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year! Unfortunately I don't have much time to post today...

Hull City 4 - Cardiff City 1

I made my first visit to the KC Stadium in Hull and was pleased with the performance and result! The Tigers's best performance of the season saw them thrash Cardiff 4-1 in front of over 23,000 at the KC. Hull City led 2-0 after 9 minutes, Delaney finishing from close range and a Marney screamer putting City in control.

Fagan added a third before half-time, and although Chopra pulled one back for the visitors, Bridges made the match safe later on. There was even time for the impressive McPhee to chip a penalty onto the crossbar. The result lifts City above next week's opponents Leeds United, we are now three points from safety, and having played the type of glittering football that offers real hope of salvation. You can watch the highlights of the match on YouTube by clicking here.

Finished Hull Universities e-christmas card!

Finished the University of Hulls Business and Community Knowledge Exchanges e-Christmas card today which involved me having to learn Flash at SEED Software(Software Engineering Experience Development), involving a colabrative project between me, Dr Peter Robinson, Robert Sherratt and Carl Barrow. Personally, I am pleased with the finished result even though it has involved a lot of hard work.

Everybody who has seen it so far seems very impressed and I have learnt some useful skills, whilst completing the task.

Plymouth Argyle 1 - Hull City 0

Unfortunately the tigers lost again today, although they where away to a team in the top half of the championship. A superb solo effort from Sylvan Ebanks-Blake gave injury-hit Plymouth Argyle all three points as managerless Hull City came close to nicking a point at Home Park. Ebanks-Blake's shot on the turn midway through the second half was the one moment of real class in a scrappy affair.

Hull, under the caretaker management of former Derby boss Phil Brown for the first time, proved obdurate opponents until Ebanks-Blake cushioned Lilain Nalis' pass, spun round and turned Damien Delaney, and whipped a shot past goalkeeper Boaz Myhill from the edge of the penalty area.

The midfielder, who has played more than 350 games for his home-town club, is believed to have damaged cruciate and medial ligaments and faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines. He was replaced by 16-year-old Dan Gosling, who became the first Argyle player born in the 1990s to represent the club.

The lively Craig Fagan caused concern when he broke behind the Argyle backline, but a heavy touch and Luke McCormick's swiftness from his goal-line saw off the menace. The Tigers' spirit was then broken with the lovely piece of individual skill from Ebanks-Blake, who beat the otherwise impassable Myhill for pace.

The new caretaker manager Phil Brown said after the match that "If the players continue to show the commitment they showed then it will certainly give me a better chance of becoming the next manager. "I understand we are in the results business and if I can buy the chairman a bit of time of making the right decision about the next manager then that's my job done. "If I do that it will mean we are winning games and give me a better chance. "I am quite positive. The players showed a level of commitment that I was satisfied with in a very difficult week for everybody involved at the club."

Hull City 2 - Southampton 4

A thrilling game at the KC Stadium left the job of Hull manager Phil Parkinson in serious jeopardy as Southampton claimed all three points with a 4-2 victory. Hull created a chance early on when Craig Fagan swung in a cross from the left which Nick Barmby managed to get on the end of. However, as the former England man stretched to reach the ball, his six-yard shot was easily collected by Kelvin Davis.

Unfortnately, Southampton took the lead on 19 minutes when David Livermore lost the ball in his own half. Jones took the ball forward for the Saints before playing a neat ball across goal towards Grzegorz Rasiak who thumped his shot home from just four yards out. The visitors doubled their lead six minutes later. Stuart Elliott gave a free-kick away on the edge of the box and Gareth Bale stepped up to curl the ball into the back of the net with a sweet left-footed effort from 20 yards.

Hull grabbed a goal back in the 43rd minute when Barmby slammed the ball home from close range after Southampton had failed to clear a Tigers corner. The home side then managed to equalise on the stroke of half-time when Fagan got on the end of a poor back pass from Jones before slotting the ball past Davis from 15 yards out.

Southampton regained the lead with 15 minutes left when Skacel played the ball across goal from the left and Rasiak powered home his second goal of the match from close range. The visitors sealed victory and another three points seven minutes later when Bradley Wright-Phillips found himself with space in front of goal and he had no trouble slotting the ball home from 15 yards.

Under-fire Tigers boss Phil Parkinson said: "Our response to their second goal was tremendous and I thought the effort and commitment of our lads was top-drawer.

Happy 21st Birthday Microsoft Windows

Website Connected Internet has a great article on today’s birthday for Microsoft Windows - celebrating 21 years. Microsoft Windows 1.0 was released on November 20th, 1985.

They have some interesting trivia questions (21 to be exact) on Microsoft Windows over the years such as how Bill Gates originally wanted to name Windows something else: “Interface Manager”. I agree and I’m glad the people at Microsoft chose Windows!

I can’t say I’ve been using Windows since day 1 (unfortunately?) but have been using it since the days of Windows 3.0 and have enjoyed seeing Windows progress into what we have today - Windows Vista, a supposodly ultimate product. I certainly can’t wait to see what Microsoft has up their sleeve for improvements to Vista as well as their goals for the next version of Windows! There is a high level of excitement regarding future development of Windows.

Microsoft has new management coming in to lead the next version (Jim Allchin is due to retire once Vista ships) who need to figure out what the next steps for Windows will be. With the next version be a point release like XP was from Windows 2000 (XP was Version 5.1, Windows 2000 was Version 5). Or will the next release be a full version release - Windows Version 7.0?

But let’s look at Windows Vista in the “here and now” - Vista is a operating system developed and designed so that Microsoft can continue to improve the user experience over time through Windows Update and Ultimate Extras. Windows Vista released to manufacturers earlier this month but Microsoft will still have some surprises for consumers when it hits the market in late January.

Switched to blogger powered by google!

After reading many reviews of the new blogger powered by google I have finally decided to make the switch after reading articles on the subject. The transition to the new system appears to be succesful, if any body has any problems viewing or reading my blog please do let me know via the comments box!

Apologies for the lack of posts of late, I have been very busy!

Just a quick apology for not posting more recently, have been extremely busy with little or no time to complete any posts. Hopefully by christmas I should be able to update my blog more frequently once again!

Croatia 2 - England 0

Beverley born Paul Robinson was unfortunately left embarrassed as England crashed to a dismal defeat against Croatia in the Euro 2008 qualifier in Zagreb. Scrap the wingback system. Neville got lots of crosses in, Cole didn't. We don't need 3 at the back - they didn't even mark up properly when crosses came in.

Rooney is going to come deep to try and set things up, so we don't need Lampard, Carrick and Parker getting in his way. Play him in midfield and have two out and out strikers up front - Crouch/Ashton/Beattie & Johnson/Defoe/Bent/Walcott probably. Play Carrick/Hargreaves behind Rooney to feed the ball forward and do the defensive work for him so he doesn't tire himself out chasing the ball all over the pitch as he likes to do.

Get Downing back on the left wing. He didn't play well on Saturday, but he wasn't given the ball, and had Gerrard coming over to the left to get in the way. Before Saturday he'd had a couple of good games for England and always looks to cross. The more crosses, the more chances to score we'll have - simple.

Gerrard on the right would be okay as long as he sticks to that position and doesn't go charging all over the place. This is how Benetiz gets the best out of him, to channel him into doing specific things instead of trying to do everything. Wright-Phillips or Lennon on the bench are good impact players to bring on, and Gerrard could swap to a central position, if required.

I'm still not particularly impressed by John Terry as a player, let alone captain. King's always been solid for England.

Robinson was a tad unlucky with the miskick, and he made about 10 saves so we can let him off. We were losing at that point and would have lost anyway.

No huge personnel changes, but we need to rethink the midfield to create more chances. Tonight we had the Rooney shot that went over, and his 20-yard shot from the free kick lay-off - that was it. Hopefully England will learn from their mistakes quickly before the next round of qualification games, goodness should I become England manager, no it is just an opinion!

Scouting 2007!

Had a busy day working on the Scouting 2007 websites, at present everything seems to be working, apart from navbar colouration on the Scouting 2007 websites. A lot of the updates have now being completed and we now have three new functional websites namely;
a. www.thejamboree.org

b. www.brownsea2007.org

c. www.scouting2007.org

I thought I would just update everbody about this, as it has not been mentioned by me much of late. I have not blogged much about Scouting 2007!

Michael Schumacher wins the Chinese Grand Prix!

Michael Schumacher was overjoyed after seizing the world championship lead from Fernando Alonso with a Chinese Grand Prix victory that was as unexpected as it was accomplished.

The German was at a disadvantage in the wet early stages when his Ferrari’s Bridgestone intermediate tyres were no match for Alonso’s Michelins.

But as the track dried out Schumacher hauled himself into contention and then capitalised on a tactical miscue and a botched pit stop for his arch-rival to score his 91st career win.

Afterwards he admitted the result had exceeded his wildest expectations. It now looks like the German may win the world championship in his final season, after Renault manage to underperform once again!

Hull City 1 - Crystal Palace 1

Peter Taylor returned to Hull and we didn't deserve to win, but we certainly didn't deserve to lose. Palace had one shot on target in the ninety minutes and typically, Leon Cort drove it home from 20+ yards; unbelievable. They were the better football team, they moved the ball well and were comfortable in possession, but provided very little threat. If anyone can remember a game when Boaz hasn't made one save, let us know. We had a bright enough first half and hit a few decent efforts from range. Yeates looked a big threat and Marney and Ashbee tidied up well in midfield.

The manager made two good substitutions and showed good intent. Personally, I would have gone with France for Fagan in a straight swap, but the manager chose to use France at right back, which gave us a bit of attacking emphasis from the right. He also threw on Forster for Bridges, which worked well. Bridges had played off Parkin and really struggled to get involved. He hit two good shots when running from deep, but when Parkin was winning the ball up the pitch, Bridges was too deep to take advantage.

It was an amazing response from the boys and showed true grit and determination not to leave empty handed. That was our best quality today. At times we were silly, we were rash and we were outplayed, but we have bottle and lots of it. Last week must have hurt them deeply.

Hornsea Cottage Hospital Saved Again!

Mounting pressure from concerned residents means that Hornsea Cottage Hospital's inpatient ward has been saved from closure!

Yorkshire Wolds and Coast Primary Care Trust had planned to close the ward on October 1 for six months because of staff shortages.

But the PCT has bowed to people power and agreed to keep it open, after a campaign from residents and the threat of legal action.

Scouts!

Went to help at my local Scout group this evening which is always good fun!

Way to Park!

Hull Universities semester has started, so the campus is full of people again. I really like this. Although the peace and quiet of summer is rather nice, I don't really think that things are right unless we have students around the place.

The semester starts with a "Fresher's Week" with all kinds of fairs and events. There is a marquee set up outside the union where various organisations are touting their wares. I was walking back to the labs when I noticed a brand new, shiny, Porsche Boxster parked right across the footpath in the way of everybody. In the windscreen was a handwritten note "Driver on the Barclays Bank stand" (or it might have been Lloyds-TSB - I can't tell banks apart).

I'm not sure if this is impressive or not. Random thoughts sprang to mind:


*I work for a bank and drive a Porsche so I can park where I like;

*I must be a good banker because I have a posh car;

*Bank with us and you can have a car like mine;

*Bank with us and you can help pay for my car;

Hornsea Scouts back from summer break!

Scouting 2007 conference call first and then I did the usual Thursday thing and joined the Hornsea Scouts for their first meeting after coming back from camp and their visit to Brownsea Island earlier in the Summer, during the camp at Marlow! Hopefully there should be a report coming to the Hornsea Scouts website very soon.

Overall, it was a pretty busy evening with everyone seeming full of energy after the summer period! We will just have to wait and see what the period up to Christmas brings as approximately 25-30 Scouts attended the meeting, so it looks as if Scouts in Hornsea may be as popular as it was before the Summer break, I personally hope so anyway!

After Scouts their was the usual explorer meeting which all went to plan and was enjoyable once again, at present we have approximately 15 explorers in Hornsea even though one of our longest serving explorers left this evening (after completing cubs, scouts and explorers in Hornsea). But that as they say is Scouting, you have to get new members to replace people as they leave!

Hull City 1 - Leicester City 0

**ABOUT TIME THIS HAPPENED**

A spectacular strike from Michael Bridges gave bottom-of the Championship Hull City their first win in 12 league games. The last time the Tigers tasted a victory was when they had overcome Leeds United on April Fools Day.

Their winner tonight arrived against the run of play in the 58th minute when Bridges latched on to a loose ball and with Leicester defenders backing off the former Sunderland and Leeds star advanced to let fly with a 25-yard drive which rocketed into Paul Henderson's top right-hand corner. It was his first goal for the club since arriving in a £350,000 move from Carlisle on transfer deadline day.

Although Leicester dominated much of the game they failed to make significant headway against a resolute Hull side whose defensive tactics included fielding two holding midfielders. On the half hour mark Boaz Myhill was Hull's saviour when he bravely blocked a Stephen Hughes' close-range effort.

Before the half-time whistle Leicester keeper Henderson had been called into action just the once on 37 minutes when he reacted well to beat away Nicky Forster's drive.
It was a similar story after the re-start with Leicester enjoying plenty of possession but failing to carve out decent chances.

They paid the price with that goal from Bridges just before the hour mark. I was also a bit dissappointed to see Nick Barmby having to spend the whole match on the substitutes bench!

A mathematical problem!

This came around today and I thought it quite amusing and a good item to blog about so here it is;

A school teacher was arrested today at Gatwick Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set square, a slide rule, and a calculator.

At a morning press conference, Home Secretary John Reid said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement.

He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the Metropolitan Police with carrying weapons of maths instruction.

"Al-gebra is a problem for us," Reid said. "They desire solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in a search of absolute values .

They use secret code names like 'x' and 'y' and refer to themselves as 'unknowns', but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with co-ordinates in every country. As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, 'There are 3 sides to every triangle'".

When asked to comment on the arrest, Prime Minister Tony Blair, speaking from his holiday resort before the planes stopped flying, said, "If God had wanted us to have better Weapons of Maths Instruction, He would have given us more fingers and toes."

P.S. Don't forget to sign the petition to save Hornsea Cottage Hospital available in the sidebar!

Hornsea Cottage Hospital Closure Petition!

Sign the e-petition launched by our MP Graham Stuart to show your opposition to plans by Yorkshire Wolds and Coast PCT that have been going on for a while to close the 12-bed inpatient ward at Hornsea Cottage Hospital, with verment oppoosition from residents and businesses. The ward was only reduced from twenty to twelve beds recently and I personally think the trust had this in mind all along.

I personally think that this would be a big mistake for the town and the only reason the Primary Care Trust want to do it is to sell off the land to balance their budgets brought about by previous maladministration of our local health authority and the NHS in general!

So, it will be the minor injuries unit next, doesn’t seem to matter what the trust promises us their promises seem to be worthless!

Birmingham City 2 - Hull City 1

Birmingham were given further proof of just how difficult it is going to be to get out of the Championship as they were subjected to a late attacking onslaught by bottom of the table Hull which were surprised by the ease in which they were able dominate the closing stages.

Hull's striker Jon Parkin should have earned his side a point when he raced around everyone and with an open goal at his mercy smashed his shot against the post in the last five minutes. The new-look Birmingham side may have been streets ahead of Hull early on but dogged defensive work foiled and frustrated the Blues to such an extent that they were restricted to only one first half goal in a somewhat scrappy game.

It might well have been different if skipper Ian Ashbee, making his first appearance for 12 months, wasted a glorious chance to make a story-book return when he fluffed his shot following some early pressure with Birmingham's defence all at sea.

Nicky Forster and Michael Bridges made their first appearances together for Hull and it was Bridges who created an early impression with confidence to take the ball forward through a packed defence only to see his shot go just wide. There is little doubt that this incident gave bottom of the table Hull some much needed confidence against a Birmingham side that is still struggling to come to terms with life in the Championship.

Congratulations to all the kids born in the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking. As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because, we were always outside playing, doesn't seem to be so much of that nowadays! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned how to solve the problem.

We didn't have PlayStation's, Nintendo, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no dvd movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, few personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........we had friends and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever, hopefully! We were given pastic guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them! School sports had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

Explorer Scouts!!

Ran another meeting for my local explorer Scouts overall a good night was had by all concerned and Richard even brought a sandwitch toaster with assorted fillings which was good! It will be the last explorer Scout on their own meeting for the time being as next week Scouts are restarting on the same evening. So the HQ hall will be used until 9.00p.m.

Gym!

Today, I made my way to the gym I have joined at Hornsea Leisure Centre in order to increase my fitness!

England 5 - Andorra 0

England cruised to victory in their opening Euro 2008 qualifier against Andorra at Old Trafford. Peter Crouch put England in front after four minutes and Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard quickly added a second with a brilliant finish. Jermain Defoe was on target with crisp finishes either side of half-time as England dominated completely. Crouch headed home his second from substitute Aaron Lennon's cross after 65 minutes to seal an easy win, which was good. Why can't we play like this against better opposition and in major tournaments?

Out in Hornsea & Airfix calls in the receivers!

Tonight I will be going out in Hornsea with some of my friends and I have also been sad to hear the news that airfix has gone into administration, prompting an outpouring of nostalgia for the kit models. For me, and particularly for older people memories of assembling models of Spitfires and Lancaster bombers epitomise a lost childhood.

Hull City sign Michael Bridges and Nicky Forster

Michael Bridges has completed a transfer move from Carlisle United to Hull City tonight on deadline day of the transfer window. Hull have forked out £350,000 for the ex Leeds striker.

Also a deal has just been completed with Hull City splashing out £250,000 in order to bring the striker Nicky Forster from Ipswich Town. Nicky Forster has been signed to help ease the lack of goals after City have found the net only three times from their first five league games. Forster, aged 32, has been handed a two year contract by Hull City.

His importance in the Tigers strike force is emphasized by the player being given the number nine shirt upon his arrival. Forster is expected to play a part in the Tigers next match, a difficult away trip to Birmingham.

Parkinson has been searching for an experienced striker to lead the city frontline and the thirty-two year old striker should fit the bill perfectly. Forster has been a veteran of the Championship for many seasons after spells with Reading and Ipswich and his experience will be valuable as City search for their first Championship victory.

Hull City Transfer Big Ben Burgess!

Radio Humberside have announced that striker Ben Burgess is set to depart Hull City for League 1 side Blackpool in a deal believed to be worth £100,000.

The tall striker has had a torrid time with the Tigers over the last two seasons, spending almost eighteen months of that time on the treatment table with two troublesome knee injuries. Despite recovering from a year out which saw the player miss all but three games of the League 1 promotion campaign, Burgess was only able to make a short return to first team action before being struck by injury again.

All Hull City fans will miss Ben Burgess and the help he gave us to get out of the bottom divisions, good luck at Blackpool Ben!

Scouting 2007

Had a busy day working on the websites, but at present everything seems to be working. A lot of the updates have now being completed!

Out in Hornsea!

Tonight I went out in Hornsea with some of my friends!

Explorers

Went to help out with my local Explorers as I usually do on a Thursday evening!

Out in Hornsea!

Tonight I went out in Hornsea with some of my friends!

Apologies for the forthcoming pause in posting!

Just a quick one to say that I am pretty busy at present and therefore may not have the time to update my blog as regularly as usual!

Explorer Summer Camp at Longridge

This year for our explorer Summer camp we took the Scout Group down to Longridge Scout Boating Centre just outside Marlow. A good time was had by all concerned before we made our way back home to let our Scouts take over part of the campsite for the following week.

Unfortunately due to other external commitments I couldn't stay for the second week! Apparently the Scouts went to Brownsea Island in the second week in which they had good fun, I wish I could have stayed as I have always wanted to visit Brownsea Island. However, they have brought back lots of good pictures and I am sure they also have lots of good stories which good.

Out in Hornsea!

Tonight I went out in Hornsea with some of my friends!

Watched Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire on DVD

This evening I watch Harry Potter on DVD and I will just write a brief summary of the plot below. Before anyone states the obvious I know I am too old to admit to watching Harry Potter but I had a young relation with me at the time!

This year Hogwarts is hosting the Triwizard Tournament. Two other schools are vying for the honorable Goblet of Fire trophy: the Beauxbatons Academy and the Durmstrang Institute. Candidates, who willingly enter by placing their names in the Goblet of Fire, must be seventeen years old to join the dangerous competition of three challenges. The Goblet chooses not three, but four names. Big Harry, though only 14, cannot be excluded since the Goblet appears to want him to play.

The three challenges are fighting a dragon, an underwater rescue, and a run through a magical maze. The maze brings Harry face-to-face with tongue-wiggling Lord "No-Nose" Voldemort who needs Harry's blood to resurrect himself.

Now that Harry, Ron, and Hermione are fourteen, they are becoming interested in sex. And the School's Yule Ball has everyone expected to pair up and dance! Harry, still not claiming his magical heritage, fumbles around girls. Ron, after having a jealous spat with Harry, starts to notice his feelings for Hermione. Being more mature, Hermione accepts Durmstrang's muscular star Viktor Krum's invitation to the dance.

I personally thought that this movie was the best one so far, however its sexual references and frequent scary dragon scenes may make it too much for the younger viewers amongst you!

Wembley maybe delayed again!

The owner of the new Wembley stadium has said it expects its builders to miss their revised September deadline for completing the arena. But Wembley National Stadium Limited said it did expect the much-delayed £757m venue to be finished this year.

The north London stadium was due for completion in August 2005, but hold-ups have led to events such as this year's FA Cup Final having to be rescheduled.

Construction firm Multiplex said it was sticking to its September deadline.

Goodbye Top Of The Pops!

Sir Jimmy Saville signed off one last time for the final episode of Top of the Pops which airs this evening. Sir Jimmy is one of the veteran presenters who feature in the last edition of the pop programme. The show's final words are a reminder of the Top of the Pops tradition: "Don't forget it's number one, it's still Top of the Pops."

Sir Jimmy was the show's first host when it debuted on January 1 1964. Dave Lee Travis, Tony Blackburn, Janice Long, Mike Read, Pat Sharp, Reggie Yates, Edith Bowman, Sarah Cawood and Rufus Hound were some of the 150 presenters who took part in the final goodbye after 42 years of pop history.

More than 150 fans came to watch the last show, which was filmed for broadcast on Sunday evening. There were no live performances but instead montages captured the best of the pop decades from the 1960s onwards.

Personally, I can't help thinking that this will not be the final rendition for Top of the Pops, as it is still on for a christmas special. So they could maybe restart the shows in the longer term! WHO KNOWS.

Hull City 1 - Nancy 1

A pretty dull game at the KC. Proper pre-season fare. An abysmal first half from the Tigers but a better second.

The extended highlights of the game: We kicked off. They scored. Half time. They kicked off. We scored. Full time.

Not much of an exaggeration either. If you are looking for positives to take into WBA next week, they are few and far between. So a worrying preseason overall for Hull City we will have to wait and see how the new season goes!

Out in Hornsea!

Tonight I went out in Hornsea with some of my friends!

Explorer Beach BBQ and dip in the sea!

Tonight I helped out at Scouts once again assisting to run the BBQ at this event as well as helping the explorers build a massive sand castle on the beach! It must be ten years since I built a sand castle and I have lived by the sea all my life. I do sometimes go for walks on the sea front though! So, I do get some enjoyment from living by the seaside!

Beverley Westwood!

Today I went for a walk on Beverley Westwood, see picture below, prior to going on camp later this month. I hadn't walked on that piece of common land of approximately 600 acres with some areas of woodland for such a long time. It was good to get out into the countryside once again!

Hornsea Carnival

This weekend I am going to Hornsea Carnival which is now in its 40th year, I hope to meet up with some friends at Floral Hall On Saturday night as the town is always busy across this weekend!

Gym!

Today, I made my way to the gym I have joined at Hornsea Leisure Centre in order to increase my fitness!

Five days pause in posting!

At present I am having a short pause in posting for about five days, hope all my readership is well and is enjoying life to the maximum!

Hull City have smashed their club transfer record to sign Tottenham Hotspur's attacking midfielder Dean Marney.

Hull City have smashed their club transfer record to sign Tottenham Hotspur's attacking midfielder Dean Marney. The Tigers are refusing to reveal the size of the fee in order to prevent too much pressure being put on the 22-year-old but sources in London insist a bid of around £500,000 has been accepted by Spurs.

Should Hull go on to realise their ultimate ambition of winning promotion to the Premiership the initial sum would double, dwarfing the previous club record £400,000 fee that brought striker Stephen McPhee to the KC Stadium from Portuguese side Beira Mar 12 months ago.

Ambitious Hull's spending is set to rise over the weekend with Sam Ricketts's protracted £300,000 switch from Swansea City finally getting the go-ahead after the Football League stepped into the row. Tigers chairman Adam Pearson said: "Dean has signed a three-year deal and we believe he can become a very important player for Hull City. We had to fend off interest from Cardiff and Norwich.

SAGGA in Sweden!

My SAGGA scouting friends have gone to Sweden to a campsite known as Kragenäs by the sea! I wish I could be joining them as the site looks beautiful.

The site is within 160 hectares of nature reserve. Camping is on a series of flat, open fields bounded by woods. Within the woods there are outcrops of granite, the tops of which provide views across the site and out to sea. The site has been operating in its current form for eight years during which time stone roads have been laid to give access to the camping fields, mains electricity and water brought on site and two toilet blocks have been built.

Sounds like a perfect campsite, it is just a shame I had to miss out due to my difficulties with walking, but as they say that is life!

Gym!

Today, I made my way to the gym I have joined at Hornsea Leisure Centre in order to increase my fitness!

Gym!

Today, I made my way to the gym I have joined at Hornsea Leisure Centre in order to increase my fitness!

McLaren agree to release Montoya!

I was quite dissapointed to hear today that Juan Pablo Montoya has been released by McLaren with immediate effect following his decision to quit for Nascar at the end of the season. The Colombian will be replaced by test driver Pedro de la Rosa for the rest of the present campaign.

I think this is quite sad as he was always a character in the paddock but unfortunately his race form for McLaren never quite lived to the expectations built up as a member of the Williams Formula 1 team!

Doctor Who: Doomsday

I personally thought this episode of Doctor Who was simply brilliant, I have written a short review but I don't want to say anymore in my blog in case this spoils the story for any of my readership!

The Daleks are back as the second series
draws to a close in this episode from show
supremo Russell T Davies.

Doctor Who's two most iconic monsters, The Daleks and The Cyberman, come face to face and battle one another for the first time.

As the two mighty armies wage war across the Earth, the human race finds itself caught in the middle of an epic battle.

But as an unstoppable terror emerges from beneath Torchwood Tower, the Doctor faces an even greater dilemma – does saving the world mean the death of Rose Tyler?

Out in Hornsea!

Tonight I went out in Hornsea with some of my friends!

Tonight I went to my first Hull BCS meeting named Crime, War and Terrorism in Cyberspace!

When William Gibson coined the term Cyberspace it was followed by a rash of science fiction that explored how the banes of society, such as Crime, War and Terrorism will fill the Cyberworld. The most recent dark Cyberspace fiction was the Matrix series of movies. Many of us have some exposure to criminality on the Internet when we open our email, or browse internet auctions for bargains. Some of those bargains, are too good to be true!

The talk given by Brian Tompsett this evening at the University of Hull surveyed the incidents and mechanisms of crime of the Internet to illustrate the scope of the problem in reality, as compared to those imagined in fiction. It then examines how modern warfare and terrorism has also become a reality that is fought across the network of cyberspace. The talk contained material of interest to the technical and non-technical audience alike, and will hopefully acted as a catalyst for further awareness raising of the issues and discussions.

Hull City make a new signing!

Brentford defender Michael Turner is understood to have completed a £325,000 move to Hull City. It is reported that the 22-year-old passed a medical yesterday, and has now signed for City.

The 6'4" centre back would come in for Leon Cort, who City sold to Crystal Palace for £1.25million, leaving just Damien Delaney, Sam Collins and the injured Danny Coles as options for Phil Parkinson.

City have also revealed that Stuart Ayles has joined the club as Fitness Coordinator. He agreed terms on the 22nd June, just days after resigning at Colchester, and will start work next week.

Eriksson's reign ends in heartbreak!

Sven-Goran Eriksson's parting shot as England coach was a plea to look after Wayne Rooney's talent. In his final England news conference, Eriksson said Rooney's dismissal should not be blamed for England's World Cup quarter-final exit to Portugal.

Eriksson said: "Wayne Rooney is the golden boy of English football. Don't kill him because you will need him. "He's a fantastic player and he has his temperament, but you can't hold that against him."

England 1 - Ecuador 0

England did well to beat Ecuador in Stuttgart to progress to the quarter finals and will now face Portugal. The only goal in the match was scored by David Beckham in a free kick, unfortunately after I had just said how unispired his play was at present, especially from free kicks! It was almost as if he scored to prove me wrong! It was a superb kick and just popped in the goalpost as the Ecuadorian goal keeper dived to the edge of his goal but the ball just sneaked in the corner. It meant there was relief all over England, we will just have to see how long this relief will continue, as we play Luiz Felipe Scolari's Portugal next Saturday.

When David Beckham scored his goal he became the first England player to score at three World Cups but it took England nearly 60 minutes to get the goal. Beckham had not scored a goal for England for more than three years. Ecuador had a better start and could have gone in front early in the 12th minute when Carlos Tenorio's shot was deflected off Ashley Cole and then on to the cross bar after John Terry made a mistake. John Terry redeemed himself later on and was awarded man of the match by FIFA.

Frank Lampard had another struggler missing two good chances but England had done enough to get the win and they appear to have done it without picking up any injuries. On the whole the match wasn't really an entertainer and two England players were booked for time wasting but England fans won't mind because all that matters to them is that England have made it to the quarter finals where I have just learned they will take on Portugal in Gelsenkirchen on 1 July. Anyway, we made it through another stage in the world cup, all I will say is that they will have to improve their play if they want to progress further in the competition!

Doctor Who: Fear Her

This evening the Tardis landed in 2012, the Doctor showed Rose the London Olympics. But ordinary children are vanishing, seemingly into thin air, whilst a mother living in a seemingly ordinary British household is trying to hide her daughter's unnatural powers from the world. Can the Doctor defeat the evil nestled in the heart of London?

The thing that I was quite surprised to see is in the trailer after the return once again of the cybermen and maybe even the Daleks, so maybe they were not really destroyed, we shall just have to wait until the final two episodes of the new series to see!

I personally think if the cybermen came through from the alternate universe why can't the Daleks. As personally I though this episode was a bit mundane, in the grand scale of things. We need a good series conclusion like in parting of the ways from series 1. Hopefully the script writers will have a good two part series conclusion for us like they did in series one!

Out in Hornsea!

Tonight I went out in Hornsea with some of my friends!

Scouts!

Tonight at Scouts we ran various campfires in practice for our Summer Camp at Longridge. I always like building campfires as it is good that the ground is not that wet at present!

Gym!

Today, I made my way to the gym I have joined at Hornsea Leisure Centre in order to increase my fitness!

Michael Owen Out Of World Cup!

Unfortunately for England, striker Michael Owen will miss the rest of the World Cup finals with a knee injury, the Football Association announced.

Owen twisted his right knee early in England's Group B 2-2 draw with Sweden in Cologne on Tuesday and had a scan on Wednesday. He had only recently returned after four months out with a broken foot.

Barichello predicts Honda upturn!

Rubens Barrichello is optimistic Honda can end their dismal recent run in Formula One at present. Rubens Barrichello says his struggling Honda team could start to improve their form at Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix, so we shall have to wait and see if this is true!

Updated 25th June 2006
Unfortunately after battling hard for the final world championship point, Jenson Button finished the Canadian Grand Prix in ninth place this afternoon, ending a disappointing afternoon for the Honda Racing F1 Team. Rubens Barichello had to retire earlier in the race due to having a engine failure, so things certainly not looking as good as Rubens suggested earlier this week. However, they both started from within the top ten in this race which is better than last time!

Doctor Who: Love & Monsters

Overall, this series of Doctor Who has been many things; comical, horrific and interesting. What's also been is rather maudlin. I find Rose to be a bit dull. "The Satan Pit" at the very end where Rose tells the Doctor, "He said I'd die in battle," I was waiting for the Doctor to just turn to her and with a cheery smile say, "Don't worry, you still might."

I don't, on the whole, mind Rose. I think that her episode, "Father's Day" was one of the best in the series. However, I find that this growing romance between the Doctor and Rose is out of character with the series as a whole. I look back to the days when the Doctor would chide Rose about how the new boy aboard was her boyfriend, or about how Captain Jack was actually interested in him, or any of the like. That all said, I thought "Love and Monsters" was a spectacular episode.

Still, on the whole I thought this was one of the better episodes they've done together so far.

Scout Group Treasure Hunt!

This evening the Scout Group ran a very succesful treasure hunt around the Hornsea area and we went down some roads I had never visited before in the area, which was unusual for me. Overall, I think a succesful treasure hunt and subsequent campfire was held with everybody seeming to enjoy the occassion!

Out in Hornsea!

Tonight I went out in Hornsea with some of my friends!

Scouts & England 2 - Trinadad & Tobago O

This evening I am going to help at my local Scout Group which is normally an enjoyable experience! Having helped at Scouts for seven years!

I always find it very interesting to find out what the Scouts I have worked with do in life after they have left Scouts and tonight should once again be good! The plan for this evening is to pitch the tents we plan to take to summer camp, so we will just have to hope it doesn't rain!

Unfortunately, however England's world cup match is also on tonight! Hopefully the result will be good, and the Scouts will be able to celebrate another glorius victory in the group stage!

Waste plant set to become green fuel factory for islands

A £10 MILLION waste management plant is set to be turned into a factory to produce hydrogen as a green fuel for homes, vehicles and industry in the Western Isles under plans expected to be approved today.

The move would see the islands become the world's first large-scale producer of hydrogen derived from organic gas.

The plant in Stornoway was designed to create electricity, but could not get a national grid connection to transmit the energy.

Peter Taylor leaves Hull City to manage Crystal Palace!

Peter Taylor has been unveiled as the new manager of Crystal Palace after ending his three-and-a-half year relatively succesful tenure at Hull City. As revealed on Crystal Palace's official website and at a press conference held at 4o'clock this afternoon, Peter Taylor is now in charge of Crystal Palace, a bit sad a few Hull residents will say. But times must move on and some clubs change managers frequently! So we shall just have to see which succesful manager Adam Pearson will appoint next!

Gym!

Today, I made my way to the gym I have joined at Hornsea Leisure Centre in order to increase my fitness!

I am even more lost in lost!

The Lost Experience online revolves around the mystery surrounding The Hanso Foundation, which relates to the island of Lost.

The Hanso Foundation's site re-launched on the 2nd of May, coinciding with their new advertising campaign, which aired during Lost on Channel 4 - www.thehansofoundation.org . The advertisement stated

Since the dawn of time, Man has been curious, imagining all that was possible. The Hanso Foundation. Reaching out to a better tomorrow. Discover the experience for yourself. Call 0800 66 66 40.

The Hanso Foundation Tv Advert The number took you through to the automated reception of The Hanso Foundation, where callers were given a selection of extensions. Everything seemed normal, except for a couple of extensions which led to some strange answer machine messages.

Doctor Who: The Satan Pit

This was an excellent 2-part episode, although I have not seen all the older ones!

This episode brings the things that we most fear and how would we humans, in a futuristic time, would fight and defeat real live evil when most odds say that would be impossible.

Being that it's a family film I am surprised that they brought some stuff in like fear and faith, especially if its also going to entertain American audiences. But who care about what the Americans say, we rock!

Doctor Who has shown potential ever since from episode one from the new series in 2005, first being so harmless to scary, from fun to serious, from light to darkness. I hope many old fans will one day soon say "The old Doctor Who has returned", not quite yet though!

Also today England won their world cup qualifier against paraguay by 1 goals to 0. I suppose all you can say is that it needs to get better from this point onwards, but I am sure it will!

Congratulations Rob & Mad on tying the knot!

I am just posting to congratulate Mad and Rob for tying the knot and giving us a very well documented blog to amuse and document the occasion. Hope the afformentioned couple have a long and happy relationship!

It is hot again!

Well not what you want really, a really hot day in a room full of computers but that is Summer in Britain, at least I have air conditioning in my car for the ride home!

Gym!

Today, I made my way to the gym I have joined at Hornsea Leisure Centre in order to increase my fitness!

Gym!

Today, I made my way to the gym I have joined at Hornsea Leisure Centre in order to increase my fitness!

Through to Hull!

Today I went for a walk around Hull which kept me busy for a while, nothing much else to report!

Doctor Who: The cybermen returned to send us behind the sofa's again!

After a slightly uncertain start to this episode, featuring the long awaited return of the second most iconic Dr. Who monsters, it gets into its stride. The Doctor,Rose and Mickey find themselves in an alternat London, sending both Rose and Mickey on the trail of relatives that have long since died in their reality. Finally, we start to get an idea of what makes Mickey tick as his back story is filled in.

Rose's desperation to see her father is a rerun of Father's Day from Series 1 and covers much of the same ground, which gave this episode a score of 9 rather than 10. The Doctor is almost a peripheral figure for most of the episode, but David Tennant makes the most of every line, look and gesture.

The villain, Lumic, was a muted character compared to Davros but quite effective. When the Cybermen arrived, their previous risible portrayals in portrayals in Doctor Who were completely removed from the memory. These are Borg like monsters. This, in effect, returns the favour as the Borg were originally based on the Cybermen, as their first appearance in the episode entitled 'Q Who' makes clear! They even have their own catchphrase to rival the Daleks' 'exterminate!!'. The new Who goes from strength to strength.

England 6 - Jamaica 0

Peter Crouch gave the nation a World Cup farewell party to remember as he scored a hat-trick in a six-goal jamboree against Jamaica. The Reggae Boyz and their fantastic fans came to Old Trafford to party but it was Crouch, with his robotic finishing, who led the dance.

He entertained the crowd three times with his trademark celebration, while Frank Lampard, Michael Owen and an own goal from Jermaine Taylor completed the rout. It could even have been four for Crouch, who missed a penalty won for him by Owen, but nothing was going to spoil this day for England.

It was the perfect way for the Three Lions to say goodbye to their delighted fans ahead of the World Cup Finals in Germany, and they will certainly fly to Baden Baden on Monday in tremendous spirits.

Scouting 2007 Web Updates!

I spent the day being rather busy completing various updates to the Scouting 2007 website! It is now just over a year to the actual event, at present I am being kept rather busy with the updates! Hence my lack of more constant bloggage, over recent weeks.

Facts about June!

June is the sixth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with a length of 30 days The month is named after the Roman goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter and equivalent to the Greek goddess Hera.

At the start of June, the sun rises in the constellation of Taurus; at the end of June, the sun rises in the constellation of Gemini. However, due to the precession of the equinoxes, June begins with the sun in the astrological sign of Gemini, and ends with the sun in the astrological sign of Cancer.

Missing Week!

I went to the gym in this week and I have otherwise been busy will speak more when I have the time!

Back @ Hull University!

I have just started back at Hull University on the SEED project that I hope will give me the experience I need to gain some employment! The main purpose of the SEED project is to provide graduates with the real-world experience which will help them to find a good permanent job.

At present I am responsible for the development of a solution for a customer from start to end. I could be involved in negotiating contracts, capturing requirements, preparing designs, writing code and documentation, testing, support to give me experience in a real world environment outside academic life, as this is one of the areas I lack experience in at present.

Hence my posts may be delayed at present!

Going out in Hornsea!

Today, I made my way to the gym I have joined at Hornsea Leisure Centre in order to increase my fitness! Before making my way to the local public house to meet with friends!

Scouts!

Tonight was Scouts once again and after the A.G.M. yesterday evening everyone was pretty worn out. We hadn't really had time to organise a programme. Luckily one of the explorer Scouts had offered to organise a troop hockey tournment, on the sea front, as part of his badge work, as the weather was nice.

They even managed to borrow thirty wooden hockey sticks and associated kit, which was even better. As the group only has a indoor hockey set, which is not much good for using on grass.

However, the Scouts still had the energy to play hockey which was good and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. We occasionally do things on the grass near the boat compound, as it is a large open area with good access!

Scout Group A.G.M.

Tonight was the evening of the Hornsea Scout Group A.G.M. at the Scout Headquarters, it was a well attended event with some people I had not seen for several years which was good! There was the normal cub, scout & explorer of the year awards and introductions to what all the sections had been doing over the last year. Plus presentations from the cub, scout and explorer sections.

A prize draw was held in aid of the roof fund, with the results on the newely created Scouts website @ http://www.hornseascouts.org.uk. The group also received some surprise donations for the roof fund which was good. Anyway the AGM proved to be a good night, showing once again that Scouting is strong in the Hornsea area.

Gym!

Today, I made my way to the gym I have joined at Hornsea Leisure Centre in order to increase my fitness!

Hide and Seek

After the suicide of his wife, the psychiatrist Dr. David Callaway (Robert De Niro) decides to move with his traumatized daughter Emily (Dakota Fanning) from New York to the country to give more attention to her. In their huge old house, Emily finds a new and violent invisible friend called Charlie, making David very concerned with her mental state.

"Hide and Seek" is a good, but predictable thriller. Dakota Fanning has another outstanding performance, on the contrary of in the just-released "War of the Worlds", where she is histrionic. Robert De Niro is too old to act as the father of Emily, but in the end, this movie is enjoyable. The DVD shows three alternative ends, and there is a very dark one, which is excellent, with Emily in an institution. Unfortunately, the commercial end prevails and becomes the "official" conclusion of the movie.

Out in Hornsea!

Tonight I went out in Hornsea with some of my friends!

Fernado Alonso wins Spanish GP

World Champion Fernando Alonso won the Spanish Grand Prix, in Barcelona, in dominating fashion in his Renault this afternoon, taking his third win of the season and his 11th of his career.

Michael Schumacher finished second, 18.5 seconds behind in his Ferrari, followed by the second Renault of Giancarlo Fisichella some 5.4 seconds further behind in third place. Alonso, taking the win at his home Grand Prix in front of a jubilant crowd and Kind Juan Carlos, is the first Spaniard to win the Spanish Grand Prix.

Alonso now leads Michael Schumacher by 15 points in the Drivers World Championship. The win was Alonso's 12th consecutive podium finish.

Leeds win 3 - 1 on aggregate, to reach the championship playoff final!

Leeds will meet Watford or Crystal Palace in the Cardiff final on May 21. Leeds reached the Championship play-off final after goals from Rob Hulse and Frazer Richardson gave the Yorkshire club a 3-1 victory on aggregate. Leeds United moved a step closer to a return to the top flight when they reached the second division playoff final by beating Preston.

Leeds, relegated and hit by a cash crisis two years ago, won 2-0 at Preston for a 3-1 aggregate victory, thanks to two goals in five minutes early in the second half of a combative contest.

Striker Rob Hulse scored the first with a header from a Gary Kelly corner after 56 minutes and then made the second for Fraser Richardson, who was left with a close range tap-in.

Leeds, who had eight players cautioned, were reduced to 10 men for the final 22 minutes when Stephen Craney was sent off for a second bookable offence. They were down to nine when Richard Cresswell was dismissed in added time.

Lost Season 2: Episode 1 & 2

Once again Lost has returned to our televisions courtesy of Channel 4. The second season starts where the survivors have left off with Jack, Locke and others going down the hatch and finding out what is under there. One of the castaways is chosen to descend into the mysterious hatch, and Shannon stumbles upon a shockingly familiar face in the jungle.

The band of friends, family, enemies and strangers must continue to work together against the cruel weather and harsh terrain if they want to stay alive on the island. But, as they have discovered during their forty-plus days on the island, danger and mystery loom behind every corner, and those they thought could be trusted may turn against them. Even the most beloved heroes have secrets.

Jin, Michael and Sawyer survive their boat attack from "the others" while Walt is still missing out at sea. Hopefully I have not put too many spoilers in my review as their are still lots of suprises for other people waiting to watch it! Lost is a very good series, nearly as good as Doctor Who, which gives it a very good rating. All, I hope is that the new series gets better and better as the first series did!

Busy, Busy, Busy!!

Sorry about the lateness of posts recently I have been outside in the wonderful early Summer weather as judging by previous years it will not last into the true Summer season. So I am making the most of it whilst it is here, hence my lack of bloggage over previous days! Hope all my readership is well, will post more when I have the time!

Gym and Out with friends!

Today, I made my way to the gym I have joined at Hornsea Leisure Centre in order to increase my fitness! Before making my way to the local public house to meet with friends!

Scouts!

Tonight at Scouts we spent the evening getting some new dining shelters ready for the Summer Camp at Marlow! I have now included a link on the side of the Scout Troop Web Page located here with a link to the Friends of Longridge Scout Boating Centre as I personally think it should be retained, as it provides an excellent resource to UK Scouting!

Visited Levisham!

Today I visited Levisham in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park with my parents, I remember camping there when I was younger with my local Scout Group at the back of The Horseshoe Inn in the hamlet, which unfortunately does not offer camping facilities anymore. It was a rather ideal place to have a campsite, as their are lots of beautiful walks in the area, but all things change, and the campsite now seems to be used as a farm yard!

Gym!

Today, I made my way to the gym I have joined at Hornsea Leisure Centre in order to increase my fitness!

May Day!

I just thought I would post some facinating facts about this day in history! May Day has from ancient times been celebrated as a Spring Festival all over Europe. The air filled with bird song, swallows have returned to nest, bluebells and primroses are carpeting the woods, and every meadow testifies to the fact that 'When you can put your foot on nine daisies at once, spring has come'.

The end of winter, the start of Spring is here...newly-sown seed was sprouting, new-born lambs in the fields, newly-hatched chicks in the farmyard, new leaves appearing on the trees and birds everywhere mating and nesting...time for humans to join in with the celebration of Spring's arrival.

May Day, 1st May...but did you know before they changed the calendar in 1752, May Day fell 11 days later.

Hull City: First Season in the championship review

We wanted to compete in this division and stay clear of relegation. Our attempts to do this were not helped by injuries to our summer signings and some key players, but the bottom three have rarely looked like creeping up on us.

I feel that some fans will always have unrealistic expectations, but Peter Taylor's done a very good job in difficult circumstances. He was tested this season by injuries, but next season could be an even bigger test when he's, hopefully, got a full squad and will be expected to push on.

Goalkeeper Boaz Myhill has been outstanding. Defender Leon Cort has been consistent, and centre forward Jon ‘The Beast' Parkin made an impact. Stuart Elliott has failed to rekindle his form of last season, and his future at the club is under question by some.

Doctor Who: School Reunion

A local high school may not be entirely what it seems. Sarah-Jane Smith is sent to investigate the place, with her trusted robot dog K-9, who made a welcome special appearance in this episode of Doctor Who! But there she unravels a deeper mystery, as she's reunited with a face from her past.

The Doctor, who left her behind many years ago. He has returned, and everything about him is different from the Doctor Sarah remembers…played by Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker leading to much confusion and Rose gets a tad annoyed!

Scouting 2007!

Had a busy day working on the websites, but at present everything seems to be working. A lot of the updates have now being completed and we even got a google earth plugin working on the location page which is a real bonus! I also got my arm out of a sling today which is good as it is certainly faster typing with two hands rather than one!

Scouts!

This evening I am going to help at my local Scout Group which is normally an enjoyable experience! Having helped at Scouts for seven years!

I always find it very interesting to find out what the Scouts I have worked with do in life after they have left Scouts and tonight should be good!

The Aviator

April 26 is the 116th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (117th in leap years). There are 249 days remaining in the year.

Today, I also watched the Aviator on DVD which I personally think is a excellent film. It is a little bit slow at times and won't be liked by all but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It concentrates on the psychological evolution of Howard Hughes, a stud, a filmaker and ground-breaking Aviator - who is a little obsessed and more than a little strange. It's Scorsese's darkest movie since 'Taxi Driver', with a great cast and DiCaprio is excellent in the lead.

Scouting 2007!

Had a busy day working on the websites, but at present everything seems to be working. A lot of the updates have now being completed and we even got a google earth plugin working on the location page which is a real bonus! I also got my arm out of a sling today which is good as it is certainly faster typing with two hands rather than one!

Schumacher wins once again at San Marino

Michael Schumacher held off Fernando Alonso in a tight duel Sunday to win the San Marino Grand Prix. Schumacher covered 62 laps around the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit in 1 hour, 31 minutes, 6.486 seconds, with Alonso 2.0 seconds behind.

It marked the Ferrari driver's record seventh win at Imola and the 85th of his career. Apart from last year's U.S. Grand Prix, when only six cars competed because of a tire dispute, it was Schumacher's only other win since the end of 2004.

Schumacher started from pole position and championship leader Alonso began fifth. By the 35th lap, Alonso was on Schumacher's tail but could not pass the seven-time world champion.

The scene was the opposite of last year's race here, in which Alonso held off a surging Schumacher over the final 12 laps.

This time, Alonso went into the pits on the 40th lap, while Schumacher came in one lap later and managed to come out just in front of the Renault driver. Schumacher's expert blocking skills and Imola's narrow track prevented any serious attacks from Alonso the rest of the way.

McLaren's Juan Pablo Montoya finished third, 15.8 back.

Hull City 1 - Preston North End 1

Hull City's last home game of the season saw the points shared as Preston looked towards the play-offs. Both goals came in the first half with a superb effort from Simon Whaley on 33 minutes putting Preston ahead and an own goal from Youl Mawene 10 minutes later bringing Hull back on level terms.

City's Damien Delaney had a chance midway through the first half but his header from an Alan Rogers corner went wide of Carlo Nash's right hand post from eight yards out.

The Tigers rued that miss just past the half-hour men when Whaley capitalised on Delaney stalling on the edge of the box and smashed in a half-volley to send North End into the lead.

Some smart football from Hull just before the break resulted in a great chance for Jon Parkin but he couldn't convert a cross from Craig Fagan, as he hit the ball into the ground and saw it bounce over the bar.

Hull did level the scores on 43 minutes when a Stuart Green free-kick from the right side of the box was unintentionally bundled into the bottom right corner of the net by Preston skipper Mawene.

Hull started to come into the game midway through the second period and nearly took the lead through Parkin, but he couldn't find enough power on his shot and Nash comfortably saved his right footed effort.

Substitute Darryl Duffy came within inches of putting Hull ahead towards the end of the game but he lashed a right-footed shot just wide of the post.

Whaley then nearly grabbed his second late on as he raced into the box and unleashed a right-footed shot, but Myhill was equal to it and managed to turn the ball around the post. This is looking good for next season, I personally hope!

Floral Hall!

Tonight I am going for a night out once again at Hornsea Floral Hall, which hopefully should be good!

Finished Hornsea Scouts Website!

It took me a few weeks to make on and off, but I think my new Scout Group website is now ready for external testing, it appears to be slightly slow at certain times of the day but what do you expect for a free site. I would just like to take this opportunity to thank all the people on the Escouts team for allowing me to use their systems for the site!

If you would like to take a look at the site I have included a link above, however a great deal is now password protected, but take a look at the public pages via the link above!

Sorry for sporadic posting!

Once again the holiday period has meant sporadic posting on my blog, I hope to keep it up to date more frequently now, but we will just have to wait and see!

Derby County 1 - Hull City 1

Tommy Smith scored his third goal in as many games to rescue a point for Derby after Stuart Green had given Hull the advantage with a stunning 30-yard volley.
Green's superb effort looked to have won the game until Scott Wiseman pushed Paul Peschisolido in the 89th minute and Smith tucked away the penalty.

A draw was probably about right for a typical end of season game which only flickered briefly into life, although Hull will claim to have had the better chances. They certainly came close to scoring a second in the final 10 minutes with Green denied by an agile save from Lee Camp.

Ellison was denied by Camp a minute later when he turned and shot from the edge of the box and those saves proved decisive when Derby were awarded a penalty two minutes from time. Giles Barnes crossed from the right to the back post where Wiseman bundled over Peschisolido and Smith sent Boaz Myhill the wrong way with his spot-kick which nestled into the bottom corner.

Happy Easter!!

Happy Easter

Doctor Who: New Earth

With a bigger budget and a much younger actor, can Doctor Who still tell great stories? To answer that question based on "New Earth", the first episode of Series 2, the answer would be no. Can David Tennant make the Doctor his own? The answer is a simple yes, which makes it a nice watcher for the curious.

Rose and the Doctor land on New Earth, which is a more futuristic version of the old one. In New New York, a hospital large in scope heals thousands and thousands of patients of all different races. The Doctor, of course, wants to know the secret that no one is willing to tell him. Meanwhile, Rose encounters Cassandra O'Brian, whom we last saw in Series 1's "End Of The World". Tired of her existence as a mere sheet of skin, she transports herself into the mind of Rose. Meanwhile, the Doctor encounters a dying Face Of Boe, also from Series 1's "End Of The World". He apparently has a secret, but can only tell someone who is a wanderer with no home such as the Doctor.

Despite this rather flat entry in Series 2, Doctor Who allows the writers to take the show to beyond the likes of Russell Davies. With this, I hope that the critics will treat this season better than they they did the first one, as I personally thoroughly enjoyed it!

Worried about Bird Flu?

Here's the answer: Hensip. This excellent "cartoon" arrived in my inbox today. I have no idea who the artist is, but he or she has given me the best laugh of the week so far.

Hornsea Scouts Website!

Today, I took photographs of the Scout HQ in Hornsea to put the finishing touches to my new Scout Group webpage. Just some more writing to do and then the whole project will be finished. Go on take a look!

Hull City 0 - Sheffield United 1

Despite losing to a 90th minute Sheffield United winner in a five-goal thriller at Bramall Lane, City move one game closer to safety from relegation. City went 2-0 down to Blades goals either side of half time from Neil Shipperley and Paul Ifill, but turned it around with a 56th minute double substitution. Both Stuart Elliott and Darryl Duffy came on to score in the 65th and 70th minutes respectively to draw level.

Home keeper Paddy Kenny was lucky not to concede a penalty and be sent off, while he was also struggling to stay on after suffering a knock, but had to battle on as Neil Warnock didn't have a goalkeeper on the bench.

David Unsworth's goal in injury time stole it for the South Yorkshire club to make it 3-2 and keep their automatic promotion hopes on course.

Out in Hornsea!

Tonight I attended the local public house with a few of my friends who where celebrating their last night in Hornsea for the time being, I saw a few people I haven't seen in a long time which is good, unfortunately my arm is still in a sling which is not good!

Scouts!

Well tonight we had wonderful weather considering it is March, so we took the Scouts outside and had a wonderful game of rounders, on the suprisingly dry grass! Everyone involved seemed to enjoy the night which was good.

Completed series of updates on the WSJ site!

I spent the day being rather busy completing various updates to the WSJ website! In fact I uploaded a whole new template which I think looks rather good!

Dr Who is back on the 15th April!

I personally cannot wait!

Who is Doctor Who?

Also now online is an update and revamp to Who Is Doctor Who, the official tie-in website ostensibly 'written' by Mickey Smith, Noel Clarke's character in the series. The site last year featured amusing anecdotes and 'conspiracy theories' related to the Doctor's trips to Earth. I just thought I would share this site with all Doctor Who Fans!

New series of Doctor Who!

The trailer for Series Two of Doctor Who made its debut this weekend in the UK. It originally debuted at 6.58pm on Saturday on BBC One in a one-minute version, which was simultaneously put online at the official Doctor Who website and was then shown once each by BBC Two, BBC Three and BBC Four through the evening. A shorter version of 40 seconds debuted on BBC One! I am personally looking forward to the new series of Doctor Who, after how good the last one was and am just hoping for more of the same, but we shall have to wait and see!

Great result @ the KC for Hull City

It was good to see Hull City back to winning ways against Leeds it was Jon Parkin who rose to head home 14 minutes from the end of a passionate Yorkshire derby. Hull frustrated the visitors for long spells and Parkin, who had earlier seen a goal controversially ruled out, was on the mark to give the hosts a deserved win.

Leeds, who have now failed to win any of their last five games, appear to have lost form at the worst time. United started the game strongly though and a curling left-footed free-kick from Eddie Lewis forced Hull goalkeeper Boaz Myhill into a full-length save. At the other end, Parkin latched on to a flick-on to volley superbly into the top corner, but he was denied by the offside flag.

However, Hull always looked dangerous and, with time ticking away, Green lobbed in a good cross from the right and Parkin squeezed a far post header beyond Sullivan. Leeds poured forward, but the closest they came to grabbing an equaliser was when substitute David Healy's drilled free-kick flew just wide in the final minute.

Back to more constant bloggage!

I am hoping to keep my blog more up to date once again after illness, computer problems, connnection problems and other things that took up my time, especially with the new series of Dr Who now so close!

Clocks go forward for Summer Time!

Britons and most Europeans have lost an hour of sleep this weekend after clocks went forward by one hour, marking the official end of winter.

British Summer Time began at 0100 on Sunday, after which clocks had to be moved forward one hour to 0200.

The change will mean darker mornings but lighter evenings.

Ipswitch Town 1 - Hull City 1

Ipswich's slim play-off hopes suffered another set-back when they failed to kill off battling Hull City at Portman Road, despite dominating throughout. Darren Currie curled Town ahead from a first-half free-kick - his first goal since October - but Leon Cort capitalised on some slack Blues defensive work to nod the visitors level.

Hull made the better start with Kevin Ellison feeding Stuart Green who blazed his volley well wide, before Myhill blocked Alan Lee's toe-poke and then beat away Matt Richards' follow-up.

It prompted a determined response from Hull, who made three good chances in the next three minutes - Green shooting over from a Keith Andrews pass, Andrews volleying wide from a corner and Jon Parkin then racing on to a Billy Paynter flick only to shoot into the side-netting. Against the run of play, Hull levelled on 56 minutes. Andy Dawson and Green worked a one-two at a corner when Town only sent Luis Castro Sito out to defend and Green had time to measure his cross to the far post, where Cort rose highest to nod home.

Hull City have now hopefully done enough to be safe in this division for another season.

Launch of new Scout website!

My apologies for the lack of bloggage over previous weeks. I have had a shoulder operation and have therefore been in hospital, and now have my shoulder in a sling which is not good. Typing with one hand is so slow! I will try to back date my blog when I have the chance! However, whilst operating with one hand I have written a website for my local scout group which can be seen at http://www.hornseascouts.org.uk/. Only one problem as it lacks text at the moment, but that is something that should soon be solved!

Hull City 2 - Leicester City 3

Joey Gudjonsson conjured up a wonder strike from the halfway line and then hit a sensational 25-yard late winner to make it a miserable return to Leicester for former manager Peter Taylor. Another game but the same result for Hull City. A late goal conceded by City cost us the chance of any points. Last week it was Wolves, this time Leicester scored six minutes from time to win the game.

Neither side played very well but two spectacular goals resulted in Leicester winning a crucial game. City are now looking over their shoulders again as the deposit to the drop zone was reduced to only six points. Taylor named an unchanged side from the team that lost to Wolves. He also stayed with his new 4-3-3 formation, but suffered the same result despite matching their opponents for large periods of the match.

Leicester took the lead on the half hour mark. City were only behind for five minutes. Lovely passing movement resulted in Green supplying Parkin. His cross to the far post left Elliott with the simple task of heading the ball into an empty net. It was a great response from the Tigers, and hopefully they could push on from here.

France shot wide before City again got themselves back on level terms. Myhill's clearance was controlled by Parkin. A neat turn beat his marker before Green took the ball off him to strike a shot first time into Henderson's bottom corner from 25 yards out. It was a great finish from the midfielder who had a much improved game. Elliott then had a good chance but his shot on his weaker right foot went harmlessley wide. City were pushing for the winner!

Six minutes from time, City's sit back attitude cost us again. Eight men were in the region of the box. Thr Leicester players passed the ball around the edge of the box. As the ball reached the feet of Joey Gudjonsson no-one closed him down, allowing him to strike an effort from 25 yards out. Myhill got a hand to the effort but couldn't stop the shot. City had again conceded late on and again it cost us! Leicester almost scored a fourth. Myhill was well out of position following a City corner. As he controlled the ball on the half-way line to set up a City attack, his cross was blocked. Andy Welsh ran to the edge of the box only to fire over the open goal in front of him.

The game ended and now City sit just six points above the drop zone due to Millwall's late winner. Out next two games are vital and if we fail to get six points we will be in serious trouble.

Have been busy, busy & thrice busy!

I have been naughty once again and have not updated my blog due to the fact that I have been extremely busy doing other things that unfortunately took priority!

Formula 1 2006!

I am personally looking forward to the new grand prix season which starts in Bahrain on March 12th. Kimi Raikkonen set the best time of winter testing at Valencia on Wednesday as McLaren sent an ominous message to their rivals ahead of the new season.

The Finn's stunning lap time of 1:09.416s smashed the previous best - which he himself had recorded - by over half a second. Yes, by over half a second.

So it looks like it will be a good Formula 1 season as well as hopefully a good football season!

Scouts!

This evening I am going to help at my local Scout Group which is normally an enjoyable experience! Having helped at Scouts for seven years!

I always find it very interesting to find out what the Scouts I have worked with do in life after they have left Scouts and tonight should be good!

Random blogging!

I am not even going to try to back date my blog all at once for the half a month that is missing, however I may update if I have the time!

Facts about March!

March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. March begins (astrologically, non-sidereal) with the sun in the sign of Pisces and ends in the sign of Aries. Astronomically speaking, the sun begins in the constellation of Aquarius and ends in the constellation of Pisces.

In ancient Rome, March was called Martius, so named after the Roman god of war and was considered a lucky time to begin a war. March was originally the first month of the Roman calendar because the winter months of January and February were unsuited for warfare, the essence of any Italic state. Julius Caesar's calendar reform in 45 BCE began the year on January 1. The tradition of starting the year in March continued in some countries for a long time. January 1 was only instituted as New Year's Day in France in 1564. Great Britain and her colonies continued to use March 25 until 1752, the same year they finally adopted the Gregorian calendar.

In ancient Hellenic civilization, March was called Anthesterion. In old Japanese calendar, the month is called Yayoi (弥生). In Finnish, the month is called maaliskuu, of obscure origin. Historical names for March include the Saxon term Lenctmonat, named for the equinox and eventual lengthening of days and the eventual namesake of Lent. The Saxons also called March Rhed-monat (for their goddess Rhedam); ancient Britons called it hyld-monath (meaning loud or stormy).

Record £53 stolen in depot raid!

Raiders involved in Britain's biggest cash robbery got away with £53,116,760 from the Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent Police have revealed. Assistant Chief Constable Adrian Leppard said a further five men had been arrested in addition to the six people released on bail last week.

He said four of them were still being questioned, with officers granted an extra 26 hours to hold two of them.

Hull City 2 - Wolverhampton Wanderers 3

Carl Cort's late winner gave Wolves' play-off hopes a lift in a thrilling match at the KC Stadium. The ex-Newcastle striker scored in the dying seconds after the visitors had twice squandered leads earned by Jeremie Aliadiere and Kenny Miller. Despite Stuart Green missing a first-half penalty, Hull equalised twice thanks to Leon Cort's effort and a Rob Edwards own goal eight minutes from time.

Although Hull produced the majority of pressure early on, Wolves broke the deadlock after 28 minutes as a mistake in the Tigers midfield saw Aliadiere power forward to slot the ball past Boaz Myhill into the bottom right hand corner from 18 yards.

Hull tried to find an equaliser before the break and Mark Noble, on loan from West Ham, had a chance on the edge of the area after a neat interchange in the midfield, but he could only fire the ball over the bar.

City had the chance to equalise from the penalty spot five minutes from the break when Jon Parkin was brought down by Joleon Lescott inside the area. Green stepped up to take the spot-kick but he placed the ball wide of Stefan Postma's goal.

Hull pressed on in the second half and after 51 minutes a headed clearance fell to Leon Cort just inside the area, and he made no mistake as he powered the ball into the top right corner of the net to put his side on level terms.

Hull levelled the scores in bizarre fashion as Edwards attempted to clear a looping cross from Ryan France but put the ball into the back of the net from a tight angle.
However, in the dying seconds a curling cross from substitute Rohan Ricketts was met with an accomplished finish from Carl Cort to give Wolves all three points unfortunately!

MemeX7

As Si J passed on the challenge, I thought I better take it up;

THINGS TO DO BEFORE I DIE

* Have a working computer
* Get married
* Be able to drive
* Have more fun
* Visit lots of warm foreign places
* Get out of East Yorkshire
* Make lots of new friends

THINGS I CANNOT DO

* Ice Skate
* Climb ladders
* Intentionally cause suffering
* Keep a diary
* Remember peoples birthdays
* Drive at present
* Get a job

THINGS THAT ATTRACT ME TO LONDON

* The tube
* Friends who live there
* The science museum
* Heathrow Airport
* The Crowds
* Baden Powell House
* The Millenium Wheel

THINGS I OFTEN SAY

* Arghh!
* I cannot do this!
* That was painful
* Why isn't life fair!
* Damn you stupid computer!

A BOOK THAT I LOVE

* Lord of the Rings - J.R.R Tolkein

MOVIES I WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN

* Star Trek
* Star Wars Trilogy
* Lord of the Rings Trilogy
* Shrek
* The Day After Tommorow
* Daredevil

Firefox 1.5.0.1

I use firefox as my browser of choice now! Firefox 1.5.0.1 is a stability and security update that is part of the ongoing program to provide a safe Internet experience all. Mozilla recommend that all users upgrade to this latest version. It has amongst other things improved stability, improved support for Mac OS X, international Domain Name support for Iceland is now enabled, fixes for several memory leaks and several security enhancements, so go on give it a try at least until Internet Explorer 7 is released with vista!

Gym!

Today I went to the Gym I have joined at Hornsea leisure centre to increase my fitness!

Hull City 0 - Cardiff City 1

A first-half strike by Cameron Jerome was enough to give the Bluebirds victory but they were forced to defend for much of the second half as Peter Taylor's side went looking for at least a point that would help them stay clear of the relegation area.

Hull missed a glorious chance to level. Jon Parkin raced clear of Purse and had two efforts at blasting the ball into the net from point-blank range but somehow Neil Alexander kept his shots out. He was the busiest of the two keepers and was forced to dive to his left to push out a shot from Kevin Ellison on the stroke of half time.

Hull pushed forward in the second half and Taylor threw caution to the wind in the 63rd minute by bringing on his remaining two subs. The changes had an immediate effect, with Purse forced to head away a cross from Stuart Green. So unfortunately not our day again!

Deal or No Deal!

I think this is a pretty good new television quiz show on Channel 4 at 16.15pm, well having said it is new it is in its second series and is hosted by Noel Edmonds with 22 people and 22 sealed boxes. The prizes range from 1p to £250,000, with the values written inside 22 identically-sealed red boxes, identical except for the number on the front. The player is selected at random instead of through a quiz. Players stay on the show until they get a turn in the chair. Bank offers are made after the fifth box is opened and every third box thereafter.

Hull City 1 - Norwich City 1

Stuart Elliott's late own-goal salvaged Norwich a point they didn't really deserve at the KC Stadium today. Three minutes before full-time Gary Doherty's scuffed strike from close range hit the shin of Delaney and then onto the unfortunate Elliott.

Norwich claimed only their second point of 2006 after a calamitous own goal denied Hull a home win. Leon Cort gave Hull the lead with a powerful close-range header after 25 minutes, but three minutes from time Gary Doherty's effort cannoned off Stuart Elliott and past helpless Hull goalkeeper Boaz Myhill. Hull started brightly with giant striker Jon Parkin proving to be a real handful to the visiting defence, similar to the injured Ben Burgess. However, with midfields dominating, there were few chances in the opening quarter of the game.

Hull snatched the lead with 25 minutes played. Adam Drury was forced to head behind a dangerous cross from Damien Delaney and from the resulting corner Cort scored with a powerful downward header from six yards. Hull's players were sitting very deep in the second half inviting Norwich to attack but the away side were finding it very difficult to calve out opportunities. Sixteen minutes from time Worthington introduced Leon McKenzie and Paul McVeigh and three minutes later the pair combined to find Doherty at the back post.

His angled shot cannoned off Northern Ireland international Elliott and rolled into the net to give Norwich unfortunately a point and also meaning we lost two points. So all I can say is come on Hull City, if you have created a lead do not sit back and throw it away!

McLaren F1 unveils New Car!

McLaren unveiled its striking new car livery to team and Mercedes-Benz employees on Friday evening. McLaren is hoping to repeat the experience of 1997, the last time it introduced a major livery change, when it won on its first outing in the silver colours of tobacco brand West at the Australian Grand Prix.

The MP4-21 sports a black and red paint scheme with a distinctive chrome surface coating. The sidepods of the car bear allegiance to whisky brand Johnnie Walker, the team’s primary sponsor this year pending the arrival of Vodafone as title sponsor in 2007.

Scouts!

Went to help at my local Scout group this evening which is always good fun!

Mid-East leaders announce truce

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon have declared a truce to end four years of Middle East violence. Mr Abbas said the ceasefire, which begins immediately, would lead to a "new era of peace and hope".

Mr Sharon vowed to cease military action against Palestinian targets after militant groups halted violence. In response, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said it was the best chance for peace in years.

Mr Sharon and Mr Abbas did not sign a formal ceasefire deal. Their talks were wide-ranging and also included agreements on the release of Palestinian prisoners and the handover of five West Bank towns to Palestinian control.

The Long Kiss Goodnight on DVD!

After renting a DVD that I thought was quite good this evening I thought I would write a quick review, having watched it at the cinema back in 1996, I thought it was equally as good the second time around.

Samantha Caine, suburban homemaker, is the ideal mom to her 8 year old daughter Caitlin. She lives in an ideal New England small town, has a job teaching school and makes the best Rice Krispie treats in town. But when she receives a bump on her head, she begins to remember small parts of her previous life as a lethal, top-secret agent.

Her old chums in the Chapter are now out to kill her so she enlists the help of a cheap detective named Mitch. As Samantha remembers more and more of her previous life, she becomes deadlier and more resourceful. Both Mitch and Charly proceed to do the killing thing, the bleeding thing and the shooting thing.

Gym!

Today, I made my way to the gym I have joined at Hornsea Leisure Centre in order to increase my fitness!

New series of Time Team!

It's only a little over two centuries ago that Richard Arkwright built his first factory for cotton manufacturing in what is now the centre of the city of Manchester. In doing so, he turned the city into the power house and driving force behind the new cotton industry. As the industrial revolution gathered pace, many thousands of people flocked in from the countryside to find work in the new factories, often enduring terrible conditions both at home and at work. The factory owners and Manchester's new middle class accumulated phenomenal wealth on the proceeds.

Arkwright's mill, the building at the heart of this story, helped to revolutionise British society. Built in 1780, today what is left of it lies buried beneath a car park. Time Team had three days to locate and investigate one of the most important historic sites in Britain.

Luton 2 - Hull 3

Hull came from behind to launch a first-half fightback and then hang on to earn the three points at Luton. The hosts took an early lead when Keith Keane headed Rowan Vine's cross past Boaz Myhill and Markus Heikkinen nodded just wide as they nearly went 2-0 up.

Hull levelled when Stuart Elliott fired in from 25 yards and then went ahead as Darryl Duffy converted Elliott's cross. Jon Parkin drove in from six yards to make it 3-1 before Chris Coyne headed home to set up a tense finale.

The Hull goals where scored by Stuart Elliott on the 14th minute, Darryl Duffy on the 35th minute and Jon Parkin on the 38th minute. Well at least that makes things level as Luton beat us at the KC earlier in the season, so that makes things level again!

Out in Hornsea!

Tonight I visited the local public house "The Alexandra" in Hornsea with a few of my friends before eventually moving on to the Hornsea Floral Hall the top entertainment venue in the town!

Hull University & Scouts

Today I went for an interview for the SEED Software program at Hull University, and I also got a place on the European Funded Scheme, so the question is am I ever going to leave Hull University? However, the main purpose of the SEED project is to provide graduates with the real-world experience which will help them to find a good permanent job - so you are not expected to stay on the program for more than about six months.

I will join one of a number of small development teams. The scheme will typically be responsible for the development of a solution for a customer from start to end. I could be involved in negotiating contracts, capturing requirements, preparing designs, writing code and documentation, testing, support... or all of these. I will need to be motivated. So hopefully this will give me more strings to my bow when going for job interviews in future!

This evening I also went to help at my local Scout group, where the aim of the night was cooking! Even though after a few hours with the Scouts I am not sure whether it was cooking or making the biggest mess possible!

Hornsea Cottage Hospital remains open!

I was pleased to see that the local health authority has decided not to close Hornsea Cottage Hospital. Applause followed a Yorkshire Wolds and Coast Primary Care Trust's decision to keep the unit open at its board meeting in Driffield today.

And the Hull Daily Mail's Hands Off Our Hospitals Campaign, to safeguard health services across the region, was praised for helping to win a brighter future for the hospital. Opening hours of MIUs at Hornsea Hospital are to be cut until staffing and training issues are resolved in the interest of patient safety.

But the people of Hornsea have shown that the vital decision not to close the Hornsea Hospital has given them renewed hope in the fight for improved services at the hospital. I will update my blog fully tomorrow, I was so pleased about the above I just had to blog!

Sorry for the sporadic nature of my blogging of late!

I am not even going to try to back date my blog all at once for the half a month that is missing, however I may update if I have the time!

My thoughts on Hull City!

Hull City are doing exactly what Taylor promised this season and staying up, not pushing for the premiership. I know there are roughly 14 games to go but we have been there or there abouts all season...!!! I cannot see us going back down to league 1 with all the good new players Peter Taylor is now bringing in.