Friday 16 April 2010

My week (Ups and Downs as Smiffy says - see Six Tame Sides)

Monday - drop car at our sister company at Dronfield. Thought the clutch may be about to give up the ghost. That had been arranged on Friday afternoon but when I came to move the car on Sunday evening - found I also had a puncture! Anyway the beauty of running a company car is that you can just ask someone "Sort that out for me please?" and it gets sorted.

Went back to Dronfield in the afternoon to take some pictures of drill rods (don't ask) for inclusion on the new website which is about to be launched. Not a total success but my excuse is conditions were less than perfect!

Tuesday - Collected car on the way home from work. Diagnostics computer at the garage showed a coolant sensor was knackered so this apparently confuses the engine, causing it to over rev, lose power, or not tick over properly. A common fault on VW Boras apparently.

Wednesday - highlight of the week!! After a 4th visit to Dronfield (a meeting this time) I picked up the Duchess and we shot off down to Quorn FC for the Unibond President's Cup Final - Belper Town v Stamford.

It was a good game, made all the better by the fact that Belper won 3-1 and lifted the trophy (and just as importantly, a cheque for £1,000!) Quorn FC have a very nice facility and it was an extremely enjoyable "match day experience." I didn't take the camera but look at Tim Harrisons photos here for a flavour of the game:

http://www.timharrisonphotography.com/NailersAction/PCF0910/index.html

There's also an excellent match report on the Belper Town website - see link on the right.

The result also means that the Belper Management team of Andy Carney and Danny Hudson have won silverware in every full season they have been in charge. Derbyshire Senior Cup in the 1st season, League runners-up in the 2nd and now Presidents Cup in the 3rd. And there's another cup final on Tuesday for the 1st team, this time against Matlock. A proper derby game this one and it will be staged at the home of Derby County FC - Pride Park. A big occasion!

Thursday - back "down" again with news that my son's plan to fly back to the UK for a few days was scuppered by the Icelandic Volcano. As some bloke said on Look North last night - "Well, the Icelanders screwed up our banks now they screwed up our holidays but what can you do?"

Friday - Son's flight rescheduled for today was cancelled again - although to be fair, it was shown as cancelled on the EMA web site at 8 pm Thursday evening! I got to work early - got lots to do cos it's gone absolutely crackers again. We're as busy as we've been in months and the paperwork mountain seems to grow by the hour. Also had lotsa stuff to sort before I disappear to Germany on Monday for 3 days (volcanic ash permitting of course.) I am attending the Bauma 2010 show in Munich and will be helping to "man" the stand shared by our company and our sister company.

I fly back Wednesday afternoon but this means I will miss Belper Reserves Cup Final on Monday and the 1st Team's Cup Final on Tuesday.... I know it's wrong but I'm praying for another volcanic eruption!

Tell you what tho - there's some really, really nice folk involved with Belper Town FC. Since I'll be away, the Duchess was going to have to miss the Pride Park visit because she was unsure about driving to a place she's never been before and then driving back home to Sheffield. At the game on Wednesday, Mick (Belper right back) Harcourt's parents, Ian and Deni, got to hear about this and immediately offered to collect her from Nortoner Towers and deliver her back here after the match. They live in Chesterfield so will have to head north to Sheffield then back south to Derby but they insist it's no bother. I think that's really nice and can't thank them enough! (Jealous to death that the Duchess will see it and I won't but what can you do!?)

Tomorrow - since our lad's visit is cancelled, we're thinking of going down to Belper to watch the Reserves in league action. We'll see if we can get the Duchess' Pride Park ticket whilst we're there.  If the weather is kind, might even stop at Bakewell for fish & chips!!

Then Sunday - pack and get ready for 5 pm when I have to collect one of our American colleagues who is staying at the Park Hotel, just aroud the corner from Nortoner Towers. He flew in from Arkansas on Wednesday - just beating the ash - and we'll travel down to Birmingham airport Sunday evening. Overnight stay then hopefully a 7 a.m. flight to Munich.

I might get a chance to post again but we'll see. It's strange but when I see the week summarised like this - it seems to have been less hectic than it actually has. Believe me - I've worked my socks off this week and I'm knackered!!

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