More Than My Jobs Worth

I take a day off work today to marshal at the Tour Of Britain. I don't get a lie-in though; I still have to get up at the usual time to drive up to Rotherham. I get the job of keeping the public and the riders/officials apart, so I get to check out all the competitors and more importantly their bikes at close quarters.

Jane Tomlinson's family lead the field away on the rolling start. The entire stage through Yorkshire has been dedicated to her.

Duty done I head off along the M18 to catch the riders at a Sprint the other side of Doncaster. They fly through the Sprint, at a frightening pace, ten minutes ahead of schedule.

There's a total cock up later on in the stage as the race is neutralised for 21 miles after the North Yorkshire Highways Authority refused to give the event permission to race on its roads. The riders were stopped for five minutes and then escorted by the police before racing restarted when they left the Authority's area.

Apparently 41 of the 42 highways authorities that they applied to for permission to race gave it but North Yorkshire said the application was received four days late. Councils eh? You want to run an international cycling event? Sorry mate, that's more than my jobs worth.

Spain's Adrian Palomares won the stage after he and two companions got away on the Cow and Calf climb just outside Bradford. He also took the overall lead by a solitary second.

Back home I had intended to cut the lawn and hence exercise Doggo at the same time but I'm so creased. Surprisingly our part-time A level student is home already and it's only half past one. Good job they keep making those exams easier. I have a bowl of soup and stretch out on the settee to listen to the Cricket. England look like they've totally stuffed it up and are going to lose to Zimbabwe but in the end they pull through and canter home by 50 runs.

I go upstairs collecting rubbish and ask Son if he has anything he wishes to throw away. He gives me an empty box of chocolates. Just as I'm about to thrown it in the recycling I realise that it's not actually empty. 'Oh I've left the ones I don't like' he tells me. Some people!

Daughter gets home from school and is well pissed off that everyone is back before her.

I do a short loop through the part with Doggo, walking that is, and then head off into town to meet L from work. Three pints of Legend, then we stagger home. L whips up a spam curry, which is excellent. We go to bed and have Son's discarded chocolates as a nightcap. Sadly I'm too tired to properly thank L for the curry.