42 years ago today

Happy Anniversary Mum and Dad.

Recycled Garden at Aldingborne

Our recent visit to Aldingborne gave us a chance to see their garden made of recycled/reused materials.

Olympicked! Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

10^TH AUGUST 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Inspired by the Olympics?  Wish you could take part?

Michelle Sinclair’s novel Olympicked! imagines just that – a Games where all the competitors are chosen by random selection and given just four years to train in their allocated sport.

Michelle, who lived in London until earlier this year, got the idea from a chance remark made by her husband.  “He joked that the Olympics would be much more entertaining if it was ordinary people competing instead of highly trained athletes.  It was just a passing comment, but the thought stuck in my mind and the more I thought about it, the more I realised it wasn’t such a crazy idea.  People could achieve quite a lot with four years to train, and it wouldn’t quite be the comedy or disaster that you might first imagine.

“In fact, Olympic athlete Helen Glover has vividly demonstrated that it isn’t a completely crazy idea - she only started rowing four years ago, and won Gold at London 2012!”

But Michelle also realised that having to undertake such intense training would be bound to impact on the lives of those chosen, and that became the focus of the novel, which follows eight of those chosen to compete for Great Britain at the 2020 Games. 

Gary is a jobless teenager being edged towards a life of crime on a run-down housing estate; can his salvation take the form of a horse?  Betty is a campaigning pensioner living life to the full and determined to fly the flag not just for her country but for older people everywhere.  Susan is desperate to have a baby and is worried that the Olympic dream will interfere with her own personal goal.  And Carl simply wants to impress his young daughter.

Together with an alcoholic civil servant, a party-loving gay man, a bored housewife and an out-of-work actress, their stories are told.  Follow them as they learn of their selection and begin their training, facing obstacles along the way.  Will they make it to the Olympic Park, and can any of them achieve that elusive Gold medal?

Notes:

Olympicked! is available in kindle format and paperback from www.amazon.co.uk or to order from any book shop.  ISBN 978-1-78176-181-6

 Michelle Sinclair blogs at http://jumbleshell.wordpress.com/ and is on twitter as @shellsinclair

A day at Aldingborne

On 6th August we popped to Aldingborne Country Centre with Sarah.  We played mini-golf and enjoyed the woodland walk.

Bognor Birdman

In early August 2012, we popped to the seafront (with Auntie Sarah) to see the world famous and much copied Bognor Birdman. It essentially involves people jumping off the pier. The jumpers seemed to enjoy it. So did we.

Breakfast at the Regis

Our Saturday morning treat is a cooked breakfast in town. This morning we visited the Regis. We've been a couple of times before and it is probably my favorite Bognor Breakfast. They offer unlimited coffee (not that it tastes brilliant). If you buy the ultimate breakfast, you get a free kids breakfast. It is probably the best value breakfast in Bognor. I had the vegetarian breakfast. The mushrooms were great. However, the vegetarian sausages weren't terribly nice - very herby - and the onions in the omelette were raw.  A pity as on previous occasions their breakfast has been great.

The Lobster Pot

Our Saturday treat is to go to a local cafe together. A few weeks back we popped to the Lobster Pot in Felpham. It's not the best breakfast in Bognor. But it probably has the best views.

George took this pic of me.

Greener Bognor

On 21st July we popped to Felpham to visit the Rife Community Orchard  which is being made nice by the Greener Bognor Network. I took a few pics. And we got free cake and juice.

Taste of the World

In mid July, we visited the Taste of the World event at Fontwell Park. I expected it to be a bit rubbish. It wasn't. http://tasteoftheworld.co.uk/. There was good food, dancing, singing and beer (I had cider). All fun.

Pond dipping on Bognor Beach

George and I went pond (well, sea) dipping with the RSPB on Bognor Beach. some people found fish, shrimps and crabs. We just found a sunken boat.