Weekend Jottings

There are just two meetings taking place this afternoon with flat cards from Salisbury and Doncaster - I know it is the flat season, but the schedule still seems very unbalanced to me.  There were seven flat fixtures yesterday while both England and Wales started their Euro 2016 football campaigns.  Surely it would have been better to have seven meetings today and given sports fans the opportunity to watch those matches without missing the chance to go racing?  I know you can't please all the people all of the time and the race planning committee have a thankless task, but surely a bit of common sense could prevail?

I was in the local bookies the other day and a few of the punters asked me why there is not a break for the jumpers like there used to be in the good old days.  There used to be a month or more off before the season started with a two day meeting at Newton Abbot and a lot of the jockeys and punters would stay at the Palace Hotel in Torquay.  My son tells me that I shouldn't keep harping on about the old days - he's probably right!

I did like the Pat Smullen's quote after he won a first Epsom Derby aboard Harzand.  He said "If I miss my flight home I will float home across the Irish Sea".  Talking of the Derby, where have all the television viewers gone?  1.4 million people watched the coverage on Channel 4 which is less than half the amount that tuned in for the BBC's final Derby in 2012.  Worrying figures indeed.

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The great Gary Sobers, or should I say Sir Gary was at Lords and rung the pavilion bell at lunch time to mark the death of Muhammed Ali.  Sobers and Ali were larking about at Lords fifty years ago during the second test between England and the West Indies.  Sir Gary is a big racing fan and used to phone MCP up regularly and I once had the pleasure of speaking with the great man himself.

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Martin has told me of a great local company that he wanted me to mention.  They are called Stone Thoughts and they are based just down the road at West Buckland and produce lovely pet memorials as well as plaques and house signs, all made from local slate.  As you can see from the pictures below of some of the work they have done for Martin and Carol, it is top quality workmanship and you can find out more about them on their website: www.slateworksigns.co.uk

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I asked Mrs Barnes the other day if she would still love me when I am old and wrinkly.  She said "Of course I do!" Have a nice weekend...