British comedy - you can't beat it

Great mime act based on a pop song



Russell Brand's typically manic ranting



The classic wonderful weirdness of Green Wing

Thanks to the Amnesty International Secret Policeman's Ball for this great British comedy...

I believe it rhymes with "clucking bell"...

"Does anybody remember putting the screen in the car...?"

If only I had asked this fatal question BEFORE driving over 3 hours to Shepton Mallett, then things would have been so very different... As it was, I was reaching the end of the process of setting up Urban Saints' exhibition stand at the annual youth-fest that is Soul Survivor and my mood was about to take an unexpected nose-dive. There was a large, gaping hole where our intergrated video screen should live, in our stand.

I'd love to be able to say that someone stuffed up. Someone other than me, that is. Sadly, this would be a lie. A blatant un-truth. It was, as always, my responsibility to ensure that ALL the kit gets from our building to the exhibition. It made it to the "packing pile" but not from the pile to my vehicle and I obviously didn't do a very good job of double-checking. Sadly the whole affair was just the latest in my list of embarrasing gaffes when it comes to our exhibitions

However, this time it left me with the unfortunate dilema of what to do next. We had a stand missing its crucial centre-piece and despite the fact that I had just done over 6 hours of driving in the day was having to contemplate the prospect of another 6 hours drive to and from the office the following day too. I was not, as they say, a happy bunny! Fortunately, though, this tale of woe has a happy ending. My colleague, Dan, volunteered to drive the screen down and he even managed to not only get it there in time to use it on the first night of the exhibition but also to back home again soon after midnight. And it meant that I got plenty of video editing done today, that I would have otherwise have had to abandon... He didn't do badly out of it either - I bought him a good lunch today and tonight we're off to the football together. All's well that ends well I guess...

It all starts here!

The season starts proper tonight with what is fast becoming a real tradition - the trip to the cheap Tuesday evening Carling Cup match at Vicarage Road! A combination of time constraints, financial restrictions and ticket availability meant that the vast majority of my experience of Watford's Premiership experience (in the flesh at least...) was restricted to cheap cup nights against Accrington Stanley & Stockport. With all due respect to these sides, they're hardly world class outfits...

So tonight it's the turn of mighty Gillingham to come to tea at the Vicarage. It's another cut price night with the soggy weather to match. Depending on how Boothroyd plays it (reserves most likely...) it could one of two things - a nice, competitive but comfortable home win or, sadly more likely, a tense and excruciating evening where the minnows (nearly) humble us with their sheer pluck and determination.

I hope for the first option but as I do I banish shuddering thoughts of Notts County's extra time second leg win, a narrow win over Bournemouth, edging out Torquay after 120 minutes, a nail-biting penalty shoot-out against Accrington Stanley... need I go on?!

One thing is fairly well guaranteed is the sight of Steve "The Campervan" Kabba chugging his way around the opposition penalty area... [sigh!]

England's green and pleasant land

I've re-kindled my love affair with this country. I've always been a huge fan of the UK and just love travelling around it. But once again I was reminded of the sheer beauty and joy of the English countryside. I travelled from Luton to High Wycombe to collect our exhibition equipment and the journey round and through the Chilterns was a real pleasure. This country, for all it's faults, is a true gift from the Almighty and one I will never tire of, no matter how much rain falls, how many chavs take residence in our towns or how expensive the house prices get... I really love it here!

My unexpected journey took me to within a few miles of a tiny place called Turville. It's a cute little English village in the middle of nowhere yet actually really close to the M40. Very few people will have heard of it and even fewer will have visited. However, thousands (maybe even millions) will have seen it - even if they have done so unwittingly. Turville is the location for late 90's sitcom, 'The Vicar of Dibley' with Dawn French. Turville is Dibley! It is also the home of a distinctive windmill, high above the village, that was used as Professor Potts' home in the movie 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'...

I dropped in to have a wander and take some photos - it was great the church, houses and village green were all as in the BBC series and even the interior of St Mary's Turville was basically identical to St Barnabas, Dibley. It was very strange wandering around the 'set' of one of my favourite comedies ever - but yet knowing that this wasn't some sort of facade or pre-fabricated TV set, but rather a living, breathing, real community. The real-life Dibley! My shots are all on my Facebook account if your interested but here are a few of them...

Here we go again!

The football season is back. Pure joy! Watford seem to be stronger this season than they were last time they were in the Championship, maybe even than last season in the Premiership but they haven't really added much in the way of players. Expectations are high but I'm a little sceptical about our chances due to the number of quality teams in the division. In fact, our first game was against one of last year's play off teams, Wolves... So imagine my delight that, despite Watford not playing particularly well, we managed to secure an opening day away win (albeit with a late, deflected, free kick and a last-gasp penalty winner)!!
A first goal ever for Jordan Stewart and another Marlon goal - hopefully the first of many and one of the more high-pressure opportunities in his WFC career...

"The King has returned..."

Value of players

It's hard to fathom what is going on in the transfer market this summer... Some of the transfer fees paid for very ordinary players were vastly overinflated and it is difficult to see why some players are worth so much more than others. Two players signed on the same day are a good example of this. Craig Gordon signed for Sunderland for a record-breaking £9 million despite no Premier League experience and little international experience. I'm not doubting that he is good keeper and a top prospect but is he really 'worth' all that money?!

Meanwhile, Hameur Bouazza leaves Watford for Fulham for around £4 million. This, to me, seems over-priced but he had an awesome season last year, scoring some top goals in the Premier League and really blossoming from the player who spent the previous season on loan at Swindon. For me, Bouazza was a more significant player and had a better season than January's big money transfer (Ashley Young) but yet he cost Villa nearly £10 million.

So, how do we know who is REALLY worth what...?! I guess it is not only about 'value' but also about 'supply & demand' so if the big clubs, with their billionaire backers are willing to pay these fees then it will continue to happen. But there is something really unsettling about the sheer scale of the fees being thrown about this season...

Pictures of summertime

What defines 'summer' for you? Pick your iconic British summertime image...



As I sit feeling restless in the early hours of the morning, this heat has sparked a blogging frenzy for me. However, despite finding sleep a challenge, I'd rather have it like this. This is 'real' summer. However, it is sad to say that the 'festival mud' always seems so much more likely than the 'heatwave'...

Almost a Hitchinian

Michelle & I have spent our first 'summer' weekend working pretty hard. On Saturday, Michelle moved into our new flat in Hitchin - ably assisted by Michelle's parents, my best men (cheers guys!) and plenty of Papa Johns pizza. It is in a lovely position (albeit a little too close to the main railway line) with a park next door and loads of parking and easy access to the station. The flat's very light and large enough for all our stuff!!

I'm already beginning to feel very at home in Hitchin. It's cheaper than St Albans but actually reminds me of living in St Albans, with its market town feel and cute shops and streets. On top of that, it is closer to and quicker to travel to London, than Luton. Everyone's been really welcoming and it just feels like the right place for us. Weirdly, we wouldn't have even considered it as an option to live in if it hadn't been for Michelle having to detour to Hitchin when her train to St Albans broke down...

The strangest thing is getting used to the fact that this place is OUR home. So far, most of the stuff in it is Michelle's so it doesn't totally feel like mine too but it's getting more and more so every time I go over. Soon we'll be proper Hitchinians...

Wedding daze!

So, it's not that long now... Just a few weeks til Michelle and I are "Mr & Mrs"! Most people will have already heard the details or received their invitations. If not, here are a few details...

The wedding service is at St Luke's Bricket Wood, from 2pm on Saturday 15th September. We'd love as many people to join as can but we need people to let us know they are coming. The reason for this is that we are having cake and drinks in the church halls after the service and we need to know numbers for catering purposes. If you are planning to come join us, we need to let you know that parking could be a bit limited. We are hoping to arrange for space to park in a nearby car park but we'll send out info on this asap.

The evening reception, which is taking place in the garden of one of our friends' houses, is sadly a much smaller affair and so numbers are limited. However, if you've received an invite for the evening part of the reception, you might want some tips on where to go between the service and the evening. There are at least two or nearby good pubs nearby that are good for killing a few hours - all serve food and have a garden to enjoy the evening in... There's 'The Gate' and the 'Moor Mill' on Smug Oak Lane as well as 'The Three Hammers' on Watford Road in Chiswell Green. All earn the Windo seal of approval!

If you are travelling up for the day and thinking about staying overnight, first of all, get in touch as we do know a few people who've offered beds for the night or places to crash. However, if you'd prefer to book yourself somewhere to stay, your best bet is the Travel Inn at Moor Mill or if you're got a few quid, you could try the Noke Thistle Hotel or even nearby Sopwell House.

Apparently our gift list goes 'live' at John Lewis this weekend too, so if you fancy buying us something nice for our new flat in Hitchin, we can supply you with the list number too (or just search for our names and the date...)

Think that's everything for now, but I'll try to post any more final details nearer the time. We're ticking boxes and finalising things all the time now so I'll keep you posted. See you down the front at St Luke's on the 15th...

On the road again!

Work has once again put me in a very strange situation. I feel very out of place. I'm on the 14th floor of a Manchester tower block, with the most amazing view of Old Trafford (which I begrudgingly admit is the most amazing club football ground I've witnessed...). Everyone's in suits and shirts and I've got my shorts on. I feel like the sandwich delivery boy. I freely admit that I've brought my laptop bag with me simply because I feel like it somehow makes me look more like I meant to be there. The company director (the company director, mind!) is taking me through a sample they've made for making use of the Urban Saints 'hold' system for marketing purposes. For one moment, I wonder if I am dreaming and how on earth I ended up in this position...

It's all part of my latest road trip - triggered by the need to get our exhibition kit to Cheshire for the new northern Soul Survivor that kicks off this weekend. So I strategically combined it with a filming assignment in the area and when a vaguely intrigued sales call came up too, I decided to go visit their offices. They want to put marketing messages on our telephone system and we probably won't take them up on it as it is pretty expensive stuff. However, the trip was intriguing for two reasons. Firstly, they offered us a free sample where they go on our website and make up a marketing message based on what it says - good way to find out if our website actually tells people about what we do! Smart, eh?! Secondly, they tempted me with the service of producing an audio version of our website - something that we probably ought to seriously look into...

Anyway, I was treated pretty well and left the meeting feeling much less uncomfortable than when I arrived. Commenting on the amazing view of the Theatre of Dreams, I tried to play it cool but desperately wanted to whip my phone out and take a photo. Fearing I might lose any last remaining shred of my professional appearance (still clutching my laptop bag, remember!), I resisted and left the office, saying my goodbyes. Joy of joys, the stair well was all glass down one side offering just as good views of Old Trafford so, pretending to make a vital business call, I snuck a shot from the stair case. Job done!

Then it was on to our Regional Director's place in Lymm. Mark 'entertained' me for a couple of hours with much banter and a couple of much-needed brews. Then the next surreal moment came as we practised putting up the new display boards up in Mark's front garden, much to the confusion of his neighbours. With the kit transferred from my car to his near identical one, it was time for me to head off again.

This time it was 20 minutes down the road to a local group to film some tributes for one of their long-standing leaders. It was a hectic first hour or so where a number of different people, old & young, trooped into the garden to say their piece to camera (some much more reluctantly than others!). One of those situations where after a while you just get tired of asking the same questions over and over again (not to mention get tired of finding varied backgrounds to film against!). Then we spent a more relaxed hour or so eating oatcakes and chatting, putting the world to rights - plus I got to meet Monty, the guinea pig who has his own room in the house! Very unusual. Finally the long day ended with a 2-and-a-bit hour blast down the motorway home and back, gratefully, to my bed...

Hurrah, the return of the 'Windo on the World' mega-post... welcome to my world!