Datchet Days

British gamblers stake high on US presidential race

LONDON (AFP) - Betting fans have laid down a record multi-million wager on the US presidential election, which bookies say is looking harder to call as November 2 draws near. Gamblers have staked five million pounds so far on the outcome of the hotly contested race between Republican incumbent George W. Bush and Democratic Senator John Kerry, bookmakers said Thursday.

Based on betting through this week, Ladbrokes and William Hill, the country's biggest bookmakers, have set their odds in favour of Bush. "Currently George Bush is a slight favorite, but we're taking money for both of them", William Hill's Graham Sharpe told AFP. "The momentum has moved back towards Kerry -- he is very close, he's still the outsider, though," he said. At Ladbrokes, the world's biggest bookmaker, Republicans were still getting the most bets but a spokesman claimed it was "now a lot closer than it was" only a week ago.

British "punters" gamble on everything, from sports to celebrity watches to scientific discoveries, but no other election has drummed up as much activity on the official betting market in Britain. The 2000 vote in which US vice president Al Gore won the popular vote but lost to Bush after a Supreme Court ruling, bets in Britain went up to three to four million pounds, Ladbrokes' Warren Hash told AFP. "In the past (betting trends) have been seen as very accurate. In the last election, the Democrats were a narrow favourite -- so prior to that, the bookmakers have always been a very good indicator," Hash said.

They boomakers take bets from across the world -- except from the United States, where such gambling is illegal. "We never stop betting. As soon as this one is finished we'll bet on the next one," added Sharpe.

The betting frenzy on Bush versus Kerry has now made it up to the height of high-stakes sports gambling, like Sunday's football match pitting Manchester United against Arsenal which attracted bets worth over five million pounds. (from Yahoo! UK News)
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Founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, Trinity College in Dublin is the oldest University in Ireland. It's a beautiful campus with buildings dating from the 17th to 20th centuries.

The main reason we went however, was to see the Book of Kells which is a 9th century illuminated manuscript of the four gospels. In the Old Library we were able to see a very nice exhibition called The Book of Kells: "Turning Darkness into Light" which featured not only information about the Book of Kells, but also the Book of Durrow, the Book of Armagh, the Book of Mulling and the Book of Dimma.

We were also able to walk through the section of the Old Library that houses the University's collection of old books. It was breathtaking. Shelves and shelves filled with old volumes, and the busts of many famous writers lining the corridor down the middle. Book heaven.

We were glad we went early in the day, because by the time we came out and I was happily spending money in the shop, the queue to get in stretched out the door.
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Kilmainham Gaol was our first tourist destination. Though no longer in use, the gaol has a fascinating history. It is the largest unused gaol in Ireland. Dating from 1796, it was in use at times and closed at others, but finally closed in 1924. Looking into the tiny cells and imagining being stuck in there for years was very sobering. Then imagining them with up to five people in them during the famine was appalling. (Though apparently many people tried to get put in jail during the famine because they were assured they would be fed.) There was also a time in history when children as young as eight were incarcerated there as well. The cold wind blows right in and must have kept the prisoners very chilly as there is no heat in the prison.

Many leaders of the various rebellions during Ireland's quest for independence from Britain were jailed there. The leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed there; one just hours after his marriage, and another whilst sitting in a chair because he could not stand because of an injury. On plaques over the doors of many of the cells are the names of famous rebellion leaders imprisoned there. Much of Ireland's political history has ties to this prison. The last prisoner released from Kilmainham was Eamon DeValera, who escaped execution for his part in the Easter Uprising only because he had been born in America. DeValera was Taoiseach (their version of a Prime Minister) of Ireland and after that President, and actually officiated at the opening of the Kilmainham Gaol as a tourist destination. He certainly came a long way and must have had some very interesting emotions at that opening!

Excellent tour.
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Our hotel for the four nights was the Hotel Isaacs. It is located near the central bus and train station and is within easy walking distance of many of the attractions we visited. We were also able to easily catch a bus for the sites that were a bit too far for walking.

The Hotel Isaacs is a Bed and Breakfast, so we were able to start each day with a very nice meal. Along with the usual offerings of tea, coffee, juice, cereal, fruit, bread and yogurt they offered a cooked breakfast as well. Steve had a Full Irish Breakfast one morning, which was very similar to a Full English Breakfast except it didn't have any baked beans. We also ate dinner one evening in their restaurant.

It's a nice looking hotel and we were very comfortable there for the most part. The bed was a mite uncomfortable, but eventually Steve figured out that one of the rollers had come out and it was missing a leg. Replacing the roller and adding a phone book to hold the side up helped considerably! Here are some Hotel Isaacs Photos.
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Last Thursday we headed to Ireland for a quick holiday. Our flight was out of London Luton airport, which is to the north of London, just a little ways up the M1. It took us about 50 minutes by car to get there.

We flew on RyanAir, which is an Irish airline that is similar to Easy Jet or Southwest. They advertise cheap, cheap fares, some as low as .99p. If you buy your tickets early enough you can get a very inexpensive flight. By the time we got around to buying it cost us about £60 per person. Still very reasonable.

When you check in at the airport, you get a number based on how many others have checked in before you. When it is time to board the plane, after old folks and people with kids board, they board people with numbers 1-65. There are no assigned seats, so you get on and find a place. From London to Dublin we were numbers 84 and 85, so we were not able to sit together. (From Dublin to London we were 65 and 66.) The plane seemed very new, but it was not a fancy plane at all. The seats were fake leather, there were no pockets on the seat backs, and the emergency information was just stuck on the seat back in front of you. They offered some simple foods, drinks and snacks, but they all cost extra.

I don't think I'd want to fly like that on an overseas flight, but for the 50 minutes it took to get to Dublin, it was fine.
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Steve and I are back today from our long weekend in Ireland. Over the next couple of days I hope to blog more about the trip and the things we saw. So far all I've managed is to get a few photos up on .Mac. If you're interested, you can see them by clicking "See Our Family Photos" in the right hand column of this page.
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LONDON (AFP) - Bill Bryson, the American author who enjoys a cult following in Britain, lamented the demise of the red telephone box in his adopted homeland and its replacement by "shower stalls". "I think one of the saddest things that has happened in Britain, in the time that I've been here, is the loss of probably the most important piece of street furniture -- and that's the red phone box," he said.

"I was amazed and distraught when that happened at how complacent Britain was," he said at the launch of an English Heritage campaign to buff up the nation's towns and villages.

"It was a great tragedy that they were replaced by these shower stalls that have just become advertising blocks. They are even worse than they were when they were first put up."

Bryson, 53, who first came to Britain in 1973, stayed for 22 years, then returned to settle for good in 2003 after eight years back in the United States, endeared himself to the nation with "Notes from a Small Island".

His most recent book, "A Short History of Nearly Everything", a characteristically light-hearted look at the world of science, was also a best-seller.

English Heritage says that visual chaos -- from hotchpotch paving and obtrusive traffic signs -- blights historic villages, towns and cities and affects the quality of people's lives.

I mostly posted this because I've read and enjoyed a couple of Bill Bryson's books and it was interesting to see something in the news about his comments about phone boxes. Not being used to seeing red phone boxes everywhere I really had not noticed that they were disappearing.
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Today while working my weekly volunteer time at the Bridge Tea Shop, I had one of those brain melt downs. You know the type - one of those instances where something I should know just became temporarily unaccessible by my recall circuits - a senior moment. I was making a cheese and pickle sandwich for a customer, something I have done many times since starting to work there. Due to the previously mentioned "senior moment" I couldn't remember whether it was supposed to have margarine on it or not. (I think every sandwich here has margarine, but for some reason it just didn't seem right to me.) Of course, the whole concept of a cheese and pickle sandwich doesn't seem right to me, either. I wish I could show you what "pickle" is. If you are an American you are probably conjuring up sliced pickles in your minds eye as I talk about these bizarre sandwiches. But that is not what pickle is here. Here's a description from a shopping web site: vegetables in variable proportions (carrots, cauliflower, gherkins, marrow, onions, rutabaga, tomatoes) sugar, vinegar, dates, salt, apple, modified starch, lemon juice, colour, spices and garlic extract. It is basically a sauce with little square chunks of cut up pickled vegetables. Just really yucky in my opinion. The smell is probably what caused my brain drain! After discussing it with John who was there helping, but was no help in this conundrum, we went with the margarine and figured if the customer fussed, we could say that is the way we do them in the US.
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LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's much-loved cup of tea has been deemed too costly to give out free to military staff.

The Ministry of Defence sent a memo asking employees to log every cup of tea or coffee they drink so their department can be charged for the beverages. Free tea and coffee will only be provided if a meeting lasts at least two hours.

One staff member, speaking anonymously, told Monday's Mirror newspaper that workers initially wondered if the plan was a joke. But the government defended its decision.

"The days of a tea trolley coming round giving out free tea are long over. It's essentially ensuring tax payers' money is used in the most efficient way," an MoD spokesman said on Monday.

The MoD has come under fire in the past for wasting money. In July, newspapers reported the department bought 3,000 chairs with a retail price tag of 1,000 pounds each, although the MoD insisted it only paid a fraction of that sum for each seat.
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The view through the windows is starting to take on that cold, grey, winter time look. Stepping through any door out into the weather confirms that it is indeed damp and cold. As the leaves on the trees begin to change the wind is scattering them all around. The months are slowly taking us closer to real winter weather, and it's time to start thinking of long johns and cardigans and digging in for the cold season. Time to pack away the sleeveless shirts and sandals. Time to tuck away some good summer time memories to help fight the winter time blahs.

Now. Where are those long johns, anyway? Brrr.
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After 15 years at St. Mary's our Vicar, Bill Knight, retired today. For his last Sunday members from both the local Baptist and Catholic church came to the service. As well as many people who do not usually attend church at all. After the service was concluded the choir sang "The Lord Bless You and Keep You" to Bill and his wife Janet. Then it was time for the champagne and toasts. Even Philip and John got given a glass of the bubbly!

When the toasting was over we went over to the Village Hall (site of the previously mentioned Barn Dance) to check on John and Philip who were helping to set up tables and chairs for the afternoon's festivities. We ended up staying and helping as well. About 150 people showed up for a farewell luncheon. There were the usual speeches, toasts and gift giving as the village said "farewell" to St. Mary's Vicar.

On the tables and chairs were sprinkled confetti and a selection of poppers, horns and little bottles of bubbles. The group we were sitting with had a grand old time with the bubbles. And Philip had a grand old time with the poppers - spreading streamers everywhere. Especially over his father. Eventually he started taking the streamers out of the popper and putting other things in and trying to shoot them across the room. He managed to hit Steve in the head with a wine bottle cork. After that he slowed down a little.

We stayed around long enough to help with the clean up as well and were rewarded(?) with a lot of leftovers to bring home. We didn't have to work very hard to get our dinner together this evening - though quite a bit of the leftovers ended in the bin.
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St. Mary's choir sponsored a barn dance last night. We went along, not without a little trepidation. None of us have ever really danced much so we weren't sure we would be able to pull it off. Fortunately, the dances were all relatively easy - I think they were English country dances. (Not in the sense of country that you get in the US, though. In the sense of Mr. Bingley in Pride and Prejudice saying "There's nothing I love better than a country dance!") There was a live band and one of the band members would start off by explaining the steps and we'd practice them for a bit before the music started and the dance began. During the first bit of the song the steps were still called out until everyone seemed to have the hang of it. (I say "have the hang of it" very loosely. There was always someone going off in the wrong direction, sometimes us. But it didn't seem to matter at all.)

The crowd ranged from young to old, although there were certainly more old people than young. There were enough young people that our kids didn't feel out of place there, which was good.

Mid way through the evening there was a light supper served (hamburgers and hot dogs). They also had a bar available. There was a raffle to raise money for the children's choir - and we won twice. We came home with a potted plant and a pot.

We really enjoyed ourselves although my muscles are really complaining this morning. It was quite a work out - but a fun one.
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