i'm actually having to check my diary to see what's happened since i last blogged... hang on a sec.

i would go on about the rugby and football, but i know it'll get me in trouble with mrs hope. the issue there is that i'm scottish (BSL=pretend to play the bagpipes under your right arm) and mrs hope is english (BSL=hold out your left index finger and stroke it with the tip of your right index finger. odd, yeah, but hey...) and, as a scot, i support scotland and anyone playing england (at anything!). i need ministry for this (quite seriously - it's not something i am able to rationalise) but take time to enjoy the losses of english teams along the way as well.

so, that's background to england losing three tests in new zealand and australia (rugby union) and losing on penalties in the quarter finals of euro 2004 (football). curiously the excuses trotted out by both teams sound remarkably similar, although the reaction of the popular press to the referee of the football match was disappointingly predictable.

well, there's always tiger-tim (at least for another 24 hours anyway!).

our car broke down - the clutch cable snapped to be precise - conveniently when we were about to host a couple from nyc vineyard. it happened as we pulled up at the bus station to pick them up, and was a slight inconvenience to the bus drivers that needed to get out of the station. hey, life happens. it got a temporary fix that night, and a proper one last week. we also put new shocks on the front end, which have improved the handling no end. our mechanic still reckons we should sell it though.

garden update

our sweetcorn is now about a foot and a half high; sunflowers just topping that. neighbours' cats still crapping everywhere.

chimineas, gangsters and cycling

been away for a while, so sorry for the back-blog-blitz of an update:

i took mrs hope to stroud on saturday (29th) to buy her birthday present. it's not her birthday until thursday, but we wouldn't have had the time to go otherwise, and the present had to be one of her choosing really.

this is the style we picked up, except in a slightly faded british racing green. we seasoned it on saturday afternoon and evening, but haven't had the time or weather to get a proper fire in it as yet. mrs hope was very pleased indeed - there are now plans afoot to have her birthday meal cooked in it.

the plans were foiled as it rained thursday evening, but we celebrated indoors with a bottle of champagne saved from our wedding - however, some celebrated more than others and it showed the next day

went to ashfield YOI on sunday 30th. i thought i was preaching, and was drastically underprepared. fortunately a friend, who also preaches regularly had thought he was to preach that day and had prepared something, so i was mightily relieved to let him go ahead - i just did the reading in the end! the lads were quiet as church mice during the preach (not normal behaviour), but were their usual sparkly selves during the songs. at the end, i had a quick chat with two 16 year olds - they told me when they grow up, they're going to be gangsters.

i got my bike back recently (had loaned it to a friend for a while, but she's moved up to leeds now) and have started cycling again. went for a ride with mrs hope on the bristol-bath cycle route and remembered that i have the most uncomfortable saddle in the world. cycling to work is much quicker, and frees up more time - all good!

also, been to cambridge last weekend (to visit my wife's family) and picked up, among other things, a tent, a camping stove, a set of crockery, a set of mugs, a new rose for the watering can, a set of cutlery, a computer, a pair of tomato plants, a ground mat, a set of camping pots and pans, a garlic pot, a set of camping crockery, two gas canisters, a portable stove, a eucalyptus tree, a camp bed, two bottles of white wine, a vase, a terracotta pot, a garlic press and a pair of lavender plants.

mrs hope has made it past the baby-eating thing in insaniquarium... she was most pleased.