Fun Weekend

We had a fun weekend with pamokc and her lovely Brit' hubby. Apart from all the 4th July fun and fireworks at the lake on Friday, we also visited a local Windmill Museum and ate out on Saturday. Although finding a restaurant that was open out here this weekend proved to be more of a challenge than we had anticipated. However happily we managed not to starve all weekend, in fact gourmet eating and drinking were very much on the menu!

Windmills have been donated from all over the USA to this little museum and they also have an authentic Sod House, all set out as it would have been inside. Here's my mum emerging from the relative cool of the interior. It has been raging heat here all weekend and we have made it well over 100 degrees everyday!

The little prairie house shown above is also on the site and is furnished as it would have been originally and home to the little baby Barn Swallows.

Last night we were all pretty weary from the late night Friday and high heat, so we 'vegged' out in front of the TV with 'I now pronounce you Chuck & Larry', probably the funniest film the Hubster and I have seen in a few years.

Today was the Formula One British Grand Prix and one of the main reasons we got together this weekend. It was a great race, with rain and alot of drama but it ended our weekend perfectly with a win for our Brit' Wonder Boy - Lewis Hamilton :-)

It's great when you make new internet friends and even better when you discover you get on so well, you can live with them for a few days comfortably. The last time that happened to me I married him!

Busy Saturday!

Our day will be starting early with the qualifying at 7am for the F1 French Grand Prix from Magny Cours, where we'll be hoping for a better weekend for Lewis Hamilton!

Then we are finally going to get around to 'mudding' our main bathroom with wall compound. The Hubster will be applying and I will follow on behind him designing, right now I have no clue what style that will take! Our bathroom has a bit of a beach/sea theme going on and I am considering placing the odd shell into the compound as it sets, as a little feature.

Finally we are off to a community Gospel sing and Hamburger feed hosted by our church in the next town. The Hubster plays lead guitar and is one of the singers in our church band, so he will be busy helping provide the entertainment.

Only 11 days and counting now until my mum arrives here, so we have a busy week ahead preparing.

Canada here we come

Time for another Formula One race this weekend and this time it's Canada, so we get to have our only lie in this season! The race is on FOX at NOON Sunday, if you fancy watching.

McLaren and Lewis Hamilton are on a roll after his Monaco win and he was quickest in the practice session today, so fingers crossed. This was the site of his first ever Grand Prix victory last year, so the omens are good.

*UPDATE* Boy Wonder strikes again! Pole sitter for the race :-)

Lewis Wins Monaco!

Lewis won the greatest race in Formula One today with a brilliant drive in Monaco. It was action packed race from start to finish, with rain having a big affect on strategy, lots of shunts and poor old Adrian Sutil in an awesome 4th being taken out by the Kimster!

But Lewis reigned supreme, his Dad said this is the race he has always wanted to win the most and his joyful reaction said it all. The first English driver to win it since 1969 and he now needs leads the World Championship again....goooo Lewis!

It's Monaco!

Yep the most famous Formula One GP of all is this weekend on Speed TV at 7:30am (cet) Sunday. The F1 circus has landed in the tiny principality of Monaco, apparently the whole country will fit inside the Indy 500 venue!

If you have never watched an F1 race this is the one to watch. They race the 200mph + cars around the streets of Monaco with the crowds, casino's, sea and super yachts feet away at times. It's glamourous, celebrity packed, stunning to watch and always exciting and after the practice session Lewis Hamilton was fastest :-)

We're in Istanbul this weekend!

Well theoretically speaking anyway, for the Turkish Formula One GP.

Tomorrow we have decided we need a lie-in, then we have an auction to attend so nobody post here with the qualifying results please (note to PAM)! Then back into the garden, so it maybe early evening before we get around to watching the earlier action.

But we'll be up with the lark at 6:20am Sunday morning to watch the race 'live' and cheer the McLaren boys home to victory "inshallah" (that's hopefully in Turkish)

**Post race update - Lewis brought his McLaren home in 2nd after a great drive. Heikki was in a collision on the first lap but managed to finish just out of the points, so not a bad day...Monaco next

F1 weekend

Well after what seemed like an endless 3 week break, the Formula 1 circus has reached Europe with the Spanish GP in Barcelona. Max 'the sick pervert' Moseley is still FIA Chairman which is a joke, but we're happy it's back.

Like most McLaren fans we hate Fernando Alonso with a passion and so today something very rare happened in our home. We were cheering loudly for Kimi and his Ferrari to take pole off Alonso - happy to say he succeeded. Just had to post this piccie of the 'Kimster', as it just says all you need to know about his personality....or lack thereof!


McLaren seem to be dragging this weekend and are down in 5th/6th, but if Lewis doesn't have the red 'Alonso's in front of me' mist descend, they can do well from there.

Early start for us in the morning....6:30am!


Gooooo McLaren - Lewis and Heikki :-)

Post Race Update: It was a good race, lots of attrition, a huge crash for Heikki but he's fine thankfully, the Ferrari's scored a double, Alonso's car blew-up (heehee) and Lewis grabbed a great 3rd spot :-)

Bahrain here we gooooo

This weekend we have the Bahrain Grand Prix to keep us entertained. It's an amazing track built away from the city in the desert, so sand is a real problem and of course the heat.

You also get lots of pretty shots of Camels, Arab horses and beaches :-) The racing's not bad either usually!

I am also happy to report we are now beyond the middle of the night starts until October and from now on the races start at 7am Sundays.

Yesterday our boy Lewis Hamilton had a crunching crash into the tire wall but he's back out there today qualifying. Goooo Lewis!

"Normal service has been resumed"

These were the words the McLaren team said over the radio to Lewis Hamilton, as he took the chequered flag to win the Australian GP.

Lewis put on a wonderful display of skilled driving and avoided the total chaos happening behind him. Ferrari lost both cars to reliability issues and the podium was shared by McLaren, BMW and Williams, with an excellent 3rd spot for young Nico Rosberg.

The race was constant action and excitement from start to finish and bodes well for many thrilling races in 2008. Now we can't wait for the first 'wet' race, because if 15 cars can fail or crash in the dry, rain is going to cause utter chaos!

WOW what a race!

WOW is the only word to describe the first race of the Formula 1 season! Out of the 22 cars that started the race only 7 finished it!

There were numerous crashes, including some spectacular car disintegrations, some huge mistakes made in the pit lane, the safety car was out 4 times and the usual front running teams were all over the place!

If removing the traction control, electronic braking and launch systems results in races like this all season, F1 may double it's worldwide audience to 4 billion in 2008 (yep it's 2 billion right now and we can't all be wrong people!).

If you have never watched F1 but like motorsport, catch the replay of the race on Speed at 1:30pm et and you may well be a new fan.

So as not to ruin it for anyone, I will refrain from posting the results until later in the day :-)

Boy Wonder still rules!

Lewis 'the boy wonder' Hamilton, has taken Pole Position for the Australian GP tomorrow in style....he's a Brit', he's a Superstar and 2008 will be his year.

Fernando 'the whinger' Alonso didn't even make the final qualifying session and starts from 12th on the grid...so gutted for him - NOT!

Kimi 'the Iceman' Raikkonen, current World Champ' had an engine failure and starts from 16th.

McLaren in P1 and P3....we are off to bed smiling and will be counting down to 11:30pm tomorrow night. Traction control and Electronic Braking are gone, there's alot more slipping, sliding and excitement....once they actually start racing chaos could reign!

F1 fanatics start your engines please!

The clip below is why for the next 8 months we will get up in the middle of the night or at the crack of dawn every other Sunday.

We're not just fans, we are fanatics; just ask my poor Mum who mails me the best F1 magazine out there from the UK every month! Finally tomorrow after a VERY long 4 month hiatus, the sweet sound of F1 engines flying around a track in Practice Session-1 of the Australian Gran Prix will be back on Speed TV.

Crazy I know....but we all have our thing and these 2 guys and their British team are ours....and there is no sound sweeter than an F1 engine accelerating!

http://www.mclaren.com/interactive/video_vmm-teamcast.php

So as you go to sleep at 11:30pm cet Saturday, we will both be on the edge of the sofa, volume pumped to the max, hearts racing as the lights come on and the 2008 season gets underway for the absolute ultimate in motor-racing - Formula 1.....

Gooooooooo LEWIS....Heikki & McLaren!