Bits

After my hiatus from blogging I'm back. If there is anyone who reads this (and I've never received a comment on anything I've written yet, so I have no idea) I apologise for not putting more on.

A few things that have taken place in my life since:

*Emma and I have become immersed in the world of Couch surfer.It's well worth a look. We signed up after reading about it in a magazine in Warsaw. For those unfamiliar you basically put your name forward onto a website, with your address, and people ask if they can stay with you. In return you can request to stay at all the other addresses. It's a way of encouraging a "community" feeling across the world and travelling at its finest.

We were trepidatious - and within two days of signing up we had our first request. Who would it be? A Zambian warlord wanting a room for him, his 17 mistresses, a hog's head and a voodoo shrine? A neo-nazi BNP super-facist? Even worse, a vegetarian? Thankfully it was none of these. We had the pleasure of hosting Ash for two nights, a poet and comedian who was in the area delivering workshops to pupils at three nearby schools. He was charming and funny and we enjoyed having him.

I know the idea of having a total stranger staying at your house might be scary but check couchsurfer out - it might be a real adventure.

*Won money on Joe Calzaghe (went for him to win on points) and David Haye (knockout). Wasn't sure about Hatton. Obviously he looked great; not just technically better but just plain fitter. Also good to see Jim Bagg, who is a columnist for the Ring Magazine, get his words stuffed up his arse. "The Bagg" wrote about how much he revelled in British fighters getting reduced to a horizontal state (referring to Amir Khan) as if it representing boxing returning to its natural state. Brits 3, Yanks 0 Bagg.

I hope my betting run continues with Pacquiao vs De La Hoya. I'm going for Manny. De La Hoya's stamina has never been good, and providing Pacman survives the first four or five rounds - which I think he can - his fitness can prove to be the deciding factor down the stretch.

*Went on a wild goose chase around Long Sutton over the weekend. You can see on our website (spaldingtoday.co.uk) the Cannom story. I tried to find out more about her and no-one knew her. No-one. And then I thought "Would I know anything about my neighbours? Their names and jobs? No idea."

It didn't really surprise me because of the lack of community spirit in the world, and the advent of the internet and Playstations and technology, meaning people never go out of their doors anymore. They just survive, immersed in their own boredom. Sad really.

Anyway, more to come later in the week. Watching I'm a celebrity. Dreadful.