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.

Obama Drama

Anyone who's been hiding under a barock and wants to know what the election result was last night... this controversial story from the Onion might give it way

http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/black_man_given_nations

Last night was momentous. To be aware of an acutal historical event as it happens is that most precious rarity. I can think of a few others in my lifetime - 9/11, the fall of the Berlin Wall, Susan and Karl Kennedy reconciling - but none as exciting as this.

Obama's key word was change, and it's needed in politics desperately. Didn't he remind you of a fresh-faced Tony Blair in '97 last night? Let's hope the same cynicism and spin that blighted his premiership doesn't barrack Barack.

The early signs seem promising. Obviously he will need help from other nations with the economy, but America can take the lead in its military matters. Obama wants to engage more with Iran, bringing troops out and placing other in Afghanistan. He has already been warned by Karzai (Afghanistan's president) over an American attack which killed a host of people at a wedding party. It's not going to be easy...

*Joined something called couchsurfer the other day, a communal website encouraging like-minded travellers to host each other when asked. Sounds like a fantastic idea and we've had our first response. Will keep you informed!

A mer woman

Not one to be messed with; This is the mythical mermaid, and unlike the normal spritish representation (such as that found in Copenhagen) this is a warrior, a mean nasty-looking piece of work, like Pat Butcher on steroids. She is one of three mermaid statues to be found in Warsaw, and apparently in Polish folklore she helped a young prince rescue two boys named Wars and Saw - hence the name.

Debated sitting up all night to comment on the US presidential slugfest, but I've been feeling pretty rough today. Rented a device called a "Rugdoctor" from Focus to clean our filthy carpet and it's great but tiring. So illness, being tired, and just seeing an advert for a film called "Zack and Miri make a porno" which looks to be one of the most execrable movies ever created, are enough to send me to bed.

Warsaw pics

Returned from Warsaw on Saturday, and immediately knew I was back in England. Predictions for our holiday in Poland told us to expect four days of rain. We got half an hour. Meanwhile Luton was a quagmire - I knew it was bad when I went to pick up the car and saw Dennis Hopper chasing Kevin Costner in the distance, such was the rainfall. From the airpark at Slip End (!) I drove out of Luton, taking the wrong turn (M1 and A1 are so easy to confuse) and at one point skimmed around the outside of Leicester, about 40 miles from my intended route. I'm blaming the driving rain.

Warsaw itself was amazing. The pics above are the Palace on the Water, two pics of Castle Square, and some drunk guys who wanted my scalp for Halloween.

We stayed in Nathan's Villa Hostel off Marshall Street. The best hostel I've ever been in - clean bathrooms, quiet, and even our own balcony: what more could we want?

Much of my pre-conceived notions of the country were justified. The beer was cheap and good and the Old Town, similar to that of Tallinn, was breathtakingly pretty. One whole side of the square (pic to be added later) was Poland's national museum, with the interiors of the houses removed so you could pass through. It was a rare example of tourism - Emma was bitterly disappointed by the lack of shops, asking (justifiably) where people bought clothes. I didn't see a single music shop or newsagent chain in four days.

Many of the grey, dismal communist style tower blocks were still intact, intermingled with the grim reminders of Poland's part in WW2. A bunker where Jewish immigrants hid, before one blew himself up in a suicide pact as the Nazis closed in. Remembrance walls with the names of some of those executed. Most poignantly Pawiak prison where 100,000 people including children, pregnant women, elderly and disabled were held, beaten and killed. Poland's invasion can never be allowed to be forgotten.

The food was unusual but cheap and exciting. Pike was delicious; Blood sausages indulgent; tripe and beef soup far more pleasurable than it sounds. Zywiec, which I pronounced in at least ten different attempts as my tongue fumbled its way through the Polish language over the four days, was around £2 a pint.

A disappointing aspect was the unscrupulous nature of taxi drivers. Even in the foyer of the Frederick Chopin airport we were hounded by drivers pleading to escort us to the hostel. Our trip to the old town from the hostel cost anywhere from 12 to 90 zlotys (4.5 zlotys to the pound), meaning there was roughly a £15 difference between drivers for a mile-long journey, depending entirely on which driver you got. I made a rookie mistake of climbing in one cab (at 11.30pm in the freezing cold) and the meter was dimmed, meaning that it probably had about 40 zl on it before we'd even started. Scandalous.

More pics to come later.

ps Must just congratulate Keiran Westwood, Coventry's star goalkeeper, whose stunning performance kept out Kevin Phillipset al for our 1-0 win at Birmingham last night. I was 4 years of age the last time we won there. Work it out.