Road Kill Tally

+1 Hedgehog
+1 Grey Squirrel

Frankly every extra grey squirrel run over is a bonus for me.

[Random Blog Reader]: "WTF?! You're an evil person Nobby if you're happy to see one of my cute furry little friends squashed flat on the tarmac, with their innards gushing out like candy floss. You're animal-hating scum!"

Woah there! Let me explain!
Grey squirrels are vermin. They're tree rats. Their introduction to these shores has decimated Britain's native Red Squirrel population. If it was a rat squashed on the road you'd not get upset at it, and neither would I.

Dead hedgehogs on the other hand are a far more prickly subject.



Punch the Fist

James Gibson won our first men's swimming gold medal at the World Championships for 28 years. Quite an achievement. I listened to it live on the radio and punched the fist when he touched home in the lead. I've got no interest in swimming, but always at emotional when one of Great Britain's atheletes performs to their peak and brings home the bacon. I always think of the years of training and emotional investment they make in their chosen sport and being able to say "I'm the best in the World" is fab.

The 50m sprint race sounded great on the radio. Unlike track and field sprints -- like the 100m -- where the race is over before the commentator has chance to even say all of the competitors names, the 50m swim sprint was just long enough for the guy to convey the speed, drama and excitement of the whole thing. He had a nice steady tempo curve building up to the climax of the last few meters. I the listener was able to visualize James Gibson's slow start, steady claw back, and dramatic finger-tip win. Great radio.

Well done the commentator and well done James!