Who watched Winter Wipeout, hands up!

Well another update for you lovely people. Nothing about Zakynthos until Jan as i try to give myself a bit of a break from the bar but in the new year its full steam ahead.

Well last Monday i went back in to my 4Th home Simbec. All the staff were as welcoming as ever and we were all getting in to the Christmas spirit. I was in this time last year and we had a carol service planned but due to lack of numbers in the choir it didn't go ahead but this year the event was definitely on. I was hoping to reprise my solo of "Once in royal Davids city" like i did in year 5 of high school haha.

Day 1 was just a pre-medical to check for any traces of drugs or alcohol in the system but due to me being a clean living type of guy it was all clear.

Day 2, tablets taken in the morning with cereal and toast, testing all day, 8 needles, ECG's and Blood Pressure tests. All went smoothly for myself and my 7 other comrades Mike, Bryn, Dyut (spelt wrong I'm sure), Shane, Ash, Nathan and Matt.

Day 3, Had to have a set breakfast of scrambled egg and toast before taking tablets and having blood tests, then something strange happened, 4 of the 8 of us were all sick 45 Min's after breakfast and tablets. I myself was fine. The thing is they administer 6 with the drug and 2 with a placebo but only 4 were ill. The doctor decided the next day to up our breakfast to a high fat one, bluurgh! I hardly ever have fried food so i was dreading it.

Day 4, time for the high fat breakfast, 3 large hash browns, 2 large fried eggs, 2 bacon, 2 toast and large glass of full fat milk. How anyone can eat that on holiday every morning i don't know and why would you want too, it ain't healthy. 45 mins later same reaction with the same 4 guys but this time it was more violent so it wasn't looking good and Matt,Shane, Dyut and Mike weren't sure if to continue.
Later that day the doctor had spoken to the company who were testing the drug and they decided to cancel the testing, BUGGER! We were all being sent home early the next day, day 5 out of 11. I wanted to stay in as Carl Froch was fighting on Sky Saturday night, also 3 good footy games on Sunday including my beloved Liverpool, not got Sky at home LOL. There is an upside to this even though 4 of the guys were ill, we were all sent home with full study payment. Ah well can't be helped, lets hope the 4 who were ill are now OK.

Now then, before i went in to Simbec myself and my nephew the world famous actor Leighton Kyle had V.I.P. passes for Duran Duran and i have to say Simon Le Bon is still the worst front man of any band I've ever seen. He can't dance, got no communication skills with the audience and really is the David Brent of the music world, cringe worthy! In saying all that put him with the other members John Taylor, Roger Taylor and Nick Rhodes and its an awesome gig. Sound was perfect. The same as Adam Ant, no miming of songs all sung live but sounded as good as the CD even though Simon made you want to cover your eyes in shame, in fact at some points myself and Leighton did.

Simon Le Bon now appearing in Karate Kid - The Musical.

Cool hand John!

Help me John, i got the crowd participation skills of a brick!

So, who watched Winter Wipeout this Saturday? Wasn't it a good show. The course looks more difficult than the normal Total Wipeout and that course looked easier than one of the Winter Wipeout courses I've seen. Can't wait to watch the next few episodes, I'm sure we'll all be in for a surprise at some point.

Last night(Sunday 19Th Dec) went to see the second Sherlock Holmes film with Helen, very good indeed. We went to see the first one together and enjoyed that but this film was better again, very difficult to make a better sequel. Before we went to the cinema we decided to go for a drink in Frankie's & Benny's the chain restaurant, very nice is was too but something wound me up like crazy. There were 3 students sat at a eating table 1 guy and 2 girls, we were sat at bar. I couldn't believe the guy had an ipad out flicking his fingers over the screen while using facebook and the 2 girls were on iphones doing the same thing. Ok in a bar, coffee shop, on a train fair enough but in a restaurant while eating aggghhhh! Has society completely lost the art of socializing that now people can't talk to each other when sat next to them that they have to talk to others on facebook? I'm so glad my bar is what it is with no TVs or Wifi, brings back the art of conversation and meeting new people you can actually see in the flesh.

Christmas is almost here folks and i really hope you all have a great day and don't eat to much or have terible hangovers, save that for your holidays in the summer LOL

So from this short ass balding welshman i wish you all a very Merry Christmas and hope you get everything you asked Father Christmas for.

London seems so long ago!

So where was i on my last update. Wow 3 weeks ago, I'm so so sorry for being so late, OK got loads to tell you now, let us begin.

Its that time of the year again, Toys R Us, Medical Research, Wet grey weather and the start of our weekends away kicking off with London.

This years medical experiment, i mean research is to do with infections and and a new antibiotic to combat it. Had to spend 5 days in my fourth home Simbec and will be going back in for another 11 days on the 12Th Dec. That means I'll be out just in time for father Christmas to visit me not unless i get snowed in at the research centre. Its snowed every year I've done a study at Simbec and it looks so pretty outside as i look out over the hills from my bed with ECG monitor pads stuck all over me, a thermometer shoved under my tongue and my arm being pumped up for my blood pressure. Every one at Simbec is as happy smiley as ever and really do make you feel at home, the food is also up to its high standard as all my visits before, its the only time i eat 4 times a day. Damn good work out after Christmas to work off all the extra ripples and Moobs that may start appearing after stuffing my face and laying in bed all day.

After my 5 days stay in Simbec i decided to take myself and Helen off to London for a weekend, well 2 nights from Friday to Sunday. We took the train up to save any hassle of driving and to start the weekend off stress free. I had found us a 4* hotel at Heathrow called The Arora and very nice it was to, one down point, they didn't fill the mini bar, good job as i may not of left the room if they had or look at it another way, good job they didn't as i might have had to declare myself bankrupt after i got the bar bill LOL.

The tube only took 40 Min's from hotel to Piccadilly Circus and we got an all day travel ticket for £8 which was good as we could hope on and off the tube whenever we liked but i like to walk everywhere so we didn't use it much.

Got to hotel at around 3pm dropped off our bags and went straight out in to town ready to go and take in a show at the Shaftsbury Theatre. Went for some food first in a restaurant in Leicester Square called "The Mermaids Tail", really nice place and really good food washed down with some rose wine to set us up for the musical. As you know i like my rock music so it was either the musicals We Will Rock You or Rock of Ages. I like Queens music but not a huge fan so we bought tickets for Rock of Ages. Remember an X Factor winner called Shane Ward, he was touted as the next Justin Timberlake by Simon Cowell - Translation- He will drop out of charts after his first album but we'll make money off him. Well, him and the comedian Justin Lee Collins were starring in the musical and I'll be very honest they were brilliant. Full of 80's rock songs, big hair and flamboyant make up, spandextacular. Seen a few shows over the years and this was the best I've seen, very quick paced, very funny and great music. If your going to London and want to take in a show forget Mama Mia, Priscilla, We Will Rock You or the other ones this is a real good show, over 2 hours long and well worth the money. Next year there is a film of the musical being released with Tom Cruise and Alec Baldwin in the Shane Ward and Justin Lee Collins rolls. Shane, forget the charts and stick with this musical, suits you sir LOL.

The show finished at 10.30 and just had time to walk to the Covent Garden to catch the last tube home and a good first night was had by all.

Day 2. Woke up very early to make the most of the day as it was the usual "Shopping Day" for Helen, why do those 2 words strike fear in a mans heart.

Got in to the centre of London and off we went Regent Street, Oxford Street, Carnaby Street, Oxford Circus, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Tottenham Court Road, Piccadilly Circus, Hyde Park Corner and many others, its starting to sound like a Monopoly board our day out haha. Wanted to go to Camden Market but tube line going to Camden Town was closed so couldn't get there. We visited many shops and an arcade where you could by a pen for £1390, i mean this arcade was so expensive i had to change my shoes just to walk on the red carpet that lined the whole of the arcade it was ridiculous the prices of just basic things.

On our way to find some food we came across a young man painting on a canvas in the middle of a small square in Soho and guess who it was, Noel Fielding from the Mighty Boosh and Never Mind The Buzzcocks fame. If ever his day job went down the pan he would be a great artist. It looked like it was a campaign to get people in to art as there were blank canvases for anyone to have a go. I passed on that as they would sell it on for millions after i had left LOL.

After hours of walking it was food time, Hard Rock Cafe was calling. Got to the Hard Rock and there was a Que. Didn't look like a long wait so we waited in line. Past us walked a guy with 5 others, he was very well dressed with a long coat, he flashed a card and walked straight in. Don't you just hate that. He was given written in to waiting list for a table and they all sat outside. It got to our turn and they said an hours wait, not a problem as we wanted cocktails anyway so we sat at the bar and started to get merry. After 15 Min's we were called to our table which was a surprise as they said an hour. We ordered 2 Cocktails both in glasses you can keep the one was a hurricane and boy it tasted strong, it should do for £11 for one. Helen had a Pulled Pork Roll and i had a Jumbo Combo, OH MY GOD! It was huge. 3 Spring Rolls, 4 Breaded Chicken Fillets, 6 Spicy Chicken Wings, 8 Large Fresh Onion Rings, 4 Filled Potato Skins and salad just to make you feel like its a healthy. I ate everything apart from 2 onion rings, i was stuffed so much. On our way out the well dressed gent that pushed past earlier was just being sat at his table after sitting outside waiting for a table for 6 to become free, he wasn't happy. GOOD! Que jumping stuck up pompus git LOL

The Hurricane Cocktail with the keeper glass.

The Jumbo Combo, not for the faint hearted or skinny minny LOL.

How we made our way back to Piccadilly Circus with or tummies dragging on the floor i don't know, we were so stuffed we decided to go back to the hotel at 7pm as it was uncomfortable walking around with so much food and drink inside us. Bought some chocies and settled in for the night.

Next morning we had a lay in then made our way back to Paddington for the train home but before we got on the train i had to get my fix of a Dozen Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, i am addicted to them. Good job there isn't a Krispy shop on my doorstep, i wouldn't be able to get out of my front door LOL.

London is London, it never really changes, it just gets more expensive so lets look at the prices shall we. The whole weekend for travel, hotel, food and drink cost £640 for 2 days and 2 nights, that's without the shopping we did. Meal for 2 cost from £40 to £68, drinks cost from £3.50 for a basic real ale up to £11 for a cocktail and the scandal of all scandals a can of coke at the hotel was £2.95. But it was all worth as had a brilliant weekend.

Let me see one person moan about the price of drinks, meals or a weeks holiday on Zakynthos on the websites and i will go ballistic, you can get a Hotel with flight, eat and drink out everyday and get shopping for week on the island for the cost of our 2 nights LOL.

Back to the normal life and I've been having a problem with the local pensioners. Now i love the mature generation but where the hell does it say when your over 65 you can do and say as you please. Waiting in a line and its obvious its a que but OH NO, I'm 80 so I'm gonna push to the front and get served first. I've got a hearing aid and I'm 90 so I'm going to be rude to the helpful counter assistant. I'm 100 and i refuse to pay the price it says on the packet, why should I. Now i think I'm very kind to the older generation, i let them in front of me at checkout counters if they only got 1 item, i let them on public transport before me if they have mobility problems, i help them with bags if i see them struggling BUT if they decide to be pushy and demanding then they better prepare for a fight as this dog never lets go of his bone haha.

Just seen in a TV guide that Total Wipeout is back on our screens on BBC1 starting from the 23rd December but its a whole new course, so I'm told. This series is called Winter Wipeout, wonder if we'll see anyone we know on it? We'll just have to watch every episode on a Saturday evening around 6-7pm. They also show a quick shot of it for an advert for their Christmas schedule.

Well thats it for today, got lots more things to write about but need something to do when i'm back in on my medical research so will update from my clinic bed. The next update will include Door Knocking Jahovah Witnesses, Nuclear testing in Tumble, High Winds in South Wales and a night out with Duran Duran.

Goodbye my happy followers, i love you all xxxx