Day 74 - Waterboarding

Today was my Ofwat Board Meeting for April.  Up to Town and back again as a customer of South West Trains and, miracle of al miracles, I managed to skirt all the misery caused by the power problems which appeared to make commuters' lives such a misery today.  Not quite sure how, but no complaints! 

The Board Meeting was followed by a RemCo: some very interesting issues discussed at both but I cannot say much about them, or I'd have to shoot you...

Back home in good time, still in the light. A quick change of clothes, a glance at the TV and that was it!  Hooked for the next couple of hours as they were showing Trading Places, starring Dan Ackroyd, Eddie Murphy and Jamie Lee Curtis... or, as we know her, JLC.

For every year, I and a bunch of mates spend 4 days away from our wives competing for the JLC Cup, in honour of the aforesaid Ms Curtis.  Our annual pilgrimage approaches soon: this year we are heading to the north of Scotland, but more of that anon...

Day 73 - Surrey Captains

The rain we have been waiting for arrived finally: throughout the morning, right up to lunch, it came down. At times gentle, at times stronger, the heavens opened. Question: was the forecast going to be correct? Was it going to let up before I teed off at 1:02? Answer: no... but by the time we got to the 2nd hole, things started to look brighter and, for the next few holes, it was question of layers on, layers off.   By the end of the round, we enjoyed glorious sunshine and the course certainly looked that bit better for a bit of rain.  We certainly need some more...just not when we are playing please!

My golf today was at Burhill, where I was playing as a guest of the Surrey Captains. This is, as the name suggests, a society made up of former captains of Surrey Golf clubs, who play a number of matches against other counties as well as a few friendlies every year.  They had not played at Burhill for a number of years and, as Captain, my task was to play my part in ensuring that a good day was had by all. 

Not that this was very difficult as the combination of a great course, a splendid clubhouse, some delicious food and plenty of wine were guaranteed to put everyone in a good mood!  I was presented with an attractive commemorative tankard for my efforts and look forward to playing with the group in the years ahead.

I had to hot foot it from the dinner presentation as I was also due in our monthly Social Committee meeting. I arrived 15 minutes or so late but managed to catch up: all has gone well to date, and now the busy season starts...

Day 72 - The Sum of All Fears

Another Tuesday, another Disorganised Golfers game... this time there were five of us: which meant one two-ball and another three.  Once we got off the tee, we moved speedily around the course and, in less than three and a half hours, we were sitting on the terrace soaking in the sun. Sheltered from the wind, with a few beers to enjoy, all of us agreed that this was definitely better than working!

The afternoon was spent with my Financial Adviser, trying to decide how best to cope with all the uncertainty out there, especially that surrounding what may or may not happen after the General Election on 7th May. Time will tell whether or not we made the right decisions...

I am a great fan of the spoken word, as commercialised by Audible (www.audible.co.uk).  Being at best a light, more like a poor, sleeper I find listening to books on my iPhone a great solace when unable to sleep. I always go for the unabridged versions and have just come to the end of Tom Clancy's  "The Sum of All Fears" (not that this has anything to do with the outcome of the impending election... or does it?)

Anyway, this meant that I was pleased to find that the film version was available to download on Sky... at least I was until it became clear that the latter was only very loosely based on the former.   You are no Jack Ryan, Mr Affleck....

Day 71 - The Old Pretender

No golf on the agenda today, but still kept busy... there was the draw for the Anglo American plate to organise, checking with all participants that they up for it, solving some Intelligent Golf problems and some thank you letters to write to people who have been kind enough to donate things for the Captains' Charity (though more welcome!).

Dinner was an early chicken curry - a very tasty Murgh ki kadhi recipe from a Keith Floyd book on India (I can remember when he started his restaurant in Bristol before he developed his TV persona!).  We had the pleasure of daughter and boy-friend for dinner as well, which was a treat.

An early dinner as we were off to a lecture at the Esher Adult Education centre on James Francis Edward Stewart, the Old Pretender. When we walked into the room where it was to take place, I couldn't help but recall the single mums' SPAT scene in About a Boy, for I was to be the only man in the audience...

The lecture itself was fascinating: like so many of my generation, the 17th/18th centuries were not part of my O'Level history syllabus and I had never before really understood how James II, William&Mary and Anne all fitted together, yet alone who Bonny Prince Charlie was... That is all clear now and I look forward to the next time I am watching University Challenge and a question comes up that I will now be able to answer...

Day 70 - Marathon Man

Today was the day of the London Marathon.  I was listening to the radio on the way in to the Club and the presenters were talking about a runner who was looking to break the world record time for a marathon for someone "dressed as a crustacean"... a few punny jokes followed along the lines of "I hope he doesn't feel too clammy in his suit" and "I have sponsored him for a few (s)quid" etc.

All good clean fun, and it brought to mind this time last year, when we were cheering my daughter along in the same race. It was much warmer last year than it was today...

...when it was much colder in part because the wind had changed direction, but at least it stayed dry for us today when we played our second Captain & Pro Challenge match. Our opponents this time were Neil and Ian, doughty opponents who play a lot of foursomes golf together. We knew we were in for a tough game when they started off by winning the first two holes.

Mike and I gelled better this time around though and we hauled them back in by the turn; then we established a two hole lead, only for our opponents to capitalise on their shots to get the match back to all square as we approached the last. Fortunately, our par on 18 was just enough to win the hole and the match... in our own marathon of the day! 

The quality of the golf was very high, as evidenced by the fact that we went around in 4 over par. Let's hope we can keep that kind of form up for the next challenge...

Day 69 - Galvin Green

Saturday opened with something we havem't seen for a long time: rain...  It all looked very grey and, as players busied themselves getting ready for the April Medal, there were plenty of umbrellas and Galvin Greens in evidence (these are the best defence against wet weather ever!).  My start time was the usual Captain's 08:42 slot and, when I arrived at the first tee was disappointed to discover that one of the players who had signed up to play was a No Show. This meant that we were a two-ball in a field of threes, so we knew right away it was going to be a slow round.

The rain proved to be short-lived however and before the turn, the sun was out and all thoughts of wets had disappeared as were were back to playing in short sleeved shirts - I should have worn shorts!  The pace of play wasn't too bad and, although we had to wait on many shots, we were back in the Clubhouse after a little over 4 hours, not too bad for a Medal. Our scores were OK: somewhere in the top third, within buffer zone, but a long way off the leader who shot a net 66...

Thence, back home to assist in the preparation for a dinner party: we had invited the Lady Captain, the Vice Captain and the Lady Vice Captain, plus their respective other halves, to join us. I was given front of house duties as Mrs L was doing all the cooking, so busied myself polishing silver and setting the table etc. I managed however to keep a more than close eye on the Test Match in Grenada, which turned out much better than anyone could have hoped.

The evening was a great success: the wine and conversation flowed and everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves. As the evening lengthened, a few of us started thinking about early tee times the next morning and it was just after midnight that we got to bed. I just hope the kitchen elves do all the tidying up whilst we sleep...!

Day 68 - Don't Panic!

I am a subscriber to the Spectator magazine, which arrives in my letter box every Friday. Whereas some of the political commentary is a bit too much for me at times, I very much appreciate the book and film reviews and have regularly taken advantage of the offers that the Spectator Wine Club has to offer.

That is really all flim flam though, as my main reason for buying the magazine is to get the crossword.  Many a time, when working, I used to carry a copy of it with me on a Friday for a surreptitious glance at it during the day as it provides the sort of mental challenge that requires some considerable time to solve - at least for me! 

Now I have retired from full-time work, I seem to have less time for the weekly crossword though (how is that?), but tonight will see me having a crack at it whilst sipping a glass or red wine and with the cricket on in the background: tough life....

I have though earned a rest as I had a tough Mid Week match today. I managed to sneak a win on the 17th but my opponent, Mark, had me seriously rattled when he holed a 113 yard gap wedge on the 14th to close the gap to 1 hole.  I knew that the ball had gone in when I saw the people on the adjacent fairway give a cheer: not what you want to see....!

Day 67 - St George's Day

Today was Shakespeare's birthday and St George's Day: about as quintessentially English as you can get. No surprise that there was the annual plea on the radio this morning for the 23rd of April to be declared a Bank Holiday to celebrate England's National Day.  And to be fair, we must be one of the few countries in the world not to have such a public holiday. Even in Scotland, St Andrew's Day is a holiday, for some at least.

So, today, I did the next best thing: a round of golf at St. George's Hill, just across the road from Burhill. I was playing with the Oil Industry Golf Society (or OIGS for short) in their annual spring meeting.

It was great to meet up with a number of friends and former colleagues from the Industry, and also a treat to play the course. The weather started off cloudy but, by half way around, the sun was shining and sitting outside for a drink afterwards it was positively hot. The course was in great shape, though the greens were very hard and a bit bumpier than sometimes.  My score was respectable but I was never going to be near the winner's: 41 point, albeit on his home course, was very impressive!

I eschewed the voluntary 9 holes after lunch to get home in time to go out to the cinema: we went to see Woman in Gold at the Epsom Odeon. Any film with Helen Mirren is worth seeing and we weren't disappointed.

Day 66 - Zepp-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

Up to Town today for another round of meetings and struck by the fact that talking on mobile phones whilst on the train seems ever more popular. Why do people feel the need to share the micro details of their mundane lives with the whole carriage?

Back to the Club in the afternoon for a bit of practice. I have recently purchased a new piece of kit: a Zepp no less. A Zepp you say? It's a bright yellow plastic sensor that you clip to your golf glove. This then syncs to your iPhone and gives you a rendition of your golf swing as well as a host of data about club speed, approach angles etc. 

If any feature of your swing is reported to be less than perfect then you get all sorts of tips and videos to help. And, if you want, the self-same device can also help hone your baseball swing...

Home for supper and then a swift turn-around before heading back to Burhill for a Club Committee Meeting.  A good discussion about a number of aspects of Club life followed by a swift glass of Rioja and then home again...

Day 65 - Game of Thrones

Finally, I found some time this afternoon to watch the first episode of the new series of Game of Thrones.

I know it's not to everyone's taste, but it does it for me: great production values, good cast and a plot that always seems to take you in a direction different from that which you are expecting (I haven't read the books...).

There was time for this piece of relaxation today after playing - and losing - my second round Anglo American Knockout at the Club. It was a glorious day and the New Course was a real picture in the spring sunshine: all the different shades of green as the trees come to life.  My opponent was less generous: he failed to make the mistakes that I needed him to!

The only good thing to come of this defeat is the fact that it takes pressure of my already-congested weekends in the months to come...

This evening sees me back at the Club: the Vice Captain and I are hosing a dinner to thank the individuals who helped make the Six Nations competition so successful. Without people like this, willing to give of their time, life at Burhill would be that bit less enjoyable for all.

Day 64 - Suits

Sorry to disappoint you but this Blog post has nothing whatsoever to do with the TV series Suits, though I do commend it to you!

It's an American series all about a very bright young lawyer who joins a law firm with a big secret: he has not passed through Harvard Law School, which is mandatory at the firm where he works.

His new boss goes by the improbable name of Harvey Spectre and, as you can probably guess from the photo, there is quite a high bromance quotient!

Anyway, today saw me representing Burhill at a Surrey Golf delegates meeting. This was held at Clandon Regis Golf Club (which was looking very picturesque in the spring sunlight!) and was an opportunity for representatives from the many Surrey golf clubs to hear a bit more about what is going on in the worlds of England Golf and Surrey Golf.  Lots to think about but much of it, I think, already in train in some shape or form at Burhill.

And why the Suits reference? Well I asked what the dress code was and was told it was casual, but most people wear suits and ties...and indeed they did!

Got home in plenty of time, which was good as I was on supper duty - and if you ever want a quick but delicious dish, we very much enjoyed our baked halibut and pasta dish...

Day 63 - West Hill Blues

Up bright and early this morning to get to the Club for 07:30. Today was the occasion of our friendly match versus the team from West Hill, a fixture that I have been match managing for the past few years.

It is one of the few matches that is still played in the traditional format: 36 holes of foursomes, with lunch served in between. A few years ago, there was pressure to change to a better-ball game, but this was reversed after just one time.  That being said, last year, West Hill had to cancel the game due to their inability to field a team...

No such problems this year. On paper their team looked a lot stronger than ours, but on the other hand they have been having major problems with their greens so maybe they would be out of practice?

As things turned out, it was very much the latter... we went to lunch after the morning's foursomes with a 5-1 lead and closed the day out with a 10-2 victory.  All very satisfactory and should mean that we approach the return match in August with some confidence...but not too much!

My partner and I were untouchable this morning: we won the match on the 11th green and after we had played a couple of holes for fun were still at level par: nice when everything you try works out.  The afternoon game also delivered a resounding win, though not as convincing one as the morning one: maybe the lunchtime food and alcohol had something to do with it!

Day 62 - Beat the Pro

Another windy day saw the holding of Professionals' Day: a competition run by the Pro Shop and including a number of special holes: longest drive, nearest the pin, longest putt and an opportunity to beat the Pro on a par 3 hole (we didn't: everyone missed the green...).

The day was well organised and all seemed to be having fun, though looking at the results the tricky conditions clearly made life difficult for more than just the Captain!

Lunch on the terrace in the sunshine was very pleasant as was the chance for some shut-eye in front of the Heineken Cup semi-final. Shame that Saracens couldn't quite best the French...

Dinner was my turn: a fennel and onion tarte tatin that we once saw Michel Roux make on the BBC was on the menu. A nice change and definitely worth a repeat!

Day 61 - Dark Blue Golf

A non-Burhill golf outing today: every year, the Oxford University Colleges have a golf tournament amongst their alumni and this was the first year that I managed to work it into my calendar. The competition took place at Frilford Heath, south of Oxford, near Abingdon. Although my tee time wasn't until 10:00 am, it still meant an early start as the potential for traffic delays on the M25/M4 is ever-present.  As things turned out though, there was no more than the usual congestion around junctions 12/13 and I got there in plenty of time.

Frilford has three 18 holes courses: unimaginatively named the Red, Blue and Green courses. We were off the Red and were able to enjoy some excellent weather, though the wind was both colder and more easterly than is normal, which made a couple of the holes a real slog. I played decently, but for the fact that my ball had decided unerringly to enter every Frilford bunker it could find on the course. The Pro Shop were "out of Course Planners" which meant that I couldn't even see some of the blessed sand traps off the tee: I shall do better next time!

A carvery lunch followed (yippee...) which gave the opportunity to catch up with old friends and some new ones too. I met a contemporary of my brother's, so will try and persuade Tony to come along next year.

The travel back home was everything that you would expect of a Friday evening: the Sat Nav screen was covered with red lines and warning messages from the moment I typed in my home destination. A long detour via the A34/A303/M3 though kept me sane and meant that I was not sitting in traffic until I hit the M25. Good to be home....

Day 60 - Geek Squad

One of the things that Kathryn and I have done for a couple of years now is seek to provide some assistance to some of the members of the Club who at times struggle with the pace of change that modern technology demands.

Taken on the iPad

This morning saw us spending some time with Nan Mercer, one of the Club's more senior, and most charming, members.  It was great to see Nan's face as we demonstrated the wealth of content available with Sky Go and BBC iPlayer on her new Apple device. I dread to think what technology will be around at the time that we reach her age!

It was also fun to show Nan all the information that Intelligent Golf contains: for someone who cannot get to Burhill as often as they used, this is a great way to keep in touch.

In the afternoon, we spent some time with another Lady member: this time it was trying to untangle some of the mysteries of Windows 8 (no surprise to read that in the next version of the software - Windows 10, nota bene - the Start menu will re-appear).  We managed to find our way through and I hope that will be one more person who can now get more out of their domestic IT solution.

After this, it was my turn to seek assistance: I had to drop my new Stewart trolley back off at the ProShop for a check-up, but the problem seems to be user error... this makes me think of the apocryphal (?) story about the IT Help desk who used the acronym PICNIC whenever a senior person called in with an issue: Problem In Chair, Not In Computer!

Day 59 - Three Lions

Today was one of those days you dream about: a glorious sunny morning saw me meeting up for coffee before teeing off at around 9:00. We were playing a match vs Hankley Common and I had been paired up against a former Shell Trading colleague: lots to talk about!

The weather was stunning: warm sun combined with a cooling breeze. Sun cream mandatory. The course was playing well and my game was on song: result a victory by 4&2. A splendid carvery lunch followed thence home for a brief snooze in front of the cricket. 

Brief, because we had a train to catch: Mrs L and were up in Town this evening, first for a rare visit to Peter Jones, on Sloane Square, and then on to the St James Theatre to see an engaging production of "The Three Lions".

This was a new play, centring on the couple of days leading up to the FIFA World Cup bids for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments. The England team was led by an unlikely triumvirate: PM David Cameron, Prince William and David Beckham.  We enjoyed the (fictional) account of how the three of them got on before and after the England bid failed so humiliatingly, with Russia taking the honours.

View of stage from our seat

This was a lightweight farce, made all the more entertaining by the cast with a very energetic Cameron almost stealing the show, but Sean Browne as David Beckham was for us the real star. The actor resembled Becks physically, down to the tatoos, eyebrows and smile: he also did an excellent job on the voice and ended up with many of the best lines.

Not a piece that will stand the test of time, but a most entertaining evening in a modern theatre with our seats spectacularly close to the stage. Worth a trip!