Well done Guy!

I am so thrilled for the dear boy - a 5th, a 4th, a 2nd and then finally: a WIN, in the last Superbike race at the Ulster Grand Prix on Sunday.

He is so talented, and such a lovely boy.  I am sure if Grandad Edgar were still alive he would approve of me throwing myself madly at his feet.  But alas, I fear that I am now too old for such things.  Sic transit gloria mundi.

Is dear Guy hurt?

Guy Martin was at the Armoy Road Races recently, but didn't perform quite as well as expected - no surprise really as, a few days before, he rode in The Salzkammergut Mountain Bike Trophy race in Austria!  It's 120 miles long, and includes climbs of some 24,000 feet! Dear Guy was actually the first British non-Professional rider home!

And now, it has been announced that he is to be the presenter on More4 TV's coverage of the 2011 World Sheepdog Trials.  Oh, he is a talented boy!  Actually, to be honest, I'm not totally a doggy person - more a pussy lover, and I can never see one without wanting to stroke it.  But my friend Jennifer has a Giant Schnauzer, and I am sure Guy would know how to deal with that!

The 2010 TT Film

Whilst in London last week, I went to see the spectacular 3D film about the 2010 TT races, "Beyond the Edge". I did enjoy it although the 3D effect wasn't strictly necessary - the racing was good enough.

I was very excited because my good friend Jennifer had seen it, and said that I had been filmed sitting in the Grandstand at Douglas!  Well, I didn't see myself although I think Grandad Edgar was in one of the snippets of film shown of the earlier races.

It was so lovely to see dear Guy Martin featured - although it wasn't his finest set of races and, of course, he landed up injured.  He does cut a very handsome figure, with a roguish attitude, but I didn't like it when he discussed "wa...ng"; what young men do in the privacy of their trousers should remain a mystery.

I think one of the first films to feature on-bike camera shots was produced by Champion Spark Plugs - "The Throttle Works Both Ways" - and I am definitely in that!  That was 1975, and that rascal Mike Hailwood is featured - the director gave me a copy and I still have it!

The TT 2011

It is always a very great pleasure for me to go to the TT, and this year was no exception.  Some good people let me stay in their hospitality caravan in the paddock area (as long as I prepared the breakfasts and did the washing up) and so I got to meet up with many old family friends - people like Murray Walker, who was a great friend of my Grandfather, Edgar, and little Charlie Williams who I remember as a fresh-faced young boy.

It was great to see some of the new riders too - Cal Crutchlow and that nice American boy, Nicholas Hayden. But, even though he can be a bit coarse and vulgar, my special favourite was Guy Martin.  I did so want to see him win a TT, but he was unlucky again.  Of course, last year he suffered such a bad crash, and perhaps it is his nonchalant bravery that appeals to me - it reminds me of my Grandfather's bravery when he too crashed, remounted and finished with such badly burned feet, only to then be disqualified.

Good luck Guy (but do try not to use so many rude words).

A well aimed sock.

I travelled to Oxford recently for a meeting of my women's group - neither, alas, on my motorcycle nor in 1st Class.  I don't mind travelling with ordinary people but three things annoy me:  people who put their shopping bags on the seat and stop someone else sitting down, people who put their grubby feet on the seat in front - so horrible - and people who use mobile phones, and feel they have to shout.

At Reading, a red-faced individual got on - my Mama would have described him as the 'cad type', belonging to an era of Prince of Wales check suits and correspondent shoes - and immediately started to use his phone. What everyone then received was a blow-by-blow account of his client's internet programme, and quite a lot of loose language.

Around me, people started to become fidgety, and some began to say "Shush!" in an urgent way.  The man took no notice until, behind me, an elderly man bellowed like a Sergeant-Major "Put a sock in it, man!"

What a miracle!  The offender was heard to say "I've got to go - I'm talking too loud!" and immediately shut up. The carriage descended into peace.

I say "Hurrah!"

Do young women have to say 'get'?

From a strict mother and a good school, I learned two things: always say 'please' and never say 'get'.  Today, whilst lunching in a very acceptable London café, two apparently well-educated young women seated themselves at the end of my table. When the waitress arrived to take their order, one asked her, "Can I get the ham salad?" and the other said, "Can I get the salami panini?"   A few moments later, one of the two looked at me, pointed at the condiments, and asked, "Can I get the salt and pepper?"   What happened to, "A ham salad, please" and "Please pass the salt and pepper"?   I hope our new, beloved HRH Princess Catherine will lead the way in raising standards.  I am sure her Grandmother would be shocked if she suddenly asked, "Can I get the Crown?"


And to finish, here is a picture of my niece's pussy.