Lee...! The spainish have conquered the euro! Nix said my prize is country related, have I won an all expenses paid trip to Spain courtesy of you? My sun hat is ready!

Get yourselves a motorbike, then you can do 100mph, its much better than that pedaling milarky ! you daft buggers.

...to somewhere in particular and boy does each mile count

First trip out in April and what a morning to pick bright blue sky and just the right temp.
Did 30 miles and we both felf fine, week off next week. brap brap!!!!!!!!!!

Marty has been quietly turning his pedals over the last few weeks but, being senior and afraid of computers, has been doing himself a sweaty mile-o-meter disservice and not reporting it. Well from my recollections of phone calls over the last few weeks he's done a 20, a 30 and a 40 followed the next day by a 27. So let's congratulate him and add 117 to the mileometer.

As the time of the year approaches chocolate is high on many childrens christmas list but some it couldn't come soon enough. Little Caitlin only 13 months old couldn't believe her luck when she stumbled across a bag of milk buttons which her mum accidently left on her bedroom floor - some would say accident or other s may feel they were left there on purpose but never the less little Caitlin took full advantage and scoffed nearly the whole bag before mum knew what she was up too...cheeky monster lol

Maybe its because I brought a coffee at the station this morning or maybe it was the excitment of another photo shoot shopping spree, but I was much more alert on the tube this morning than I usually am, so I thought I'd blog about it. I got to Loughton station earlier than usual to find a much bigger crowd of ETT's (experienced tube travelers) and I couldn't help but notice how ETT's (which include myself of course!) gather in herds around the "mind the gap" floor signs (all ETT's know this is where the doors open). It seems that people don't care or mind about personal space during the difficult but essential 'Seat Challenge". The train pulls in and we all prepare ourselves for the challenge to start - bags are pulled over shoulders and newspapers put under arms. As the train pulls to a stop, the herds at each "mind the gap" point shuffle along to the right slightly to ensure the essential spot directly outside the door. The key is to be to the right of the door because the door opens from the right ensuring you are one of the first into the carriage. Many ETT's don't wait for the door to fully open but rather wait until its open just enough for the body to fit through. The chase for the seats is a sight to behold - much more than a walk but not quite a run, focus on the goal without looking too desperate, try not to be near anyone who might need it more than you. I completed the seat challenge this morning and surprisingly there was even one seat left so when we arrived at Buckhurst Hill, two people from different doors closed in on it like two lions going for the same prey. The lion that wins would never look up in case eye contact is made with the other lion who is silently growling at the loss, instead newspaper/book/ipod comes out at super speed. When we arrived at Bank, a gentleman jumped on the carriage as the doors were closing and, unfortunately for him, got the flap on his rucksuck caught in the bottom of the door (how? Exactly). The door wouldn't close and the poor guy was desperately trying to release his rucksack, but to no avail. Everyone on the carriage, including myself, just watches him. No offer of help, no coming to the rescue. Why does this happen? Fear of losing "the seat"? With the repeated sounds of "mind the doors", "mind the doors", I decide to get up and help but still the rucksuck won't come free. The sounds of tutting from the carriage increases (Comedian Michael McIntyre says that tutting is British people's way of saying "pr1ck" silently) and the gentleman's embarrassement increases even more. His forehead looks sweaty. Some-one tells us to push the emergency button and talk to the driver and my anxiety goes through the roof. I don't want to be centre of attention on the tube and certainly not the cause of a delay. So I tell him to do it and abandon him, back to my seat.....which has been taken by another lion.

Last night, 10 hours after arriving home to my loved-ones I was on my hands and knees scrubbing Charlie's poo off the bedroom carpet. This morning, I tackled the biggest mountain of washing up I've ever seen! For a split second I pined for room 306, Hotel Guldsmeden, where I’d been trapped for 4 nights. But then I remembered how despairing I'd felt trudging back to it after being turned away from Copenhagen Central Station last Saturday. Hundreds of people and their luggage were all after the same thing – a train out of there. When the guy with the loudspeaker smugly informed us all that we’d be going nowhere for at least 5 days I gained a brief insight into why people who feel they have lost control of their lives commit heinous crimes in a bid to regain it! But I did not commit a heinous crime against the man with the loud speaker. Once I’d phoned Lee and vented my despair, I thought ‘**** you – I’ll just find some other way to get home’. And that’s what I did. I say ‘I’, it’s actually ‘we’ – myself, Lee and 6 others who I got to know and appreciate much more than I would have done had the Eyjafjallajokull volcano not erupted. The trains were booked, the ferries were booked, but wait... after shutting himself away in the kitchen several hundred miles away in Edinburgh (from which my mum reported hearing all kinds of profanities as websites and phone lines crashed) Lee broke through and found 7 seats on EuroStar from Brussels to London St Pancras on Tuesday night. A glimmer of hope! All we had to do now was devour the 600 miles between Copenhagen and Brussels. Undeterred by rumours that car hire companies had suspended one-way car hire, we marched to the nearest outlet to be ripped off. £1,600 for a Renault Espace. Divided between 7 people that was do-able. On Monday morning we set off, we cheered... and yes, as reported by Lee we returned after 10 minutes with a flat tyre. A minor hiccup compared with the hurdles of the last few days. We drove 8 hours to a hotel in Munster, Germany, where we entered a 1970s time warp complete with orange toweling sheets that were outrageous enough to seriously disturb our sleep! And then Munster to Brussels where we basked in the sun for a couple of hours, ate chocolate and then hopped aboard Euro Star - completely oblivious to the fact that our tickets were in fact first class. On the Caledonian sleeper from London Euston to Edinburgh I pondered over how frighteningly fragile our civilisation is and how easy it can all fall apart. Then, I was rocked to sleep by the rhythmic movements of the train and thoughts that I was, finally, just 5 hours away from home.

Dear fine managers from past and present fantasy football tournaments, aka Managers Alan, Chris, Mel, Simon, Mal, Shenna, Dave, Vicky, Steve, Nichola, Ju, Scott, Lee, Nix, Redd and Charlie.

You have been selected to take your squad through the Family Euro 2012 cup and quash all rivals under your boots. Just like Capello and dear old Sven you probably don't have a clue which country your managing so please enjoy this video, approved and authenticated by UEFA, where Redd H. O.B.E. performed the official FFFL Euro2012 draw.

There will be a prize for the winner and runner up so be sure to enjoy the football, and keep tuning back to the site to see improvements all 'round.

People have been moved by this blogg:

Sat 09 Jun 12:51pm: Hi guys. Just testing whether you can add comments to the new Euro 2012 page. (Liz Hibert)

Sun 10 Jun 10:36pm: Everyone check out your new manager picture. They've been updated for the Euro 2012 cup at www.sweatyonion.com/fantasyfootball/eurocup.php and overall are an improvement if a little shocking to see how we've all changed over the last few years. Yoiks! (Liz Hibert)

Mon 11 Jun 09:28pm: Shevchenko what a start 2 goals , pity they have to play England last game Dohhhhh ! (Musical Mal)

Mon 11 Jun 11:02pm: Yep - after 1 game each the baldies of the world unite while the hairy Hibberds are on their way out (Liz Hibert)

Fri 15 Jun 09:54pm: What a match! A great result for England (yay!) sees me as Sweden manager crash out of the competition (boo!) (Liz Hibert)

Sun 17 Jun 09:39pm: In the latest quarter-final qualifying matches the girls pull through (yeah Steve that includes you). Which team will England face in the semis? (Liz Hibert)

Tue 19 Jun 10:05pm: Come on Engerland!! A calm game tonight. Unspectacular but calm. Over in the real world of the Family Euro 2012 the girls most definitely have the odds stacked in their favour. Oh what football related gift could they receive? Ideas in the comments pleaase :-} (Liz Hibert)

Sun 24 Jun 12:24pm: Hey Lee, This is really good - Croatia noooooooooooooo..............COME ON ENGLAND!!!!!!I'm hoping to sit don tonight with a cider and some crisps and watch England triumph (Dave)

Sun 24 Jun 10:29pm: I hope your cider and crisps were better than England. Boo hoo. (Liz Hibert)

Sun 24 Jun 10:39pm: Well I hate to say it, but Italy were the better team. Much stronger I think. Come on the girls. (Shen)

Thu 28 Jun 09:57pm: Commiserations to those from the leafy boroughs of Rushden Ferrers and congrats to the terrible twins o' Essex (Liz Hibert)

Sun 01 Jul 09:42pm: In a masterful performance of historic proportions Manager Ju leads Espana to victory in the Family Euro 2012. Her prize? Pride and a mystery parcel arriving in 2 weeks that will be flown in via the monestary of Montserrat for a monkary blessing. Sorry to manager Mel who ends her nightmare week with a massive full stop and starts a new one with the bouncing step of approaching good times. (Liz Hibert)