So the time has arrived for the Downer boys to go on their annual vacation and we are off to the Isle of Wight for a week. Now as the photo shows very picturesque but electricity is a recent innovation so wi-fi and broadband, no chance. If we do find a chance we will blog, but unlikely, so to our reader (cheers matey!) we will be back (with photos) in a week.

See, I could be good at this......

Well after yesterdays near miss, today we finally played golf. We being Matt, Will and me, so better really, as all three of us got to hack our way around Ampfield Golf Club.

It nearly didn't happen (again!) as firstly when we turned up at 2pm, a very helpful lady advised us that there was a competition on and therefore we should "come back in an hour and a half or so", but we should then "have the course to ourselves". Then, having visited my parents for a cup of tea, when we returned, the boys spotted the " no jeans or track suits" sign just above the "golf shoes to be worn at all times" sign. Yes you guessed, jeans (Matt), track suit trousers (Will) and no golf shoes (full house). I therefore enquired of a man, outside the club house, how rigidly they enforced the rules? Well you should be OK he said but next time you should comply, before adding "if you get a problem tell them the club captain said it was OK!"

So I paid up (£30!) and we set off. The first few holes were challenging mainly as I tried to explain, while coaching, golfing etiquette. The main issue being getting the boys to co-ordinate making shots, flag removal and return, club selection and golf bag retrieval from the last green! To be fair though as they had never played before, they picked it all up pretty quickly, to the extent that by the turn I was able to card a par! All three of us played some rubbish shots, some OK shots and then that most frustrating of shots the "exactly as I intended" one which makes you think "I could be good at this, with a bit more practice!"

The whole thing took 2 hours and we are all keen to play again Who won? Well modesty forbids......

It's raining again

Will, my youngest son (11), and I decided this afternoon, that as the sun was shining, then this should be the day that we played golf together for the first time. We have had many trips to the driving range, and as Matt, my eldest son (14), was out with his girlfriend (!), this was an ideal opportunity for some Father/Son bonding, rites of passage etc... A good plan, except we were no more than 100 yards from home when the heavens opened. Not expected by the weather forecast but as it is August and I'm in England not so surprising. Exit bonding stage left and enter stage right another trip to the driving range. Still fun but....

National identity crisis

Am sat watching France beat England. Is it just me or has the unnecessary marketing ploy of wearing our change kit turned us into the Welsh?

Delia's boys must go down

My football team, Southampton (The Saints), go to Norwich today having played two, lost two. We are bottom of the Championship and out of the Carling Cup. Exactly one week ago I was excited at the start of the new season and off to the first game with high hopes, based on a good pre-season. The only defeat was at home to Lazio, (who are in the Champions League this season). That was, however, the game that actually showed how we should approach the season as our defence played with lead boots. Two weeks later, enter Crystal Palace, and again the Saints kit man broke out the lead boots and we lost, at home, 4-1.

Monday night, we went to Peterborough, who are two leagues below us and came second. Mind you Sky Sports expected it as they showed it live and they didn't choose it because they wanted the nation to see The Saints "total football"

Today we go to East Anglia, with a new Centre half (bought from the mighty Burnley!). After one week I will be happy with a draw!