The Dee Stakes.

The Dee Stakes at Chester is considered a rehearsal for the Epsom Derby. This is because in order to win the Derby, a horse has to be able to run comfortably round a sharp left hand bend near the end of the race. With the Roodee having a tight left hand bend almost all the way round (the final "straight" being only 2 furlongs) trainers often bring their horses here to give them the run with a view to entering them in the Derby.

In recent years there have been 2 winners of the Dee Stakes who have gone on to win the Derby, OATH and KRIS KIN.

DRUMBEAT was sent off the favourite, with the other Derby entry SOUTH EASTER at 6-1.
My selection(as Arthur Shone says every week) SOUTH EASTER won by a nostril but not before a stewards`s enquiry. John Egan complained that he had had a bit of argy bargy with South Easter very early on in the race which hampered his positioning. It was never going to alter the outcome of the race but it does emphasise the importance of the start at Chester... if you get onto that inside rail asap you gain a yard or so on the other horses. I wasn`t worried... I knew my money would soon be credited to my new (OMG OMG ) very healthy (WUTWOO) betfair account.

So an excellent May meeting for me, and I didn`t even go IN. I had a fabulous view from the city walls... you can see the whole race all the way round, your feet stay comfy in trainers and you can`t have a bet when you`re there so you keep your winnings. Brilliant.

The Chester Cup and the Chester Vase

Picking winners at Chester Races should be straightforward (ha ha) as there are always certain factors to be considered. The course is exactly one mile all the way round so horses that can run round tight bends are favoured and for the same reason horses that are drawn on the inside rail(especially on the 5 furlong sprints) are also at an advantage (if the horse is actually any good!!)

"Horses for Courses" definitely applies here. It is also a favourite racecourse for some trainers...and so it should have come as no surprise that DARAAHEM won the Chester Cup albeit by a neck.

Trained by Hills. Ridden by Hills. Hills and Hills. Often a good recipe for the Roodee.

Barry Hills, 72 years old and a survivor of throat cancer, LOVES coming here and hasn`t missed a May meeting for 40 years. Daraahem`s win, Barry`s 150th win at Chester, was ridden by his son Richard.

I`m still trying to remember WHY I decided to back Downhiller who finished a measly 7th....

However...

....my betting account is now looking very healthy after the Chester Vase threw up a little surprise... Jon Francome commented on how well GOLDEN SWORD was looking in the paddock during his TV coverage so on impulse I had £2 each way on him and couldn`t believe my luck when he romped home, easily beating his stable companion Masterofthehorse.

The 5th race, the Moscow Eight EBF Maiden Stakes was sponsored by the Manchester United players and they were there in force today watching from the prime spot on the roof of the bar by the finishing post, you can just see GIGGSY and SCHOLESY in the top photo. REEL CREDIT CRUNCH won me a fiver by coming 2nd... (good crowd today, no sign of the credit crunch)

And I had the winner of the last race too, based purely on the fact that INVINCIBLE HEART was drawn one ie inside rail, with decent form and a good jockey. What fun! I must not blow it all at tomorrow`s race meeting.......

More days with Grandad Geoff...and ANZAC DAY

After working hard in my KEEP FIT CRECHE for two days, entertaining several children, in particular Isabel

...we took Gramps out for a well deserved fish and chip supper with a (carbohydrate overload) bread and butter pudding desert..... yummy

3 empty plates. As Gramps frequently tells us " You don`t leave anything on your plate but BONES!!" (Bones and/or lemon rind in this instance)

Today it was off to cricket, 2nd XI were at home to Marple, but more importantly it was ANZAC DAY in Australia so we had Anzac Biscuits on the table(though not for long... yummy)

Woolly cows and guinea pigs

We had a lovely walk down by the woolly cows, (and saw some of the local RED POLL cattle too) We may go there again today because Sammie can have a good run with no worries about traffic, and Geoffdad can sit on a bench while I stomp off (or, more usually, go and get the ball that Sammie hasn`t brought back)

The GOWY WOODLAND PARK looked lovely in the sun. It is home to a mixture of habitats, indeed a new pond has recently been created to provide habitat for the rare Great Crested Newt. I can`t say that I have seen one of those yet but I DID see some otters running along the bank a few weeks ago.

When we got home we had a little cuddle with the wildlife of our own...

BEETROOT!!!!!!!!

I`m so excited. I`m growing beetroot! Uncle Ivor would be so proud of me (and so will PHIL when I tell him).I suppose some people would think I`m cheating because I`m growing it in a bag(it`s a very nice bag... I`m considering using it for shopping after the harvest) I assume there will BE a harvest but I know how hard it is to grow beetroot. Fingers crossed folks (omg I`m so excited)

Easter Sunday in Coventry, YIPPEE!!

What a fantastic day! We left the glorious sunshine of Chester behind us and headed down to a grey and overcast Coventry but we all had such a great afternoon, no-one noticed the weather. 26 of us in all..... BRILLIANT!!!!

Grandad Geoffdad with the Jolly Hollies(Chris is in Sydney so he came in a frame) Geoffdad qualified for an EASTER EGG.... My nephews, Ed and Ben.The Chaddies. The Jacksons... what lovely children. At last I met Paul`s lovely wife after years of texting her...

Auntie Sheila Jackson
Of course I did an "ode"...(all 26 got a mention)

Mataio received his name picture...

Matt was pleased with it... very pleased...

Nat`s Naomi was given her`s...

Paul and Bean

Geoff and his 3 children...

The Smith-Rayner cousins(Glynny is in the USA so she,too, came in a frame)

See, Glynny, I promised! 3 generations of the Rayner side of the family (Seb is in Oz so he got framed too!)



Paul, Daniel, Laura, a poodle and a giraffe.

The meal at the Hilton, which included a phonecall from the other side of the WORLD,OMG,OMG (what a star our cub is)...

...was followed by fun and games at Geoffdad`s house...

.....ha ha... :) (we weren`t ready!!)

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON methinks!

Yes Wills, that... is your husband...(of 16 years wutwoo) !A great Easter Sunday! Nelly would have been proud of us all, all getting together on what would have been her birthday. YIPPEE!

Recycling! Making Paper.

I decided to make good use of all the spinning, aqua and aerobics receipts I collect every day by recycling them all into paper.

The initial attempts were a bit lumpy and virtually impossible to write on (not much use there then!) but after several experimental batches, I am now beginning to produce thinner, flatter sheets and have recently made a little notebook.

Here`s how....

Soak small pieces of paper in a large amount of water and leave to soak overnight...(add yellowy bits of celery [the bits Nic doesn`t like] if desired)

Liquidising the pulp in a hand blender makes smoother paper. Agitate the pulp and then quickly dip the mould into the bowl to collect some of the pulp and "throw the wave" to even it out across the mesh, then transfer to a dry cloth.

when dry, peel the sheets from the cloth and iron when husby goes out.

Voila! The pages made into a little notebook! I just need Nic to use her bookmaking skills to make a hardback cover and bind the sheets together for a more professional finish.

"RAGS MAKE PAPER

PAPER MAKES MONEY

MONEY MAKES BANKS

BANKS MAKE LOANS

LOANS MAKE BEGGARS

BEGGARS MAKE RAGS"