SeaBee

Thanks Uni. Ja, we've got a bit of a "food name" theme going on. Previously had golden labs named Fudge and Cheddar. The brown dogs initially posed a bit of a problem, but it all ended well. Okay, Nugget was an exception. But you have a black lab puppy and I took one look and said "Nugget?" and my wife agreed that there's no other name. (And no it was not based on a burnt KFC effort...)

A bit hot in Paarl for Kahlua... But she's got a new interest! Yip, the new puppy has arrived. Chocolate lab. Hubbers, meet Brandi (at home at the right places!) Some more shots... Playtime! Too much of which, leads to....

Ja, went wandering through some shops to check out the options. Some of the shoes are hectically treaded, way too severe for my use. Then some others are studded, but looks like almost less aggro than my road shoes. But seems protection is also beefed up on trail shoes, so it will be the way to go sooner or later. For now, my road shoes will have to grin and bear it and I'll just pitch up with dusty shoes on road runs as well... Waveduke, I am intending to just run to the trails, not do lots of road running on it. But that will vary from 2-10k per run. Bugger, just saying that made me realise how far I've actually come since starting running this winter, sounding blase over 10k run to get to -or from- the dirt! A 10k was a dream not too long ago.

Lekker thread this! I just asked in the other running thread about trail running shoes - presuming this will be a much better place to ask. For starters, when do you feel one should get a pair of trail running shoes as well? My road shoes is quite (in my limited knowledge) aggressive ito thread. But the moment I'm hitting anything loose-ish, I just spin. So seriously starting to think about getting a pair. Started running in the mountain (Paarl mountain) recently and simply loving it! But my other question - how well do they last on tar? I do have a couple of k's to the mountain on the closest entrance to me - and have to run across most of Paarl to get to the other entrance (or return from there).

Wow, super shot, Wil6! Condolences, DaVinci... know where you are at this stage.

I can think of some people who impulsively slapped their screens at seeing your pets, nathrix!

Pre-heated shirt! You should be thankful...

This is a part of may I call it modern-day society that completely peeves me. Why does everything need to be over-analysed and reviewed and fingers pointed? This blame game culture really gets me fired up. Don't get me wrong, I am as sad and upset as anybody about what happened. This tragedy happened. Learn from it and improve if and where required. No need for a truth and reconciliation committee. Seems I'm in a Monday mood on a Friday...

This McLaren circus around their driver line-up and surrounding power struggles are just becoming more and more ridiculous.

Kahlua taking this tanning thing seriously... With the new pup a couple of weeks from arrival she must enjoy the lazy days whilst they're still there!

Really like that there's a driver willing to do both disciplines in the same year in this day and age, haven't seen that in a while! I understand that he's doing the series - or have I misread it and he's only doing Le Mans itself? Jaaa... but that was par for the course in the beginning of this year for everybody. Hope that Honda sort their sheet. Then again, I won't mind seeing Alonso (if that is where he is going, as seems to be the consensus) getting a bit of humble pie if his comments have been correctly conveyed by the press. (Bugger me, it's Friday and I'm more diplomatic than a Great Dane at a cat conference...) Awesome prize that, SK!

Good to hear, Latent! Kudu steak...? Do you want to ride over my toe as well? I'll bring beers...

Ja, so Mattiacci's first real decision is to fire himself...?!

Said it earlier, not a fan but Hamster deserved it. Having that season robbed by double points season finale (hopefully a once-off...) would have been a joke. Kudo's for Nico not wanting to retire the car.

This is utter BULL... pun unintentional. I was watching the onboard coverage in quali yesterday and saw the Williams front wing. Thought to myself hoooly cow, if THAT is flexing to gain aero advantage, what is?! But maybe they've gone slacker on that rule now. Shrugged my shoulder and moved on... just to see now Red Bull has been disqualified from qualification for flexing wings! And that after the whole world could see how the Williams wing sections (pretty sure it was a Williams) closed up as it gained speed and then as they braked and the air unloaded them, they opened up the gap again! Likewise Lotus wing flexed a fair bit (up and down) - and again, this was shown on a replay - whilst hitting a curve. The commentators ooo and aaah-ed about the sparks, but there was a lot of up and down movement. Okay, Lotus needs all the help they can get, but still... And for that matter, I'm pretty darn sure half the field should then start from the back of the grid. Maybe that's Bernie's evil plan for the race - just disqualify the Mercs last so they can battle through everybody! Anyways, I just find it crazy that one team gets klapped for something the world could see on their tellies that other teams are also doing something similar. (Not sure exactly what interpretation of flexing wing they've been hit with, but both cases were clearly evident.)

Williams had issues with bodywork falling off in FP1. Must be the fact that they're not allowed to have their normal livery - non-alcoholic livery, even the "stripes" had to change.

Weird thing is... Kahlua (my ridgeback) actually calmed down a bit when Nugget passed awayr a couple of months ago. She's going to have some trouble shortly again, though! My wife was checking her "tanning" in the sun just yesterday and commented "Lê maar terwyl jy nog kan..." (That just doesn't translate nice... but in short - enjoy laying around whilst you still can)

Agreed, the best driver all year was Lewis. That does not make me like him and his petulance... But it will be a gross injustice if he does not win it. Yet as per usual, the thought of an(other!) Englishman getting his butt kicked does have it's appeal...

Beauts! One of the best cars in the history of F1 in the foreground. (And that coming from somebody who'se not a McLaren fan...)

Dale, I am not impressed with records nowadays. The 1-2 finish record can be equaled in the next race, I think. From memory, that was most likely the 1988 McLaren record when Prost and Senna klapped those 1-2's (I think 10?). They completed the season with the MP4/4's having won all but one (Italy) race, where Senna was infamously leading and taken out whilst lapping a backmarker. They did that in a season with 16 races, we are heading to race 18 in a 19-races season now. It's not even comparable in my mind, yet everybody gets excited about it. No, I am not a McLaren fan, but I think it's a travesty that such a record must fall in such a way. Likewise points are just a joke. Now somebody passes some great drivers of the past in points tallies. SFW...? They get 25 points for a single win now! They get points down to 10th place! I mean, a guy ending 5th now gets equal point (10) to what a win was at a stage. For the most part it was 9 points, winning counted for less points than a 5th place now for most of F1 history. In that era, the guy finishing 6th got the last single point, now a 6th place finish gets you more than (as example) finishing second to Senna. I don't even want to get going about the double-points BS in the last race. But here's a kicker, had a quick check and the 1982 championship was won by a total of 44 points (of course by Goldilocks snr, - not justified in my mind, but that was how it worked out - Pironi missed the last 5 races, about a third of the season, after his crash and still almost won it). That is less than is on play to win this last race. Sorry, that's my little rant for the day. Current records means very little to me.

Had a blurry moment thinking back to our recent loss of Nugget. Don't know what it is with cancers and dogs nowadays - both of my last two dogs went that way. Know how you're feeling - it really sucks. Condolences and best of luck.

Also can't imagine a vet not being able to find the chip. Even if it's not standard (agreed with above, usually between shoulder blades in neck area) placed - all it takes is a quick sweep over the entire dog... Awesome pics, tunariaan! Good news on my side, the puppies have been born. So now the wait... and thinking of names! So soon enough, Kahlua will have some company.

Things are sounding ominous over at Caterham. Apparently employees now even locked out of factory. Not good.

That DTM race (and several others during the season!) was awesome... Really good to see some close combat on the track - at very high speed. And, to boot, multiple manufacturers all having a shot. For one, Merc, who was dominant not too long ago, bottom of the constructors, which went to Audi, with a BMW driver winning the driver's title. So it's not as if you need to be in a specific car to be able to win. Ekstrom won the last two, but I think those were his first wins for the season (under correction - from memory!)

Ja, lots of interesting theories about that race. But I loved that era... Good to see Hulk is being retained by Force India. Why those guys can't maintain performance through a season will be a mystery. Year on year they start well and then fade.