Lazy

I had a lie-on, just barely managing to struggle out of bed in time for a quick spot of breakfast before the Grand Prix got under way. I'll say one thing for these Formula 1 teams: their weather guys are pretty good! Just as the formation lap began we were told that rain was predicted in 3 minutes. They were bang on. A torrential downpour turned the first bend into a swimming pool and began the dram which turned this into one of the most incident-packed races of the season.

The motor racing ran longer than usual because of the re-start, and then it was time to switch to golf and coverage of the British Open. I was happy enough yesterday that Sergio Garcia was doing so well, but delighted to see Padraig Harrington actually tying with him for the lead with the final few holes to play. Padraig made a major mess of the 18th, but went on to win the 4-hole playoff. A happy outcome.

So, an unusually sporting afternoon for me, with the golf only finishing at 8.00 pm. I'd taken loads of shots of both GP and golf with the tripod plonked in front of the telly, thinking that they'd do for today's blip and not fancying venturing out because of the rotten weather earlier on. But the rain passed and I decided to try for an out-of-house blip after all. I ended up in Clontarf Castle, an up-market hotel close to where I live. I haven't been there for a while, and hadn't realised how successfully they've married the old and the new, both inside and out. All in all, a really nice place to be, and they very obligingly didn't bat an eyelid as I wandered all around taking shot after shot after shot after ...