A whole new world has appeared to me this last week that I was unaware of; I mean I did know that people owned caravans but the extent that they treated them like second homes had eluded me. The constant advertising of caravans for sale at the park where we were staying is understandable but it is probably the scruffy bloke in me that assumes caravans are rather basically equipped boxes stuck on the back of a car and that static versions provide a solid base with a bed and a telly when you want a weekend away. The latter point was quickly dispelled on entering the one we had rented for the week: very spacious (as it should being designed to sleep twice as many) and better equipped than the chalet we had in Ilfracombe the previous month. Then we made the mistake of buying wine with a cork from the on site store before realizing there was no corkscrew (a quick trip to Tesco's required); this time not only did we have a corkscrew (ironically redundant due to screw caps) but measuring jugs, scissors and other utensils we had forgot. The TV even came with an inbuilt DVD player that still had a copy of "The Tooth Fairy" in it (unsurprisingly average with a life lesson learned moral).
   The real eye opener came when walking past the bought caravans and the extent to which the owners had gone to make them more like their own homes. many had verandas, complete with barbecue, as well as benches and pot plants. Without being nosey you couldn't help but see the large flat screen TVs and in one case the full gas fire complete with surround. It does seem typically English that we don't trust the weather enough that we have to invest in better heating for our summer abodes. Saying that a few nights this past week were quite cold to the point that I could see my breath this morning all helping that end of season feeling to the whole experience. Beautiful beaches all along that stretch of coast but a bit too windy, especially for Bethany, to fully enjoy.

   I started this hours ago and as often happens I got distracted by a number of things of varying importance (chiefly baby, food and cricket) and just remembered that I had left this open after the 3rd ODI between England and Pakistan had ended. Now that it is over a quick comment on both teams strips: Why do both have a coloured circle under the armpit. Are strip manufacturers really running out of ideas as the outfits change so regularly that any flashes here or there will do and if so who thought having a dark green patch under the arm of a light green shirt for Pakistan was a good idea and did not remotely look like they were sweating too much. England's however is just curious: bright green on dark blue makes the players look a little diseased. Much like those T-shirts that changed colour when you sweated these designs don't seem to have been fully thought through. For all that well bowled Umar Gul, leaving the fear that England are not as good as they think they are and have not really been tested this summer. The worry is that we do not build on success well and can rest on our laurels in a warm glow of smug satisfaction. This is not restricted to cricket as the Rugby team went backwards after winning the World Cup in 2003 like the Ashes winning side of 2005 did. I hope that after winning the 20/20 or (T20 or whatever) World Cup this team does not do likewise.