I keep getting the following error on Spades at MSN “Unable to connect error Try re-launching your game. Please close this window and re-launch your game. If this problem persists, there may be network issues with the server or a … Continue reading →

What a load of trash

I8 years ago today on April 1st 1995 Little Irma Hadzimuratovic died of septicaemia as a result of her injuries received during the Siege of Sarajevo. The coroner at her inquest called Irma “a victim of war” – Please let’s … Continue reading →

Hauntingly brilliant music from a hauntingly brilliant film – Betty Blue 37°2 le matin. http://www.youtube.com/watch/YP2JkAS9MW0

Get your hoodies and balaclavas here.  

With the move of our SEO division to new offices to Honington fast approaching I have now set up a new Google+ Page for sim64 https://plus.google.com/105244339270440513734 It isn’t being used much at the moment but once we are settled in … Continue reading →

CSS Village Hall Lottery results for January 2013 1. Jean Bryant 2. Jim Walton 3 . Stella Mills https://plus.google.com/104989437727258014997/posts/SBoooUcrjFs

Sadly it is looking more and more like the HMV dog Nipper has cocked his ear for the last time, will cock his leg up the HMV phonograph, and head of to pastures new, as news comes through that HMV are on … Continue reading →

One of my photos of the year for 2012 is a Photo by Christopher Furlong of a head bowed WPC attending a service for PC Fiona Bone and PC Nicola Hughes. I don’t have permission to post it here but … Continue reading →

If anyone has been listening to The Archers recently you will have heard the Ed Grundy storyline with his struggling business. The latest is that after seeing the mess Ed’s bookkeeping is Neil, David and Ruth are trying yo get him … Continue reading →

Waitrose celebrates a record Christmas – with strong volume uplift driving growth. Waitrose has seen its most successful Christmas on record with total branch sales (excluding petrol) for the festive period up 7.7 per cent.

The betting for the 2012 Sports Personality of the Year betting appears to show that it is a 3 horse race between Bradley Wiggins, Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah with the bookies having Bradley Wiggins as odds on to win … Continue reading →

Anton Piotrowski and Keri Moss were announced as joint winners of Professional Masterchef 2012 It was almost predictable and we got the result we wanted. Quite often we find it hard to separate finalists in competitions like this and wish … Continue reading →

Does anyone know if It’s A Wonderful Life is on over Christmas in 2012 and if so what channel and what time it is on?

If you’re family is like mine you will be huddled around the telly watching the final of Masterchef and wondering if you can buy Masterchef aprons and Junior masterchef aprons anywhere? To save you the hassle of looking for the … Continue reading →

We’ve had freezing fog all day, I’ve been working on a new WordPress site and it’s been acting like a dog with pages loading slow or hanging half way through loading. Does fog affect broadband speeds and the Internet in … Continue reading →

T-Rex Metal Sculpture Kit: T-Rex Metal Sculpture Kit Craft Kit For Boys: Craft Kit For Boys Kitchen Science Kit: Kitchen Science Kit Dynamo Torch: Dynamo Torch Salt Water Engine Car Kit: Salt Water Engine Car Kit Salt Water Powered Spider: … Continue reading →

Surely it’s only a matter of time isn’t it?

30th November 2012 Movember Picture Movember Photo of TJ December Photo of TJ Coming Soon

Labour win seat on Shipston ward of Stratford-on-Avon District Council Personality trumps politics in a victory for localism Jeffery Kenner (Labour) shows that national politics doesn’t always have to influence local council politics with a victory that gives Labour a … Continue reading →

Southampton mascot Sammy Saint dances Gangnam Style to entertain crowds at half time. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20540955  

I blogged about John Kafunda back in March. John Kafunda has now been freed on appeal and the verdict has been quashed. “John Kafunda, 23, of Ilford, and Reece Donovan, 25, of Romford, had robbery and violent disorder convictions quashed at … Continue reading →

Update 29/11/12: john kafunda freed on appeal verdicts quashed “John Kafunda, 23, of Ilford, and Reece Donovan, 25, of Romford, had robbery and violent disorder convictions quashed at the Court of Appeal.” source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20546543 Original post made on March 2nd … Continue reading →

The whole family love MasterChef The Professionals and I’m pretty sure there are 6 finalists through so far (possibly 8), 2 more will go through this week making 8 (or 10) but how many finalists will there be? I personally like … Continue reading →

Can anyone tell me just what did happen in the Hunted ending? What were the flashbacks Who was the bloke with the missing finger Who was looking after the baby (which I assume was Sam’s) What was Hour Glass Did she … Continue reading →

Just got a great new voucher code come through from Currys with 10% saving on Fridges or Fridge Freezers over £399 You have to move quick though as it expires on 28th November Code is REFR399 – Click Here - (don’t … Continue reading →

http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/facts/calories-in-alcohol/infographic

37 days to Christmas

My regular readers will know that every year I like to compile my list of Top 10 Christmas Adverts – Top 10 Christmas Adverts 2012 I was a bit disappointed with the John Lewis Christmas Advert 2012 initially but it’s … Continue reading →

My 13 year old daughter (nearly 14) went out with her grandparents over the weekend and came back home with the Hunger Games trilogy. It’s put us in a bit of a dilemma as she is desperate to read it, we … Continue reading →

French patisserie lover John Whaite jokes that he left a place at Oxford University because they had no ovens. That decision payed off tonight as he was announced the winner of The Great British Bake Off 2012. More here: John … Continue reading →

One of the rooms in our house is quite small. When I say small what I really mean is narrow and at 20ft x 10ft it’s tricky to get a good sofa and chair in. The sofa and chair we … Continue reading →

Has Mark Kermode written a review of Skyfall anywhere yet? Does anyone know if Mark Kermode has written a review of the new Bond movie Skyfall yet, or if not, will he and Simon Mayo be reviewing it on 5 … Continue reading →

Another one from today

Brailes CofE Primary School Brailes Primary School is voluntary controlled, mixed gender, Church of England primary school of approximately 90 pupils between the ages of 4 and 11 Brailes Primary School Open Day 2012 Children born between 1st September 2008 … Continue reading →

No idea how this guy https://twitter.com/WankersFullKit  got in to my Twitter feed but I’m glad he did The language may be a bit saucy for some, but the posts are classic It’s basically a piss take of grown men who … Continue reading →

Video: Scariest Halloween Video on YouTube 2012 The terrible two from 2010 in possibly the Scariest Halloween video on YouTube you will ever see.  

I tend to like these little videos they produce of the making of the John Lewis adverts almost as much as the adverts themselves. This is no exception, a behind the scenes look and more from the actors in the … Continue reading →

Update: For those searching for who is the singer in the John Lewis Christmas Advert 2012 it is Gabrielle Aplin – See more here about the John Lewis Christmas Advert 2012 Only John Lewis can make adverts as good as this. John … Continue reading →

Assuming you had £30k in the bank but wanted to spend it on something that would hold it’s value and give the best return in 2 or 3 years what would you buy? I’ll break this in to risk scenarios. … Continue reading →

The Google Car Insurance Comparison goes live Meerkats look nervous https://www.google.co.uk/compare/carinsurance

Michael Owen to The Baggies? fingers crossed. If Michael Owen to Stoke City was a rumour Michael Owen to West Brom has to be a possibility hasn’t it?

Allthough I say shocking in the title of this post, for those who regularly shop at the co-op in Shipston on Stour it isn’t shocking it’s just what we have learnt to expect. It’s such a shame as the staff are friendly, the … Continue reading →

It goes without saying that every medal won was a highlight, even those who won a silver or bronze when really wanting a gold, (this especially goes for the rowers who seemed distraught about losing out on a gold, even … Continue reading →

I blogged earlier in the Olympic Games about how bad the commentary and coverages was of the cycling – http://www.v1seo.co.uk/11/bbc-coverage-of-the-cycling-what-a-joke/ but having just watched the 50km I think the bad commentary has been surpassed. If they were giving out gold medals for … Continue reading →

As the cameras pan through the crowd at the BMX it’s like being at a Village People concert. Does BMX have a big gay following?

I saw a trailer for the new Doctor Who last night but haven’t seen anything for series 5 of Merlin. Anyone have any ideas of when it is on?

1   2   3   4   5   6   Gold Medals …

5 Gold Medals in Cycling 5 Gold medals in Rowing Oh! and 1 Gold medal for shooting where you just stand in one spot. Please let’s have Remote Control Handling as an Olympic sport I might stand a chance in … Continue reading →

In section 20 of the QYPE Premium Business Terms & Conditions it says; “20 ENTIRE AGREEMENT These Business Terms and Conditions and any terms referred to in these Business Terms and Conditions constitute the entire understanding and agreement between you and … Continue reading →

Just tried to watch the coverage of the cycling on the BBC what a joke. If the commentators haven’t a clue how on earth are we supposed to know what is going on? It really was a complete farce, with … Continue reading →

If you want to see the Google Doodle for the Opening ceremony London 2012 just pop along to www.google.co.nz A bit disappointing in my opinion, what do you think?

You couldn’t make it up Very 1st day of London 2012 Olympics and images of The North Korean women’s football team were shown on a screen beside a South Korean flag. The match was delayed for over an hour and … Continue reading →

The dairy farmers appear to be under a lot of pressure at the moment from the big milk processors who have dropped the price they pay the farmer for a litre of milk by 4 pence in the past few … Continue reading →

Every now and yjen I get a barrage of WordPress comment spam that is different to the usual spam in that it isn’t trying to link to a particular website but is trying to link to facebook profile pages or … Continue reading →

Last week I bought a new lens for my old faithful Canon EOS350D I didn’t want to spend too much so went for the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II Lens I was going in to Stratford for the Olympic … Continue reading →

I just heard a Blur song which sounds remarkably like Let it Be by Paul McCartney Did I initially think of Let it Be though? No It reminded me of one of the best songs ever Never Went To Church … Continue reading →

I’ve just bought a new Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II Lens from Amazon. As I always tend to do, I paid a small premium to buy direct from Amazon rather than through an Amazon store and also paid extra … Continue reading →

After spending Sunday watching and taking photos of the Olympic Torch going through Stratford-upon-Avon and past Shakespeare’s Bithplace I decided to treat myself to a new lens for my trusty old Canon 350D I only take photos for a hobby and … Continue reading →

I went along and stood outside Shakespeare’s Birthplace as the Olympic Torch came through Stratford-upon-Avon today and got these photos of the Olympic Torch Relay. The last few photos show 83 year old local resident Peter Wyatt passing over the … Continue reading →

I’ve heard a lot of good things said about the latest Samsung Galaxy S3 and heard through the grapevine that the Sim Free Samsung Galaxy S3 is released on 30th May. I had a quick look in the Sim Free … Continue reading →

OK, so Ruth wasn’t a dead cert against Leanne and personally I preferred Leanne as I found Ruth a bit shouty and a 1 trick pony, but Jaz Ellington losing to Tyler cmon what’s that about? Did Tyler get the … Continue reading →

As someone who has suffered from Hayfever for a number of years and who particularly has problems with itchy and runny eyes I’m on the look out for the best sunglasses for hayfever sufferers. I’ve read that the sports style … Continue reading →

My Polo SE is coming up to 12 months old this month and I’m thinking of swapping it in for a Polo GTi As I’ll probably replace the next one within 12 – 18 months too I’m thinking of getting the … Continue reading →

It feels like 2004 all other again. I’ve been helping someone out with some schema coding for the past few days and this morning they told me to go and have a look on a forum that they are a senior member of … Continue reading →

My daughter was 13 in April and one of her presents from her grandad was a 4 year fixed rate savings bond of a £1,000 She was very grateful but wanted to know why 4 years? Her grandad told her … Continue reading →

April 24th 1999 was a Saturday At about 07:00 on Saturday 24th April 1999 my wife and I started loading our car with some essentials and headed of to Warwick Hospital. 7 hours 31 minutes later at 14:31 on Saturday … Continue reading →

It’s one of The Gibbons 21st birthday in June and we are thinking of having a long weekend on the South Coast, does anyone know where we can find a UK Nightlife Guide which lists the best nightclubs or pubs … Continue reading →

I have no idea about music so have no idea whether he’s good or not but the emotion of Jazz Ellington singing Ordinary People was amazing. Was it just the way the program is edited or is there something there? … Continue reading →

Another 2 horses die at the 2012 Grand National After all the fuss after 2 deaths at the 2011 Grand National and the new safety features, we still get 2 horses dying at the 2012 Grand National (possibly 3) Synchronised … Continue reading →

I’m not really knowledgeable enough to comment on the Siege of Sarajevo or the Bosnian war but there is one thing thing I will never forget and one person I will never forget Irma Hadzimuratovic. Some say she was just … Continue reading →

Part 2 of another little SEO Experiment code786zooc45 I’m having duck stew for dinner tonight at the Cherington Arms One of the results this little experiment has confirmed is that Google+ is using the itemprop=”name” microdata tag to create the … Continue reading →

Latest News: Google to replace Olympics Gold Medal with Chrome Medal Please join our campaign to stop this – Stop Google Replacing Olympics Gold Medal with Google Chrome Medal » Google has signed an exclusive deal with the Olympic Committee … Continue reading →

My favourite quote of the day comes from a spokesman for Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company Ultratech who when talking about a new vaginal rejuvenation and tightening product said; “It is the first of its kind in India and fills a gap … Continue reading →

Higher rate tax 50% reduced to 45% £9,205 tax threshold in April 2013 Child benefit sliding scale from earners over £50,000 15% stamp duty when property brought through company 7% stamp duty on homes over £2 million Cigarettes up 37p a … Continue reading →

Child benefit sliding scale Child benefit will be reduced at 1% per hundred pounds for anyone earning over £50,000 pounds a year which in effect means anyone earning £60,000 a year receives no child benefit.

NIC and PAYE to be combined

Whilst the residents of Shipston argue amongst themselves about a new supermarket in Shipston the developers start to plan for Shipston New Town. Does this mock-up map show what is inevitable for Shipston on Stour once a new supermarket is … Continue reading →

Update 1st July I have now updated some photos here – Photos of Olympic Torch Relay Stratford-upon-Avon Shakespeare’s Birthplace The Olympic Torch passes through Warwickshire on day 44 of the Olympic Torch Relay (1st July 2012) and enters Stratford-upon-Avon at 2:51pm The … Continue reading →

Antone know what wtp101.com are trying to do? it tries to load pcon.js when I visit my projects in Statcounter or even if visiting the Statcounter forum. update: Looks like some kind of tracking software which may be connected with … Continue reading →

I have no idea why, but it just gets to me like nothing else. I suspect it is a combination of such a strong cast and the magical soundtracks they use in House.

The 2012 winner of Masterchef is Shelina Permalloo Well done to Shelina Permalloo, Tom Reynolds and Andrew Kojima all brilliant. Do you agree with the result? To me, Shelina was the best all round, the most organised, the most reliable, … Continue reading →

I’ve been having a few problems today with Kaspersky flagging up a site as containing trojan with the old heur:trojan.script.iframer error. Looking at the site I see it is using the Google reCaptcha google.com/recaptcha/api/ to control comments. Anyone know if … Continue reading →

Well it’s 7th March the day we are supposed to hear about an iPad 3 or iPad HD but still no news on the release date of the 5th generation iPod Touch. I was all set to go and get … Continue reading →

“Do you remember the good old days Before the ghost town?” Jerry Dammers - The Specials Visit Shipston on Stour at 9:00am on Friday 9th March 2012 and you may think you have walked in to a ghost town Anti Supermarket campaigners are … Continue reading →

Lot of debate at the moment in my local town Shipston-on-Stour about whether or not a new semi out of town supermarket is required. Talk of a new supermarket has been ongoing for as long as I can remember but … Continue reading →

With Apple moving away from Google Maps in iPhone will they buy Ordnance Survey? Will Google Buy Ordnance Survey? With google increasing the use of Google Maps, Google Earth, Google Streetview and the  recently launced Google Sat Nav how long will … Continue reading →

I don’t know where the phrase World Class Stratford-upon-Avon came from or who conjured it up, but believe it was something to do with Advantage West Midlands who described  Stratford-upon-Avon as “the Jewel in the Crown that was in need … Continue reading →

18 months after getting a nice HD quality Canon HG20 Video camera I’ve finally decided to start using it to upload videos to YouTube. Scariest Halloween Video Ever on YouTube This first one is the terrible two from 18 months … Continue reading →

Does this mock-up map show what is inevitable for Shipston on Stour? Red Marker = New Road. Yellow Marker = New Housing in Shipston. Stage 1 development of Shipston Stage 2 development of Shipston Orange Marker = New Road. Blue … Continue reading →

Does anyone know when sentencing is in the John Kafunda Reece Donovan case for robbing Ashraf Rossli? I blogged about it on the day of the verdict here – John Kafunda and thought sentencing was yesterday or today.

I would love to be able to make this suggestion to Apple, but they make it very clear on their website that they are not interested in ideas or suggestions. Looking at a Map of the Apple Stores in the … Continue reading →

I know there are a lot of rumours around that the iPad 3 will be announced next week (7th March I think), but does anyone know if the 5th Generation iPod 5 is being announced too?