And a sad weekend for English sport

So England bats, and collapses. The attitude over here is that NZ is a team of easy beats - 'tries hard, but not much talent' our report would read - and I think that's what the Poms have in their heads.

Then the rugby team put in an inept display to lose to Scotland. Go figure.

And finally, the big name teams are out of the FA Cup. Great for Barnsley supporters I'm sure.

At this level the players usually have no shortage of talent, or they wouldn't be there, so it must be what goes on in the head that makes the difference. The Australians have their heads right, even if it comes across as arrogance. When the Indoor Cricket World Cup was here last year you could always hear the Aussies pumping themselves up. It was a stark contrast to the quiet teams they played, and I think it is not a coincidence that Aussie won every game. The Poms have their heads wrong, and until they can sort that out they will struggle to win consistently. So how does a coach do that?

Our holiday break is sneaking up on us so we've been trying to find accommodation in the areas we're visiting, as well as trying to coordinate with W&R who are over here in June and July. So far all we have are tickets to Rome, so there's a bit of work to be done. Thank geeks for the internet.

I'm still in love with Google Earth (J will tell you I spend more time with it than her recently). I have been overlaying photos and maps, and mapping the places photos were taken. This way I can create maps on demand when I get there that will help me be more efficient. GE has also helped me find some of the series that I will be writing about in my own article, and all from the discomfort of the chair in our apartment!

Got to go. I'm trying to write a macro at work that will cut out a lot of fiddly cutting and pasting between spreadsheets. Wish me luck.