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friday 31st july
3 things have stood out for me over the last month and a half - my TVR track day, the Streetboarding World Championships at NASS and the holiday CJ and I took at the end of July.
I treated myself to a track day in my TVR for my birthday - spending a day learning how to drive the car properly with and hour and a half of lessons. Spent 45 minutes learning how to drift, get the car sideways and catch it again.
Some of the best fun I have ever had - everyone should do this, if only to learn how to drive properly...
 At the end of June, there was a skate demo held in Hove skatepark, as part of the Brighton "Paddle Round the Pier" festival.
Despite the fact that we had been there before on the 2007 Highland streetboarding tour - surprise, surprise; we got lost.
We missed the streetboard demo, but helped film the lads hit the "Jon White" rail and moved on to hit "The Level" - the skatepark in the centre of Brighton.
NASS was the story on everyone's lips - yet again the Streetboard World Championships was being held at NASS 2009, but this year there was Goliath...
 The largest big-air ramp in Europe, Goliath featured a 30ft drop-in, with a launch over a 20ft gap - leading to a 15ft high vert quarterpipe.
I was one of the riders allowed to ride this, our initial practise on the Friday morning.
The ramp threw you over the gap with a fair amount of ease, and we concentrated on getting our technique down. I managed about 10 runs, pushing the boundaries every time - until on my last run, I smashed my toe into the ramp on landing, putting myself out of the running :(
 Continuous rain over the next days stopped the outside activities - but the sun shone on Sunday, and the Big Air finals proceeded.
For a complete run-down on the Streetboard World Championship events and winners, see Flipside Streetboards' NASS articles.
I have subsequently found out that I have a broken toe - but such things happen, and it was worth it to ride Goliath. Bring on next year, with more practise
 The following weekend, we played host to our Kiwi friends from Canada, Jane & Boots!
Although the weather decided to pour down all weekend, I showed them all the local sights and made them promise to come back when the 3rd member of the crew Logan hits the UK.s
 CJ & I took a week off, and took some time out to look around our own country for once - rather than everybody else's countries as we have previously.
We checked out the New Forest, and decided to head west to the Cotswolds.
We took a 3-day trip through Bath, across the River Severn Bridge, through Tintern and the Forest of Dean, Cheltenham and the Cotwold villages of Broadway and Slaughter - we saw some great places (including the Cheltenham Pump House with its 70ft well under the floor), broadened our horizons, and enjoyed some great weather. Perfect.
So its back to work now, and just kinda waiting for my toe to heal so I can get back to streetboarding...
And waiting for the bloody rain to stop..!
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