My first tree

There is no denying it, Christmas is actually around the corner. After the last few full and busy months with trips to hot sunny countries I am at last ready to unpack my bag and stow my passport away. I have been extremely fortunate to have had several foreign Christmas’s, including last year in the middle east. I always relish the chance to experience a different culture although I am not sure that the festive period was the perfect time to visit a dry country, I do enjoy the odd tipple to celebrate the holidays.


Due to my nomadic style lifestyle I have never spent long enough in my flat or lodgings to warrant investing in a Christmas tree. This year is a significant step towards my growing up, I have just bought my first ever tree. In the past it has been suggested that I make things easier and purchase a fold up reusable plastic one, that has never been an option. I have waited long enough for this moment, I am not going to cheat now, and anyway it is all about that gorgeous pine smell, it spells Christmas for me.

Whilst I have been enjoying wearing my Christmas jumper, wrtiting cards, wrapping presents and decorating my tree I have not forgotten our fellow Brits in the north of the country who have been escaping their homes as they watch their possesions being washed away by the floods. This time of year can really test communities, it is impossible to imagine the devestation those residents in Cumbria must be expereincing. I know I am not alone in dreaming of a white Christmas, yet after witnessing the result of that storm my perspective has changed. I will do my best to appreciate being at home and spending Christmas with my family, irrelevant of the weather or what presents are waiting under the tree.

Dress code

Our country will probably never attain the wealth of Qatar or its neighbour the United Arab Emirates but it does have something that money can never buy – free speech and equal rights. On my final evening in Doha I headed to the original down town to witness a snippet of local culture. The main square had a buzzing atmosphere with live arabic music blaring out and it was difficult not to be drawn into the centre to enjoy the dancing. However as I got closer I realised this would not be possible as all of the musicians and dancers were local, tourists did not seem welcome. I was impressed by the vibe and energy in the area, all generated without any alcohol, something we in the West could probably learn from.

Next stop was a short flight over to Abu Dhabi, in the UAE. This time I was visiting a friend who has lived there for a few years. We were heading out to the Grand Prix concert and afterparty so I dressed as I thought appropriate for a country in the middle east, with my shoulders and knees covered. He almost laughed at me and suggested I quickly got changed, it seems western parties are far less conservative. It is not just the dress code that is relaxed - there was certainly no difficulty purchasing and drinking alcohol, no permit or closed doors required.

For my final few days I headed the short bus ride north to the neighbouring Emirate of Dubai. This was my second time visiting my friend in the last twelve months so I was aware that Dubai is the least conservative of all the cities in the Middle East. That did not quite prepare me for the rugby sevens and its dress code. It is quite a challenge to find a modest fancy dress that is comofrtable in thirty degree heat, I soon discovered that I need not have been concerned. It was less about the rugby and more about the party.

It's all about the money

Sport was the winner this week as the chancellor’s autumn statement delivered a pleasant surprise to the sector. It sounded like it was going to be all doom and gloom for most of us as commentators suggested significant cuts to many budgets. Whether it was a last minute u-turn or the rumours were unfounded is now an irrelevance; the chancellor found some extra money and decided to spread it generously around.

The sport sector depends heavily on government funding and it has been a nail biting time for those in charge of budgeting, especially with the Olympics just nine months away. The best-case scenario was thought to be a freeze but the extra £2.3M in funding exceeded all expectations and has given a much needed boost to both sport and health. UK Sport is the direct benefactor that will distribute the budget down to our athletes and Olympic programmes. It sounds like we should be on track for plenty of silverware in Brazil next summer.

An area of the world where money is certainly not an issue when it comes to sport, or in fact any aspect of society, is the Middle East. I was in Doha, Qatar, last week working on a pentathlon competition and our sport has never seen such incredible facilities. To give just one example, the horses at the Al Shaqab Equine Centre have air-conditioned stables - all five hundred of them.

The swim and fence were held at an equally impressive facility that happened to be managed by an expatriate. After speaking to Simon, the venue manager, I soon discovered he was originally from the Westcountry. When I asked where specifically, I was surprised to discover he was originally from near Plymouth and his mother lived in Tavistock. Tavistock and Doha are worlds apart but once again it proves what a small world we live in.

Proud of the rose

Six weeks after the disappointment of the rugby World Cup it is time for England to move forward. The review process dragged out allowing commentators to assign blame to the coach, players and set up.

Sadly former rugby league star Sam Burgess fell foul of the public’s informal review. I say sadly as I feel a player should never be made to feel solely responsible for a poor performance, he was selected by the England coaches and went on to play to the best of his ability at that stage in his union career. That said, it is disappointing to hear that after just one year of the contracted three wearing the blue, black and white stripes of his club side Bath, Burgess has decided to head back to Australia and return to his old rugby league club.

Burgess was not the sole scapegoat, the difficult questions were primarily focused on former head coach Stuart Lancaster and his team. England were the first host nation not to make it out of the group stages. Admittedly it was the toughest of all the groups but that is no excuse for the richest and oldest rugby nation. I think it was obvious that Lancaster would have to leave long before he did the honourable thing and resigned.

The search for a new head coach opened up a wide variety of candidates from both England and abroad. The argument of a foreigner versus an Englishman caused some passionate debate especially among some of the players who have voiced their desire for someone leading them to share their passion and pride for the English rose. It was decided by those at the top that the skills for the job superseded any national pride. It was public knowledge that there was an open chequebook and only the best coach will do, regardless of nationality. The new appointment, Australian Eddie Jones, will have his every move scrutinised - let's hope the money pays off.

A difficult week

I was in no hurry to board my return flight to the northern hemisphere at the weekend. I didn’t want to leave the gorgeous Australian spring behind and return to the British winter. The shocking news from Paris and depressing reports of misconduct in Russian athletics only made the prospect even less enticing.

The majority of my trips abroad are work related but this was purely a holiday so I only managed to keep half an eye on the news. Now I am back in the UK it is still impossible to comprehend the true devastation and implications of the terror attacks in France - my thoughts are with the French.

Sport has also had a difficult week. Before the shocking events in Paris the Russian doping scandal was dominating the headlines and sending shock waves through the world of sport. There have been rumours building for the best part of a year although that is all they had ever been. The results of this investigation have surprised even the most cynical and the question is - what now? There will be numerous athletes waiting to be rewarded with medals retrospectively, not that that can ever repair the damage that has been done by the Russian athletes.

This leaves a huge question mark over the future of sport. It was only last year that wide spread doping in cycling was finally admitted. Football and the world governing body FIFA are under ongoing investigations into corruption and now one of the dominating nations in athletics has added to the black cloud hanging over sport. The Olympics, the largest international sporting event, is only nine months away. Athletes have a lot of hard work to do between now and Rio but nothing in comparison to those who govern the sports. I hope that by next summer all the athletes standing on the podium will be there purely as a result of their talent and determination.

Racing down under

I booked my flights to Australia on a whim a few months ago. The temporary two year move from Plymouth to Sydney by one of my old school friends was the perfect excuse to head down under and the rest of the trip was shaped by many suggestions from others who have lived or currently live here. My horse racing mad godfather and his wife got incredibly excited when they discovered I was to be in Australia over the world famous Melbourne Cup week and so another chunk of the trip fell into place. After a few days spent acclimatising to the 11hr time difference, I left Sydney and headed south to the metropolitan city of Melbourne. The hype surrounding the Melbourne Cup had been evident in Sydney and as soon as I landed in the host city, I knew I was in for a treat.

The majority of my race going experiences have been at local point to points. I have had the occasional experience of dressing up for the races attending Royal Ascot and the Grand National but nothing quite prepared me for the outfits seen on Cup Day in Melbourne. Packing weeks in advance in the chilly UK, it was hard to predict what outfit would be most suitable so I sought advice from the official website and "dress to impress" was all the advice I could find. I discovered the Australian interpretation of this guidance was somewhat different to my own - the outfits were as much a feast for the eyes as the enthralling racing itself.

My only regret of the whole day was not supporting our Cornish neighbours at the bookies. It was a historic day as the 100-1 Prince of Penzance galloped to Cup victory ably ridden by the first ever female winning jockey.

Awkward timing

I will openly admit that after England's early exit I became quite fluid as to my choice of team to support during the remainder of the Rugby World Cup. Initially I moved on to Georgia after my frequent visits to Eastern Europe this summer; fully aware that even though they played gutsy rugby they were unlikely to make it out of the group stages. I then felt that as a Brit I should select a home nation. Scotland were a worthy choice and I certainly felt for our northern neighbours but no one showed their emotion quite as openly as Argentina. I am sure I was not alone in admiring their performance against Ireland and cheering them on against Australia.

That lead us to the final between the New Zealand All Blacks and the Australian Wallabies. According to BBC Sport over eighty percent of people had predicted the All Blacks to win and I was one of those. That did not mean I had pledged to support the rugby Kings and I was struggling to choose where my allegiance lay. My great grandfather was a Kiwi and I was keen to see New Zealand make history by winning back to back World Cups. That said, there was the one small fact that swayed it - I was in Australia when the match was being played.

Secretly I wanted to see the Wallabies in the final as I hoped I would be able to enjoy the pre World Cup final hype on the other side of the world. Sadly there proved to be more advertisements for the upcoming Bond film than the World Cup. Originally I had planned to head out and embrace the occasion in a bar but that was before I realised the kick off was 3am local time. I felt obliged to get up and watch it although crawling downstairs in my pyjamas won over a drunken early morning trip to the pub.