Looking down

We'd arranged to meet our friends from Bray today. Since today was a Grand Prix day (Korea this time, the inaugural race at this circuit), I'd suggested that we meet after 3.15, when recorded coverage would end. As it happened, I'd got the time wrong, so Carl set his TV to record and we decided to watch the race later on.

Whatever possessed us I don't know, but we ended up watching a bit of a feast of TV cookery programmes which were already on the TV hard drive. Best of the bunch was What to Eat Now, a series from BBC2 presented by the very amiable and enthusiastic Valentine Warner. Everything about these programmes was spot on: some super recipes with unexpected and original twists, excellent camerawork, encounters with passionate people, and even clever choices of music. We watched four episodes on the trot and enjoyed it all enormously. Great stuff.

We met our mate Dave in Dún Laoghaire at 4.00 and walked the length of the East Pier in glorious sunshine. What struck me most about the day was the remarkable clarity of the light, with crystal-clear visibility making distant Howth much clearer than it usually is. Dave and I had a field day clicking away with our cameras. Choosing a blip wasn't easy, but I plumped for this one because I like the lines and the visual confusion caused by the unusual angle. After our walk we retired to the Forty Foot bar for food and drink and pleasant chat.

Back in Carl's I watched the recording of the Korean Grand Prix. What a strange race - rain, safety cars, crashes, it had just about everything. Mark Webber admitted that he'd been at fault when he lost control and ended not only his race but also that of Nico Rosberg who'd looked set to do great things. I was desperately disappointed when Seb Vettel's car blew up and robbed him of the chance of being Championship leader. But still it was good to see Fernando Alonso win and Ferrari end up with both drivers on the podium. Only two races left now. The only thing that's certain is that Jenson Button will not retain his title.