Special thanks

I just wanted to adda line about the support I have been recieving. It is a real boost to know that people are reading the blog and sending messages of supoort. If you join me regularly please click the follow button and feel free to add comments. Please keep the mails coming

hott hot hot

My god the temperature is great, but this humidity is incredible. I have the windows and doors open, if there was a breath of wind my house would be like a wind tunnel.

As seems to be the case "good day - bad day" today has broken the mould. Yesterday was relatively positive with some interesting calls and mails. So I woke this morning expecting a nightmare day (possibly fuelled by the expectation of a 2nd visit to jobcentreplus). But I have a number of contacts to thank for a positive start to the day. First Dave Hopkins, who i need to call back soon for his interest. Gill Connelly for thinking of me when asked about candidates for an interim role. Linda Wilkins for her kind words and offer of support. JayneHall for here support. These people and others do make it worth carrying on and without their encouragement and support it would all be much harder.

I am seeing quite a lot of new roles advertised and am applying for 6 - 8 a day on average. Consultants mut know my CV by heart now. Hopefully they will get me a job just so I leave them alone

On real positives I have an interview for an interim role at 10am n London tomorrow and then two meetings in London on Thursday (shame I couldn't tie them all together).

Well please all keep your fingers crossed for me and keep an eye out for anything.

Tips today are both at Brighton

2.30 jonny ebeneezer

3.00 rocky's pride

Late tip

As its Wimbledon week Rain delayed 18.50 at Tipperary

Very short price though

Another sunny day

This cant be right? We are now on day 4 of Wimbledon and still no rain. I worked at the championships for 5 years in the 90's and never had a rain free time. Closer to home the childrens school have their summer picnic this lunchtime.... cant wait !!!!!

So by 8.30 this morning I had applied for 4 jobs. Thanks to Andreas Nita for one lead. I have also distributed my cv to over 100 recruitment agencies in the last 24 hours. I genuinely dont believe that there is anything more I could do. I would be happy to hear ideas.

The horses were rubbish yesterday.... sorry. today we will try Pawan in the 2.45pm at Warwick and Lady Jane Digby - 5.00pm - Newcastle

good luck

Another day

Its a glorious sunny day in Bucks. I am trying to look on the positive. It's odd how I seem to alternate between very bad days and more positive ones. I had a couple of good calls yesterday. One to discuss a possible interim role with a charity and another to discuss a possible programme director role for a large telco. The trouble is I then spend the nxt day worrying why I haven't heard anything.

I had a number of good contacts provided within a major broadband and phone business as well so I am now following that up.

I really hop things start to turn, I can clearly see the impact of this time on my wife and family. The sense of failure is bad enough when it is a job but its unbearable when its impacting the family.

When I started this blog the aim was to maintain some humour. That is now becoming a challenge as those that read it must be sensing. I promise I haven't lost my sense of humour yet, but it is currently well hidden.

Tips for today are

Everard in the 3.15 at Salisbury and Shadowtime in the the 3.05 at Carlisle.

:-)

Tough times

The last few days have been especially testing. I have continued to apply for roles all over the UK and still have little sign of an improving market, although I have associates who tell me that things are improving. Finacnially this is now becoming a real issue. As I covered in an earlier blog post, I have now registered as unemployed. This has been a lesson in understanding just how broken our country and welfare system are. It is clearly designed to encourage people to lie. I have stated that I have nor worked for an extended period of time and that I have been living off of my expenses. This is apparently the wrong thing to do as it is right to claim benefit immediately that you stop work and therefore rely on the state. My error appears to be that I was foolish enough to believe I would find work and that I would not need to rely on the state. Now that this has not happened, my home is at risk, my family including 5 children must go without thing, my creditors will go unpaid. Yet during this time had I immediatley put the responsability in the hands of other tax payers, I would by now have recieved over £5k in benefits, perfectly legitimately. However because I chose to maintain responsability I am not entitled.

The world is mad.

Mixed day

Well guys, what a mixed day. As touched on I had the dreadful task of attending Job centre plus. It comes to something when even these places say "we probably cant help you, because we tend to only deal with low level jobs". Poor Alaska has been poorly and so been to the vet. Cant believe 5 minutes in the room £68 lighter. It never rains but it pours.

On a more positive.. Rainbow View placed at Ascot. I have some e/w success on a couple of others so the account hasn't been to battered.

I have applied for 8 consulting roles today, we will see what happens. I also had a call from Ali Courtney at Virgin. I wrote to Sir Richard Branson some months ago and he put me in touch with Michael Murphy. Michael has in turn suggested Ali and she has called to offer help. It just shows that sometimes persistance pays off.

I also recieved an invite to an interim management website and blog http://blog.interimmanagementjobs.net/ it has an excellent article covering the impact of pro rata payments in the interim market. I recommend a look.

I will be back later with tomorrows tips

Yeats 4 years on the trot

Well, the tips yesterday produces a winner and a second. Yeats won the Ascot Gold cup for the 4th year.

The job search continues, yesterday I applied for 6 jobs, I also had a tip from Steve Sullivan (many thanks) regarding an interim contract in London. Having applied to the consultancy...... it appears there is a hold on candidates for a few days. Interestingly I had a very hush hush tip of a role in a company I cant name with a consultant I cant name and when applying for the role, I cant suggest that I know it exists. As if finding workng isn't proving difficult enough, I now have behave like a character in spooks.

The financial situation is now desperate and so for the first time in 24 years, I am heading to the job centre today to register unemployed. I know this is something that many people are doing but there really is something demeaning about it. It feels a little like accepting defeat.

I have a golf day tomorrow with an interim management networking group. I hope it will bring about some contacts that leads to some work. I also hope the weather is better than that in New York for the US Open.

Today we only have one tip.

3.45 Ascot - Rainbow View

Good luck to everyone

Nearly

2nd in the big race today... so close... I went to the eye hospital today and got told there was nothing wrong, yet they put drops in my eyes that made me chooe looser's. figure that ot? No answer needed Mr Murley.


For tomorrow ....... after some thought..... we willl go ...

I like Chiberta king in tha last race at Ascot... Its hard to ignore Yeats in the 3.45 and if you follow the americans form Yogaroo in the 2.30

Cheers for now

Wednesday tips at Ascot

Moonlife in the 5.30 at Ascot

and

Misheer - 4.55 - Ascot

Gloomy Tuesday

Oh what a difference a day makes!

Today has been truly misserable, the trip to Somerset yesterday resulted in no offer of work. It is so frustrating that people are telling me things are picking up but there are no signs personally. I am trying very hard to remain positive and to keep telling myself that I have a great deal to offer people. As the Blog address suggests, I frequentley recieve compliments about my CV, my experience and my skills. This is all very flattering, however my ego needs stroking less than my finances need work.

On top of all this the Ascot tips have been truly dreadful. Tday was a complete wipe out.

I really would encourage readers of this blog to share it with others and to feel free to contact me with any tips that I may have missed or an not following through.

On a lighter note I heard a story yesterday about a guy who lives across the road from his mother - in - law. Over the weekend she was run over by a lorry. He thought to himself "that could have been me" then he remembered ...... he cant drive a lorry hehehehehehehe, it tickled me.

I will offer up some Ascot tips later, and hope they are better

back again

evening everyone,

Sorry for the delay in updating, we had a bit of a virus issue.

I have so much to update. I had an interview in Somerset this morning. Why do companies insist on telling you of the senior individual you will meet, and then put you in front of someone else? Is this an act of diliberance or just mismanagment of diaries. None the less I hope things went well, but if so I will be returinig to the west country mid week and then again on Saturday, although that is for golf.

On a real positive, I went into a mobile network retail store this afternoon to check if there was a more suitable pay plan for me as I never use my minutes or text but over spend on data. Stuart in the store checked things out and changed my plan, reducing my charge by plenty. He also upgraded my phone to the new top of the range "Blackberry" and sorted out my direct debit. I am totally impressed and so should Ms O'leary (director of CS at the company)be. I will be telling her.

I feel, for no good reason quite possitive tonight. It may be the red wine or it could be that I am determined not to be dragged down. Who knows?

On the horse front, its Ascot starting tomorrow so what about the tips????

Alexandros in the 2.30pm at Ascot - get on eary and think each way if the price is good enough

away from Ascot try

Lady Rangali - 4.00pm - Thirsk

good luck to all

sorry for no updates

Sorry to everyone there have been no updates as I hve suffered a virus issue. Thankfully it seems sorted now and we will soon be backto normal.

Great minds???

Two people sent me this tonight so it must be right

“I was asked what I thought about the recession. I thought about it and decided not to take part.”Sam Walton, Founder of Wal-Mart

PERFECT!!!

I choose not to be part of this recession.. In the same way i worked with a guy in Ireland (Colm Tracey.. Your credit) who when asked "how are you?" alway's said "wonderful" when questioned as to why he would say "Its a state of mind". I didn't always get on with Colm, but I always loved this.

It's a shit world at the moment but.... you only fail if you give in to circumstance. As the mighty Bono sang " Your stuck in a moment that you can't get out of" but he also sang "It's just a moment, it'll pass"

Who needs the gospel,,,, say's the catholic lad.


Sorry about today's tips. Mine were both 3rd. Therese's choice is either at McDonalds or the Evo stick factory...lol

Credit where due

I had a mail from someone who read the blog and suggested that I occassionally make the horse tip "job search" based and so as a starter the suggestion is

Chosen One 13.25 Nottm

Thanks to Therese

where has the summer gone

Hello,

Lets start with the horses. Another poor day yesterday, but just like the job search it is important to carry on. So here goes for today

Highcliffe bridge - 2.50pm - Yarmouth

and

Fallen in love in the 2.40pm at Newbury

Well the big news of yesterday must be the economy. There is a highly regarded economist group saying that the economy grew through April and May. Additionally the housing prices seem to be stabilising. Its encouraging to think that things may be heading towards the end of the decline. Of course this doesn't help until the companies in the country start to feel confidnt enough to hire permanent staff or begin projects that require interims or consultants. On a positive point, some of the most negative people I know have started to make positive noises about the future (there you go Ali and Peter).

Of course the reverse of that is that on Wednesday I was contacted on behalfof a leading Telco, who was looking to hire upto five "Change Management" interims. By today those roles are on hold. You have to wonder about the thought and decision making process?

The sun is back out in Bucks (It's so bright it scares me). It must be one of the biggest certainties in life that we get a scorching week in May followed by a return to winter in early June. This allows the press to muse over whether Wimbledon will be a wash out or not. But the sun is back and so lets hope that this time it stays a while. I have my daughters staying this weekend and as we dont live in a country mansion, it is so much easier if I can send the monsters (little darlings) outside to play.

The excitement is starting to build on the sporting front as the cancelled under 9's football from last weekend has been re-scheduled for Sunday. Cant wait!!!!!!

Good luck on the tips today

One step forward...........

Tuesday felt a lot less positive. It's strange, I have found thatI get a god day and it is followed by a poor one. It isn't that anything particularly negative happened, in fact I had two further discussions about possible interim roles. It was just that time allows me to think of the reasons why an employer may not want me. Dont get me wrong I know that I offer an exceptional level of experience skill and ability, but like the centre forward who hasn't scored for 6 months, you start to doubt whether you still can. Conversely, when the ball bounces in off your back side...... you are off and running again. I am sure I just need the back side goal!!!

Today I have already applied for a job at Skype. If nothing else his blog is providing evidence of a job search going on :-)

The horses where rubbish yesterday, so please accept my apologies. I did select a tricast at Belle view dogs and it won, however current financial situation meant that I didn't actually back it.... on the frustration.

Today's tips are

Annes Rocket in the 2.20pm at Brighton

and

Vanishing Grey - 2.40pm - Haydock

Best of luck o those who dare

Tuesday's tips

La Gifted in the 4.30pm at Salisbury

and

Folletta in the 1.40 at Salisbury

Monday again

Hi,

Its Monday again. Today feels quite productive, have applied for 7 posts and have recieved calls from two potential clients/companies that may be positive. Its always good when there is a day like this. I liken it to the golf course. Its amazing that one good approach shot on the 18th is enough to encourage you back next tme, however bad the rest of the round has been.

There was a lesson learned today.Over a year ago I spoke with a company in Holland about a potetial role. At the time the move wasn't quite right for me, so I withdrew, but the role was very interesting. Well today I was approached by a head hunter who has the same role back on the market. He felt my skills where perfect. I hope the recruiter will accept that my circumstances are different now and that we can open dialogue again. But the lesson is to keep on keeping on.

Other good news today is that the car was in the repair garage and when I collected it from PB Cars in Aylesbury, Steve, the owner said "No charge Dave" it only took a few minutes. Well I know that over the last year I have spent a lot of money with Steve. But his one act of kindness has secured my loyal custom for the future and now I am telling the world. So if you want a good fair honest mechanic in the Bucks area. let me know and I'll point you Steve's way.

On the tips front .... we had two seconds today. Tomorrrows tips to follow

Horses for Monday

Ok guys the tips for Monday are

4.45 Folkstone - Time machine

and

5.15 Folkstone - Jo'Burg

Relaxing Sunday

Well the horse where a let down, a second was best we could manage. The rain fell all night last night and called for the cancelation of the under 9's football. So had a lazy day. Walk Alaska around the lake and went for a Thai lunch with Ellie. Spent the afternoon on the sofa with the papers.

Gotta get back to it tomorrow so a full day of job searchig on the horizon. I may interupt it to resume my visits to the gym.

I really feel that something positive has to come out of this period and that I have much to offer a client or employer if they would only take the risk. It is very difficult to maintain the battle when the overiding mood is one of letting family down. But the battle must continue.

Tomorrows horses will be published later

Sundays tips

Feels All Right in the 4.35 at Chantilly

and

Shamakiya - 3.15 - Chantilly

Sundays tips

derby success

Hey guy's

I hope people got on my Derby tips. winner and eachway paid out. JP... I hope your listening lol.
As its the weekend ther has been no job searching but a good freind did send a great lead my way (thanks to Alison Owen). For those who care about the major golf comp. It was wet and poor. wee Jacky and Big Charlie took the prize.

Tomorrow's big sporting event is at Halton for the under 9's football. My step son ( Steven Gerrard of Hercules Lions) is the big attraction. I will report back..

special meantions

I promised special mentions for checking the blog........ so hi Jane and sexy Dawn

derby day

Ok guy's,

what a day, spent it sending more emails in search of work. Had some great response from early viewers of the blog. So thanks to those that have commented. Alaska is chuffed, 3 walks, although in fairness the last was to buy cigars for me. Life is about compromise.
She has the oldest most battered football in the world, a real old school job, like your dad played with...... loves it. Spent a hour chucking it around the garden for her. people say dogs are clever.....hello?

My step son has decided that he wants a Range Rover Sport... so no additional pressure.

Golf tee off is at 8 something in the morning and the red wine is not easily fitting with that. But more importantly the Derby Day tips are

3.45 Derby --- Sea the stars

although as an each way I fancy Masterofthehorse

3.00 --- Safari Mischief

I hope they are better than today, although we did have a really close miss

I really welcome feedback guys, so please let me know

Better tips

In light of the bad start on tips... for those interested its worth looking at www.blockedshot.co.uk. Ratform is quite good but only follow horses.lol.

Tip results

Sooooo close for Youzmain pipped on the line. Maybe better tomorrow

In the begining

Its Friday. Another week has passed and many job applications, emails and phonecalls have been completed. Tenacity must be a quality? otherwise I'm really gonna start getting on peoples tits. It is now almost 6 months since this dreadful journey began. I never imagined at Christmas as the kids played "Rock Hero" (my god the rows) that I would be still sitting at home in June. Dont get me wrong its been great to have a break and until the money started running out I was enjoying it. I had a great break in Loch Lomond for my 40th. Its just a number you know? My beautiful wife and I enjoyed our 3rd anniversary on the QM2 and then she let me go to Spain with the boys for golf. The less said about that the better, maybe on a later posting. But now I really want to work again.

I know I am not alone in this situation, but hey, there are companies out there they need to improve their service and thatare too scared to buy the resource. I even dropped my rates and I'll even consider working for anyone (within reason).

But these postings are not just about the misery. I will be sharing the happy stuff too. Like the carzy dog. She is great, but I am sure her moods are in total polar position to my own. For some reason she believes that at 7am when I am asleep this is the best time to show e her affection by jumping on the bed and licking my face. yet at 7pm when I through the ball she sits there looking at me with a look that says "you go get it fat boy, you could use the exercise"

Well what about todays big news. No not the economy, no not the local elections or the crumbling UK government. Not even the massive debt at the great LFC. No today's big news is that "Hannah Montana" the movie is re-showing in Camberely. Well at least that's what my middle daughter says.

For me the excitement for the weekend is the Derby Meeting starting today, tips below!!!! and the big sporting occassion of the weekend is at Aylesbury Park Golf Club tomorrow morning. My self, Wee Jacky (my dad) Big Charlie and Angry Kev, will meet to decide the big prize --- Loser buys the beer. I will of course report back tomorrow.

Cheers

Dave

Tips

Epsom 1.40 Lovelace
Epsom 2.45 Youmzain