Three days into our time by the sea and we are starting to relax. We still have had a little admin to do but are nearly sorted. I have been for my first couple of runs as a civi and could not have picked a more dificult spot. The first 15 minutes of my first run involved going up hill over gradients that I have only previously seen when looking down from a ski lift. I had traumatic flash backs to my time in Gibraltar attached to the Gibraltar Regiment where every...

We arrived at about 10.30 pm into Rio after an effortless flight. Thanks go to WG for trying to get us upgraded, but they ran out of classes!We were picked up by Andre, who was a very helpful well turned out taxi driver with reasonable English.He did not understand the words "Grand Prix" or "Formula one" though, and was not that impressed with my impression aof a racing driver. Only when I mentioned Masa did he all of a sudden become animated ...

This is the first part of the blog written off English soil! Jodie and I are now safely in our seats on a Boeing 777 on our way to Rio. Those that have had to suffer us over the past few booze filled weeks may pick up there is something wrong with that last phrase - there is no upstairs in a 777 and the man in Trail Finders who told us we were in a 747 and had upstairs seats has a lot to answer for. I always said we should never trust a man with a goatee beard.Ho...