Pure Imagination The heat has really taken it out of me this week, it has been up in the 90's each day and I still can't believe that this city can be so cold and then so hot. Real extremes, that we just don't get at home. Walking around the Loop earlier today I had that feeling you get when you step off a plane somewhere tropical. It is that hot, and in fact less so the nearer the lake you are as that operates like a little cooling system.

I am at home tonight and need to start packing in a minute because I am flying back to London tomorrow for just over a week. Pure holiday, no work. Great.

For the first time I am flying during the day. The flight leaves O'Hare at 9.10am and arrives at Heathrow at 10.35pm. Not sure how my body will take that as it is used to flying overnight. But it was so much cheaper, so an easy decision.

A bit of culture in store for me next week. Tennis, the opera, lunch in a very nice restaurant, oh and a fair few pints in Hornchurch and a curry (oh, please let there be a curry!). Plus we are taking a colleague who is currently in London for a month to afternoon tea on Sunday. I've warned her the sandwiches maybe on the small side!

I was tied to my desk today and I had this acute desire to have a bet. I'm not much of a gambler, but I do have a UK internet betting account. So, there I was finding myself listening to the live racing channel on sportinglife.com and I had a bit of a flutter. Initially taking the presenters tips, until I realised they were rubbish and then just choosing randomly myself. No form, no inside information, nothing.

I lost 5 races on the trot but then in the last race at Chepstow, a little beauty called Pure Imagination romped home at 6/1. You can't beat that to make the day go a bit quicker.

Oh and hands up who was not surprised in the least that we didn't sign a player this week? No, me neither.  ¶ 23:27