SimeWorld

Given that I’ve been updating the website recently, I thought I’d take the opportunity for a quick update on a few things. Not that anybody will read this, I know, but it keeps me happy anyway

I’m now working on a 3-month contract in Central Manchester, as I was made redundant from my previous role in St Helens in January 2012. Setting up as a contractor for the first time has been a bit painful, and the travelling to and from Manchester isn’t ideal, but at least I have a job which is more than a lot of people have.

We finally decided to let our rabbits go to another loving home. As their hutch was in the garden, we didn’t get to see them much, so they were always too timid to handle. The final push to let them go was the introduction of the newest member of our family – Crackers. He is an English Springer Spaniel that we rescued from a local animal centre, and he’s a big softy. He hasn’t even barked yet, and he’s more likely to roll on his back and let you tickle his belly when you first meet him. The kids love him and he’s already coming out of his shell, and since we need to walk him several times a day, the extra exercise won’t do us any harm either!

I think that should do for now. All this updating has tired me out

As the more eagle eyed of you may have spotted, I have made some fundamental changes to SimeWorld.

In short, I’ve moved the website onto a totally different hosting package (Linux instead of Windows) which effectively meant starting from scratch. I still have all the posts from my original website stored in a database, but I doubt I will bother re-uploading them all. I’ve also got details of my old links to fellow bloggers, so I will update that at some point as well.

Not sure if I’ve settled on a theme and logo yet, but this will do for now. At least when people see the slug at the top of the page, they know they’ve got the right website

As you’ve already gathered some time ago, I gave up updating SimeWorld regularly a long time ago, but I can never quite seem to find it in me to let it go. So, here’s my annual ‘State of the Nation’ address from the world of Sime.

Since my last update, my world has changed considerably. I was eventually made redundant from the job which I had been in since Heather was born. Luckily I was only out of work for a month or so, and I’ve found myself a new role within IT Support for a local firm.

Joanne’s job has stabilised over the last 12 months, although you can’t take anything for granted these days – even with local government roles. Fingers crossed that things will start to pick up for her soon though, but in the current climate we’re both just grateful that we have jobs.

We got to France for the first time in Summer 2011, and we stayed at a KeyCamp near Paris. Managed to get us all up the Eiffel Tower, and had a great day at Euro Disney. Who knew that the so-called ‘kids rides’ could scramble your brains quite so effectively!

We’ve still got 2 rabbits as our family pets, but they don’t like being picked up (or even stroked) so that has become a bit of a problem. We’re spending our time and money to keep pets that we get nothing back from, so we may take the difficult choice to let them go this year. The kids want a dog, and I would love one too, but I’m not convinced that our house and lifestyle would be suitable.

Last, but not least, 2011 was the year I finally found fame on BBC1, as I appeared on Pointless with my brother. I was just made up to get an expenses-paid trip to the BBC Television Centre, never mind get on TV! Anyway, check out this link to see my cool calculated TV appearance in action!

If you would join me once again in raising your glasses, I propose a toast to the website that has taught me so much, put me in touch with so many people, and has become a popular stopping point for fans of my famous jockey Great Uncle Joe Sime!

My great uncle, on my Dad’s side, was a man called Joe Sime. He was a jockey in the 50s and 60s, but I hadn’t realised just how good he actualy was.

There is some footage here of him winning a race, and I have quoted below some more information I was able to find.

Joe Sime Memorial Handicap, Doncaster

Traditionally run over one mile and six furlongs at Doncaster’s May Bank Holiday meeting, the Joe Sime Memorial Handicap is staged this season on 1 May at Windsor, while Town Moor is undergoing major refurbishment. Last year the race was won by Mark Johnston’s Hiddensee, ridden by Kevin Darley.

In his day, Joe Sime was one of the leading Flat jockeys in the north. Born in Liverpool in 1923, he was apprenticed to Dawson Waugh and rode his first winner on Firle at Newmarket in 1941. He was champion apprentice in 1943, ’44 and ’46, when his 40 winners included the Portland Handicap on The Shah.

Sime was always able to ride at around 7st 8lb and was noted as an excellent judge of pace. He became something of a big handicap specialist, teaming up on many occasions with Sam Hall, Yorkshire’s shrewdest trainer of good handicappers.

For Hall, he won the 1950 Manchester November Handicap on Coltbridge, the 1957 Ebor Handicap and the following year’s Cesarewitch Handicap on Morecambe, and the 1960 Wokingham Stakes aboard Silver King.

He also landed the Ebor on Procne (1947), Donino (1948) and Partholon (1963), the Wokingham on Light Harvest (1956) and the Cesarewitch on both Utrillo (1963) and Mintmaster (1965). He won three Lincolns and a Royal Hunt Cup, but his career highlight came with success in the 1964 Great Metropolitan Handicap, aboard Her Majesty The Queen’s Gold Aura.

One of the few jockeys to smoke a pipe, the highly popular Sime enjoyed his best season when registering a total of 108 winners. He retired at the end of the 1968 campaign and the first running of the race that honours him took place in May 1999.