Goodness me, this time last week I was boarding an aircraft for Geneva to visit our oldest son, Tim and the two Swiss based grandchildren. This was nothing new for SWMBO and I, but on this occasion we were joined by their 4 cousins and Tim's siblings, Emma, Becky and Kieran. Jon and Hannah made up the travelling party.
The few days we were there went well. Ice skating and ice hockey training were the order of the day on the Saturday, followed by a mass meal in the restaurant in the village. We are becoming regulars there if going in consecutive December's counts as regular!!
Sunday we went off to Montreaux, home of the jazz festival, with the hope of taking the mountain train to Santa at about 2000 metres.
Sadly the high winds and blizzard conditions meant we were confined to the lake side and made do with the Christmas market and 'santa on a zip wire' Everybody did have a good time though and collapsed exhausted into bed.
Monday was an alternative Santa day. We went to his village outside Geneva and saw the 'bad' Santa house of Krampus complete with naughty children list, confiscated mobile phones and horrid vegetable soup.W e then went to Santa's workshop and saw the elves dining room, the toy workshop and decoration making production line before tip toeing through his bedroom as the big man with the beard was asleep before his big day ahead. The kids took this as read and it was a wonderful approach by the theme park as it saved a long cold queue for a gift and present, and nobody could say it was all a fake!!
It was then off to another restaurant in Geneva for a celebration of Emma's birthday before a train ride to the airport and back home to Scouseland. It really was a good few days but it did leave SWMBO a bit behind schedule in the Christmas prep stakes.
Christmas Day did go with a swing though. 14 adults and 6 kids for dinner and all very well behaved. Loads of presents were opened and given we only do limited presi's for the adults, we still haven't got the kids mix right. Boxing Day saw wall to wall footie on the TV to keep the lads quiet before it was off down the road for the big family party. Our turn to host it next year!! Everybody was in bed by midnight and the last of the stragglers have now left. I have done a tip run and normal service will soon be restored.
That said, we are off to a Thai Twixtmas meal later and meeting up with our good friend Marion so no early nights of lie in opportunities for a few days.
So Happy New Year to all my readers and here's to 2020, the year of the visionaries, geddit!?!
Friday 27 December 2019
Wednesday 27 November 2019
This caps it all
I trawl through E-bay every now and then. it's a great insomnia cure. Generally I am looking for something to do with the house genealogy, works of art which have been incorrectly attributed or Twickenham RFC memorabilia. In the last few weeks I have had a couple of good results.
Firstly I picked up a little limited edition sketch book by Northern artist Harry Riley. Riley was a contemporary of L S Lowry and they knew each other well. Where as Lowry was renowned for his matchstick me, Riley was, and still is, a unique golf scene painter and commentator. The book I brought tracked Jack Nicklaus through his final two rounds at the Open championship at St Andrews. The commentary charts Jack's thinking as he decided that missing the cut at his final Open was the best thing to do as he could not face two more days of high drama and emotion, nor did he want to deflect from the actual winner and the reception he should get. Typical Jack Nicklaus to the end, every bit the gentleman.
That's two of Harold Rileys sketch books I now own.
Things then got a whole lot better when I noticed what looked like a Twickenham RFC honours cap from 1926 in the rugby memorabilia section. I did a bit of checking and found that indeed it was a genuine article. I contacted the lady to see if she would sell outside the auction, but she was keen to let it run. I contacted the club treasurer to see what price he would fund up to and then played a waiting game. I won it at about ten percent of the price it could have fetched and it is now in the clubhouse collection with its fellow cap's.
Two were awarded each year to first XV players who had an outstanding season, and that tradition still goes to this very day albeit the designs are slightly different. One such cap is the oldest relic the club has dated as 1897-98
The cap I obtained had the name Bishop inked in the label and a study of the team photograph for that year shows a gentleman of that name sitting in the front row. I love it when a plan comes together.
Firstly I picked up a little limited edition sketch book by Northern artist Harry Riley. Riley was a contemporary of L S Lowry and they knew each other well. Where as Lowry was renowned for his matchstick me, Riley was, and still is, a unique golf scene painter and commentator. The book I brought tracked Jack Nicklaus through his final two rounds at the Open championship at St Andrews. The commentary charts Jack's thinking as he decided that missing the cut at his final Open was the best thing to do as he could not face two more days of high drama and emotion, nor did he want to deflect from the actual winner and the reception he should get. Typical Jack Nicklaus to the end, every bit the gentleman.
That's two of Harold Rileys sketch books I now own.
Things then got a whole lot better when I noticed what looked like a Twickenham RFC honours cap from 1926 in the rugby memorabilia section. I did a bit of checking and found that indeed it was a genuine article. I contacted the lady to see if she would sell outside the auction, but she was keen to let it run. I contacted the club treasurer to see what price he would fund up to and then played a waiting game. I won it at about ten percent of the price it could have fetched and it is now in the clubhouse collection with its fellow cap's.
Two were awarded each year to first XV players who had an outstanding season, and that tradition still goes to this very day albeit the designs are slightly different. One such cap is the oldest relic the club has dated as 1897-98
Thursday 21 November 2019
Jones the coach
I spent last night in the company of Eddie Jones, the England rugby coach. He is on a book signing tour and was booked into Thornton Hall Hotel for the evening. So very few people seemed to be aware that he was appearing and yet nearly 700 people turned, word of mouth seemed to do the trick for this one.
Lingans book shop in Heswall were the promoter of the event and they must have been very pleased with the turn-out, and the books that were sold.
Eddie had a stooge as his interview partner and he was walked through his life in Japan and Australia, his early rugby career and then his extensive coaching roles, most notably with Australia, Japan and England. He was also part of the South African coaching staff when they won the 'Mandella' World Cup in 1995..
He gave some interesting insights into modern coaching challenges, not least the varied and conflicting backgrounds which reside in the England camp.
All in all it was a very enjoyable evening, and if you get a chance to hear him speak, then take advantage of it
Lingans book shop in Heswall were the promoter of the event and they must have been very pleased with the turn-out, and the books that were sold.
Eddie had a stooge as his interview partner and he was walked through his life in Japan and Australia, his early rugby career and then his extensive coaching roles, most notably with Australia, Japan and England. He was also part of the South African coaching staff when they won the 'Mandella' World Cup in 1995..
He gave some interesting insights into modern coaching challenges, not least the varied and conflicting backgrounds which reside in the England camp.
All in all it was a very enjoyable evening, and if you get a chance to hear him speak, then take advantage of it
Monday 18 November 2019
St Andrew
It was a big weekend for me, just past, as I had been asked by the current Wallasey Golf Club captain to speak at the St Andrews Dinner and propose the toast to him.
The St Andrews dinner is one of the most popular dinners on the circuit. It is attended exclusively by members of the golf club, is a black tie event, and signals the last formal dinner hosted by the 2019 captain. People have lived or died by the speech they have given.
The Spring dinner in April is the main externally focused event. The Captain invites fellow captains from other golf clubs, the Captain of the Royal Liverpool Golf Club (Hoylake) traditionally proposes a toast to Wallasey Golf Club, and a Wallasey member will then tell stories concerning the other invited guests.
The St Andrews is a lot more relaxed, until that is, one has to get up and speak. Many ex-speakers came over to me to offer advise, and I was invited into the pre-match drinks reception, so to speak, where ex-Captains also offered words of comfort.
Nothing prepares you though for the moment when you stand on your feet and the room goes hushed, except the work you have done yourself beforehand.
Now I was not first choice, but the original speaker got his availability wrong. He was courteous enough though to give me a copy of his speech, from which I was able to get an idea of the flow and timing. I wrote down ideas as I thought of them for many weeks prior to the event, and had some brutal editing sessions along the way. That said, the start of the speech only came to me in the car driving to the Club, and several chunks were removed as I sought shelter in the 'little room' during the evening meal.
I am pleased to report that the speech went down pretty well. There was a constant hum of amusement during it with several raucous moments.when I made some pointed remarks about the Club infrastructure. All in all the Captain and past Captains liked it, and many members came up afterwards to congratulate me.
So job done and onto 2020 to see what entertainment is in store at the Hot Pot supper.
The St Andrews dinner is one of the most popular dinners on the circuit. It is attended exclusively by members of the golf club, is a black tie event, and signals the last formal dinner hosted by the 2019 captain. People have lived or died by the speech they have given.
The Spring dinner in April is the main externally focused event. The Captain invites fellow captains from other golf clubs, the Captain of the Royal Liverpool Golf Club (Hoylake) traditionally proposes a toast to Wallasey Golf Club, and a Wallasey member will then tell stories concerning the other invited guests.
The St Andrews is a lot more relaxed, until that is, one has to get up and speak. Many ex-speakers came over to me to offer advise, and I was invited into the pre-match drinks reception, so to speak, where ex-Captains also offered words of comfort.
Nothing prepares you though for the moment when you stand on your feet and the room goes hushed, except the work you have done yourself beforehand.
Now I was not first choice, but the original speaker got his availability wrong. He was courteous enough though to give me a copy of his speech, from which I was able to get an idea of the flow and timing. I wrote down ideas as I thought of them for many weeks prior to the event, and had some brutal editing sessions along the way. That said, the start of the speech only came to me in the car driving to the Club, and several chunks were removed as I sought shelter in the 'little room' during the evening meal.
I am pleased to report that the speech went down pretty well. There was a constant hum of amusement during it with several raucous moments.when I made some pointed remarks about the Club infrastructure. All in all the Captain and past Captains liked it, and many members came up afterwards to congratulate me.
So job done and onto 2020 to see what entertainment is in store at the Hot Pot supper.
Tuesday 5 November 2019
Keeping up with the Joneses
Well the Rugby World Cup is over for another 4 years. A disappointing end for England but everybody seems to think its great for the country of South Africa that they have won it. We will see if there are any political alterations in that Country or not.
Similarly the RFU are convinced they re better prepared to benefit from the expected upturn in interest in the game here in England. I have always maintained that mini and junior rugby do not produce the players of tomorrow, they produce the spectators of tomorrow. As they play their rugby on a Sunday, Saturday is free for them to watch their hero's be it at the Stoop, The Allienz, The JJ Bell stadium or somewhere in the Midlands. when they are older and senior rugby beckons, will they sacrifice their Saturday jolly for the opportunity to be beefed by older bigger people? Time will tell.
The final itself was not the sort of spectacle to be attracting spectators through he turnstiles. A psychological blow for England when Sinkler was forced off so early was compounded by a 'park the bus' approach from South Africa which was hugely effective but a bit dull. So it is now up to the other rugby nations to work out how to bypass the bus and create some chances to break through. Did they plan to lose to New Zealand in their first game so giving themselves an easier route tot the final? I suspect that we will never know.
So we now move into the 6 Nations championship build-up with trains and hotels booked, we just need news of tickets!!
Also in the news today was a massive fine handed out to Saracens for allegedly breaking the salary cap in the English Premiership. If upheld, they could struggle to avoid relegation to the Championship which would make for some very interesting fixtures next season.
Away at Cornish Pirates and Ealing Trailfinders would be a really eye opener.
Eddie Jones is doing a talk and book signing here on the Wirral in the middle of November, so i am going along to that and will be interested to see what he has to say about all things rugby. I on the other hand am just off to read the latest on VAR and how football has made so difficult what rugby, cricket and tennis seem to find routine. It must be a culture thing!
Similarly the RFU are convinced they re better prepared to benefit from the expected upturn in interest in the game here in England. I have always maintained that mini and junior rugby do not produce the players of tomorrow, they produce the spectators of tomorrow. As they play their rugby on a Sunday, Saturday is free for them to watch their hero's be it at the Stoop, The Allienz, The JJ Bell stadium or somewhere in the Midlands. when they are older and senior rugby beckons, will they sacrifice their Saturday jolly for the opportunity to be beefed by older bigger people? Time will tell.
The final itself was not the sort of spectacle to be attracting spectators through he turnstiles. A psychological blow for England when Sinkler was forced off so early was compounded by a 'park the bus' approach from South Africa which was hugely effective but a bit dull. So it is now up to the other rugby nations to work out how to bypass the bus and create some chances to break through. Did they plan to lose to New Zealand in their first game so giving themselves an easier route tot the final? I suspect that we will never know.
So we now move into the 6 Nations championship build-up with trains and hotels booked, we just need news of tickets!!
Also in the news today was a massive fine handed out to Saracens for allegedly breaking the salary cap in the English Premiership. If upheld, they could struggle to avoid relegation to the Championship which would make for some very interesting fixtures next season.
Away at Cornish Pirates and Ealing Trailfinders would be a really eye opener.
Eddie Jones is doing a talk and book signing here on the Wirral in the middle of November, so i am going along to that and will be interested to see what he has to say about all things rugby. I on the other hand am just off to read the latest on VAR and how football has made so difficult what rugby, cricket and tennis seem to find routine. It must be a culture thing!
Monday 14 October 2019
I'm Mandy fly me
Last week saw the culmination on Season 16 of the Virgin Atlantic frequent flyer golf society competitions. The finale is traditionally a Ryder Cup style competition between Europe and the Rest of the World. each team has 12 players and you qualify by submitting your qualifying scores for the year, together with any match play results and the best people in various divisions are selected to represent their team.
Europe is usually comprised of people from the United Kingdom, and Rest of the World is usually from the USA and South Africa although people from the Caribbean have qualified for the team previously. After last years trip to Las Vegas, Virgin Atlantic were keen for the final to be in the UK and to publicise their Manchester hub. Consequently the North West golf coast was selected as the venue with Southport & Ainsdale and Royal Birkdale the host courses.
The warm up event was held at Ghetto Golf in Liverpool which is a crazy golf course in the old Cains brewery. the first hole is played in a caravan and then various holes celebrate the art of brewing. The Rest of the World triumphed after a captains play-off to set the tone for the week,
Day one at S & A was a foursomes competition which Europe won 4-2, then the team decamped to Royal Birkdale for fourball contests which were won 3.5 to 2.5 by Europe. Although i did not make the team myself, I was fortunate to have a guest invitation and played the course before the contestants, my second visit of the year. Dinner that night was in the Art House, one of Liverpools best restaurants and after a good sleep, the teams contested 12 singles matches again at S & A. There were some mighty battles throughout the day before Europe triumphed by 14-10 and retained the Pedlar Trophy.
The final dinner was in Fazenda, an Argentine steak house again in Liverpool, and after due celebration the teams adjourned to The Cavern Club for a bit of Liverpudlian Beatles music.
So a tremendous four days of golf and high jinks and here's hoping that Virgin Atlantic appreciate the brand value this golf society has, and renews for season 17. I for one will be trying my hardest to qualify for it.
Europe is usually comprised of people from the United Kingdom, and Rest of the World is usually from the USA and South Africa although people from the Caribbean have qualified for the team previously. After last years trip to Las Vegas, Virgin Atlantic were keen for the final to be in the UK and to publicise their Manchester hub. Consequently the North West golf coast was selected as the venue with Southport & Ainsdale and Royal Birkdale the host courses.
The warm up event was held at Ghetto Golf in Liverpool which is a crazy golf course in the old Cains brewery. the first hole is played in a caravan and then various holes celebrate the art of brewing. The Rest of the World triumphed after a captains play-off to set the tone for the week,
Day one at S & A was a foursomes competition which Europe won 4-2, then the team decamped to Royal Birkdale for fourball contests which were won 3.5 to 2.5 by Europe. Although i did not make the team myself, I was fortunate to have a guest invitation and played the course before the contestants, my second visit of the year. Dinner that night was in the Art House, one of Liverpools best restaurants and after a good sleep, the teams contested 12 singles matches again at S & A. There were some mighty battles throughout the day before Europe triumphed by 14-10 and retained the Pedlar Trophy.
The final dinner was in Fazenda, an Argentine steak house again in Liverpool, and after due celebration the teams adjourned to The Cavern Club for a bit of Liverpudlian Beatles music.
So a tremendous four days of golf and high jinks and here's hoping that Virgin Atlantic appreciate the brand value this golf society has, and renews for season 17. I for one will be trying my hardest to qualify for it.
Thursday 10 October 2019
King of the Castle
So on to BMW and their tournament. It was in 2010 that I last qualified for the UK final at Turnberry, and I was unable to go to the World final as I was only an associate member of the BMW family. This timeeverybody was playing on a level playing field and the prize was a trip to Fancourt Golf Club in South Africa. Now I say level playing field but the Castle course on which we were competing was anything but. It is the newest course in the St Andrew's estate and because of the tricked up greens the locals will not play it. That leaves it to the Corporate golfers to try to find their way to a decent score. 41 points won by a 21 handicapper which is hard to swallow.
The layout of the course and the setting are first rate it is just a pity the greens have to be so difficult as to ruin the experience really.
Nick Dougherty , the Sky presenter and ex-golfer, was the guest speaker and he was very good. We stayed in the Old Course hotel and were treated as we always are by NGL and their staff. as is traditional, we had a beer or two in the Jigger pub and fish and chips in the town. All in all it was a great few days with a few new friends made.
Our travels were not finished then though. We had a very enjoyable night in Edinburgh before moving on to Gleneagles for a couple of nights to look at their shared ownership properties. Unfortunately the weather was finally against us, so I only got 12 holes of golf in on the Queens course, but SWMBO had two fantastic spa treatments and we had a very pleasant meal on the hotel in their Strathern restaurant. Everything from the bread to the cheese was plated at the table and all we covered was a very good bottle of red.
The journey home was great and I got to play at Royal Birkdale yesterday, but more about that in a subsequent missive.
The layout of the course and the setting are first rate it is just a pity the greens have to be so difficult as to ruin the experience really.
Nick Dougherty , the Sky presenter and ex-golfer, was the guest speaker and he was very good. We stayed in the Old Course hotel and were treated as we always are by NGL and their staff. as is traditional, we had a beer or two in the Jigger pub and fish and chips in the town. All in all it was a great few days with a few new friends made.
Our travels were not finished then though. We had a very enjoyable night in Edinburgh before moving on to Gleneagles for a couple of nights to look at their shared ownership properties. Unfortunately the weather was finally against us, so I only got 12 holes of golf in on the Queens course, but SWMBO had two fantastic spa treatments and we had a very pleasant meal on the hotel in their Strathern restaurant. Everything from the bread to the cheese was plated at the table and all we covered was a very good bottle of red.
The journey home was great and I got to play at Royal Birkdale yesterday, but more about that in a subsequent missive.
In the night garden
It is not often we venture into the neighbouring kingdoms of Great Britain, however, so rather fortunate golf shots in August made me eligible for the BMW International Cup UK final in St Andrew's, reputedly the home of golf. It was mostly funded by BMW but the final itself was to be contested on the greens of the Castle course just outside the town. Consequently I decided I would travel up early with SWMBO and try to get to play the Old course, an Open Championship venue.
Now I am happy to admit the course always looks pretty ordinary on the TV and would not drag me up to Scotland to play it on it's own, but as an opportunity has arisen then it was reasonable to take advantage of it. Now people who do not follow golf may not realise the mission that is involved when trying to get a tee time. Some tee times are reserved early for the residents and students of St Andrews, there are some times purchased by commercial organisations and then there are the rest! 2,3 and 4 ball applicants go into a tee time ballot and are allocated times by a random draw. There is no guarantee an application will be successful, so, for example, on the Saturday we were there the ballot was over subscribed by 103 people. That is the equivalent of 26 tee times over 4 hours. The only way for those people to get a game or for single players like me is to arrive at the tee and hope for a gap in the field or a no-show.
Now this 'arrive at the tee' bit is not as easy as it looks either! The office does not open until 07:30 in October with the first tee at 08:00. The residents and students are not obliged to fill their spare slots from the waiting queue, so the earlier you get there the more change you have of getting a slot. I arrived at 06:10 and I was number 13 in the queue. The first people had been there since mid-night, no kidding!! I was worried 13 might be unlucky but I was informed I was actually 14 as one chap had given up at 04:30 and gone back to bed.So in true style we formed a line as the office opened. We were told 21 of 33 people had got a slot yesterday so hopes raised. By 10:00 two people had found slots and the rugby was on the TV. Then, miracle, two 4 balls failed to arrive, and I was on, 11:00 tee off. I was with two Canadians and an American, we had four caddies and it was rock and roll. I played pretty well, hitting my first tee shot OK and got a par at a few holes including 15 and 16. My initial views were confirmed though that it really only had two good holes. I arrived at one of those needing a par and a bogey to score 36 points which is a level par score after handicap.
17 is the iconic road hole. In the day you drove over railway sheds to the fairway. The sheds have gone but the hotel which replaced them has kept the architecture such that you still have the same brick wall facing you.when we were on the tee the Polish navvies were dismantling the grandstands used the previous week for the Dunhill Classic. It was very distracting. So, I strolled forward and in my best Polish told them please to be quiet. They were shocked into silence as I and my three partners bashed perfect drives over the sheds to the centre of the fairway. The caddies were more impressed with my Polish that the golf though!
It is called the road hole because the green is about six feet from the road at the back of the course and is protected by a large , deep bunker. No problem for me though as I knocked the ball on and two putts gave me my third par in a row. Just 18 to go!! well, what an anticlimax that was as a twonked by ball into the Swilken Burn about ten yards in front of the tee. I did not get my bogey so ended up with 34 points and a nett score of 77. Pretty good I thought.
Would I rush to play it again? No probably not but the experience of getting onto the course, having a caddie and getting par on the road hole was something to remember and add to my great golf story play book.
Now I am happy to admit the course always looks pretty ordinary on the TV and would not drag me up to Scotland to play it on it's own, but as an opportunity has arisen then it was reasonable to take advantage of it. Now people who do not follow golf may not realise the mission that is involved when trying to get a tee time. Some tee times are reserved early for the residents and students of St Andrews, there are some times purchased by commercial organisations and then there are the rest! 2,3 and 4 ball applicants go into a tee time ballot and are allocated times by a random draw. There is no guarantee an application will be successful, so, for example, on the Saturday we were there the ballot was over subscribed by 103 people. That is the equivalent of 26 tee times over 4 hours. The only way for those people to get a game or for single players like me is to arrive at the tee and hope for a gap in the field or a no-show.
Now this 'arrive at the tee' bit is not as easy as it looks either! The office does not open until 07:30 in October with the first tee at 08:00. The residents and students are not obliged to fill their spare slots from the waiting queue, so the earlier you get there the more change you have of getting a slot. I arrived at 06:10 and I was number 13 in the queue. The first people had been there since mid-night, no kidding!! I was worried 13 might be unlucky but I was informed I was actually 14 as one chap had given up at 04:30 and gone back to bed.So in true style we formed a line as the office opened. We were told 21 of 33 people had got a slot yesterday so hopes raised. By 10:00 two people had found slots and the rugby was on the TV. Then, miracle, two 4 balls failed to arrive, and I was on, 11:00 tee off. I was with two Canadians and an American, we had four caddies and it was rock and roll. I played pretty well, hitting my first tee shot OK and got a par at a few holes including 15 and 16. My initial views were confirmed though that it really only had two good holes. I arrived at one of those needing a par and a bogey to score 36 points which is a level par score after handicap.
17 is the iconic road hole. In the day you drove over railway sheds to the fairway. The sheds have gone but the hotel which replaced them has kept the architecture such that you still have the same brick wall facing you.when we were on the tee the Polish navvies were dismantling the grandstands used the previous week for the Dunhill Classic. It was very distracting. So, I strolled forward and in my best Polish told them please to be quiet. They were shocked into silence as I and my three partners bashed perfect drives over the sheds to the centre of the fairway. The caddies were more impressed with my Polish that the golf though!
It is called the road hole because the green is about six feet from the road at the back of the course and is protected by a large , deep bunker. No problem for me though as I knocked the ball on and two putts gave me my third par in a row. Just 18 to go!! well, what an anticlimax that was as a twonked by ball into the Swilken Burn about ten yards in front of the tee. I did not get my bogey so ended up with 34 points and a nett score of 77. Pretty good I thought.
Would I rush to play it again? No probably not but the experience of getting onto the course, having a caddie and getting par on the road hole was something to remember and add to my great golf story play book.
Kingfisher
We have been hugely busy these last two weeks so some catchup blogging is in order. Our first trip was divided into two parts. SWMBO dived down to London to meet some friends and then stay over with sister Michelle, then I drove down to Swindon to pick her up and transport her on to 'off the record' Dick and Gill's new place in Nether Wallop, or one of the other Wallops!!
They have got a lovely house which is in two parts. The old cottage is thatched and a 'mind the beam' kind of place onto which is built a new home by way of an extension. This part looks down the garden to a pond and vegetable area, with mini follies scattered throughout.
The home benefits from a home automation and entertainment network which must be seen to be believed. The wiring is extreme, nothing is labelled and poor old Dick has not got a clue where to start sorting it out. Luckily the critical services work but there is a feeling that there are many more features which could be utilised.
We were there in the
company of their son John and Stuart and Delia, our good friends from
Marlow, and the boy scout in Stuart certainly came to the fore as Dick
wanted help to build a hide so that he could capture some shots of the
kingfisher which had recently come to visit the garden. It can't have
been after the fish, as the heron had probably wiped them out some
while ago. The hide was a glorious success and the little fella had no
problems posing for this shot.
The Saturday evening gave Dick and Gill an opportunity to invite some of the neighbours over for drinks as a sort of house warming event. There were some very interesting people there including a couple who lived in Teddington and were weekenders, a lady who was the ex- commercial director for Coca Cola in Atlanta and a peliphera of fishing and hunting people who enjoyed the facilities of the local River Test and surrounding grounds.The local farmer also turned up and he was clearly the centrepoint of village gossip. It was a good craic and as with village folk, they left fairly promptly allowing us to all do a bit of minesweeping later.
Gill then produced an excellent Sunday lunch and we all walked it off with a trip to Stockbridge which nestles on the Test and is very much a London prices sort of place so I am very confident Dick and Gill will be happy there
Thursday 26 September 2019
Don't just book it...
So disappointed to see the demise of Thomas Cook, a travel firm we have used on numerous occasions for holidays, flights and corporate hospitality. We have been in Mauritius when a holiday firm has gone bust and we saw first hand the stress it put their clients under, both from the point of view of their holidays being cut short, how they would get home, and the actions the hotel owner took to protect his outstanding payment schedule.
None of that is pleasant, and it was only by chance that we had not booked a pre-Christmas mega group to take the ankle biters to Lapland for a special trip. Thomas Cook were favourites to be our carrier, but we were still trying to sort out dates with the four families involved.
Instead we have booked everybody to go to Geneva to see number 1 son and family so EasyJet just got 15 return flights they might not have been expecting. Geneva is great from Liverpool as there are flights most days in the Summer with extra ones during the main skiing season.
We have a few other sorties planned with a first trip to 'off the record Dick's new abode in Middle , Little, Upper or Lower Wallop near Andover shortly then a major BMW golf event in St Andrews followed by golf and spa in Gleneagles. We will return home yearning for sunnier climes I suspect but they might have to wait until next year as our property sales process has stalled once more so funds need to be rationed.
That said, we are geared up for the mega Euro Lottery tomorrow. What would I do with €200m
None of that is pleasant, and it was only by chance that we had not booked a pre-Christmas mega group to take the ankle biters to Lapland for a special trip. Thomas Cook were favourites to be our carrier, but we were still trying to sort out dates with the four families involved.
Instead we have booked everybody to go to Geneva to see number 1 son and family so EasyJet just got 15 return flights they might not have been expecting. Geneva is great from Liverpool as there are flights most days in the Summer with extra ones during the main skiing season.
We have a few other sorties planned with a first trip to 'off the record Dick's new abode in Middle , Little, Upper or Lower Wallop near Andover shortly then a major BMW golf event in St Andrews followed by golf and spa in Gleneagles. We will return home yearning for sunnier climes I suspect but they might have to wait until next year as our property sales process has stalled once more so funds need to be rationed.
That said, we are geared up for the mega Euro Lottery tomorrow. What would I do with €200m
Thursday 12 September 2019
The Crosby Show
The beginning of September has been hectic. SWMBO returned from holiday with number 2 daughter, who then moved into her new home in Noctorum, still near to us, but a much newer house. There were all the usual last minute finance challenges which meant completion happened at near to 5pm!! Still she is in now and various tradesmen are doing jobs around me as I write this blog entry.
My weekend highlight while she was moving was to watch and engage with the USA Walker Cup golf team who practised at Wallasey on the Saturday afternoon. The conditions were tough so it was good to see the best amateur golfers struggle like members do.
I then played Bromborough badly, West Lancs pretty well and knocked it around Wallasey again on the Friday when the R & A had a guest day there. I met ex US Open champion Jerry Pate who also found the going tough.
On the Saturday and Sunday I was marshalling at the Walker Cup proper and unfortunately GB & I got well beaten. I did meet the world, including a group of ladies who I enquired as to whether they were the WAGS of the US team! It turned out it was the Captains lady and their family! Now when I say the Captain was Nathaniel Crosby, son of crooner Bing Crosby, these WAGS were golfing royalty.
I was also approached by a lady to have a photo taken with her husband. It turned out he was the nephew of Jack Rowell the ex-England rugby coach and they thought I looked like him. No change there then.
The weekend was not all golf though. On Saturday night SWMBO and I attended a concert by the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in Birkenhead Park which was great fun. On the Sunday we went again to the park to see China Crisis and the Christian's who were both very good. The concert was headlined by the Lightning Seeds who,sadly, were a bit flat and disappointing. Heyho, and all good to Wirral Council for setting it all up and running it, may there be more of the same next year.
Still things did not calm down. Tuesday saw me play Southport and Ainesdale golf course and on Wednesday my old mucker Ray Dudman turned up to play Wallasey en route home from Edinburgh. I beat him on the 18th green, just as the 5th stage of the Tour of Britain cycle race flew by the golf club.
A hectic start to September indeed.
My weekend highlight while she was moving was to watch and engage with the USA Walker Cup golf team who practised at Wallasey on the Saturday afternoon. The conditions were tough so it was good to see the best amateur golfers struggle like members do.
I then played Bromborough badly, West Lancs pretty well and knocked it around Wallasey again on the Friday when the R & A had a guest day there. I met ex US Open champion Jerry Pate who also found the going tough.
On the Saturday and Sunday I was marshalling at the Walker Cup proper and unfortunately GB & I got well beaten. I did meet the world, including a group of ladies who I enquired as to whether they were the WAGS of the US team! It turned out it was the Captains lady and their family! Now when I say the Captain was Nathaniel Crosby, son of crooner Bing Crosby, these WAGS were golfing royalty.
I was also approached by a lady to have a photo taken with her husband. It turned out he was the nephew of Jack Rowell the ex-England rugby coach and they thought I looked like him. No change there then.
The weekend was not all golf though. On Saturday night SWMBO and I attended a concert by the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in Birkenhead Park which was great fun. On the Sunday we went again to the park to see China Crisis and the Christian's who were both very good. The concert was headlined by the Lightning Seeds who,sadly, were a bit flat and disappointing. Heyho, and all good to Wirral Council for setting it all up and running it, may there be more of the same next year.
Still things did not calm down. Tuesday saw me play Southport and Ainesdale golf course and on Wednesday my old mucker Ray Dudman turned up to play Wallasey en route home from Edinburgh. I beat him on the 18th green, just as the 5th stage of the Tour of Britain cycle race flew by the golf club.
A hectic start to September indeed.
Monday 26 August 2019
One down
So a Bank Holiday full of sporting activities comes to an end. Rory McIlroy won a cool $15m for winning the Fed Ex golf championship in Atlanta, Ben Stokes re-ignited the Ashes cricket with an unbelievable rear guard action in the test match at Headingley and Newcastle United parked the bus and snatched three points from Tottenham yesterday in a game I suspect Match of the Day struggled to find any highlights.
So guess which one I went to? Yes , with SWMBO playing Shirley Valentine in Greece, I thought I would just pop down to London and explore the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium for the day. The train down was fine, and then came the 35 minute slog from Seven Sisters tube station in 34 degree heat, a walk I have done many times in the past but not for a few years. I got to the stadium praying I would have a seat in the shade. Luck was going my way as, yes I did, on the fifth tier of the North stand. Looking around at the amazing auditorium it was clear they had reserved the sunny seats for the Georgie boys so they could get their kit off and fry. I bet there were some very sore bellies this morning.
The game was so dull that the lady sitting next to me left at half time, and her husband did the Express crossword through out the second half. I left early to ensure the walk back to the tube was not rushed as was the case.
The new stadium is huge. There are bag checks and security checks everywhere, and even when it was as hot as yesterday you could not take water bottles inside. The bars and food stalls were doing a roaring trade, and the sensible thing if you are local is to wait around afterwards , have a few beers and then head home. White Hart Lane station has been completely refurbished with Club money but I am unsure whether there are extra trains to get people away form the ground quicker.
The Club were sensible enough to have the cricket on the TV screens which made for a very different match day experience than would normally be the case, but I was delighted to watch the highlights again when I got home. I was disappointed with Virgin rains that the first class lounge now charges for alcohol. This I was informed is due to too many people getting drunk for free before their train leaves. Never mind that its all free on the train anyway!! So I had a pint of Pride in the pub next door. If you are going to pay may as well have something you like.
On Saturday I played golf at 07:15, a time I was unaware was part of Saturday morning!! I was pleased how I played, and there were three 1's in our group. I got an 11 at hole 13 and one of my partners got a hole in 1 at the 5th. Drinks all round!!
Today I played again and was 5 under par after 6 holes, slipped to 4 under after 10 and finished 2 over, very much a nearly round, hey ho! Tomorrow is a day of rest which will probably involve cosmetic cleaning and ironing just to show willing, before the golf starts all over again, weather permitting.
So guess which one I went to? Yes , with SWMBO playing Shirley Valentine in Greece, I thought I would just pop down to London and explore the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium for the day. The train down was fine, and then came the 35 minute slog from Seven Sisters tube station in 34 degree heat, a walk I have done many times in the past but not for a few years. I got to the stadium praying I would have a seat in the shade. Luck was going my way as, yes I did, on the fifth tier of the North stand. Looking around at the amazing auditorium it was clear they had reserved the sunny seats for the Georgie boys so they could get their kit off and fry. I bet there were some very sore bellies this morning.
The game was so dull that the lady sitting next to me left at half time, and her husband did the Express crossword through out the second half. I left early to ensure the walk back to the tube was not rushed as was the case.
The new stadium is huge. There are bag checks and security checks everywhere, and even when it was as hot as yesterday you could not take water bottles inside. The bars and food stalls were doing a roaring trade, and the sensible thing if you are local is to wait around afterwards , have a few beers and then head home. White Hart Lane station has been completely refurbished with Club money but I am unsure whether there are extra trains to get people away form the ground quicker.
The Club were sensible enough to have the cricket on the TV screens which made for a very different match day experience than would normally be the case, but I was delighted to watch the highlights again when I got home. I was disappointed with Virgin rains that the first class lounge now charges for alcohol. This I was informed is due to too many people getting drunk for free before their train leaves. Never mind that its all free on the train anyway!! So I had a pint of Pride in the pub next door. If you are going to pay may as well have something you like.
On Saturday I played golf at 07:15, a time I was unaware was part of Saturday morning!! I was pleased how I played, and there were three 1's in our group. I got an 11 at hole 13 and one of my partners got a hole in 1 at the 5th. Drinks all round!!
Today I played again and was 5 under par after 6 holes, slipped to 4 under after 10 and finished 2 over, very much a nearly round, hey ho! Tomorrow is a day of rest which will probably involve cosmetic cleaning and ironing just to show willing, before the golf starts all over again, weather permitting.
Friday 16 August 2019
Deja Vous all over again
We are on the train back to Liverpool, following our annual trip to London for the Lord's test match. This year is an Ashes year but our hopes of seeing Jofra Archer throw a few down at the Aussies were dashed once again by the weather.
This is the second year running that we have had a complete washout following a similar experience when India were the visitors.
We adjourn to Crickets on such occasions, although it is disappointing that they have removed Fullers London Pride in favour of some pale imitation of an IPA. We did our usual trick of purchasing an umbrella from one of the numerous charity shops in St John's Wood high street, and SWMBO and I both purchase some clobber so not a totally wasted day.
After an early dinner the night before at The Duke of Sussex in Waterloo, we went to see 'The Bank Robbery That Went Wrong' at the Criterian Theatre. It had some very clever and amusing moments interspersed with periods of dullness, but that is farce for you.
Yesterday we met Cousin Mike and Val at the Ivy Cafe in Richmond which very pleasant. Marion joined us for a drink later before we deferred once more to Waterloo for night cap.
So all in all a good three days, and the refunded entry fees should cover all the r & r!!
This is the second year running that we have had a complete washout following a similar experience when India were the visitors.
We adjourn to Crickets on such occasions, although it is disappointing that they have removed Fullers London Pride in favour of some pale imitation of an IPA. We did our usual trick of purchasing an umbrella from one of the numerous charity shops in St John's Wood high street, and SWMBO and I both purchase some clobber so not a totally wasted day.
After an early dinner the night before at The Duke of Sussex in Waterloo, we went to see 'The Bank Robbery That Went Wrong' at the Criterian Theatre. It had some very clever and amusing moments interspersed with periods of dullness, but that is farce for you.
Yesterday we met Cousin Mike and Val at the Ivy Cafe in Richmond which very pleasant. Marion joined us for a drink later before we deferred once more to Waterloo for night cap.
So all in all a good three days, and the refunded entry fees should cover all the r & r!!
Monday 29 July 2019
Cool man, said Dylan
A lot of comment in the media at the moment about the legalisation of cannabis has also pushed the legal aspect of the drug to the forefront of many peoples thinking. The likelihood of cannabis plants being grown legally in everybodys loft or garage is unlikely to happen shortly, but members of a Government task force who have just returned from Canada are optimistic that the same process the Canadians use could e copied successfully here.
One of the current challenges is how to decide what is legal and what is not, Customs officers appear to confiscate some supplies of CBT Oil which parents in particular are bringing into the Country to try to treat afflictions like seizures in their young children. At the same time International rugby players George Kruis and Dominic Day have launched a Company selling the oil to fellow athletes for remedial and recovery purposes which seems all above board.
Small amounts of CBD Oil can be obtained fairly easily by mail order. Our oldest has an interest in a Swiss company which exports to the UK. You can check it out here. I have used it for some time to ensure my PSA readings are maintained in the safe zone as far as any prostate cancer traces are concerned. So far so good.
So it all seems to be confused and unco-ordinated at the moment, but if you need to try any out yourself give Kannaroyale a go at the link above
One of the current challenges is how to decide what is legal and what is not, Customs officers appear to confiscate some supplies of CBT Oil which parents in particular are bringing into the Country to try to treat afflictions like seizures in their young children. At the same time International rugby players George Kruis and Dominic Day have launched a Company selling the oil to fellow athletes for remedial and recovery purposes which seems all above board.
Small amounts of CBD Oil can be obtained fairly easily by mail order. Our oldest has an interest in a Swiss company which exports to the UK. You can check it out here. I have used it for some time to ensure my PSA readings are maintained in the safe zone as far as any prostate cancer traces are concerned. So far so good.
So it all seems to be confused and unco-ordinated at the moment, but if you need to try any out yourself give Kannaroyale a go at the link above
Sunday 28 July 2019
Pocket Style
As I continue to fight the case for Boris as PM up here in Scouseland, with, I admit, limited success, I am delighted that one of his cohorts, Jacob Rees-Mogg has struck a blow for the reinstatement of the Queens English by issuing a style guide for his newly allocated government office.
Regular readers of this blog, most notably 'Off the Record Dick' and my late departed mate Figs,will be surprised and fascinated to learn that I developed one such style guide for the members of the IBM consulting and professional services organisation in the early 90's. The Company was just branching out into the consulting arena and it was considered important to ensure our reports and the presentation material surrounding them were of a consistent format, hence the need for some grammatical guidelines. I must admit to lax usage of the apostrophe and comma, however it is very interesting to look back at some of the guidelines presented at that time. Here are a couple:
Issue: Avoid using the word issue unless referring to a paper or journal. Use problem or concern instead.
Simplistic: Use simple-minded or naive, or simple if that is what you mean
Verbs: Do not use nouns as verbs; for example, 'IBM solutioned the problem'
One of the great sources of style was produced by The Economist for its journalistic staff. It is interesting that Boris himself was the editor-in-chief for this organ for many years!!
This guide was later published and sits on my bookcase along with 'The Complete Plain Words' , 'Big Elephants Are Useful', a compendium of mnemonics and idioms and 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves' a modern punctuation bible.
Can any or all of them solve the greatest grammatical challenge regarding what people from Argentina are called? Answer, from The Economist is that they are Argentines not Argentinian. Phew! glad we cleared that up.
Regular readers of this blog, most notably 'Off the Record Dick' and my late departed mate Figs,will be surprised and fascinated to learn that I developed one such style guide for the members of the IBM consulting and professional services organisation in the early 90's. The Company was just branching out into the consulting arena and it was considered important to ensure our reports and the presentation material surrounding them were of a consistent format, hence the need for some grammatical guidelines. I must admit to lax usage of the apostrophe and comma, however it is very interesting to look back at some of the guidelines presented at that time. Here are a couple:
Issue: Avoid using the word issue unless referring to a paper or journal. Use problem or concern instead.
Simplistic: Use simple-minded or naive, or simple if that is what you mean
Verbs: Do not use nouns as verbs; for example, 'IBM solutioned the problem'
One of the great sources of style was produced by The Economist for its journalistic staff. It is interesting that Boris himself was the editor-in-chief for this organ for many years!!
This guide was later published and sits on my bookcase along with 'The Complete Plain Words' , 'Big Elephants Are Useful', a compendium of mnemonics and idioms and 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves' a modern punctuation bible.
Can any or all of them solve the greatest grammatical challenge regarding what people from Argentina are called? Answer, from The Economist is that they are Argentines not Argentinian. Phew! glad we cleared that up.
Saturday 27 July 2019
George Stephenson
I have had a very difficult year of golf so far. I have had some niggly injuries, some runs of bad luck and an inconsistent swing which is so frustrating as to make me almost give the game up for a while. That last emotion has, however, been balanced by my ability to find some form in a few team competitions.
I have been fortunate to come second in the Wallasey Invitational event and win some money, John Porter, a major player when New Brighton were a formidable rugby team, and I came second in the Old Padeswood senior open where we won money and golf balls, and my team ,"Shoeless Joe's", managed to win the Wallasey4Wirral charity golf day where we won £100 each,together with wine and meal vouchers in the raffle. A very well done to Neil Bennett and his son who continue to run an excellent day and raised over £6000 for various cancer related charities
All of the above were very welcome, but none so much as the round which allowed me to qualify for the BMW Golf Cup International UK final to be played on the Castle course at St Andrews. I played in the BMW owners golf events for many years until BMW pulled the plug on them, and this is the second year I have been able to try to qualify for the finals as an independent. I had it won with four holes to play at Woburn last year but grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory. This year at Hillside I was able to keep my composure and finish in second place. That gets me an all inclusive stay at the Old Course Hotel for a long weekend, and I will hope to get a chance to play the Old Course while I am up there.
The only down side is that it clashes with the Twickenham Rugby weekend away which this year includes three rounds at Minehead GC and three nights at a tribute band extravaganza at Butlins!! Another year perhaps!
So why the heading for this particular post? Well, when I first joined Wallasey GC as a soft Southerner who knew nobody, George took me under his wing, and week on week we have played together every Saturday for nearly ten years. George extended similar comradeship to Peter Ellerington and Phil Gedman. George is now 86 and only two weeks ago went round the golf course in 82 shots. To beat your age is a target every golfer aims for. The pro golfers look to do it in their early 60's, good amateurs in their 70's and people like me hope to live until the y are 90 and are still playing golf!!
As a thankyou and a late 85th birthday present, we took George this week to play at Royal Birkdale, rated as the top course in England. It did not disappoint. The welcome was first class and the course was laid out in excellent condition. We played variable golf, but George was so focused that he and I managed to beat Phil and Peter after I had put us into an early lead and they had pegged us back on the back nine. SO, whenever I go through the emotions outlined at the beginning of the article, I just think of George and his single mindedness, never mind that he is giving me 20 years and three shots. He is a legend and I value him as a friend, long may we share the fairways.
I have been fortunate to come second in the Wallasey Invitational event and win some money, John Porter, a major player when New Brighton were a formidable rugby team, and I came second in the Old Padeswood senior open where we won money and golf balls, and my team ,"Shoeless Joe's", managed to win the Wallasey4Wirral charity golf day where we won £100 each,together with wine and meal vouchers in the raffle. A very well done to Neil Bennett and his son who continue to run an excellent day and raised over £6000 for various cancer related charities
All of the above were very welcome, but none so much as the round which allowed me to qualify for the BMW Golf Cup International UK final to be played on the Castle course at St Andrews. I played in the BMW owners golf events for many years until BMW pulled the plug on them, and this is the second year I have been able to try to qualify for the finals as an independent. I had it won with four holes to play at Woburn last year but grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory. This year at Hillside I was able to keep my composure and finish in second place. That gets me an all inclusive stay at the Old Course Hotel for a long weekend, and I will hope to get a chance to play the Old Course while I am up there.
The only down side is that it clashes with the Twickenham Rugby weekend away which this year includes three rounds at Minehead GC and three nights at a tribute band extravaganza at Butlins!! Another year perhaps!
So why the heading for this particular post? Well, when I first joined Wallasey GC as a soft Southerner who knew nobody, George took me under his wing, and week on week we have played together every Saturday for nearly ten years. George extended similar comradeship to Peter Ellerington and Phil Gedman. George is now 86 and only two weeks ago went round the golf course in 82 shots. To beat your age is a target every golfer aims for. The pro golfers look to do it in their early 60's, good amateurs in their 70's and people like me hope to live until the y are 90 and are still playing golf!!
As a thankyou and a late 85th birthday present, we took George this week to play at Royal Birkdale, rated as the top course in England. It did not disappoint. The welcome was first class and the course was laid out in excellent condition. We played variable golf, but George was so focused that he and I managed to beat Phil and Peter after I had put us into an early lead and they had pegged us back on the back nine. SO, whenever I go through the emotions outlined at the beginning of the article, I just think of George and his single mindedness, never mind that he is giving me 20 years and three shots. He is a legend and I value him as a friend, long may we share the fairways.
Sunday 21 July 2019
Water babies
SWMBO and I have just returned from Geneva where we visited number one son, his partner and our two overseas grandchildren. We took number one grand daughter,Ava, with us, and nearly came back without her!!
More on that later. We were royally looked after in the food and drink department, and reciprocated with a few meals out. Tim has recently lost his job which is making things a bit tough financially, although he is around to look after the children during their Summer holidays. Hopefully he will get something sorted come September time.
As the driver and ideas man, he enabled the children to swim each day we were there, once at a large sports complex with multiple pools and slides, once on lake Geneva and today in a tributary of the river Rhone.That last one was a bit taiters though.
We had lunch in a local pizzeria before we left and Ava ate most of her pizza by hand. When she went through the security scanner at the airport it picked up suspicious substances on her which led to suitcase searches and other checks which quite upset her. Clearly she has had an airport incident previously to sow a certain nervousness about security checks in her mind. I wonder what it was though?
We were also asked in Geneva and Liverpool to produce backup information about our relationship as she is a Harris and SWMBO is a Collins. Mum is a Smith but had given us an indemnity letter which did the trick both times.
Sofia and Alexander are both into skate boarding now so Ava had a go at that which should bode well for snowboarding in the Winter.
Keep that casualty bed free!
More on that later. We were royally looked after in the food and drink department, and reciprocated with a few meals out. Tim has recently lost his job which is making things a bit tough financially, although he is around to look after the children during their Summer holidays. Hopefully he will get something sorted come September time.
As the driver and ideas man, he enabled the children to swim each day we were there, once at a large sports complex with multiple pools and slides, once on lake Geneva and today in a tributary of the river Rhone.That last one was a bit taiters though.
We had lunch in a local pizzeria before we left and Ava ate most of her pizza by hand. When she went through the security scanner at the airport it picked up suspicious substances on her which led to suitcase searches and other checks which quite upset her. Clearly she has had an airport incident previously to sow a certain nervousness about security checks in her mind. I wonder what it was though?
We were also asked in Geneva and Liverpool to produce backup information about our relationship as she is a Harris and SWMBO is a Collins. Mum is a Smith but had given us an indemnity letter which did the trick both times.
Sofia and Alexander are both into skate boarding now so Ava had a go at that which should bode well for snowboarding in the Winter.
Keep that casualty bed free!
Wednesday 19 June 2019
Ulster
I am in the North of the Irish Republic This week playing in and around Rosapenna. Rosapenna is in Donegal and it is a little known fact that not only does Ulster embrace the counties of Northern Ireland but also those of the North of the South. So Donegal is in Ulster and Eire
The golf this week has been tough, with nobody so far playing to their handicap. I think I am third going into the final day, but first and second are comfortably ahead of me, with pack closing in behind.
Donegal is quite rugged and sparsely populated. We went to the Singing Pub last night but luckily did not have sing for our supper. Tonight we are going to The Old Glen in Glen and if its as good as last night it should be great.
I do feel for the youngsters who seem to have limited opportunities for work and recreation, but it is clearly not new to be in that environment and people find a way, be it in the leisure industry, fishing or retail. They all seem happy and friendly and that's the main thing. fáilte agus fáilte roimh chách
The golf this week has been tough, with nobody so far playing to their handicap. I think I am third going into the final day, but first and second are comfortably ahead of me, with pack closing in behind.
Donegal is quite rugged and sparsely populated. We went to the Singing Pub last night but luckily did not have sing for our supper. Tonight we are going to The Old Glen in Glen and if its as good as last night it should be great.
I do feel for the youngsters who seem to have limited opportunities for work and recreation, but it is clearly not new to be in that environment and people find a way, be it in the leisure industry, fishing or retail. They all seem happy and friendly and that's the main thing. fáilte agus fáilte roimh chách
Tuesday 4 June 2019
That rings a bell
New month, new post, and it's not as if much happened during May? Further developments after my little challenge in Barbados mean that I have detached the gel sack from the back of my eye socket. In practical terms that means I will have 'floaters' which my brain will eventually allow me to adjust to. The good news though is that I will not get a detached retina in that eye as the potential pressure has been relieved by the tear.
SWMBO and I paid a visit to Hillside Golf Club when they hosted the British Masters golf tournament. There were not too many top players in the field so we decided to go to the pro-am day. It was chucking down so we only stayed a couple of hours, but it was long enough to see a very jaded Robbie Fowler stuff a few into the undergrowth. Liverpool had beaten Barcelona the night before, so drink had definitely been taken. In contrast Kenny Dalgleish sunk a birdie putt on the 4th as it Alan Shearer. Stuart Broad sliced one into the grandstand at the 18th and that signalled to us it was time to go.
The following weekend, 'Off the record' Dick and his wife Gill came up for a couple of days to do the Oxton Secret Gardens festival with us. This is the traditional time of year when home owners throw open their gardens for people like us to nose around. It was a baking day and they must have made a goodly sum for the nominated charities. I do hope Dick and Gill enjoyed the trip. It is a fair old poke from their new home in Middle Wallop, or is it Nether Wallop? We were very pleased to see them.
Then last week we went to see Bill Bailey in concert at the newly named M & S Bank Arena in Liverpool. I suspect this arena will always be known as the Echo Arena, in the same way the one day cricket competition is still known as the Nat West trophy amongst the diehards, and the Santander bicycle system in London will always be referred to as 'Boris Bikes'. Whether that will change when he becomes Prime Minister is anybodies guess.
So back to Bill. There is so much talent bestowed on one man, it is criminal. His impersonation of Teresa May was brilliant, and his musical talent is so wide and diverse that every school child should be made to watch a video of him. We had a great time. This great time was then enhanced with a few hours in the flesh pots of Liverpool with number 2 daughter so that we got back home after 1am a little worst for wear.
Finally we had that greatly boring event which was the European Cup final. Nobody will remember it in Liverpool than anything other than a hugely one sided massacre of a poor team for London. Truth be told, UEFA go the final they deserved after making the teams wait three weeks to play it, it was like a pre-season friendly. Was it a penalty? In Europe possibly, in England, never, but the VAR boys were not going to throw their referee mate under the bus in the first minute. still it's water under the bridge, and we can now look forward to the start of the cricket season. Oh, hang on, that started six weeks ago!! I am sure footie used to be September to April and Cricket was May to August, when did the calendar change?
SWMBO and I paid a visit to Hillside Golf Club when they hosted the British Masters golf tournament. There were not too many top players in the field so we decided to go to the pro-am day. It was chucking down so we only stayed a couple of hours, but it was long enough to see a very jaded Robbie Fowler stuff a few into the undergrowth. Liverpool had beaten Barcelona the night before, so drink had definitely been taken. In contrast Kenny Dalgleish sunk a birdie putt on the 4th as it Alan Shearer. Stuart Broad sliced one into the grandstand at the 18th and that signalled to us it was time to go.
The following weekend, 'Off the record' Dick and his wife Gill came up for a couple of days to do the Oxton Secret Gardens festival with us. This is the traditional time of year when home owners throw open their gardens for people like us to nose around. It was a baking day and they must have made a goodly sum for the nominated charities. I do hope Dick and Gill enjoyed the trip. It is a fair old poke from their new home in Middle Wallop, or is it Nether Wallop? We were very pleased to see them.
Then last week we went to see Bill Bailey in concert at the newly named M & S Bank Arena in Liverpool. I suspect this arena will always be known as the Echo Arena, in the same way the one day cricket competition is still known as the Nat West trophy amongst the diehards, and the Santander bicycle system in London will always be referred to as 'Boris Bikes'. Whether that will change when he becomes Prime Minister is anybodies guess.
So back to Bill. There is so much talent bestowed on one man, it is criminal. His impersonation of Teresa May was brilliant, and his musical talent is so wide and diverse that every school child should be made to watch a video of him. We had a great time. This great time was then enhanced with a few hours in the flesh pots of Liverpool with number 2 daughter so that we got back home after 1am a little worst for wear.
Finally we had that greatly boring event which was the European Cup final. Nobody will remember it in Liverpool than anything other than a hugely one sided massacre of a poor team for London. Truth be told, UEFA go the final they deserved after making the teams wait three weeks to play it, it was like a pre-season friendly. Was it a penalty? In Europe possibly, in England, never, but the VAR boys were not going to throw their referee mate under the bus in the first minute. still it's water under the bridge, and we can now look forward to the start of the cricket season. Oh, hang on, that started six weeks ago!! I am sure footie used to be September to April and Cricket was May to August, when did the calendar change?
Monday 6 May 2019
The Glums
Final leg of our holiday is focused on the local airport here in Barbados as our flight is delayed at least two hours. This due to aircraft being grounded in Orlando due to adverse weather conditions. My mate Steve is there at the moment and has posted pictures showing how bad the weather is.
The plane has now landed so we should be boarding soon and I am sure they will be looking to make up some time in the flight.
The last two days have been unfortunate. Yesterday it pissed down all day, making it a very disappointing time for the wedding party who had so looked forward to their ceremony on the beach. We watched proceedings from our balcony together with an Argyle relegation and a Spurs defeat which could have put their Champions League place for next year on the line. Luckily today Man Utd and Arsenal were more Spursy than Spurs, so barring the unthinkable Spurs will qualify safely.
We popped out between showers for an average Italian last night and awoke refreshed today for our last few hours in the hotel. It's called The Accra Beach but Les Miserables would be a more suitable name. We have never stayed anywhere where the staff are so surly. Hey how, we had a few hours on the beach, a hearty lunch and now we have exhausted the airport lounge drinks trolley, so its time to board the big metal bird and head home. Time to book the next trip!
The plane has now landed so we should be boarding soon and I am sure they will be looking to make up some time in the flight.
The last two days have been unfortunate. Yesterday it pissed down all day, making it a very disappointing time for the wedding party who had so looked forward to their ceremony on the beach. We watched proceedings from our balcony together with an Argyle relegation and a Spurs defeat which could have put their Champions League place for next year on the line. Luckily today Man Utd and Arsenal were more Spursy than Spurs, so barring the unthinkable Spurs will qualify safely.
We popped out between showers for an average Italian last night and awoke refreshed today for our last few hours in the hotel. It's called The Accra Beach but Les Miserables would be a more suitable name. We have never stayed anywhere where the staff are so surly. Hey how, we had a few hours on the beach, a hearty lunch and now we have exhausted the airport lounge drinks trolley, so its time to board the big metal bird and head home. Time to book the next trip!
Thursday 2 May 2019
Surfin' USA
Our holidays are never dull. Last night SWMBO chum Donna and her son Connor, arrived semi-unexpectedly, on their way to visit oldest son Tristan, who we had missed last week in Dominica. Connor has just finished his first season with Rotherham RFC in the National leagues so has earned a break. So that gives us different plans for the next three days. Could be a long night in the Gap!!
This morning SWMBO goes swimming in rough seas in her sunglasses. Take them off I shout. I'll be fine she said. Two waves later they fly off. What do they say about never rescuing a dog from a river? In I go to help find them, misjudged a breaking wave big style and end up with a stinger and whiplash. Ouch!
Now confined to sun bed for rest of day. Dancing in Gap may resemble Peter Crouch robotics moves. Dad dancing at its best!!
Otherwise all good, with Shakers food shack on the menu tonight, but first a visit to the Coconut Court beach bar. Lucky I am not in the golf tournament this week.
This morning SWMBO goes swimming in rough seas in her sunglasses. Take them off I shout. I'll be fine she said. Two waves later they fly off. What do they say about never rescuing a dog from a river? In I go to help find them, misjudged a breaking wave big style and end up with a stinger and whiplash. Ouch!
Now confined to sun bed for rest of day. Dancing in Gap may resemble Peter Crouch robotics moves. Dad dancing at its best!!
Otherwise all good, with Shakers food shack on the menu tonight, but first a visit to the Coconut Court beach bar. Lucky I am not in the golf tournament this week.
Wednesday 1 May 2019
Crispy seaweed
Barbados has had a few changes since we were here last year. They have a lady as prime minister who the locals think is making a difference although the roads have not had too many repairs so far. It seem that all the taxis and boogie buses are new or have had a make over. They are all shiney white now and don't show signs of crash damage. The journey fee has gone up from $2 bds to $3.5 though. Oh yes, and the Coconut Court beach bar has had a makeover.
Some things remain the same. We had no winners again at the races, and have visited a few favourite restaurants again. It has rained, it's sunny and blowing a bit. That has all contributed to an increasingly tricky seaweed problem on the South coast. For all their efforts to clear it in the morning it is always back the next day. By choking the oxygen it is forcing the sea life elsewhere which is a pity.
Still it remains a good place to chill for a few days and this year it will be golf free as the Sir Gary Sobers tournament has dropped Apes Hill. Three three remaining courses do not really merit the entry fee. Hey ho I have done it twice so time to look for something new.
Some things remain the same. We had no winners again at the races, and have visited a few favourite restaurants again. It has rained, it's sunny and blowing a bit. That has all contributed to an increasingly tricky seaweed problem on the South coast. For all their efforts to clear it in the morning it is always back the next day. By choking the oxygen it is forcing the sea life elsewhere which is a pity.
Still it remains a good place to chill for a few days and this year it will be golf free as the Sir Gary Sobers tournament has dropped Apes Hill. Three three remaining courses do not really merit the entry fee. Hey ho I have done it twice so time to look for something new.
Tuesday 30 April 2019
Lazy day
Our final port of call is St Lucia. Now without being big headed, we have sailed out of Castries, done the helicopter, done the airports, the catamaran trips and the booze cruise. We have played golf, done snorkelling trips to the Pitons and seen turtles do their thing at 3am. Each adventure will be in the blog history too.
So probably best to stay on the ship and get squiffy. We tried, but I think all the booze is low alcohol, so off to bed to look forward to our week in Barbados.
We have both decided we prefer dry land holidays to cruising but we have done pretty well all of the Caribbean now, so time to search for new challenges.
So probably best to stay on the ship and get squiffy. We tried, but I think all the booze is low alcohol, so off to bed to look forward to our week in Barbados.
We have both decided we prefer dry land holidays to cruising but we have done pretty well all of the Caribbean now, so time to search for new challenges.
Saturday 27 April 2019
Death in Paradise
A wet and wild storm treated our arrival in Guadeloupe and following similarities in Martinique I am beginning to think it's a French kind of welcome to the Roast Beef!
It did, however, make for the most disappointing day so far. We had planned to visit the film sets of the Death in Paradise television series, but an hour plus each way would not have left us much time to wander round once the rain had stopped.
The exterior of the police station is the village museum, and the interior is set up in a local church hall. The featured market and beach side accommodation are both pop-up so there would have been no guarantee they would have been there. it would have been good to have a beer in Catherine's bar though and visit The new location at the zoo. Can't see us returning so an opportunity missed really...merde il pleu.
It did, however, make for the most disappointing day so far. We had planned to visit the film sets of the Death in Paradise television series, but an hour plus each way would not have left us much time to wander round once the rain had stopped.
The exterior of the police station is the village museum, and the interior is set up in a local church hall. The featured market and beach side accommodation are both pop-up so there would have been no guarantee they would have been there. it would have been good to have a beer in Catherine's bar though and visit The new location at the zoo. Can't see us returning so an opportunity missed really...merde il pleu.
Champagne moment
No cricket involved in this one, but more snorkelling as we are today in Dominica. As I mentioned, we had hoped to catch up with Tristan Dever who is out here helping to repair hurricane damage. That had to take priority so we took a taxi ride out to the beach. It is called Champagne Bay and again is a recommended snorkelling beach. I found it hard going again and saw a few fish, SWMBO was able to go out further and experience the bubbles which permeate the earth crust under the sea, so making it feel like you are swimming in champagne.
Our journey back allowed us to see the extent of the hurricane damage. The government building, the library and the catholic cathedral all still have all or parts of their roof missing. Many residential and commercial properties still have tarpolines as weather protection, and roads are in a sorry state.
Any international aid seems to have disappeared into the wrong pockets, and the residents are having to fund the repairs themselves. Our cruise ship is the last to visit this season so the economy will have little revenue now until October, so living will continue to be tough.
On our return to the ship, we visited the heritage museum. Here the path of the island was followed firstly with the indigenous Carib indians, then their battles with Columbus and other explorers and pirates. The Indians were wipped out in the flatter less densely vegitated islands but survived on Dominica and with the passing of the slave trade they were granted reservation rights on the East coast which they continue to utilise.
The town centre still has the slavery sales stands and execution areas and a memorial to the first running water facility on the island. This was abandoned ,however, after one particularly large scale and bloody execution as the locals thought the fountain contaminated by the blood of the victims.
Later the island became a fierce battleground when the French and English fought over it. France wanted control of the three islands, Guadeloupe, Dominica and Martinique, whereas England wanted Dominica to provide a barrier to French domination of the area.
Tomorrow we visit Guadeloupe to see how the French influence survives after all the conflicts.
Flying fish finger sandwich
The disappointment of the snorkelling trip was compensated somewhat by the wonderful display of the flying fish as our ship left port. Some of them could go 100 yards or more using their fins and gills like wings. For many though that was still not enough to evade the terns, Gannett and cormorants who knew where to be when the fish ran out of puff.
My cunning plan to do a bit of tethering using my mobile phone did not appear as clever as I had hoped so I think I will have a fairly large bill for telecoms when I get back.
Anyway, today is Martinique, part of the French West Indies. The town is dominated by its public park, in which stands a statue of Napoleans wife, Josephine, minus her head. This act of vandalism has not been repaired so has become a statue to the status quo instead.
Opposite the park are two outstanding buildings, the public library and the catholic church. The library is named after Victor Schoeler, who was instrumental in stopping the local French managed slave trade. His statue has a hand missing so there seems to be a trend here. The building was constructed by Mr Eiffel, of the tower fame, in Paris at the same time. It was gifted to Martinique and moved piece by piece to its current location. To tune in with the library's history, the church has a spire which resembles the Eiffel Tower itself.
Chucked down with rain while we were here, so no beach trips. We did stay up for the midnight buffet though and joined a shared table for dinner which was all very pleasant.
Our plans to meet Tristan Dever in Dominica tomorrow have fallen through so we will see what the island has to offer and how it is coping with the rebuilding work after it was devastated by a hurricane in 2017. Tristan is here to help with the rebuilding programme.
Tuesday 23 April 2019
Indian signs
Second day of our trip finds up on St Vincent. It's not a big island and the docking terminal has very few facilities so we head off to a snorkelling beach called Indian Bay. Unfortunately the fish appeared to take the day off so I saw very few. SWMBO teamed up with a stronger swimmer and they found some coral and a few fish further out, but after an hour or so we headed back to our cruise liner.
The reggae bus trips were exciting to say the least but we made it back in one piece. SWMBO is on a hammock on the balcony as I pen this.
Last night at sea was dress to impress. I thought my matching sky blue trousers and bow tie were spot but SWMBO thought my red deck shoes made me look like a clown. Hey ho!
Technology seems to be working and my mobile plans gives me unlimited data for a fiver per 24 hours. I have set up a Wi-Fi hot spot via my phone which seems to work fine. I just hope there is no hidden bill when I get home.
Probably hit the cabernet tonight and maybe the casino. Will report in tomorrow and let you know.
The reggae bus trips were exciting to say the least but we made it back in one piece. SWMBO is on a hammock on the balcony as I pen this.
Last night at sea was dress to impress. I thought my matching sky blue trousers and bow tie were spot but SWMBO thought my red deck shoes made me look like a clown. Hey ho!
Technology seems to be working and my mobile plans gives me unlimited data for a fiver per 24 hours. I have set up a Wi-Fi hot spot via my phone which seems to work fine. I just hope there is no hidden bill when I get home.
Probably hit the cabernet tonight and maybe the casino. Will report in tomorrow and let you know.
Spice of Life
After the sadness of the early part of the year, we are starting to get back to normal, and what better way than to revisit the Carribean. We have booked a few days cruise followed by a week in Barbados.
There is no golf involved this time round which is no bad thing as my swing is awful at the moment. so its a good time to clense body and soul. The Sir Gary Sobers is on next week but they have dropped Apes Hill so the festival is not as appealing as it has been.
So we flew out yesterday with Tui. There were some last minute seat problems so we got upgraded to Premium. There were huge benefits we did not appreciate. Fast track check-in and priority security clearance gave us ample opportunity to visit the free airport lounge. When we landed we were first off the plane, taken straight to a coach and bused directly to the cruise ship. No queuing here either so we were on board less than an hour after landing. Looks like Premium might be the way to go!
We are now on Grand Anse beach courtesy of the reggae bus, the chaos of first morning breakfast forgotten, and the dress to impress night is in front of us.
With that thought in mind I am off for a dip.
Monday 25 February 2019
Another one bites the dust
While the passing of my mother signified the end of an era, news reached us today that Shell are looking to offload their conference centre and members club at The Lensbury in Teddington.
This facility has been like a second London home to me and my friends and family for nigh on 35 years and it would be the end of another era if it where to be passed over to a faceless hotel chain or fitness club. It is an interesting combination of facilities. There are conference rooms, hotel rooms, treatment rooms and dining rooms as well as a health club, spa and numerous children oriented spaces.
There are two rugby pitches, a dozen tennis courts, squash courts and sailing facilities as well as a serious weights room, a gym and two swimming pools. It does not fit easily into any organisations portfolio so one can see why Shell are looking to offload it.
We have used it as our base for rugby weekends ever since we sold Silver Crescent, and even before that we would always take the children whenever we could. It was 50p per day per child, and we are still only paying £20 a month for membership.
I await developments with interest but fear the worst for this little home from home we have made such good use of for all those years.
This facility has been like a second London home to me and my friends and family for nigh on 35 years and it would be the end of another era if it where to be passed over to a faceless hotel chain or fitness club. It is an interesting combination of facilities. There are conference rooms, hotel rooms, treatment rooms and dining rooms as well as a health club, spa and numerous children oriented spaces.
There are two rugby pitches, a dozen tennis courts, squash courts and sailing facilities as well as a serious weights room, a gym and two swimming pools. It does not fit easily into any organisations portfolio so one can see why Shell are looking to offload it.
We have used it as our base for rugby weekends ever since we sold Silver Crescent, and even before that we would always take the children whenever we could. It was 50p per day per child, and we are still only paying £20 a month for membership.
I await developments with interest but fear the worst for this little home from home we have made such good use of for all those years.
Thursday 7 February 2019
Joan Weathers (1925-2019)
My mum died last night at the grand age of 93. She had been in hospital for three weeks, but we had seen a decline in her from just before Christmas and while the hospital was the right place for her treatment, I am sure, as an independent lady, she would have liked to be self sufficient to the end.
She was one of seven children, she had five sisters, Jackie, Betty, Peggy, Norah and Doreen, and a brother John who I never met. She is survived by Jackie. The strangest thing I can remember about them is the only Christmas present I ever got from Uncle John was a set of plastic golf clubs. It was in the early sixties and he clearly saw something in me which nobody else did!!
They were brought up in Wisbech in the Fenlands of Cambridgeshire, and she attended Wisbech High School. The acronym, RHS, was said to stand for 'wandering hands society'. I suspect my mum was not a member of that society as she left home at the age of 16 to join the Army. In her own words she was so naive, she did not even know where babies came from!!
This naivety did not last long apparently as the girl she was billeted with was 'a bit flighty'. It was the height of the second world war and she was posted to Folkstone as one of the girls who moved ships and planes across the map of Europe with roulette type sticks. She was regularly telling the story of how she and some friends were chased back to barracks by an armed sentry on the night of D-Day as all leave was cancelled but nobody had told them!!
I remember visiting the area in my teens when we went to the local pub the soldiers frequented and saw the names of the military signed on the ceiling.
At the end of the war she stayed in the Army and joined the Army Training Service (ATS) as a physical fitness instructor. It was at this time that she met my dad, Paul. She followed him around watching cricket and football and they eventually got married and I appeared on the scene.
We lived in Isleworth in West London in a house owned by my aunt, and my grandparents lived next door with my cousin Mike a few doors further up the road. We stayed there until 1959 when my dad took a new job with Shell Mex and BP and we moved down to Plymouth.
Mum was a typical housewife of the time, and while Dad travelled around the South West buying sites for new petrol stations, my mum was my taxi for school events, and sporting occassions. She would transport me and my mates in her pride and joy of an A40 called 'Noddy'. When I reached the age of 17, Noddy became my pride and joy as well and shared many a boys night out with the S Club and other school chums.
As I was now less demanding on my mum, she branched out, with a friend called Rosemary, into the unheard of area of child care. The pair of them convinced a local church to allow them to run a playgroup in the hall. Dad and I then spent several evenings touring Plymouth buying second hand bikes, slides, prams and swings to go in the hall. Dad built a sandpit and put clothes hooks on the wall, and the playgroup was opened. It cost 50p a session and was hugely popular with professional people, artisans, sportsmen and teachers alike. Mum and Rosemary knew the world, and were never short of Plymouth Argyle tickets as several players dropped their children off in the mornings.
She attended Home Park with dad regularly and it left a big hole in her life when he died prematurely in 1980 just after I had married and presented them with their grandson, Tim. She relocated briefly back to Wisbech but going there did not really work out, so she returned to Plymouth and eventually found a pleasant house a few hundred yards from our original family home.
Mum then turned to volunteer work, especially for the National Trust at Saltram House, she also worked as a ward clerk at the local Greenbank hospital a few days a week. She joined in with walking groups and played badminton regularly, but this combination soon took a toll on her knees and her mobility started to suffer. She lost her walking group days out as she was struggling to keep up, so she turned to her garden and it became her new pride and joy as Noddy Mk3 had been sold when she found it difficult to drive.
As calls for help became more frequent, and the distance between London or Liverpool and Plymouth became a problem, mum moved to an independent living apartment in Hoylake near where we live. She never really got the Liverpool bug though and although she developed a small nucleus of friends in the flats, the wider benefits of an extended family alluded her.
Nonetheless she was always interested in the progress made by the children in their careers and more recently she has been delighted by the way our oldest granddaughters, Ava and Sofia, have been bonding. She truly adored her grandson, Tim, and was always full of support for him when his life course took to choppy waters.
She was a very attractive woman, even to the end, and as a small reminder it is my intention to construct an Andy Warhol, Marilyn Munroe style pop art collage. I hope she would find that appropriate. We hope to scatter her ashes at the memorial garden in Plymouth where my dad was laid to rest all those years ago. They will then once more find happiness in each others company.
She was one of seven children, she had five sisters, Jackie, Betty, Peggy, Norah and Doreen, and a brother John who I never met. She is survived by Jackie. The strangest thing I can remember about them is the only Christmas present I ever got from Uncle John was a set of plastic golf clubs. It was in the early sixties and he clearly saw something in me which nobody else did!!
They were brought up in Wisbech in the Fenlands of Cambridgeshire, and she attended Wisbech High School. The acronym, RHS, was said to stand for 'wandering hands society'. I suspect my mum was not a member of that society as she left home at the age of 16 to join the Army. In her own words she was so naive, she did not even know where babies came from!!
This naivety did not last long apparently as the girl she was billeted with was 'a bit flighty'. It was the height of the second world war and she was posted to Folkstone as one of the girls who moved ships and planes across the map of Europe with roulette type sticks. She was regularly telling the story of how she and some friends were chased back to barracks by an armed sentry on the night of D-Day as all leave was cancelled but nobody had told them!!
I remember visiting the area in my teens when we went to the local pub the soldiers frequented and saw the names of the military signed on the ceiling.
At the end of the war she stayed in the Army and joined the Army Training Service (ATS) as a physical fitness instructor. It was at this time that she met my dad, Paul. She followed him around watching cricket and football and they eventually got married and I appeared on the scene.
We lived in Isleworth in West London in a house owned by my aunt, and my grandparents lived next door with my cousin Mike a few doors further up the road. We stayed there until 1959 when my dad took a new job with Shell Mex and BP and we moved down to Plymouth.
Mum was a typical housewife of the time, and while Dad travelled around the South West buying sites for new petrol stations, my mum was my taxi for school events, and sporting occassions. She would transport me and my mates in her pride and joy of an A40 called 'Noddy'. When I reached the age of 17, Noddy became my pride and joy as well and shared many a boys night out with the S Club and other school chums.
As I was now less demanding on my mum, she branched out, with a friend called Rosemary, into the unheard of area of child care. The pair of them convinced a local church to allow them to run a playgroup in the hall. Dad and I then spent several evenings touring Plymouth buying second hand bikes, slides, prams and swings to go in the hall. Dad built a sandpit and put clothes hooks on the wall, and the playgroup was opened. It cost 50p a session and was hugely popular with professional people, artisans, sportsmen and teachers alike. Mum and Rosemary knew the world, and were never short of Plymouth Argyle tickets as several players dropped their children off in the mornings.
She attended Home Park with dad regularly and it left a big hole in her life when he died prematurely in 1980 just after I had married and presented them with their grandson, Tim. She relocated briefly back to Wisbech but going there did not really work out, so she returned to Plymouth and eventually found a pleasant house a few hundred yards from our original family home.
Mum then turned to volunteer work, especially for the National Trust at Saltram House, she also worked as a ward clerk at the local Greenbank hospital a few days a week. She joined in with walking groups and played badminton regularly, but this combination soon took a toll on her knees and her mobility started to suffer. She lost her walking group days out as she was struggling to keep up, so she turned to her garden and it became her new pride and joy as Noddy Mk3 had been sold when she found it difficult to drive.
As calls for help became more frequent, and the distance between London or Liverpool and Plymouth became a problem, mum moved to an independent living apartment in Hoylake near where we live. She never really got the Liverpool bug though and although she developed a small nucleus of friends in the flats, the wider benefits of an extended family alluded her.
Nonetheless she was always interested in the progress made by the children in their careers and more recently she has been delighted by the way our oldest granddaughters, Ava and Sofia, have been bonding. She truly adored her grandson, Tim, and was always full of support for him when his life course took to choppy waters.
She was a very attractive woman, even to the end, and as a small reminder it is my intention to construct an Andy Warhol, Marilyn Munroe style pop art collage. I hope she would find that appropriate. We hope to scatter her ashes at the memorial garden in Plymouth where my dad was laid to rest all those years ago. They will then once more find happiness in each others company.
Monday 4 February 2019
Fields of Athenry
What a great weekend to be English. The S Club travelled to Dublin, expecting the worst and saw a pretty comprehensive victory against the side rates number 2 in the World.
Ireland never got the better of England on the pitch, but they were top drawer hosts before and after. We helped a chap out last year with a spare ticket and said he would try and help in Dublin if needbe. His name is George Mullen and his Company install the latest all weather pitches for the RFU amongst others. His son is in the Ireland squad and his wife is a cousin of farmer Pete.
So turn up at my Club said George. We did. It was the Hibernian Club on St Stephens Green. He plied us with Guinness and then guided us unexpectedly into the dining room for a full three course roast dinner with wine, all on him.
He then found out that we had two other friends without tickets, tracked down his son and returned with three for the game.
A true gent was George and hopeful we can reciprocate at Twickenham next year.
The Irish hospitality continued after the match as we were invited to a local pub near our hotel. We did bit of singing and then went into the public bar where there as a Country and Western duo on. At about midnight the guvnor with typical Irish humour said' lads this pub is like an aircraft, there is an exit there and an exit there, now feck off! An hour later we staggered out into the night.
Two smooth ferry crossings and a few hearty breakfasts made for an excellent weekend spoilt only by the bloody great fishes wriggling off the hook in Paris.
C'est la vie!
Ireland never got the better of England on the pitch, but they were top drawer hosts before and after. We helped a chap out last year with a spare ticket and said he would try and help in Dublin if needbe. His name is George Mullen and his Company install the latest all weather pitches for the RFU amongst others. His son is in the Ireland squad and his wife is a cousin of farmer Pete.
So turn up at my Club said George. We did. It was the Hibernian Club on St Stephens Green. He plied us with Guinness and then guided us unexpectedly into the dining room for a full three course roast dinner with wine, all on him.
He then found out that we had two other friends without tickets, tracked down his son and returned with three for the game.
A true gent was George and hopeful we can reciprocate at Twickenham next year.
The Irish hospitality continued after the match as we were invited to a local pub near our hotel. We did bit of singing and then went into the public bar where there as a Country and Western duo on. At about midnight the guvnor with typical Irish humour said' lads this pub is like an aircraft, there is an exit there and an exit there, now feck off! An hour later we staggered out into the night.
Two smooth ferry crossings and a few hearty breakfasts made for an excellent weekend spoilt only by the bloody great fishes wriggling off the hook in Paris.
C'est la vie!
Friday 25 January 2019
Furrers Rundon Pride
What a shock to the system as I just hear on the news that Fuller, Smith and Turner, makers of London Pride, has just sold it's brewing business to Asahi, a Japanese brewing organisation. They have committed to continue brewing at the Griffin Brewery in Chiswick and the Fullers estate of pubs and hotels will continue to serve it, it just comes as a surprise when the brand has been doing so well for many, many years.
I completed the Fullers Passport many years ago and got a couple of ceramic pint mugs and a flagon as a prize, and have been drinking the beer since I moved to London in 1971. The Fuller's owners do say that the wet trade only accounts for 13% of their turnover and the share price went up 22% today so I guess it was a good bit of business for them.
A little known fact about the brewery and the local area is that the football ground soon to be vacated by Brentford is called Griffin Park because the brewery deposited the clinker from their furnaces there before the football ground was constructed on the site. The new Brentford ground is being constructed a stones throw from my previous abode in Silver Crescent. I just hope the brewery continues to be a local community landmark for many years to come.
Cheers!
I completed the Fullers Passport many years ago and got a couple of ceramic pint mugs and a flagon as a prize, and have been drinking the beer since I moved to London in 1971. The Fuller's owners do say that the wet trade only accounts for 13% of their turnover and the share price went up 22% today so I guess it was a good bit of business for them.
A little known fact about the brewery and the local area is that the football ground soon to be vacated by Brentford is called Griffin Park because the brewery deposited the clinker from their furnaces there before the football ground was constructed on the site. The new Brentford ground is being constructed a stones throw from my previous abode in Silver Crescent. I just hope the brewery continues to be a local community landmark for many years to come.
Cheers!
Britain had talent
The Gladstone Theatre in Port Sunlight has just started a regular comedy club. It aims to host a number of 'stars' from Britain's Got Talent (BGT), on a monthly basis. We decided to give it a try as the headliner in the first show was Robert White, who made the final and only lost out to fellow comedian Lost Voice Guy.
Now Robert is autistic and gay and up until BGT worked as a teaching assistant. I thought he was good enough on TV to go to see him live. What a mistake that was. He was on an ego trip the size of which Simon Cowell would struggle to match. His jokes and songs were course and vulgar and the need to swear alot forced sections of the audience to vote with their feet and leave before the end. That included local comedian Stan BBoardman, next to whom we were sitting. He left commenting that that was not comedy, and he should know!!
In traditional comedy club format, there was an MC, and two warm up comedians before Robert. The MC was pretty poor. SWMBO liked the first warm-up and I liked the second, Simon Lomas, so at least we did not leave without having something to laugh about.
Simon had to endure a fairly boring heckler so maybe the venue will look at having a couple of bouncers around next time, to help the comics out.
The February gig features Nick Page, also from BGT, who incidentally used to be a presenter on Escape to the Countryside. The also have Lost Voice Guy later in the year who was the winner of BGT and consequently appeared in the Royal Variety Show in front of royalty. Lets hope they are a bit more humorous than Robert White was.
Now Robert is autistic and gay and up until BGT worked as a teaching assistant. I thought he was good enough on TV to go to see him live. What a mistake that was. He was on an ego trip the size of which Simon Cowell would struggle to match. His jokes and songs were course and vulgar and the need to swear alot forced sections of the audience to vote with their feet and leave before the end. That included local comedian Stan BBoardman, next to whom we were sitting. He left commenting that that was not comedy, and he should know!!
In traditional comedy club format, there was an MC, and two warm up comedians before Robert. The MC was pretty poor. SWMBO liked the first warm-up and I liked the second, Simon Lomas, so at least we did not leave without having something to laugh about.
Simon had to endure a fairly boring heckler so maybe the venue will look at having a couple of bouncers around next time, to help the comics out.
The February gig features Nick Page, also from BGT, who incidentally used to be a presenter on Escape to the Countryside. The also have Lost Voice Guy later in the year who was the winner of BGT and consequently appeared in the Royal Variety Show in front of royalty. Lets hope they are a bit more humorous than Robert White was.
Sunday 13 January 2019
Behind you
Number one grand daughter was in her first pantomime this weekend, a small part but a step on the ladder. She was in the chorus for three numbers and then the grand finale.
The event was hosted in the Gladstone Theatre in Port Sunlight. It was opened in 1845 by the Prime Minister originally for men only entertainment but soon morphed itself into the cosy variety theatre it is today. It is a throwback to the Lord Leverhume philanthropic approach to staff well being, and must have attracted the misogynistic hall stars of the time. It still pulls in artists from stage and screen we have heard of, and is just launching a comedy club which we might sample shortly.
While we were supporting Ava, the Swiss branch were skiing in the Alps as the snow had dumped on the Swiss side, totally ignoring the Italians. No change there then.
I am writing this in Arrows Park A & E as we try to find out what they can do about my mother and her frail legs and body. It is going to be a long night I suspect as she once more becomes unstable and prone to falling.
Storm force winds are forecast for the next few weeks so best be prepared for a bit of inclement weather here for a while.
I have just got tickets for the cricket at Lords in August so that gives us something sunny to look forward to, and we are off to St George's Hall for a beer festival, prior to the Six Nations rugby starting. Nothing like a bit of drinking practise before the drinking starts in earnest.
The event was hosted in the Gladstone Theatre in Port Sunlight. It was opened in 1845 by the Prime Minister originally for men only entertainment but soon morphed itself into the cosy variety theatre it is today. It is a throwback to the Lord Leverhume philanthropic approach to staff well being, and must have attracted the misogynistic hall stars of the time. It still pulls in artists from stage and screen we have heard of, and is just launching a comedy club which we might sample shortly.
While we were supporting Ava, the Swiss branch were skiing in the Alps as the snow had dumped on the Swiss side, totally ignoring the Italians. No change there then.
I am writing this in Arrows Park A & E as we try to find out what they can do about my mother and her frail legs and body. It is going to be a long night I suspect as she once more becomes unstable and prone to falling.
Storm force winds are forecast for the next few weeks so best be prepared for a bit of inclement weather here for a while.
I have just got tickets for the cricket at Lords in August so that gives us something sunny to look forward to, and we are off to St George's Hall for a beer festival, prior to the Six Nations rugby starting. Nothing like a bit of drinking practise before the drinking starts in earnest.
Thursday 3 January 2019
Sunny side up
First post of 2019, and already so much going on. The New Years Eve party was good but not spectacular. There were plenty of men in skirts and a few Ceilidh dances were performed but there was not really enough room for all those who wished to participate. My knee was still crook from the wedding accident so I sat those dances out.
We were on a table for two rather than a group table which was fine, but the conversation with other guests only really took off after mid-night as everybody converged on the comfy chairs. we went to bed about 2:00am having met another Scouser and a lad from Kent who had both moved to Caithness which even further North than Inverness.
I have a reputation on golf tours of going off piste as far as the menu is concerned and the tactic of choosing the best bits of one dish with the basis of another is called doing a 'weathers'. So why not start the year with one I thought. I then proceeded to turn up for brunch at about 12:00 and ordered a full Scottish breakfast with steak and eggs on the side. A true 'weathers' would see me leaving some of it as it is usually too substantial, but on this occasion it all got woofed.
We had a good trip back yesterday and saw number one son and family. I went out for a swiftie with him and number two son. I left them at about 21:30. They rolled in at 06:00 having been out on the lash in Liverpool. Blind leading the blind me thinks.
Today has been busy. The first of the New Year jobs saw the swimming pool dehumidifier fixed. We then managed to get a Social Services assessment of my mum completed meaning she can return to her home tomorrow and care assistants will visit three or four times a day as necessary. I can then go to the Tranmere v Spurs FA Cup game and have a few beers hopefully. Golf starts in earnest again next week and hoepfully normal service will be restored.
Only time will tell......
We were on a table for two rather than a group table which was fine, but the conversation with other guests only really took off after mid-night as everybody converged on the comfy chairs. we went to bed about 2:00am having met another Scouser and a lad from Kent who had both moved to Caithness which even further North than Inverness.
I have a reputation on golf tours of going off piste as far as the menu is concerned and the tactic of choosing the best bits of one dish with the basis of another is called doing a 'weathers'. So why not start the year with one I thought. I then proceeded to turn up for brunch at about 12:00 and ordered a full Scottish breakfast with steak and eggs on the side. A true 'weathers' would see me leaving some of it as it is usually too substantial, but on this occasion it all got woofed.
We had a good trip back yesterday and saw number one son and family. I went out for a swiftie with him and number two son. I left them at about 21:30. They rolled in at 06:00 having been out on the lash in Liverpool. Blind leading the blind me thinks.
Today has been busy. The first of the New Year jobs saw the swimming pool dehumidifier fixed. We then managed to get a Social Services assessment of my mum completed meaning she can return to her home tomorrow and care assistants will visit three or four times a day as necessary. I can then go to the Tranmere v Spurs FA Cup game and have a few beers hopefully. Golf starts in earnest again next week and hoepfully normal service will be restored.
Only time will tell......
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