In Memoriam
Paul Figgins
So Farewell then Figs
Our long time friend
He was a cricket man
a wicket keeper
of some regard
In a famous best man speech
'Bowled a maiden over' and
'Tickles to leg'
Both Raised a chuckle
It's what he did
Like all great batsman
An unexpected stroke
Ended his Innings
Classy but too short.
E J Thribb (17½)
Saturday, 20 August 2016
Thursday, 18 August 2016
A sign of distress
The Country is grabbed once again by Olympics fever as team GB are once again demonstrating how government funding can make a difference if channels to the right people.
We have had some strange medals too: trampolining, rugby sevens, wind surfing ,tennis and golf, none of which are long term Olympic sports.
I am also enchanted by the modern pentathlon, which is alleged to mimic a typical battle. Jump on a horse and ride to war, swim a river to join in and shoot and fence to survive, then run like hell to get to the next gig. Really well thought through!
The thing that has got my goat though is the number of people in the crowd, the athletes and support staff who hold the Union flag the wrong way up. The wide white stripe should be on the top at the flagpole end, or by the white tape if hand held.
It is flown the wrong way up legitimately to indicate a ship is in distress, team GB seems fine so let's fly the flag accordingly.
We have had some strange medals too: trampolining, rugby sevens, wind surfing ,tennis and golf, none of which are long term Olympic sports.
I am also enchanted by the modern pentathlon, which is alleged to mimic a typical battle. Jump on a horse and ride to war, swim a river to join in and shoot and fence to survive, then run like hell to get to the next gig. Really well thought through!
The thing that has got my goat though is the number of people in the crowd, the athletes and support staff who hold the Union flag the wrong way up. The wide white stripe should be on the top at the flagpole end, or by the white tape if hand held.
It is flown the wrong way up legitimately to indicate a ship is in distress, team GB seems fine so let's fly the flag accordingly.
Monday, 15 August 2016
Figs didn't make it
In the two weeks since my last post, Figs had continued to improve with his arm and leg gaining more mobility and his mind getting back on track. he was doing crosswords and watching the Olympics although he was struggling to pick his horse racing tips as the print size was a bit small for him. He had a heart assessment appointment at Herrfiled Hospital booked for next week when they thought he might have some sort of procedure to help his heart function.
All this was conveyed to me in a phone conversation we had on Monday. On Thursday morning I got the sad news that he had passed away in his sleep. Marion is devastated but has her sisters and close friends there to help her through this difficult time.
I first met Figs in the mid seventies when he joined me to work at IBM in Croydon. We have been friends ever since. He was a reasonable goal keeper in his youth but he dislocated a knee in a game and that put pay to that sporting pastime, so we started playing golf together. We were both members of Wyke Green golf club as we became neighbours in Chiswick in West London, and he moved in with me for a short time while between girlfriends.
It was then that we hatched the plans for a mega barbecue, to be named Le Limacon after the slug population which infested the Silver Crescent flat when I first moved into it. Invitations to these events were valued, and each year we introduced a different theme. We had pub sign parties, music albums parties, a Hawaiian shirt 'do' and many more. I won't say we chased the same girls but the barbies were certainly a useful way to meet the fairer sex. Indeed SWMBO and I first met face to face at one such, all those years ago.
For many years Figs and I also went to Lord's together usually on the Saturday, but once we did all five days of an Ashes test which the Aussies won on the final morning. That tradition stopped when Figs got his gig at the Wimbledon tennis championships, and he was still working for them right up to the end.
He could be a stubborn individual and was particularly fussy about his drinks presentation. In my personalised Monopoly set, there is a property called Figgins Way, which summed him up really!
He certainly lived a full and frenetic life, and I am very proud to have been a part of it for nigh on forty years, he will leave a large gap in my life. SWMBO and I had our annual 'do' at the weekend, it's not called Le Limacon anymore and it has moved to the Wirral. The timing was poignant and I think Figs would approve of it as a fitting memorial. Rest in peace matey.
All this was conveyed to me in a phone conversation we had on Monday. On Thursday morning I got the sad news that he had passed away in his sleep. Marion is devastated but has her sisters and close friends there to help her through this difficult time.
I first met Figs in the mid seventies when he joined me to work at IBM in Croydon. We have been friends ever since. He was a reasonable goal keeper in his youth but he dislocated a knee in a game and that put pay to that sporting pastime, so we started playing golf together. We were both members of Wyke Green golf club as we became neighbours in Chiswick in West London, and he moved in with me for a short time while between girlfriends.
It was then that we hatched the plans for a mega barbecue, to be named Le Limacon after the slug population which infested the Silver Crescent flat when I first moved into it. Invitations to these events were valued, and each year we introduced a different theme. We had pub sign parties, music albums parties, a Hawaiian shirt 'do' and many more. I won't say we chased the same girls but the barbies were certainly a useful way to meet the fairer sex. Indeed SWMBO and I first met face to face at one such, all those years ago.
For many years Figs and I also went to Lord's together usually on the Saturday, but once we did all five days of an Ashes test which the Aussies won on the final morning. That tradition stopped when Figs got his gig at the Wimbledon tennis championships, and he was still working for them right up to the end.
He could be a stubborn individual and was particularly fussy about his drinks presentation. In my personalised Monopoly set, there is a property called Figgins Way, which summed him up really!
He certainly lived a full and frenetic life, and I am very proud to have been a part of it for nigh on forty years, he will leave a large gap in my life. SWMBO and I had our annual 'do' at the weekend, it's not called Le Limacon anymore and it has moved to the Wirral. The timing was poignant and I think Figs would approve of it as a fitting memorial. Rest in peace matey.
Friday, 29 July 2016
Crystal Maze
We have just celled 15 years of marriage, apparently that is ones crystal anniversary. SWMBO spent a couple of days in London with Figs wife Marion. it was her birthday and their wedding anniversary close together so it gave Marion a bit of rest bite to allow her to go off and celebrate her birthday with her chums.
Figs cognitive skills are improving and he has more use in his left leg. His problem now is that he is more aware of his condition and therefore is getting frustrated by his lack of mobility. It is unclear what the treatment plan is going forward as he is recovering in a way the medical team did not expect. Hopefully he will get back to a level where they may be able to do something about his heart, only time will tell.
SWMBO deserved a good anniversary herself after her Florence Nightingale stint, so after a lazy morning we ventured to Port Sunlight and the Lady Lever Museum and Art Gallery which is based there. It had a visiting exhibition of Picasso lino cuts from the British Museum which I found disappointing. There were only three variations, and they were not typical Picasso as you could almost see what they were meant to be! Notwithstanding that though, the rest of the museum continues to be a wonder and delight.
I believe Lord Leverhulme was a bit of a pirate myself although a lot of what he plundered did come from various parts of the UK. His Wedgewood collection numbers some 3,000 items including a number of Stubbs paintings done on porcelain. His Chinese collection is also one of the best in Europe.
Port Sunlight has the only Hillsborough memorial which is not attached to a football group.The Unilever group wanted to show their support for the victims families and erected a small plaque in their rose garden. We visited that while we were there and I think there must have been a Pokémon Go! character or two there as well. The rose garden was mobbed with youths on iPhones searching them out.
We then popped into the Refreshment Rooms in Rock Ferry, one of our favourite eateries, and then ended up at home drinking a good bottle of Muja out of crystal glasses....very fitting we thought.
Figs cognitive skills are improving and he has more use in his left leg. His problem now is that he is more aware of his condition and therefore is getting frustrated by his lack of mobility. It is unclear what the treatment plan is going forward as he is recovering in a way the medical team did not expect. Hopefully he will get back to a level where they may be able to do something about his heart, only time will tell.
SWMBO deserved a good anniversary herself after her Florence Nightingale stint, so after a lazy morning we ventured to Port Sunlight and the Lady Lever Museum and Art Gallery which is based there. It had a visiting exhibition of Picasso lino cuts from the British Museum which I found disappointing. There were only three variations, and they were not typical Picasso as you could almost see what they were meant to be! Notwithstanding that though, the rest of the museum continues to be a wonder and delight.
I believe Lord Leverhulme was a bit of a pirate myself although a lot of what he plundered did come from various parts of the UK. His Wedgewood collection numbers some 3,000 items including a number of Stubbs paintings done on porcelain. His Chinese collection is also one of the best in Europe.
Port Sunlight has the only Hillsborough memorial which is not attached to a football group.The Unilever group wanted to show their support for the victims families and erected a small plaque in their rose garden. We visited that while we were there and I think there must have been a Pokémon Go! character or two there as well. The rose garden was mobbed with youths on iPhones searching them out.
We then popped into the Refreshment Rooms in Rock Ferry, one of our favourite eateries, and then ended up at home drinking a good bottle of Muja out of crystal glasses....very fitting we thought.
Saturday, 23 July 2016
Swedish chef
I was delighted that Henrik Stenson won is first major at Troon last weekend. He has been one of a number of top European golfers who have not quite stepped over the line to win one, so it was well deserved.
Henrik has had some bad luck off the course too, most notably losing a small fortune at the hands of the West Indian con man Allen Stanford. Some might say £10m was more than a small fortune, so the golfing world was delighted when Stenson won the FedEx cup and 'road to Dubai' in the same year some while later to claim a cool £20m in prize money. The Open championship claret jug will be as equally important to him as his financial rebuilding process.
The Open was, of course, at Troon in Scotland. It was ironic that on the Saturday of the tournament I visited my mate Figs after his recent stroke. He can get out of bed now, and is recovering some use in his left arm, but he is still not too good. The NHS physio sessions seem to have dried up as they clearly see no long term benefit in continuing them. It was to Troon that Figs, myself and others travelled in May 1989 for our Scotflog tour. We played Turnberry, Prestwick, Largs, Kilmarnock Barassie and Troon in a week, doing 36 holes each day!
Troon was the least memorable of the courses as it is a boring slog up and back down the side of the Clyde. It's a bit like Royal Liverpool in as much as it is memorable for it's lack of variety and apart from the Postage Stamp hole and the 11th it has no real stand-out holes. Quite why it is on the rosta I am not too sure.
I am also not sure who won on the day we played although I do know I hit the Postage Stamp in one and then four putted!
The trip to London to see Figs also allowed us to take senior scouse grandchild to tie up with senior London grandchild and they had a right old time together and managed to manufacture a sleepover at the hotel. It was the first time Sofia had spent the night away from her parents so that was a milestone she should now be able to capitalise on in the future.
We have also received good feedback from our Airbnb visitors so it would be good to get a few more bookings before the Summer is over and then build up a bit more next year. One of the local hotels has been brought recently so it will be interesting to see how that affects the area.
I feel like I have just played in the Open myself having played four rounds in four days this week. As a means of recovery I had a run ashore with some old work colleagues in Lytham yesterday. I really should have passed on the Limoncello, especially as it was the 100% vodka variety as favoured by James Martin, BBC chef and raconteur!
Henrik has had some bad luck off the course too, most notably losing a small fortune at the hands of the West Indian con man Allen Stanford. Some might say £10m was more than a small fortune, so the golfing world was delighted when Stenson won the FedEx cup and 'road to Dubai' in the same year some while later to claim a cool £20m in prize money. The Open championship claret jug will be as equally important to him as his financial rebuilding process.
The Open was, of course, at Troon in Scotland. It was ironic that on the Saturday of the tournament I visited my mate Figs after his recent stroke. He can get out of bed now, and is recovering some use in his left arm, but he is still not too good. The NHS physio sessions seem to have dried up as they clearly see no long term benefit in continuing them. It was to Troon that Figs, myself and others travelled in May 1989 for our Scotflog tour. We played Turnberry, Prestwick, Largs, Kilmarnock Barassie and Troon in a week, doing 36 holes each day!
Troon was the least memorable of the courses as it is a boring slog up and back down the side of the Clyde. It's a bit like Royal Liverpool in as much as it is memorable for it's lack of variety and apart from the Postage Stamp hole and the 11th it has no real stand-out holes. Quite why it is on the rosta I am not too sure.
I am also not sure who won on the day we played although I do know I hit the Postage Stamp in one and then four putted!
The trip to London to see Figs also allowed us to take senior scouse grandchild to tie up with senior London grandchild and they had a right old time together and managed to manufacture a sleepover at the hotel. It was the first time Sofia had spent the night away from her parents so that was a milestone she should now be able to capitalise on in the future.
We have also received good feedback from our Airbnb visitors so it would be good to get a few more bookings before the Summer is over and then build up a bit more next year. One of the local hotels has been brought recently so it will be interesting to see how that affects the area.
I feel like I have just played in the Open myself having played four rounds in four days this week. As a means of recovery I had a run ashore with some old work colleagues in Lytham yesterday. I really should have passed on the Limoncello, especially as it was the 100% vodka variety as favoured by James Martin, BBC chef and raconteur!
Sunday, 10 July 2016
Air today, gone tomorrow
We have just said goodbye to our latest Airbnb'ers. They were visiting the Wirral to attend an evening wedding party at the local Riverhill Hotel. The hotel has been on the market for some while as the current owners look to move on, but its an odd shaped property with a dwindling reputation in the area. Hopefully they pulled the stops out for the wedding.
It was quite a flog from London for a few hours socialising and good for them to do it. SWMBO is quite happy to accept evening only invitations, but I am less keen. If I am not on the 'A' list then I am more than happy to give up my evening spot to somebody else.
This wedding was obviously very multicultural as the bride was from Op North and was marrying a Burmese groom, our guests were European and Oriental, and live in North London, I did not like to ask the specific points of origin as that's a bit sensitive after the Brexit vote!! They were worried they would not be able to understand either the bride or groom's accents!!
They were no trouble, and after a hearty breakfast I dropped them at the Mersey Ferry terminal so they could at least see some of Liverpool before they departed.
They are both graphic designers for computer games, and were very impressed when I showed them the games which the sons of Dick 'off the record' develop. I had not realised their big seller and cash cow, Bad Eggs, had made it into the I-phone app store, and with over 1million downloads it was certainly making an impact. Lets hope all the gamers buy lots of add-ons!
So now, like e-bay, we await their feedback with baited breath. A poor review is the sort of thing that can make or break a career in the b & b market.
It was quite a flog from London for a few hours socialising and good for them to do it. SWMBO is quite happy to accept evening only invitations, but I am less keen. If I am not on the 'A' list then I am more than happy to give up my evening spot to somebody else.
This wedding was obviously very multicultural as the bride was from Op North and was marrying a Burmese groom, our guests were European and Oriental, and live in North London, I did not like to ask the specific points of origin as that's a bit sensitive after the Brexit vote!! They were worried they would not be able to understand either the bride or groom's accents!!
They were no trouble, and after a hearty breakfast I dropped them at the Mersey Ferry terminal so they could at least see some of Liverpool before they departed.
They are both graphic designers for computer games, and were very impressed when I showed them the games which the sons of Dick 'off the record' develop. I had not realised their big seller and cash cow, Bad Eggs, had made it into the I-phone app store, and with over 1million downloads it was certainly making an impact. Lets hope all the gamers buy lots of add-ons!
So now, like e-bay, we await their feedback with baited breath. A poor review is the sort of thing that can make or break a career in the b & b market.
Monday, 27 June 2016
One person one vote....
I am fairly ambivalent to the result of the European referendum. I don't know if that is because of my age, or because I no longer live in the South East. Merseyside voted to stay, and as a Labour hotbed, that is no surprise. They follow the party line up here, but that dictated by Joe Anderson and Frank Field rather than Jeremy Corbyn. Usually a vote for the Conservatives is a wasted vote, but last Thursday the one person, one vote system saw a much higher voter turnout, and a significantly close vote. I have not heard much disappointment voiced on the Wirral.
I think it was apparent even during the renegotiation that David Cameron did not have the appetite to manage a Brexit, and that was confirmed by his early resignation notification. Bonking Boris stood to win whichever way things panned out, and the clever people he surrounds himself with are likely to earn their money in the coming months.
Farange is a fringe play in all this, but it is disappointing that racial vandalism has reared it's head in some of the immigrant dominated areas of the Country. The authorities should move swiftly to stamp that out.
Our poisoned dwarf North of the border is rattling her cage, but she must remember that a once in a lifetime independence referendum does not become a best of three, overnight. She should be reminded that if Alex Salmond had been successful, Scotland would have been running cap in hand to Westminster as the slump in oil prices would have almost made the Country bankrupt.
I would love to be a fly on their wall when she meets Angela Merkel to request EU membership. "Run along now Nicola, there's a good girl, what did you say you had to offer?"
The biggest winners here will be the financial institutions who are already manipulating the markets to their best advantage, and the large legal firms who are wringing their hands in expectation of the large fees to be charged going forward.
It's been four days now since the vote....the UK political process, and Labour in particular, have taken a real battering, and the EU have had a wake up call. People were fed up with the lack of dynamism at home and the increase in restrictions imposed from abroad. Those who voted to join a Common Market in 1975 did not want it to develop into a political superpower and have had a chance to make their views known. Now it's time for our elected representatives to earn their corn and plot a way towards a new Great Britain which shows leadership, originality and solidarity while still supporting Europe through tried and tested alliances.
All bumpy roads get resurfaced eventually.
I think it was apparent even during the renegotiation that David Cameron did not have the appetite to manage a Brexit, and that was confirmed by his early resignation notification. Bonking Boris stood to win whichever way things panned out, and the clever people he surrounds himself with are likely to earn their money in the coming months.
Farange is a fringe play in all this, but it is disappointing that racial vandalism has reared it's head in some of the immigrant dominated areas of the Country. The authorities should move swiftly to stamp that out.
Our poisoned dwarf North of the border is rattling her cage, but she must remember that a once in a lifetime independence referendum does not become a best of three, overnight. She should be reminded that if Alex Salmond had been successful, Scotland would have been running cap in hand to Westminster as the slump in oil prices would have almost made the Country bankrupt.
I would love to be a fly on their wall when she meets Angela Merkel to request EU membership. "Run along now Nicola, there's a good girl, what did you say you had to offer?"
The biggest winners here will be the financial institutions who are already manipulating the markets to their best advantage, and the large legal firms who are wringing their hands in expectation of the large fees to be charged going forward.
It's been four days now since the vote....the UK political process, and Labour in particular, have taken a real battering, and the EU have had a wake up call. People were fed up with the lack of dynamism at home and the increase in restrictions imposed from abroad. Those who voted to join a Common Market in 1975 did not want it to develop into a political superpower and have had a chance to make their views known. Now it's time for our elected representatives to earn their corn and plot a way towards a new Great Britain which shows leadership, originality and solidarity while still supporting Europe through tried and tested alliances.
All bumpy roads get resurfaced eventually.
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