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.
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