Football's Coming Home

This weekend started at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, with a second chance to see C W Stoneking performing. First seen at Womad last year, I feared my enthusiasm for his authentic 20's American bluesy sounds were perhaps fuelled by the lateness of his gig on the first night of my first ever festival. But once again I was blown away by his music on Friday - see him live if you ever get the chance. Jamie Cullum's a fan too! 

Then today Swindon celebrated their League 2 Championship with a Party on The Pitch. A great afternoon seeing all the players and listening to sets from Toploader and The Lightning Seeds, who finished their performance with 'Three Lions'. Football's coming home . . .

Cirencester 12 Burnham 14

A rare visit for me to Cirencester RFC today - invited by a good friend to watch the game against his home town of Burnham on Sea. A rare visit these days, but the pitches and clubhouse there were as good as home for me through the 80's. A regular player on the wing - I was faster than the larger chaps in those days - I enjoyed many seasons for the Thirds and Seconds, before establishing a firm place in the Firsts. This was when the league structures were started, and we played in the the Western Counties, travelling from Gloucestershire down to Cornwall. We also travelled further afield, and my own memorable tour was to Berlin - guests of the British Army - where we were fortunate to see the divided Berlin just six months before the wall came down.

It was great to see the grounds again, and sample the hospitality of the bar after - even if it was only a black coffee. A long way from the guiness and beer that was previously consumed. And fortunately there was no sign of the 'Dick Drink' concocted from various forms of alcohol that was always presented, to be downed in one, by the nominated 'dick' of the match.

Sadly the likely recipient of the game today would have been the ref - I have never seen a player penalised for time wasting in rugby before. But even with that and other strange official decisions, Burnham spent more time than Ciren in the attacking 22, and on balance deserved the win with a converted penalty in the last minutes of a tightly fought game.

So I caught up with a few old teammates today, and reminisced about the good old days. Makes me sound old - which is odd, because given my current running fitness and now-diagnosed Coeliac condition, I actually suspect that I am a lot fitter now than I was back in my Rugby playing days. But you won't be seeing me on the the field again - the game is too quick now and too physical.

So there won't be another chance for a photo opportunity such as the one below - me crossing the line for a try back in the season 1987/89.

Advent 2011

This period of Advent has been busier than usual for me this year. Instead of the more usual one window per day, I have had to make at least six openings each day of the month. Otherwise I would not have completed my task on the 24th.

Well, its Christmas Eve today - and I have finished it!!


So here it is, for all to see ...

Yep - I have completed my Advent Colander . . .

Should It Stay Or Should It Go Now

Before ...

.. the end of November, a month's growth looked like this. Having decided to grow something for Movember, this is what was left having removed most of the white stuff. So should it stay or should it go?

Generally the reaction was favourable. It was said to be one of the better Movember efforts. I liked it - but with two reservations. Firstly - I knew someone sometime would stop me for directory enquiries - and secondly I was reminded of a schoolday's biology experiment involving a swab, a petrie dish and a teacher's moustache.

So, I made my decision. And I offer you the following photo so that you can decide if I made the correct one.

... and after ...

It Ain't Half Hot Mum

October seems to be the month of half marathons. It is a good time of year to push those extra miles after a summer of racing, and sets you up well for the winter months of preparation for a spring marathon such as London, Paris or Brighton. Locally, there is always a good choice - Cricklade, Swindon and Stroud - but this year I chose an event a few hours down the M5. And the start and finish was only 15 minutes from good friends of ours, so we were able to make a weekend of it.

Though it was the first weekend of October, it turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year, which meant a very tough 13 miles indeed on the Sunday morning. Many runners simply gave up, and some of the fastest sprints seen around the finishing area were by the medical staff rushing to help those who simply couldn't stagger the last few hundred yards around the outside of the playing field. I felt rough from about 8 miles and slowed - along with many others - to a finish time well outside my best, but in a good 13th position. And I did recover surprisingly well.

But I shouldn't really have been surprised about the heat - it was the Burnham Half Marathon!

Things I have to cope with ...

Must be rough at the seaside - today, some VW campervans turned up, surfboards on the roof, and inflatables jutting through the windows. Out jumped a group of surf dudes, who gathered around, putting up windbreaks, nicking my shovels to build sandcastles, and running in slow motion back and forth. In the end, I just had to give in, but before I left for home I managed to sneak a photo of them sunbathing all over my wall.

As you can see, on my current project, I have been overrun by beach nuts ....

My First Festival

It has only taken forty eight years and a very keen daughter for me to finally attend my first ever festival - and it won't be my last. Why I have never tried it before I don't know. Milly and I had a great time. Weather was perfect, of course, which helped, but WOMAD, even though it offered a range of lesser known bands drawn from all parts of the world, was as friendly, trouble free and well organised you could hope a festival to be. There were stars I did know - Booker T Jones with Green Onions and that cricket theme, I Am Kloot, Rodriga and Gabrielle who stole the show - and stars I know now. The standout performance was CW Stoneking, and if you don't know him then check out the link top right. I have had to have a musical fix of him every day since. Other bands who stood out were Penguin Cafe, Brassroots, Pacific Curls and The Savoy Family Cajun Band. We only saw about 25 of the live acts, so no doubt we have missed some other good performances. Perhaps we can catch up with them next year, where the 30th Anniversary promises to be an unforgettable festival. Maybe I will see you there .