Sunday, December 31, 2006

Happy New Year

Well it's 3.15pm on New Year's Eve and I'm with my wife and friends in a pub at the end of the Gower penninsula. Great! Happy New Year to you all!

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Merry Christmas!

If anyone's reading this, have a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

Thursday, December 21, 2006

How neat is this?

This posting has been written and submitted on my Palm Treo 650 smartphone. Now I can blog from anywhere!

[Posted with hblogger 2.0 http://www.normsoft.com/hblogger/]

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Remember Christmas?

Well. Here we are again. Hardly a year gone, and it's time for tinsel once more. I was looking for a Christmas card for my wife the other day in one of those high street card shops. Unlike me, my wife has strong faith, and I was looing for a card that represented at least in passing, what Christmas is all about. Could I find one? Could I? No.

If wanted cuddly bears, hearts, flowers and so on I was fine. Even the odd snowman was around. Robins were in short supply, and I actually found one card that had a picture of a church on it. But Mary, Joseph, a star or even God forbid the baby Jesus. Nowwhere in sight.

Around me on the high street people were rushing around like idiots spending money on things that will be son forgotten or discarded, without even a thought as to why we exchange gifts on December 25th. The supermarkets are even worse, with people buying like there's a food shortage on the horizon - and they'll all be open again on Boxing Day or the day after at the latest...

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a religious zealot, and in fact find it terribly hard to have any faith at all, and have respect for those that do, but at least I understand and remember what Christmas is about. Shame the rest of the world is forgetting....

Monday, October 23, 2006

Do you ever wonder...

Sadly I can't take the credit for these ponderisms...

  • I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.
  • The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.
  • Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
  • There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.
  • Life is sexually transmitted.
  • Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.
  • The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.
  • Some people are like Slinkies. Not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.
  • Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.
  • Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?
  • All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.
  • In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
  • How is it that one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
  • Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?"
  • Who was the first person to say, "See that chicken there? I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta its butt."
  • Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?
  • If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?
  • If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
  • Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?
  • Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
  • Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?
  • Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

Monday, October 16, 2006

Things that annoy me

What you must remember is I'm knocking 47, so could be classed as a grumpy middle aged git. Some things really get my goat. In no particular order of preference:
1. Queues (of any sort)
2. Middle lane hoggers on motorways. Should have their licences taken away.
3. Motorists who don't indicate. Ditto
4. Speed cameras (is there a theme developing here?)
5. Teaspoons. There's always one left when you empty the washing up bowl
6. Wind (weather wind as opposed to farts, which is just nature)
7. Unpunctuality. It's mostly just lazy
8. Lack of respect for the environment
9. Mondays, and to a lessening extent, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
10.Goats

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Bugger!

This is useless - so busy doing other things haven't posted anything since April. If anyone was reading this blog, they've long since given up. I'm going to try again, and I WILL make an effort to post frequently.

First however dear reader, you'll need a quick catch up of events since April. Here goes:

  • Did lot's of gardening - enjoy gardening
  • Played some cricket - enjoy cricket
  • Built a website for my new cricket team Dinas Powys CC
  • Tweaked and edited said website a lot
  • Went on holiday to France - enjoy holidays
  • Went to Disneyland Paris whilst in France - enjoy rollercoasters
  • Bought wine whilst in France - enjoy wine
  • Did some decorating - hate decorating
  • Worked a lot - hate work
  • Watched Cardiff City climb to be 6 points clear at the top of the Championship (at the time of posting - Premiership here we come!
  • Watched in disbelief at England's poor showing in a) world Cup b) Euro 2008 qualifiers
  • Haven't won lottery - would like to win lottery
  • Enjoyed start to new skittles season DPAB

Sunday, April 30, 2006

Allotments

The other day I was browsing the web, as you do and my mind turned to allotments as it does occasionally (saddo!) Anyway, a search for "allotments brought up a number of links, one of with was Plotholes. This Blog, is one of the funniest things I've read in a long time. Bupster - she of the Plotholes Blog, really should be in print (I guess she is on her Blog) and they could even make a television series out of it. Far funnier than "The Good Life". Well recommended......

Cricket lovely cricket

Today was supposed to be the first "warm up game" of the season, but our opposition couldn't raise a team. Bummer.
Anyway, we turned up and decided to play a 6/7 a-side match to get the rhythm going. Went well. Scored a few runs with my new bat (the last one having been cracked into two pieces at the last net session), bowled reasonably, took a catch and got a wicket. Bones ache a bit tonight, but hey I'm 46....Let's see how they are tomorrow. Dinas lads are a good bunch and Im looking forward to the seasom immensely

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Water water everywhere....

I'm getting more "eco" friendly in my advancing years and I decided to purchase a small (100 litre) water butt to give me water for the garden instead of racking up water charges via my water meter (not that we need to save much water in Wales - plenty to go round!).
I installed it this weeekend with one of those rain diverter thingies off my conservatory roof downpipe (the conservatory is small - only 10x8 ft. It rained "a bit" today and when i got home it was 3/4 full! That's 75 litres of water from one wet day! It must have rained more than I thought (LOL), but begs the question, why aren't water butts compulsory - especially in the SE where they have hosepipe bans even in the middle of winter because there's not enough H20 to go around. If that much rain is swishing away down drains everytime it rains it's no wonder we haven't got any water. You'd be mad not to have one. I might have to order a second one now!
Oops, if I'm not careful I'll be after an allotment next.......

Friday, February 24, 2006

Center Parcs


Just had a great break in Center Parcs (the Longleat Forest village). We've been before, but not for a few years and now the kids are older (11 and 8) they can just go off and do their own thing in the swimming pool which basically means about 3 hours worth of hurtling down the rapids and the slides!
If you've never been to Center Parcs, it's a geat experience. You can just laze by the pool, bike in the forest (no cars!) or do any one of a multitude of sports from table tennis to archery and horse riding. The only catch is the cost. The pool's free(or at least access comes with the cost of the holiday), everything else (apart from the bikes if you bring your own) you pay for, so it can get expensive. We had a great time on our midweek (Mon-Fri) break. The "villa's" look a bit like portakabins but inside are comfy enough, though you can get posher versions (more money). The famouse dome houses the pools, slides shops and various restaurants. the feeling you get is a proper mini break - away from it all in the sense there's no cars and time to do what you want when you want. Relaxing - well - it depends. I got more exercise in 4 days than I've had in the last four weeks, with swimming, biking and so on! Great fun.

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Out of retirement

After a year (or more like 18 months) off cricket, having officially retired from the game due to dodgy knees/arthritis, I've been talked into coming out of retirement by my good pal Basher (aka Badger - for various and probably best left unexplained reasons).
I'm planning - if they'll have me, to turn out for Dinas Powys CC rather than the Tavs, my team of the last 20 years. It's been a wrench deciding not to go back to the Tavs, but the chance, albeit a little late in my career to play some league cricket with a side where I can just turn up and play is quite enticing. I've only been to one net so far as unfortunately nest night clashes with skittles nights most weeks, but I enjoyed the net. Indeed the facilities at Glamorgan CC's indoor cricket facilities are superb. I think I did OK, and the DPCC lot (several of whom I know anyway) seem a good bunch. Roll on the summer, and let's hope the bones hold up!

Saturday, January 14, 2006

Sporting Heaven

My it's been a sporting week.
Wednesday I played skittles and did pretty well.
Thursday I played skittles again and was crap.
Friday was mini-football training.
Saturday was mini-football - the Sully Seahawks won 4-0 against a good Cowbridge side. Well done lads - clean sheet!
Saturday pm, the Bluebirds beat Burnely 3-0. First half was abysmal. Second half they got better. New signing Steve "The Tomahawk" Thompson (formerly of Ranger no less) bagged a brace, and "Super Jase" (Jason Koumas)finsihed the game off. 8th spot - playoff's here we come!

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Arsenal

 
Well we lost and to a predictably under strength Arsenal side - but a side that still contained Bergkamp, Pires, van Persie and Reyes - he who falls over in a puff of wind.
The Bluebirds did us proud though, and didn't capitulate despite going 2-0 down quite early on, and played pretty well throughout. Support was massive and vocal, unlike Arsenal's. "Highbury's a library...shhhhh" was sung thoughout!
Only blot on the day was the trains. Missed out connection at Bath Spa because our original train was late, had to wait an hour for the next one. That one's arrival was delayed 20 mins for God knows what which meant we missed the first 10 mins of the match. Bugger! Should have been there by about 12, actually got into the ground at 1:13. The journey back was almost as bad - supposed to be a straight run through to Newport - it was - again via Bath though, and took amost 2:40min.
And the goverment wonders why people hate public transport?

Friday, January 06, 2006

The Big Day: FA Cup 3rd Round

Well, tomorrow it's upon us - FA Cup round 3 day when the big guns join the fray. Arsenal will be quaking in their boots as they host the Bluebirds (and 6,000 or so of us fans) at Highbury. Can't wait to see City playing fast flowing football with neat and incisive passing and pinpoint finishing.......Er hang on, don't we play long ball football, hav a creaky defence (at the minute) and think a cross is what Manager Dave Jones gets when we give away sloppy goals? Who cares, it'll be a great day out, City have nothing to lose and an awful lot to gain. PS. Jonesy - sign Koumas before it's too late!
"C'mon Bloooobirds!!!"