In Which A Book Is Read In A Day And We Might Be At War With Peru But I'm Busy Watching West Ham

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I hope that one of the things this blog has shown is my love of reading. But even I rarely read an entire book in a day if only because despite the best will in the world other things such as football,life and oh, my family interfere.

Sometimes though circumstances move completely in the other direction and yesterday that exactly happened. I was at work, the afternoon/evening shift but there was not that much to do. Partly it was because we are now in the holiday period but mainly it was the weather. Summer 2016 were those two days early last week, today turned out what seems to be the new "normal". Grey skies, a cold breeze and of course bouts of rain. In other words October.

So I had time to read. The book that benefited from this sudden surplus of time was Walking Home by Clare Balding. Thankfully it turned out an extremely pleasant read meeting all my expectations when borrowed from the library on Monday.

Mainly it's a book where walking is the link for other aspects of her life. Mainly of course from the BBC Radio 4 programme she presents Ramblings (the many podcasts of which I find myself listening to in the bath now) but also her family. It's not completely about walking as the blurb in the cover would imply for example the London Olympics feature but that doesn't matter.

For a person such as me considering taking rambling up as a hobby Walking Home is not technical but an autobiography as a chat between you and a friend as she goes through her experiences taking it up both in her leisure and professional life (which let me stress is a good thing). It was reading as a pleasure and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

When I came home sometime after ten it was time for me to shut myself from the world for that night and early the following morning. It did not matter whether North Korea had declared war with South Carolina, the British economy had been twinned with a lemming or Boris Johnson had decided no longer to hire hairdressers with a sense of humour. West Ham, the team I support had been playing a Europa League tie against N K Domzale that evening and I had recorded the game. And if there was one thing I was going to do it was to shut myself off from the world until I'd seen the match in its entirety.

So after the verbal ramblings of a couple of old pros and ads which suggested all men cared about were fast cars, winning bets, strong drink and a full head of hair (really Shane Warne is that thing on your head truly natural?) it began.

Two things became clear almost immediately. One was that the Domzale defenders policy to Andy Carroll was one of assault and battery and secondly West Ham were dominating. After ten minutes and their first attack of the game though Domzale were awarded an extremely dodgy penalty from which they scored. 1-0 to them.

The West Ham of the past would have buckled under the unexpected blow but things have changed under Slavan Bilic and they continued to attack.About six minutes later they got their reward when the Domzale goalkeeper, clearly feeling left from his side's UFC defending clattered Kyoate in the box. Another penalty, another goal. Scored by the Hammers captain Mark Noble. A man who should have gone to Euro 2016. I mean, Roy Hodgson actually preferred Jack Wiltshire, the man with the glass ankle.

Mind you Mark noble. Admire you as I do do you really feel that football boots coloured in radioactive orange is really a good idea?

Anyway 1-1 and an away goal as well. Although West Ham continued to attack that is how it stayed at half time and given it was their first competitive game this season I was happy enough.

It was midnight. Time to sleep. Time to set the alarm for five o'clock. On waking up made myself a cup of tea and a breakfast cereal. I was ready for the second half.

Three minutes into the second half wasn't ready for what happened next as in their best attack of the game Domzale scored again,this time from open play. The Slovenians had so much space for their well taken goal they could have started a smallholding. 2-1. I was getting nervous.

West Ham continued to attack. But Domzale had grown in confidence. As the second half went on it was the sort of game that you knew was going to finish with that score. Taking everything into account this game could be best described as a disappointment but not a disaster. Clearly though they need to improve for the return match next week.

So it was over. I looked at the clock. Six o'clock Friday morning.Missed a few hours sleep to watch the team I follow being defeated. I'll be working the afternoon/evening shift next Thursday as well and if BT Sport show the return leg will do exactly the same thing again.

It's what you have to do.

Until the next time.