Pen(arth) State Rugby 2

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Two years ago round September was the last time I watched a rugby game featuring Penarth RFC. It was the start of the season and they got beaten in the Welsh Division 2 East Central League by Aberdare. Two seasons later I'm back given that a combination of not working on this particular Saturday and this being the best sporting fixture on offer for me (on an equation of distance divided by cost - £3 by the way including the programme).

This time though this game is in the butt end of the season. Also Penarth are now in Division 3A East Central (a league that suddenly sounds like a class at school) so had been relegated since I'd last seen them. Penarth are ninth in a twelve team league. I don't to be honest know how the promotion/relegation is worked out here, but I overheard someone say as long as they won they'd b safe. They were playing Old Illtydians which at the start of the game were symbolic of mid table respectability given that they were sixth. On paper then they were the favourites.

It was a bright day and the sun shone. Being Wales in March though what to wear is not an easy choice. Braver spectator souls than me plumped for the t-shirt/blouse look. Me I put a jacket on.

As I entered the ground a blonde in sunglasses was by a stool drinking something purple, Further along another blonde was sitting on the ground drinking beer. Me I just went to the bar and manfully ordered a can of coke. Before the game a couple crossed the pitch to the other side, the man holding a glass of beer as well. Yes it was that relaxed.

Unlike last time I wanted to watch the game from the stand instead of being up close as previously. My fifty five year old bones couldn't take the strain anymore. However I couldn't find out how to get up there. Why? Well I'd overheard a conversation saying that the insurance was revoked for fear that the stand would collapse to the floor below. Obviously my bones were not the only things unable to take the strain. Needless to say was happy to stand then.

The team seemed to have have a problem of retrieving rugby balls when they went over the roof. Thankfully they did have a ball retrieving facility present.

State Of The Art

A quick note about the main sponsor for the Old Illtydians. It was something called The Philarmonic. I'd like to think it was a Classical orchestra if only because it make a change from a gambling website but I've no idea. Not even their website gives any clues. Another of their shirt sponsors is The Trojan Group, celebrating a side who let's face it, lost.

Along from where I was standing there were two young women observing the warm-up.

"Lush" I heard one of the Penarth players say as a pair of them approached the ladies.

Now I've never heard a man use the word lush before unless he was talking about grass or carpet. In this case he was talking about the dog the women had with them. I've no idea whether there was already a relationship there, the players were being players or there was a true love of the domestic wolf  but whatever the reason the men started to chat with the women and stroke the dog until in true sitcom fashion were called to join the rest of the team before they could continue further.

And before the game began I needed to do this.

Evidence

I hereby claim to be the first man to read an Alan Coren book during the intervals of a Welsh rugby match.

And so the game began. It was the visitors who instantly started the most brightly. Pressing Penarth nearly at their own line.

"Already!" I heard a boy's voice cry out. Which seemed to suggest that an early attack on the Penarth line was not an unusual thing. This seemed to continue for most of the early stages of the game. Until one Penarth player was upended by his opponent in a style best described as WWE. As it was the wrong move in the wrong sport however the Old Illtydian player involved was sinbinned. Penarth was a player up.



The advantage told. Penarth scored a try as a gap was spotted in Old Illtydians defence.

"Simple Rhys Simple" bellowed an instruction from the Penarthian bench to the team captain. I am assuming that was a tactical instruction than a comment on the man's intelligence.

The next score was a penalty by the away team.

In the previous game I've seen here a guy got injured and had to be taken from the game. This happened here. For five minutes he lay on the ground whilst paramedics dealt with what it turned out to be his left arm. Whatever the reasons why people play rugby never forget that it's a tough game with no American football style padding. He walked off the pitch with that arm heavily strapped.

And you remember that couple who walked along the pitch during the pre match warm-up? Whilst the guy was being treated they walked across the pitch back to the other side.



A brunette was trying to control a dog on a lead. So many dogs in this place. Not easy for a domestic wolf a phobic like me.

"He's a very good boy" she tells her friends....yeah right.

Another yellow card for Old Illtydians another gap in numbers another try for Penarth. It was how the second half ended. Full strength the away side were the better team. But Penarth took advantage of the extra man, as they should.

The Brunette with the dog came back carrying the domestic wolf.

"He can smell the food" she said. A consequence of which presumably was that the wolf was so bloated it couldn't be bothered to walk and needed the help of his owner. Though under the circumstances who owned who was debatable.

A group of teenage children pass by. One girl shouts

"Hi dad"

Dad, a few feet away from me shouts "Stay away from the boys" and it turns out one boy in particular. That moment I suspect I'll be saying the same thing to daughter is coming soon for me too.

The opponents score. But from the kickoff Penarth immediately score a try. Missed exactly how but it appears the Old Illitydian player misjudged the ball and the Penarth player was able to swoop and score. The Old Illitydian player is distraught. Sitting on the ground, staring at the grass as if to say "What have I done". A Penarth player rubs the guys hair in that sort of mixture between commiseration and mockery.

Now a Penarth player gets sinned binned. No idea why. No problem either as they score two quick tries thanks to Richard Bowen, aka "Ritchie. Comparatively small he was nonetheless able to go through gaps in the defence against him and make that killer pass enabling space for the try to be made,

There's another woman with a dog. A small thing ready it appears to bite my ankles in a second.

Another set of tries for both sides. Unlike Old Illtydians I forgot Penarth had been a man short for a portion of the game. That's how good they were second half.



I hear dogs growling at each other. Rather that than they growl at me. If it wasn't for the leads their owners are using to restrain them my money would have been on the pocket beast vs the lazy one (yes him. The one I mentioned earlier).

The whistle is blown Penarth win. Given their dominance in the second half the win was deserved.

Thankyou Penarth RFC and Old Illtydians RFC.

Dogs aside. It was fun.

Until the next time.

Still Going

I asked a man how he was

"Still Going. Still Going

Worked so hard for many hours today

All to be bossed around on minimum pay

But still going, Still going.

Divorced and unloved no woman will look and care

for the Fifty Shades of Grey in my hair

But I'm Still Going, Still Going.

All of my hopes and dreams are gone

Just grey clouds where the sun once shone

But still going, still going.

And then I'm Gone"

Yes that's an admittedly short poem from me who hardly reads any poetry. How come? Well at work I asked a man how he was and that was the answer he gave. It struck me rather like the "mustn't grumble" answer. Why not grumble if it's called for?

So the title is as they "based on real events". The rest is poetic licence.

Until the next time

If Dominic Grieve Is Deselected For Having Principles Chucky Cairns Should Be Deselected For Having None

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

It's been a long while since I've chatted about Secretary of State for Wales, and walking microdot Alun "Chucky" Cairns but yesterday something happened to a Tory MP in England which made me think about the blog villain again.

Dominic Grieve staunch Remain campaigner has lost a vote of confidence by his local constituency party, thus paving the way for his deselection as an MP. Now he's a Conservative so I'm not going to say he's a wonderful human being. But he stuck by his principles and noticeably did not leave the party to join "The Independent Group" as other Remain supporting MPs did. This is however how the Tories thank him for having independence of thought.

Which leads me to Chucky....

Do you know how he's voted in Theresa May's maddening "meaningful votes"? Did he vote for? Did he vote against? No he abstained.

Now what does say about Chucky? Some might say that he abstained so that he keeps his options open for the day the current sub Prime Minister leaves office screaming into a darkened room somewhere. Not me of course.

Who knows then ? What his local constituency in the Vale of Glamorgan (who incidentally voted to Remain in the EU referendum) should expect - especially as a member of the cabinet and it's only Welsh voice is a decision. Instead what you get is nothing but waffling piffle that leads to no action at all.

At least Nero fiddled when Rome burned. Chucky it appears is not even doing that.

Well actually that's not quite fair. In TV interviews he blamed the current situation on the Labour Party, Now let's pause here.

Labour have not shrouded themselves with glory either. But they are not, even in name only, the government of the disunited Kingdom. Also it's not Labour that have made him abstain unless there are some incriminating photos that we don't know about.

So Vale of Glamorgan Conservatives you know your duty for Wales.

Chuck Chucky.

Until the next time.

The Insomniac Meanderings Post : The Pre Mother's Day Wow It's Foggy Out There Edition

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

So of course it's Saturday, I do actually have the day off, so what could more natural than without the safety net of an alarm I wake up at four thirty am? Insomnia always rules with me folks.

And it's foggy out there. I can even see it at four thirty in the morning. Perhaps that I can't see it at four thirty in the morning, and when I mean it I mean almost everything else other than the fog.

Had to drive through it last night. Not pleasant I can tell you. Visually it's as if you're attacked by cotton wool.

Of course tomorrow is Mother's Day. Presents have been bought for wife/mother by daughter/me. They have basically been Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing On Ice based with some added extras. We're going out for a meal tomorrow. Hope it's Ok.

I must admit that this week my posts have been somewhat sporadic. That's because things have actually moved with regard to us buying a house and I've had to do some work on the process. Haven't got into details before and won't do so here for now but it has all seemed to be like an obstacle course. Thing is whilst we still haven't got to completion stage this seems to be the last obstacle now. But then again.....

Have finished Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury and thankfully it's exposure of Donald Trump and his presidential office is just as good as when I chatted about it a few weeks back. Won't tell what book I've taken out of the library in it's stead but regular readers will think it's the most stupidest choice I've ever made....and they'd be probably right.

Actually have some plans for today. When I say plans I mean going to my Leave voting and adamant with it barber (scrubbing up well for the Mother's Day Meal tomorrow you see) so that will be fun. Have no intention of chatting politics with him. After all he will have a sharp object round my face at the time.

Hopefully I'll be able to watch a local rugby match this afternoon as well. But we'll see.

You know I've learnt that one of the best things about the afternoon/evening shift is that you're cut off temporarily from the madness that is the long dark Brexit of the soul that seems to be on the horizon if the supposed "Mother of all parliaments" doesn't get it's act together. But people in Wales can see that the Members of Parliament are deadlocked and it's certainly true that independence as a movement is growing because when all other alternatives seem hopeless you look for the only sane option left.

Going to stop now. Have an idea on a separate post about Chucky Cairns.

Until the next time.

Porthcawl "Too Rich" Or Bridgend Labour Council Too Poor?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I've read in the local Bridgend paper the Glamorgan Gazette a report about an alleged remark a  county councillor made describing Porthcawl as being basically too rich.

Now as insults go "hold my beer" as they say. Or in my case "Hold my cup of tea". Still it's an interesting idea of (if true) a certain type of attitude.

So let's start off with one simple fact. Porthcawl is not a "rich" town. There are of course "rich" parts in the town, especially near the sea, but nothing I've ever seen that would make it into one of those shows flaunting lifestyles of the rich and famous. Of course all of that depends on your definition of "rich" which I'll come back to in a moment.

No Porthcawl as a town is neither super rich or dirt poor. It's basically a normal friendly seaside town with the normal mixture within it.

Indeed perhaps one thing that the councillor might not have noticed (and if not why not?) is that a lot of the houses close to the sea are guesthouses. The rich are not living there. We're talking about small businesses making ends meet.

Now again assuming that the remark was correct what is perhaps interesting is to work out why it was said. I'd guessed when I started reading the story that the councillor was from the ruling Labour council and represented Bridgend Town. Perhaps subconsciously for him Porthcawl is too rich when compared to the urban tragedy that I've discussed often in this blog that is Bridgend Town.

In the very same edition the Glamorgan Gazette also ran a story that the Welsh government body had given the council to smarten up the town and do up the many empty shops there. Thing is though whilst not a bad thing in itself it's literally and metaphorically putting gloss over the cracks. Literal window dressing will not hide the consequences of arrogant incompetence that Bridgend Labour council have wrought on Bridgend Town for decades.

So perhaps (using the definitions he set) the councillor should ask himself not why Porthcawl is so rich but why Bridgend town is so poor? Perhaps then he will realise that it's a consequence of the policies of the party he represents. Perhaps then he will take the brave decision to move to Plaid Cymru. A party that will take the issue of the state of Bridgend Town seriously.

Perhaps. For if he did. Perhaps the council will sit up and take notice.

Until the next time.

So Welsh UKIP, Welsh Labour Or Plaid Cymru Which One Do You Think Has A Vision?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

UKIP in Wales has a policy out regarding the Welsh Assembly. It's leader Mr Creepy and his cohorts know it's a simple policy with one simple message.

Abolish it.

Their argument is simple. It's a waste of money and has done nothing for all the twenty years since it was set up.

Of course when Mr Creepy and his cohorts are asked what has the House of Commons done for Wales during the same period then they are unusually silent.

But here's the thing. If you take the last of the Carwyn Jones years and the first months of Mark "Jeremy Disciple" Drakeford's tenure as First Minister then it's easy to see how that impression can get a footing in the thinking of the Welsh voter.

Government is a combination of good management a clear vision for the future. The Welsh Labour administration provides bad management whose only purpose is to stay in power. It is short sighted. The Welsh Labour party is the Mr Magoo of world politics.

Last Saturday there was the People's Vote in London. Over a million turned up. And amongst the speakers, introduced to loud cheers was Nicola Sturgeon. That's right an audience of mainly (I presume) English people cheered the leader of the Scottish Nationalists. Afterwards Mark Drakeford was introduced to equally thunderous applause....of course not he wasn't there....Jeremy would not approve (and probably most people even if they were Welsh would not recognise him anyway).

So only Plaid Cymru has the true vision thing. It is not a back to the future UKIP policy but a forward thinking idea of an independent Wales which, why there will still be problems it will Wales who will deal with it not begging for an answer from a large city far away.

Until the next time.

The Return Of My Throbbing Right Knee

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Regular readers may remember that in December 2017 I fell down at work on my right knee. At the time there was throbbing and a noticeable swelling. However it didn't stop me walking or continue working. Nor did it stop me driving although changing gears did hurt.

There was as it happened no opportunity for me to go and have it checked or indeed ring up a solicitor to demand compensation as per those ads. For my mother was then severely unwell, (she would be going later to hospital) and so from late 2017 to about March the following year I was in Essex exile looking after her.

In the meantime my knee continued to bother me. But amazingly when I returned to Wales it slowly got better, That was it. Problem seemed to resolve itself. Life goes on.

But now whilst there is no swelling the throbbing has returned. I came from work last Friday. Sat down to change clothes and all of a sudden the throbbing returned. No swelling yet. Again it doesn't stop me from doing things. But like a bad smell it makes it's presence felt.

So what shall I do? Obvious solution is to go the hospital but what will that do? I feel a fraud given that nothing is stopping me from walking or driving or mountaineering (as if I ever did that before). Other people with more urgent and obvious ailments should be in the queue before me.

Unless the swelling returns, or the throbbing continues by next week I'll try to shake it off. But otherwise I will have to take medical advice. And if it turns out to be too late well if you see a man walking around in a cane around the Vale of Glamorgan then it might turn out to be me.

Until the next time.

Why Plaid Cymru Should Not Change It's Name

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Last year, during the Plaid Cymru leadership elections I wrote a post saying that it was my gut instinct that Adam Price wouldn't win and citing his suggestion that Plaid should change it's name as an example as to why.

So much for my gut instinct.

But I come back to the issue as recently talk has reemerged in the Welsh media about this. Indeed Twitter led me to an article in a design website where designers suggested ideas on what it should be changed to (presumably pitching for that commission). So I, with all the expertise that being a fifty five year old Eastender (albeit a member of the party) will now argue that Plaid should keep it's name.

I will in some respects be rehashing the arguments I gave in that previous post with regard to this name change idea but as this issue has returned I don't feel it's unreasonable. Also to those who will say "Well he won the leadership election didn't he?" Well yes. But it doesn't mean that every idea Mr Price has uttered is a good one. Don't forget that before the election he advocated joint leadership of Plaid Cymru. An idea which quite rightly has died a death.

One of the reasons trotted out for a change is that the name is in Welsh. Well let's stop there. How can a single Plaid Cymru member advocate changes supporting the Welsh language when it's name is changed to an English one. How can opponents to bilingual road signs be argued with? With one change ammunition would have been given to the leader of Welsh UKIP Mr Creepy.

Furthermore in my twenty one years of living in Wales I've never heard a conversation which went like this:

Voter One : "I'm not voting for Plaid Cymru"

Voter Two: "Why?"

Voter One: "Cause it's name is in Welsh"

And as we apparently need to a lot these days let's look at Ireland, specifically Northern Ireland. Of the major political parties there Sein Fein is the only one with a non English name. Yet it hasn't stopped it becoming a major political force there. Indeed it's name helps establishes it's political philosophy whether you speak Gaelic or not.

A change of name (especially to the proposed example which I'll come to in a moment) will be a perceived as a waste of time and a betrayal of it's underlying values for voters in Wales even if they don't speak Welsh. It smacks of political tackiness.

And let's come to the proposed new name. "New Wales". I mean how lame is that? It either will be seen as a throwback to "New Labour" or sounding like an extreme right wing group. As a name it's a lazy choice, a choice that lacks inspiration. Oh before you ask what's my suggestion I don't have one. I don't need one. I'm happy with Plaid Cymru thankyou very much.

As an issue it's a waste of time, money and resources. Debating it alone will distract Plaid from the far more important issues facing Wales today. Needless to say voters will not thank Plaid for it.

But I will suggest a name change for when you see Plaid Cymru banner you will also "Party of Wales" next to it. Ditch that. No one will care. Just leave it as "Plaid Cymru" and then fight for all of the people living in Wales against the arrogantly incompetent unionist parties who just don't care about the voters.

Ultimately actions speak louder than words.

Until the next time.

The Worst Welsh Politician Of The Week

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

The worst Welsh politician of the week is not something I'd normally chat about as if I started to do this the winner would almost be either Secretary of State for Wales Alun "Chucky" Cairns, First Minister Mark "Jeremy's Disciple" Corbyn or the leader for UKIP in Wales Mr Creepy. So there would be no point doing it.

However this week is different. There would be three choices.

1) Labour minister in the Welsh government Lee Waters. We have spoken about Mr Waters before when he spoke on Twitter that their surprisingly socialist policy regarding free hospital car parking should be examined.

Here it's to do with his discovery revealed on Twitter that there is such a thing as a four holed punch and his childish wonderment of same. Leaving aside the question "How cut off from reality are you?" (I knew about this decades ago) it also showed a lack of sensitivity given that as a Llanelli Assembly Member the nearby Office Outlet store in Swansea is threatened with closure due to it's parent company being put under administration.

2) Carwyn Jones.....yes him. Lambasting Theresa May on Twitter over what's happening re Brexit. He's quite right of course. She's a subprime Minister in a subprime government. And yet what does that make him given as First Minister he surrendered Welsh powers to her for seven years?

However he doesn't win today. No the title of Worst Welsh Politician Of The Week goes to the equally titled Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas.

I've chatted about him before. He's a politician whose trajectory has moved from Plaid Cymru to it's leader to being in the House Of Lords to becoming an Independent Assembly Member and Minister for Culture in the current Welsh administration.to advocating (and this is where I have chatted about him previously) that for tourist purposes Wales should promote itself as a principality!!!

And on the last point let's not forget this from the man who used to be leader of Plaid Cymru!!!

You don't think he couldn't move further away from his Plaid Cymru roots? Think again. Now it has been revealed that when the position of Chief executive of the National Welsh Library in Aberystwyth was advertised he tried to stop one of the conditions of the post being that he/she had to be a Welsh speaker saying that it needed to attract the broadest field possible. The Welsh library, to it's credit, ignored him (and let's pause here - librarians were revolting - throwing the book at him - it takes a certain type of politician to do that).

There were many arguments that were put against the minister's position. I think though the most important one is this. There are some organisations though bilingual should have it's head a Welsh speaker simply because of it's responsibility to safeguard the Welsh language. The Welsh National library with it's vast collection of Welsh literature is one of these organisations. How can you be Chief executive of the Welsh National Library when you don't have an appreciation of a large proportion of what is stored there because you don't understand Welsh?

The fact that Elis-Thomas, a Welsh speaker, did not seem to care about this seems just to illustrate how far from Plaid Cymru he's moved from. Perhaps Plaid should organise a competition to see what his next step moving away from his roots will be. My entry will probably be him changing his name to David Ellis....sorry Lord David Ellis.

Until the next time.

On Running Out Of Tea...With A Dash Of Brexit Thrown In

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I was going to chat about the worse Welsh politician of the week. Clue it's a member of the government administration (not much of a clue I know so many contenders). But you'll have to wait for that till tomorrow. Know you can't wait.

Anyway whilst I go to bed at midnight after working the afternoon/evening shift I wake up at around six am on a school day as (given that the wife leaves for work beforehand) I take daughter to school. She gets up at seven....or some time long past that....eventually....she's a teenager. So waking up at six allows me to wind myself into the day.

Whilst I try to go continental with croissants if I can (yes Brexiteers I prefer croissants). I've tried and failed to go coffee continental with the hot beverage. It has to be tea. Not fancy tea. Just a normal teabag thrown into a mug and then milk added (it's the milk added last that makes me a rebel you know). It's warm comforting and thrust quenching.

So imagine my surprise when I saw there was no tea bags. No back-up tea bags. Not even the boxes of tea bags I've stored for Brexit. Where is the tea?!!!

I wake up wife. It's important after all. Where is the tea I ask her. In order, the boxes have been used up by us and taken to her work. I mean doesn't this woman know the meaning of the word stocking up?

It's 6:20am. There's only one option. I put decent clothes on, flatten my hair so it doesn't look like silvery spiders fighting and drive the short way to Sully One Stop. I get the tea bags, and milk, and drink for work later.

I also noticed this.

One For The Brexit Stockpile

I should've got more actually and will do so later.

The shop assistant is exactly what I'm not at that moment. Young, pretty, smart and way too alert for this time of the morning. I mention the latter part to her. She responds by saying it's thanks to coffee. See you may be young, pretty and smart but if you don't know the glories of a simple cup of tea then you're flawed.

But at least tea is bought. Order is now restored. But it got me to thinking. In the future of Britain if the long dark hard Brexit of the soul arrives it would panic over the shortage of foodstuffs but without the way to quickly resolve it. Things may be grim now. It has the potential of being even more so soon.

Until the next time.

When Britain Is On The Verge Of Stumbling Into A Hard Brexit, The Economy Looks As If It's About To Explode,Social Cohesion Is Hanging By A Thread And The Prime Minister Looks As If She's Having A Nervous Breakdown......Let's Talk Again About Pitching In

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well when you feel that the saga that is Brexit cannot get any lower the sub Prime Minister with the sub prime government shows again that there are hidden levels to the bottom of the barrel. Who knows what's going to happen?  But I say this. The probability of Britain leaving the EU by jumping off a cliff and instantly trying to learn how to swim through a hard Brexit increases.

This I'd argue will probably cause an economic disaster, a dismantling of social cohesion and the breakup of this disunited kingdom including independence for Wales. The independence part will be a good thing. Point is though, as I've said before, no nationalist will wish for this scenario because of the route of economic and social misery people and families in Wales will have to get there.

Once we know for sure what is going to happen I'll chat again about Brexit and it's effect on Wales. Though I will leave the issue for now with one question.

Is Theresa May slowly having a nervous breakdown?

So let's return to Pitching In.

You may remember I chatted about this show when it was shown in Wales earlier this year. A light drama about an English owner of a North Walian caravan park. When it was shown here it seemed to be almost universally attacked for issues that I will recap as I go along.

Well next week it's going to get a disunited kingdom transmission and I thought it would be interesting to chat about it's reaction from this (I'm assuming English I don't know - If I checked I'd reckon it would be digital stalking) perspective. Specifically a review I saw in next week's edition of the Radio Times.

There is kudos to be given to the reviewer for saying that the programme has received a mauling in Wales. Though when she says it's just from "some" viewers I'd certainly argue with that. Also her assertion that it's "mainly" due to the lack of local actors is another I'd would contend with. Partly because other reasons seemed just as prominent to me in the reaction against the programme but also that whilst true, just to say the programme lacked local actors does not explain the whole argument here.

As I mentioned previously this is linked to the Welsh accents on the programme . For something supposedly set in North Wales there were a whole slew of accents from across Wales on oral display. It would be like EastEnders if all you could hear were Brummie, Geordie and Scouse voices. I suspect that the Radio Times reviewer, rather like my theory with regard to the casting director, is English living in England so all she could hear was one "Welsh" accent. If you're Welsh or like me have lived in Wales for twenty years however you can hear several. Because Welsh is a country and like all countries has several regional accents within it.

But there is also the point that it's cliché Wales. The cliché is that the Welsh are just a bunch of happy go lucky eccentric locals ("colourful ensemble" is how the review in the Radio Times put it) really is English wish fulfilment ( though to be fair Larry Lamb's character is described as a "cockney curmudgeon").

And this is, let's not forget, a programme commissioned by BBC Wales. But now transmitted across the disunited kingdom. This is the image, the completely wrong image, that the state broadcaster wants other nations to see about itself.

Here is the key point. Forget about six nations victory, Euro 2016 semi final, Tour De France success. If you have this image of cliche  Wales Pitching In will comfort you. You will like it. If you however know that Wales needs to break from the cliche then you know full well Pitching In needs to be thrown out of the schedule as quickly as possible.

Until the next time.

Indian Food....Another Subject That Makes Me Realise There Are Things I Don't Know About My Daughter

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

When you do shift work, as I do, you're conscious that as your time pattern for the day is different, even for me doing an afternoon-evening then you are slightly disjointed from the pattern of the world.

But what I've realised is that it makes me miss certain things about my daughter (now a teenager) until I discover it long after it's embedded in her being.

I'm not talking about secrets you understand. That by their very nature would be hidden anyway. No I'm just talking about general quirks in character that we all have but I because I work shifts is not immediately noticeable to me.

Yesterday after picking daughter up from school I had to go to ASDA to get some particular groceries and wife and I decided as a treat that daughter could choose the meal for that day.

Much to my surprise she picked an Indian set meal for two (we bought two of them) but not just that, also more rice, sauces, poppadoms and naan bread as well. She knew her Indian food. This was just all new to me.

Now before I go on let me stress that I don't dislike Indian food but for me it joins coffee and rugby in that box entitled "Don't Dislike - But Would Prefer Something Else". For me, even when it's concerning microwave meals, I go Italian.

Mind you when we do go to an Indian restaurant wife/daughter always wonder why I don't waiver from my set choice vegetable korma with chips personally though I don't go for spicy curries. My view being that food should be a pleasure not a challenge for your tongue to see if you're hard enough.

But here's my daughter not just liking Indian food but having the knowledge to know exactly what she wanted including sauces and condiments. She knows far more than I do on the subject.

Wife knew this and I didn't. Not a secret as I say. But because I work shifts just something I'd not be aware of.

I'll probably have to notice this more.

Until the next time.

Why Water Is An Independence Issue

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

There is the often repeated joke in England that it always rains in Wales. Similar stuff is thrown at Scotland as well. But it appears that the product from the clouds has now the potential to become an issue for independence as well.

For the chief of the environment agency has warned that England could run short of water within twenty five years. A combination of rising population and dwindling supply caused what would be a perfect storm for drought....if that wasn't the wrong metaphor to use.

Part of the way he seeks to resolve this is to "transfer water across the country" this for now only involves England. But you don't need to have any degrees in politics, business or water management to know that eyes will be looking across the borders into Wales and Scotland.

Of course this is not new. I've previously spoken in the past about the Tryweryn reservoir where in the nineteen sixties the village of Capel Celyn was flooded so that the it could built to supply Liverpool.

Could this happen again? Well politically in Wales First Minister Mark "Jeremy's Disciple" Drakeford and Welsh Secretary of state Alun "Chucky" Cairns are remarkably similar in the way they appear to be supplicants to their Westminster masters. So despite this not being in the interests of Wales there is nothing to suggest they won't agree to do it.

But there is another way and that is for Wales to judge whether they should sell the water to England and at what cost. It's a Welsh resource that should not be drained away like North Sea oil was for Scotland.

This is where independence come in. In my lifetime the Scottish Nationalist Party really stepped up a gear in the seventies in the discovery of North Sea oil. What people could see was that here was a Scottish resource being frittered away by Westminster whilst there were some parts of Scotland that would have benefited from monies that the oil would have provided.

In Independent Wales for oil read Water. Plaid Cymru should emphasise that it is a Welsh resource and the profits for supplying England with water should be put back to Wales with the consequent increase in resources for things like health,education and transport.

It should also emphasise through the rooftops something else as well. Not that no new reservoirs would be built, after all who knows what the future will bring, but that no communities will be flooded for new reservoirs built in Wales if it's designed to solely supply England.

Water is a resource and an independence issue Plaid needs to make this loud and clear. For we know the Unionist parties won't

My South Wales Siesta

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

When I was young child I used to silently mock my parents as they would fall asleep in front of the TV. But looked forward to them doing it as well. It meant I could have more reading time and watch more "adult" programmes on the tele (don't get excited here. It was the seventies so there were only three TV channels with no cheap video recorders on sale).

But now many, many decades later I have the same disease that inflicted my parents much to the mockery of daughter. I would watch something  and slowly would realise that my eyelids were getting heavy and my mind was already lying down in a comfy pillow with fresh sheets around it and that was before what remains of my body decided to join with it's allegedly more intelligent brain.

And the thing is it's not just in the evening. Often I feel this way in the afternoon as well. "Let's watch a film together as a family" says the wife. Only for her and daughter to be disgusted by me for leaving them for the land of nod.

(Mind you she's not adverse to having an unscheduled afternoon nap. Having insisted last year when we were stuck in the apartment because of the snow to watch the film We Bought A Zoo she promptly nodded off after the first half hour. I don't blame her mind you. It was awful)

Recently I've discovered a partial solution to all of this. If you're a Brexiteer close your eyes.

The Southern Europeans were right. If you can take a siesta do it.

Now admittedly this is a sub prime version of what our continental neighbours do. Style consultants would call it a "power nap" but really it's more romantic to call it a pocket siesta. But when I go to work along the A48 on my way to do the afternoon/evening shift I stop off at an isolated layby, set the alarm on my mobile and have the shortened siesta for about half an hour.

I don't sleep at the back or wind the front seat down (it's a Kia picanto folks). I just slouch slightly shut my eyes and I'm gone. Not only am I gone I'm gone quickly as well. The body seems ready for it's afternoon pit stop.

And once I'm awake I do feel energised and ready for what life throws at me, After all these years thinking that siestas were a product of avoiding the midday sun I now realise they were just being generally sensible anyway.

I grow old. I grow old. I wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.....comfortable though.

Until the next time.

Alone With Donald Trump.....In A Manner Of Speaking

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

So picture the scene. Wales are playing Ireland in the six nations championship. Wife is watching that with "the girls". Wales of course eventually won winning the six nations, the grand slam and rugby bragging rights at least until the World Cup.

(And of course the Welsh mathematical theory that national rugby success is in equal and direct proportion to the mess of their club game still stands)

Daughter is revising for her exams.

I am alone. Even the weather is no company. Wind and heavy rain with an unseasonably grey sky above.

In fact the only company I have is Donald Trump...... being the next book to read from the library.

Fire And Fury - Michael Wolff

In this blog I rarely chat about a book as I'm reading it in case my opinion changes at the end (as was the case with D H Lawrence). But given the circumstances and as it's such a good read so far I thought I'd make an exception here.

Mr Wolff was given access to the White House (which would probably have been denied if they'd known what he would produce). Trump and his entourage denies what was produced and I've no idea either way. Trouble for Trump though is that given his known behaviour in public what is written here certainly seems credible.

The impression of Trump here is of a nasty lazy man who didn't expect to win the presidency (and in terms of the popular vote remember actually didn't) and is struggling to do the job. It also gives the impression of bewildered acolytes around him. Trying to contain "the Donald" as best they can but finding that eventually he breaks free.

It was interesting to read that Trump runs the White House on the basis of separate cliques fighting for his attention and approval doing the same piece of work. Do you know who also did this? Hitler.

Do you know what the worse thing about Trump being president is? Whatever we thought he was going to be it turns out he is far worse than that.

It's a tribute to Mr Wolff that from such a complex subject as Trump, how he operates and those around him (and were around him - given he fires people with such regularity) is a book that's readable and understandable for an Eastender living in Wales.

I've read about third so far. Let's hope the rest of the book is just as good.

Until the next time.

Does Barry In South Wales Need A Rebrand? Perhaps Slightly.......Very Slightly.

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

There is apparently a National Lottery "Great Place" scheme which gives money areas to rebrand and publicise itself to the world out there. Barry in South Wales has apparently received such money.

It posed an interesting question in my head. Does Barry actually need a rebrand? And I think the answer is slightly. Very slightly.

Regular readers may remember that one of my first posts on Barry Town was chatting about a comment made by Cardiff Labour Councillor Russell Goodway who said that Barry Town lacked a purpose (he incidentally lives in the area!). It gives a perception that Barry Town is just....well...there. I suspect Cardiff Labour Council just thinks Barry is there for day trips and a commuting town for people who can't afford the cost of living in the capital.

But I like Barry. No one will ever compare it with Paris or Milan or even Bari (sorry couldn't resist) but it strikes me as having a happy-go-lucky charm and obviously more livelier than it's urban pair of slippers equivalent in nearby Penarth.

Having lived near the urban tragedy that is Bridgend Town I can tell you that Barry's problems are small in comparison.

There is I suspect the need to emphasise that there is a difference between what Barry Town and Barry Island have to offer. If you don't know the area (and before I moved to Wales I did this) there is a good chance you'd confuse the two. The Island (not really an island) is the seaside part with all you would expect from such a place.

The town seems drab in comparison. But if you look under the surface it has the ability to surprise. Barry High Street (which I've written about previously) was an absolute revelation to me. I haven't seen this line-up of mainly independent and quirky shops for decades. Really it should become a heritage site it's that unique.

(A quick digression. When my daughter was about two there was a programme on Ceebies called Doodle Do hosted by Welsh comedian Chris Corcoran. In this particular episode I watched with her  he told a story of a guy called Barry who got shipwrecked. One of the first things he did according to Mr Corcoran was to name the place Barry Island.

Well I laughed. My daughter however turned to me with a confused look on her face. As if to say why is Dad laughing at a programme for me?)

So perhaps there is a need to emphasise the differences and qualities the Island and the Town has. As well as keeping the free car parking in the area (Unlike Bridgend Town for example. One of areas I'd argue which has damaged it so severely).

Nowhere is perfect and Barry does have issues. But in terms of branding and promoting itself other than a bit of sprucing up and a lick of paint here and there (both physically and metaphorically) my view is that Barry should be proud at what it is.

Barrybados with hidden gems.

Until the next time

The Insomniac Meanderings Post : Another Storm Edition

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well today high winds and heavy rain are threatened for Wales. Not the snow that's hitting Scotland and the north of England thankfully. Still not pleasant. Guess who's going out to work in it....

Meanwhile later today Wales are playing Ireland in the final of the Six nations. A Welsh victory will mean they will get the championship and the grand slam. Wife is with "the girls" to watch the match later. Me? I'll probably be alone with Donald Trump (talking about a connection to things Stormy). But that's for another day.

Personally for many reasons I hope Wales win. One of them being another credence to my newly discovered Welsh mathematical theorem that the success of the Welsh national team is in equal and direct proportion to it's mess at club level.

West Ham incidentally are facing Huddersfield. They should win. But then again they should have beaten Cardiff City last week (still hurts).

Speaking of Cardiff the Labour council have ditched plans to create a congestion charge for cars entering the city centre. In terms of it's timing it's an arrogantly stupid idea typical of Welsh Labour. A few posts back I chatted about the cuts to the Cardiff council owned  bus service which incidentally would have probably put some people to use the car. There is also the oft criticised rail service.

Investment in public transport is the thing to do first. Then put the congestion charge in. Don't pretend to be greener than the next person by imposing a charge whilst hampering someone's chance of contributing to lowering fossil fuels.

Timing is everything. Welsh Labour in whatever guise never has it.

Until the next time.

The Man With A Competition Winner Tattoo

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

So here it is. The latest book I've read from the library.

Beauty In The Beast - Hugh Warwick

Mr Warwick is a writer on animals. Ordinary animals that we can all see should we be interested (not me). He had written a book on his favourite animal (hedgehogs) and got a tattoo made for it one leg. So in this book published in 2012 he decided (as you do) to go round Britain chatting with people who have equally extraordinary passions for ordinary animals and the animal that affected him the most would be be tattooed on his other leg.... as you do.

So there would be enthusiasts as the man with sight difficulties happily looking into a microscope at a single bumblebee (personally I always thought bees lived in monarchist dictatorships but what do I know?) or the young woman from Glasgow happy to spend the night partying with moths.

I've said it before about animal books and as it applies here I'm going to bore you with it again that probably because I'll never be considered the next David Attenborough the best animal books are those where animals (though obviously important) are not the only factor. Here the key pull for the non animal fanatic is these people's obsession with their subject. Such as the woman happy to wander round green spaces in London at night looking for bats.

Mr Warwick is a good writer and he got me engaged in this competition. So engaged that I didn't agree with his final choice. Me! I actually cared!

A fun book in a subject you're not normally interested in is I would think the best testament I can give to Mr Warwick's work. And if I ever see his book on Hedgehogs I will read it.

I'll still leave it for others to feed it milk though.

Until the next time.

Britain's Brexit Negotiations : Through The Medium Of Broken Glasses

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Personally speaking the biggest event that happened to me yesterday was that I accidentally broke my glasses. I was carrying something and somehow my arm knocked the pair off to the ground.

And the pair was dead. Lenses had moved from the frame. And the frame itself had split in half.

Now if this Theresa May she would have insisted that that the frame would be put together if cellotape and the lenses were superglued back on. Does not matter that the result would be rickety and collapse soon after. That is what she would insist.

However it is me. And whilst I was upset that an old friend was no more. I was not that traumatised. Because unlike Mrs May I had a plan B.

Plan B

So I had a spare. Not fashionable. A bit bottle toppely. But does the job the broken pair did.

And so you have to ask after all these years since the EU referendum result why was there no Plan B? Why are we on course for economic and social disaster and no one seems to have planned for it?

Britain today folks. And you wonder why I want Wales to be independent.

Until the next time.

A Portrait Of An Artist As A Serial Book Killer

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

In this long dark Brexit of the soul eve that it appears Britain will be dragged into, I didn't think that there would be another subject that would anger me equally as much, if only for a moment. But Twitter has the capacity for revealing something completely unexpected that would take you off guard and this seemingly incongruous blog post did that for me Monday evening.

https://www.boredpanda.com/old-book-recycling-paper-art-cecilia-levy/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic

So the artist Cecilia Levy takes old books and then proceeds to create paper pieces of art from them. Now as the above post shows Ms Levy has more artistic skill in her little finger than I will ever have and let me acknowledge it. But this is nothing to do with her artistic ability. It has everything to do with the slaughter of old books.

All readers should politely tell Ms Levy that old books are just as cherished as their pristinely new counterparts. If this wasn't the case why is it that second hand booksellers and charity shops are full of them? That discovery of an old forgotten classic of decades ago, or to reengage with an author who had been forgotten in the far reaches of your memory. It is the jolt to the system. Literary espresso.

Old books through either shops or family heirlooms are passed through from generation to generation. New readers are then created.

What Ms Levy is doing is simply this. She's creating new art by murdering old art. How can this be right? How can this be justified?

The blogger states that Ms Levy's work is a "loving testament to literature". How can murdering a book be described as that? The loving testament to literature is the book. A loving testament to literature is not ripping it up, thus denying a future reader the opportunity to see it as it was originally intended, and creating something else entirely.

No real reader will look at Ms Levy's work and say "Thankyou for murdering a book and creating a paper [insert object here] in it's place". An [insert object here] which incidentally will probably be in the long term less appreciated.

According to the blog Ms Levy is always on the lookout for old books to continue her work.
I would suggest that if you give Ms Levy old books it will be the literary equivalent of taking a cow to an abattoir.

So read the old books you have. Or at the very least give them to a good home. Otherwise they may be slaughtered in the name of art.

Until the next time.

In Which Chinese Intelligence Alledgely Might Be Spying On My Mother

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

My mother has bought a mobile phone. I say "bought" I mean renewed her contract and picked a new phone on what was available. She picked a Huawei (which the man at the Carphone Warehouse advised should be something like "Hawaaway".

She tells me the model. I can't say I pay a great deal of attention. Like me she uses the mobile for calls, texts and the occasional wander through the web and that's it. Like mother like son we're not so tech savvy we pay bills etc with it, talk to it (my heart belongs to Alexa) or indeed listen to music from it.

When I mention this event in passing to daughter though she's disapproving. Firstly the eponymous "friend at school" had one which apparently dissolved in a few weeks....or something like that anyway.

Secondly though she's heard allegations about Huawei (which I need to stress are denied by the company) that there are security concerns given it's Chinese owned.

I thought about this for all of one second. And assuming the allegations are true I was rather approving of the Chinese authorities spying on my mother. After all they could use the GPS on her phone to know where she is should she get lost for example. And if there are no available members of Chinese intelligence that could put her on the right road they could always email me and I'd of course do it.

She's on a trip to Belfast with "the girls". If they have a heads up on her plans I'd be grateful. And indeed if they understand her plans that would mean China definitely is going to be the global superpower.

And if China could pass on any gossip from my mother's conversations that would be a help too. After all I wouldn't need to hear the whole story when I ring her dutiful son style every night. Instead I could chip in with "But didn't Beryl say....?" that will confuse but would also make her think I'm paying attention.

If these allegations are true China should imagine how many relatives they could help in this way. Peoples and nations of the Earth would be in their debt. They are missing a PR opportunity here.

Until the next time.

Low Marks and Spencer. The Case Of The British Daffodils In Wales

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

So picture the scene. I have left the Cardiff City stadium on a Saturday afternoon. Saddened by their win over my team West Ham. I have about an hour to fill until the wife comes and picks up.

Across the road from the stadium there is a collection of out of town stores. One of them being Marks and Spencer and as I need to go to the Gents I wander there. Call of nature answered I meander into their food hall where I see this.

British Daffodils

Daffodils. The flower of Wales. Produced in Wales and here is Marks and Spencer selling "British" Daffodils.

There are two explanations.

1) They are Welsh daffodils. But Marks and Spencer seem to be ashamed in announcing that fact. Bad under any circumstances but worse when you consider they're apparently ashamed to advertise WELSH daffodils in a WELSH store.

2) They are not Welsh daffodils. Which means they're trying to flog daffodils which aren't from Wales when they can get locally produced ones.

Marks and Spencer do have form in this. In 2016 they advertised suits modelled by members of the England Euro 2016 squad when becoming the official male suit company or something like that. It was advertised in Wales. Even though not only Wales were also in Euro 2016 (reaching the semi-finals) but in the first stage were in England's group!

So Marks and Spencer really need to deal with this promptly. They cannot get the impression they can get away with this if put under the banner of "British".

Until the next time.

For I Am Ten Again : Cardiff City Vs West Ham Part Two: When Reality Bites

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

So I'm here. The Cardiff City Stadium. It's about half past one. Wife has dropped me off. I'm still ten.

There is a small crowd by the players entrance. Cardiff City players are signing copies of the match programme. They go in. Soon the West Ham coach arrives. One of the first people to get out is the manager Manuel Pellegrini with a look that suggests he wasn't comfortable with the journey and moves swiftly into the players entrance. Then there is a pause, then another bunch of players emerge. Then another pause and a final group get out.

That's the back of West Ham captain's Mark Noble's head going into the Players Entrance. I can sure take a picture

I go to the gift store just to buy a few things for daughter and the matchday programme for myself. Their third strip ( a thing I hate. Just another way to fleece the fans) is on sale for £10. I was tempted to buy one for her as well but thought better of it. Until this year you would have thought it just the luminous colour of motorway maintenance which is bad enough. Now it would be also mistaken for right wing protesters in Britain and would be liable to have you attacked by French gendarmerie as part of the gilets jaune .

Gift Shopping

Eventually I get inside. I walk to my block. Past the betting kiosks and screens showing the early match Crystal Palace vs Brighton and make my way to my seat.

Bluebird Country

The players come onto the pitch. the West Ham fans are in the next block to me and sing Bubbles the theme song. Unquestionably the most realistic of all football anthems. Nothing says the agony of being a fan than the line "Fortune's always hiding. I've looked everywhere".

It would appear though that the Cardiff City DJ was ready for them. The moment Bubbles was finished immediately Men Of Harlech comes on the tannoy. Most of the crowd (including me - remember I'm a quiet hammer surrounded by Bluebirds) stand up. When that finishes the West Ham block begins singing God Save The Queen and then shouting "Engerland". Whatever the next ninety minutes or so was going to be a lesson in diplomacy was not one of them.

The West Ham block is to the left of this photo 

It was noticeable that there were some (not many) empty seats in the stadium. Mainly though for the most expensive seats contrary to what I thought earlier. My suspicion was that they were season tickets who decided to watch Scotland vs Wales which was being played at roughly the same time. However the ground was mainly full showing again that the awe of the international rugby game is not what it was, though still powerful.

The match begins

It was the fourth minute, the fourth minute you understand when Hoilett scored a goal at the near post. Cardiff City were ahead. Whatever I expected from this game Cardiff City scoring that early was not one of them.

Of course I clapped alongside the Bluebirds surrounding me but to  misquote Smokey Robinson if you took a good look at my face you'd see a smile that looked out of place.

"YOU'RE GOING DOWN. YOU'RE GOING DOWN. YOU'RE GOING DOOOWN" chants the West Ham block of fans. Whether true or not only time will tell but timing wise it smacked of sour grapes.

"ONE NIL AND YOU STILL CAN'T SING"
This goaded the guy in front of me to stand up, swear, give the finger and say things that google would ban me for. The bit I was bothered with was the standing up, given that he was spoiling my view of the game. He moved from his spot during the game. But late in the second half a group of stewards took him forcibly away from where he'd moved to.

And throughout the first half Cardiff City showed an energy and commitment seemingly absent from the last few games. In contrast West Ham only seemed to get their bearings in the last few minutes.

I had begun to notice that the guy sitting next to me was also a quiet West Ham fan amongst the Bluebirds. Clapping at the very rare West Ham attacks on the Cardiff goal. Thankfully for him not so loud as to be truly noticeable by the Welsh around him.

One-nil then to Cardiff City at the first half.

Come the second half , early in the second half, Cardiff City score again. Camarasa edging the ball passed the West Ham goalkeeper Fabianski (booed constantly - being ex Swansea City - worth noting though he stopped it being three nil soon after).

The Cardiff City fans truly began singing now. "YOU'RE GOING DOWN (etc) " was said in response again, as was bubbles. But we all really knew whose afternoon it was then.

More Action

West Ham were disappointing. They really only had two real chances. The most dramatic bring the Declan Rice shot that hit the post. Cardiff City had the greater passion. They had a purpose.

A disappointingly rare second half attack from West Ham

Perhaps Pellegrini had underestimated the Cardiff manager Neil Warnock (whose book when manager of QPR I've chatted about in this blog). What was clear was that Warnock had done his homework. He was the one who earned his wages this afternoon.

Two nil then is how the match ended. I came into the ground a ten year old boy. I existed back to my fifty five year old self. Disappointed as I am Cardiff were the better team and genuinely as I said in my previous post I hope they hang on in the Premier League. This result, as the music from the Bee Gees confirmed as I went out, that they were staying alive.

Some people later asked me whether at least I was happy to have seen the game anyway.
Of course not.
My team lost.
Reality Bites.

Until the next time.

For I Am Ten Again : Cardiff City Vs West Ham Part One: The Anticipation

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

For one day only Brexit does not matter. For one day only I'm not interested in Welsh or Scottish independence, or in the reunification of Ireland. For one day only I turn a blind eye to climate change, or Trump or Putin. For one day only the social mess of a disunited kingdom is not a priority.

For one day only I will not monitor daughter's revision for GCSE exams, or  buying a house (still ongoing) or how wife or mother is.

For one day only it does not matter.

For I am ten again. My first true love West Ham United are playing Cardiff City and as regular readers will know I have a ticket!!!. I have monitored the situation since I knew the match was taking place. I have constantly rung the Cardiff City ticket office to find out when they would be available for non season ticket holders. I have specially gone to the Cardiff City stadium.

And I have a ticket!!!!

It is as I'm writing this 5:37am in the morning. I have actually been awake for about an hour before. It's not insomnia this time. It's as if Christmas Day has come to Cardiff on the ninth of March.

The plan is simple. So that wife will be able to watch the Scotland Wales rugby game she will drop me at the Cardiff City stadium at about 1:15. That doesn't bother me. I'll go into the gift shop. Buy the programme and other stuff from there and other matchday vendors (I remember last time I went there to watch a friendly there was a place in the stadium selling football books - wonder if it's still there) and I'll go into the ground early.

For whilst I am ten again I'm not a stupid ten year old in a fifty five year old man's body. Will get in early not to be caught out as someone who doesn't regularly go to Cardiff City games and so not familiar with entering the stadium. I will also be sitting amongst the Bluebirds. So whilst I'll be a Hammers fan I'll also be a quiet one.

Any other problems? Well unusually for me West Ham come into the game as clear favourites. They are ninth in the Premier League after a disastrous start and I think victory will mean they're safe from relegation this season (so early!). Cardiff City on the other hand are still in a relegation struggle. They have suffered not just defeats but embarrassing ones at that. If the highlights in the last defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers is a guide they looked ordinary and deflated.

However any West Ham fan will tell you that it's typical to beat Liverpool and lose to Cardiff City. So there's a worry.

I said before that I genuinely wish Cardiff City (and indeed Swansea, Newport etc) well.....just not today.

The other real problem, is that the reality will not be as good as the anticipation. The fifty five year old in me knowing full well that reality bites...and sometimes it bites hard.

But let's hope that doesn't happen.

COME ON YOU IRONS!!!! (which as you will guess I won't be shouting being amongst the bluebirds fans this afternoon)

Until the next time.

The Near Midnight Meanderings On A Movie With A Microwave Meal Part 17 : Notes On A Scandal (2006)

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

When  this film was introduced before it was shown on BBC1 the announcer advised that there would be "scenes of a sexual nature" and " very strong language ".

You might think that was a warning for the delicate of souls not  working but still awake  on a midnight Sunday morning. Me I'd argue that it was a come on for the unwary. "Scenes of a sexual nature" suggests that people are going  to their clothes off.Well unless you count the odd jumper it doesn't happen. Similarly there is "very strong language" in this film. But the impression that it's constant  is not the case.

I'd bet there were some people (ie young men) very disappointed at the end.

Judi Dench plays a history teacher in a large London comprehensive. We know it's London as the first scene is of her staring at the city from a park bench.Mind you it's only just recognisable give the smog.

She doesn't like the school children. She likes her fellow teachers even less.Calling one in her diary (the "notes" of the title) a "pig in knickers ". She's lonely barring her cat.

And she has a secret.

Not once did I look at this film and think I was watching Judi Dench. She really became that role. That's acting folks.

Cate Blanchett is the new Art teacher. She's everything the Judi Dench character isn't. Young, pretty,kind and married with children.

And she has a secret.

(Let's stop there for a moment. Perhaps it's because it's a film and the original novel - which I haven't read - is different but the timescale for Cate Blanchett's secret seemed unbelievably quick. Plot wise the only part of the film I'd quibble about)

Cate Blanchett is an interesting choice for this role. Beautiful but not glamorously so she seems (just) suited for the role.

They develop an unlikely friendship. But it's clear the Dench character wants more than just friendship. She practically clings to Blanchett like a limpet mine. But the real key to the film is what happens once Dench becomes aware of Blanchett's secret.

I loved this movie. It's true uniqueness is watching a pair who are both ordinary, flawed and let's face it dislikeable being the important characters a movie facing a situation which anything like as dull as their lives were beforehand. I think this is largely due to Judi Dench. You wonder whether any other actress could have carried this role off even remotely as well as she did.

True greatness folks.

Until the next time.

Welsh Rugby Union And The Ospreys. From Bad To Worse.

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Timing as they say is key. For the Welsh Rugby Union to announce proposed changes to the regional rugby structure is bad enough. To announce them just before an important six nations match is even worse, some Welsh fans might argue treasonable.

But here I am, chatting about it again. Why? Well the details have come out. The Ospreys are set to merge not with the Cardiff Blues but with the Scarlets. Possibly even from next season. It's described as a merger. But until I'm proved otherwise it's really hard not to judge it as a Scarlet takeover. There are many people at this moment, not just the players but the office staff etc as well who are wondering for their future and that of their families.

The proposal has already caused the current chairman of the Ospreys to quit and his successor to imply he's looking into legal action over the decision.

Those birds are fighting this folks.

I read on the BBC Sports website someone on the WRU stating that "bold decisions need to be taken". Well the charge of Light Brigade was a bold decision. Doesn't make it the right one though

So Welsh club rugby is now in a greater mess than it was a week back. I won't go through the reasons again why choosing the Ospreys to be the sacrificial club is a bad in itself. Except perhaps one. Why is a successful team being sacrificed for the creation of a regional side in the non-traditional rugby area that is North Wales?

The biggest argument supporters of regional rugby use is that it helps the national team. And it's certainly true that there has been an improvement (although I'd argue that the sacrifice to the club game has been too far - but that's for another day).

But even supporters of regional rugby have acknowledged to me that at least for the short term this argument doesn't really apply to the proposed North Wales team. A new team in an area not known for it's rugby. Even if successful it will take time to grow. At time of writing there appears to be no obvious evidence that it will be a success. Especially when looking at the current Welsh Regional teams and their sparse crowds.

Also North Wales did not save the Celtic Crusaders when it moved up from the South to play rugby league.

The Welsh mathematical formula I drew up before? "The success of the national side is in direct proportion to the mess in the club game"

Well Wales are really going to win the rugby World Cup now.

And you know what the really stunning thing is? The Welsh Rugby Union destroy the traditions of Welsh club rugby. Obviously not successful otherwise "Project Reset" wouldn't have happened. They want to create a new club in a non traditional rugby area and they want public money to help them do it...what?

In an age of foodbanks and rising despair to give the WRU public finance in this would be a disgrace. There is as much logic for public money being involved as there was for the proposed Grand Prix track in Ebbw Vale.

At the very least then a creation of a North Walian club is a gamble. At worse a disaster that will affect the club structure for decades to come. I'm not actually saying that doing it is wrong. Just that the Ospreys are not the club that should be sacrified for it and that the business case for it's creation has not been made.

What regional rugby did for Wales was this. For many people going to a club rugby game was the option on a Saturday. Now it's become an option.

And if these proposals come into effect. People might not consider it at all.

Until the next time.

An Hour To Chat

There are days when you have loads of things to do but unexpectedly between thing one and thing two there's an unexpected gap. A gap too small to do anything substantial but too big for just going straight to this appointment.

So I'm winging it here for an hour.

I could of course chat about the proposed Scarlets/Ospreys merger. But I'll hold fire on that. It depends on a meeting today. Needless to say for now I'm unimpressed. Though if it does happen somebody in the WRU will have to explain why they're ditching the Ospreys but keeping the financially had to be rescued Dragons. Then they should book themselves an appointment with a psychiatrist.

I could talk about the long dark Brexit of the soul that will soon be upon us. But that will leave us all depressed.

There is good news regarding Strictly Come Dancing. One less dancer. That'll mean one less programme...yippee.

Shrove Tuesday today. The one day in the year where most people in Britain consider pancakes as an option to eat during the day. Well not me.

So what can I talk about in this hour?

Oh the hour is gone.

Until the next time.

When Books And TV Worked Together. Part 2. The Omega Factor

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I recently chatted about the time when you couldn't watch TV as and when you desired it. Whether through recording or purchase. And during these times TV used to use books as a tie-in.

What I forgot was that the book would be on sale at the same time as when it was shown. Hence this second example.

Bought in 1979. Read Forty Years Later. I Get There In The End.

I vaguely remember (being fifteen at the time) watching the show on BBC1 (on a Wednesday - Amazed I can remember that). I didn't watch the whole series. Can't remember why. Think life just interfered. But given you had no option at the time to watch later that was it for your chance of viewing unless it was repeated and I don't think it was.

I can chat about two of the stars in that cover. The man of the left is James Hazeldine. An actor who played the sort of "ordinary bloke" roles in TV shows and did it well. The lady is Louise Jameson, who I suspect was one of the reasons why I initially watched it as a teenage boy. Given that she played Leela, an assistant to Tom Baker's Doctor Who. She cause controversy at the time for wandering around in a thigh revealing costume. Yes I know. Be still my beating teenage heart.

Essentially this is a supernatural thriller as James Hazeldine plays a journalist plagued by visions and dreams and finds that in his investigations result him battling evil and finding out the authorities have an interest in this as well.

I enjoyed as entertainment. Reading it as they say at a gallop. I suspect that Jack Gerson took it more seriously but to be honest I couldn't. To me it was literature as TV dinner. Thing is sometimes a TV dinner is what you need.

I can as it happens watch the series on YouTube now. But I'll pass.

I've read the book.

Until the next time.

The Ospreys : The Threatened Factory Closure Of Sport?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I have recently chatted about the threat to disband the Ospreys and instead create a regional rugby franchise in North Wales. Now whatever your views on Welsh regonal rugby (and I've made my position clear on this) I think nobody can deny that if we assume that the rumours are true they have been treated shabbily by the WRU given that 1) They are the best performing of the current four Welsh regional clubs 2) There seems to be an obvious candidate for the chop in the financially problematic Dragons and 3) There is no guarantee a Welsh regional rugby club in North Wales would be successful, especially if you consider that the clubs in South and West Wales haven't been in the traditional heartlands of the sport

Well yesterday they played and lost to Connacht 46 -5. I haven't seen the game (I was going to watch a recording out of curiosity but now I'm not going to bother given I know the result). It was also their sixth straight defeat.

Now Twitter seemed to have taken two views on this. One is basically that the off the field headlines have permeated to the team's performance and that in essence the WRU are responsible and should guarantee it's future as soon as possible.

The other view basically was that as their future is secured for at least one more season (as the Ospreys have confirmed) they are professional players and should not have been slaughtered by the Irish club.

I think you can work out where I stand on this.

But as the title of the post implies almost uniquely what the Ospreys I would argue have become is the threatened factory closure of sport. You get situations in factories where the head office (somewhere else, swanky and far away) says that there are contracts for a year but there are no guantees beyond that. Thus the future of the factory is called into question. This uncertainty seeps across the factory. Morale lowers which consequently lowers productivity. With this threat to the factory's future no one wants applies for a job there. Inevitable decline.

The Ospreys long term future is under threat. They have a disasterous run of losses. The players, professionals don't forget with wives and families, will unless the WRU commits to the team's future want to get out as soon as possible. There would probably be an exodus as and when contracts come up for renewal. And who can blame them? Few players would want to join them under these circumstances either. Those who do will not be of the quality that would normally be expected of a team in the top tier of Welsh club rugby. Inevitable decline.

I have not hidden my dislike of the Welsh regional club structure and I won't be a hypocrite by implying I've changed my mind. But I think that  most people feel that if the rumours are true then the Ospreys have been badly let down by the WRU and that they should make amends by guaranteeing the long term future of the club.

Or else they may be announcing the Ospreys' closure in the future.

Until the next time.

The Near Midnight Meanderings On A Movie With A Microwave Meal Part 16: Time Lock (1957)

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

A six year old boy is trapped in a bank safe on a Friday afternoon that has a time lock on it so that it won't open until Monday morning. Parents are worried. Bank officials are worried. Police/doctors/ Canada are worried.

But I'm not bothered.

Why? Well let's put it this way. It's a commercial film made in the late 1950's. You may not know the route but it's obvious what the destination will be. Essentially it's a fancy updating of the child falling in a well tales.

And therein lies this movie's biggest problem. Once you realise that then there's no tension. You watch it as if forced to see a recording of a sports match where you already know the score. And rather like when you're forced to watch the sports game your mind starts to wander.

The first thing I notice is that it's based on a play by Arthur Hailey. Now I've mentioned before that he is one of my favourite "bestseller" writers (ie a writer who has deliberately set out to write a bestseller). Even as a child of about ten I'd worked out his formula. Set the story mainly in one large location like an airport. Scatter characters with different stories as if throwing jigsaw pieces on a table and then slowly piece it all together.

This was obviously written before he'd worked the formula out. Here the characters with really one exception are immediately at the bank trying to get the boy out (yawn).

The other real surprise is that the screenplay is written by Peter Thomas and produced by his brother Gerald. The people responsible for the Carry On movies. No intentional laughs here folks though. A few unintentional ones mind. Like the scene early on where the bank manager rings head office asking for the phone number of a director to tell him what's happened. Firstly as it's the weekend head office has shut down so the janitor answers. Secondly he gives the bank manager the number without any security checks whatsoever!

It's set in Alberta but made on the thinnest of shoestrings in Britain. Given there are a few scenes away from the bank you really could have just put [Insert North American city here]. No geographical landmarks here folks.

Acted by people I've never heard of before (that of course means nothing) but with one exception. It was Sean Connery's first speaking role. What was the acting like? Let's put it this way. The best performer was the safe

Black and white and in every respect cheap all over if you like full on blowtorch action then this is the movie for you. Otherwise lock yourself away for it's duration.