The Novel As Treacle

Hello there, Hope you're feeling well today.

As a lifelong reader I always feel obligated to read a book from start to finish. Never felt the urge to skip bits here and there. It's a feeling I've only had with books. With TV I'm been happy to change channel/fast forward where applicable and as a father I've learnt that cinema seats are surprisingly comfortable places for an afternoon nap

(Mind you that doesn't work if you're in the dating stage of your life. I remember a date where the choice of film was between So I Married An Axe Murderer and the one my date wanted The Man With Half A Face starring Mel Gibson. Needless to say she won. However it was the sort of film so monumentally dull that you looked at the time expecting it to end only to find that only half an hour had passed. The movie was so bad that at the end she apologised. Needless to say we didn't become an item).

But books are different. Always to me.

The trouble with this is that when reading a book that you don't like does not become a pleasure but a chore. Though with most the realisation does not come immediately it just creeps up on you. Slowly,insidiously like ageing.

You may have noticed that it has taken me a long while to finish The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards. It's of course partly because I've four books on the go but also, as I think you've guessed by now because I was not a fan.

Now before I go on there are two things that I need to say. Firstly there is a major character in the book who has, for want of a better phrase, a medical condition (there is another minor character later on with the same condition), Nothing I'm going to say should imply mockery of this. Indeed this characterisation was probably the best thing about the book. Pity I can't say the same about the rest of them.

Secondly (as hinted above) I'm being deliberately vague about the plot as to not spoil it for the future reader. I am, after all conscious that my opinion is probably a minority one and future readers should make up their own minds.

As I mentioned when I started this book I thought that having read and liked books by writers such as Francoise Sagan and Edna O'Brien emotional books were no longer beyond me. Well was wrong about that. For this was emotional as in Made For TV emotional. If this novel had a soundtrack it would have extra violins. If this novel had a free gift it would have the strings it intended to pluck your heart with.

This book was leaden with weight of the dramas it slowly (and I mean slowly) placed upon the reader. It was about a quarter of the way through that I felt that I was wandering in the syrupy stuff.

From early on then for me the unbelievable situations were combined with the unbelievable characters (the exception noted above) and when a writer is unable to suspend the reader's belief in what they are reading then the magic of a book is lost.

So a new book needs to be picked. This was the one I chose.

A4 - Digging Up The Past - Sir Leonard Woolley

This is a vintage Pelican paperback which advertises itself as "An Introduction To Archaeology". Whether it will inspire me to get my hands dirty whilst looking for a pot a Roman invader lived in remains to be seen.

Until the next time.

In Which I Go To A Rugby Game (But Football Is Not Missed)

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I was on Twitter a few days back when I noticed a tweet announcing that the Mid District Cup Final was going to be today (Wednesday) at Pontypridd RFC's ground at 7:15pm. Wasn't working that day so I thought "Why Not"? It was only going to be five pounds entrance fee after all.

An early evening kick-off. A town I'd been to before so I knew the route and it would be a change from spending the evening sitting in front of the TV or the laptop (though that would happen later). I wasn't going to ignore football though oh no. The big match of the evening was the final of the Europa League between Liverpool and Sevilla but the plan was to ignore all chances of knowing the result and watch a recording on my return.

It was something I'd been looking forward to, if only because it had been a long while since I had the opportunity to see some live sport. Even though, as in this case, was going to be very much the neutral.

At a club level the top professional tier of Welsh rugby is far removed from the old cliches. Unfortunately for them that is no good thing. About the turn of the Millennium it was decided that there would be a "Celtic" league (incorporating Ireland,Scotland as well as later on Italy when it would be constantly renamed according to the sponsor)  limiting the number of Welsh teams without any prospect of promotion/relegation. So although there would be "Welsh" leagues underneath the big league a glass ceiling would remain firmly in place.

These professional clubs were meant to be powerhouses of the game in Wales. This however has not happened. The lack of promotion/relegation has caused a stagnation of the Welsh club game at the top level. Results taken as a whole have been awful in the now "Guinness" league  (best Welsh team was 5th, then 7th,8th and 10th this season - this is from a league of 12) and on the verge of pathetic at a European club level.

Furthermore fans in those areas that were disenfranchised from top flight rugby were, I suspect, expected to go to the closest of the four professional teams following the NFL template. This hasn't happened. If you look at matches on the TV you'll regularly see empty spaces. Purely off the top of my head, without any degree of research (ie going on Google) I could make the case that at a club level rugby is no longer the biggest sport in Wales. It's football.

However the match I was going to yesterday was never going to be stagnant. As it was between local rivals fighting for a cup and in whatever sport that means passion.Was looking forward to it.

The match was between Bargoed RFC and Beddau (pronounced Bather) RFC. I've never been to either place and I was ignorant of both teams and their chances.

I should mention that the journey from Bridgend to Pontypridd had some absolutely stunning views. If I had the time would have stopped and taken some pictures for you. But let me say yet again that given bright weather like yesterday's it's not difficult to pictures in Wales that would make the viewer think it was Italy.

Parked immediately behind the rugby as instructed by the attendant. Initially was worried but then I realised that the closer you are to the posts the less chance you have of getting your car hit (as what thankfully happened)

That close

My first action was to get something to eat and drink so I went to the bar and asked for a pie and coke. The pretty girl behind the bar asked whether I wanted the coke to be diet which was polite though given I'd asked for a pie academic. She also asked whether I wanted the pie to be warmed up. Not wishing to be assumed a wimp, though my natural default option is to be one I said no. This was a mistake, not only because it was disgusting but as I came out there was somebody walking to the game with a pasta salad.

I made my way to a good seat in the main stand. No way to guesstimate the crowd but was very high especially if you consider that it was many tiers below the top level and that it was a Wednesday night with a European football final on the television.It showed to me that rugby in Wales can still pull in the crowds if the people felt emotionally involved to it.

Incidentally I'd forgotten that the other Pontypridd RFC's ground was known as was "The House Of Pain". What a great name for a rugby ground. Says it all really.

Took one of the books to read during half time. I therefore claim to the first person ever to take a Kim Edwards novel to a Welsh Rugby Union game. Fame at last. 

Proof for the history books

And on the subject of that book you may remember that I sent an email to the American person whose New York calling card was used as a bookmark by its previous owner. Well unfortunately an automatic reply has come back saying that the email address "does not correspond" with any currently being used. It was always a long shot.

The Match Programme

And of course I knew that if I was bored during the game I could always lose myself in the view.

The View From The Stand

In the early stages of the first half Beddau dominated and scored a try subsequently converted. But for the rest of the half the possession was mainly dominated by Bargoed. Possession which they could not turn into points and as we all know, points means prizes. This seemed to be born out when Beddau added to the score with a penalty

Scrum Down - No Gloss In This Game

There seemed to be some interesting characters in this game. The man with the ponytail, the Bargoed Andy Carroll. Also there was the player with the hippy hairstyle who ran full speed at an admittidly padded post only to get up shortly afterwards. In Bargoed it appears even the hippies are tough.

In the second half though Bargoed's pressure finally tolled and they scored. The one moment in the game where a gap appeared in the Beddau line so wide it could be seen not just by the player who scored but also by us watching on the stands. However their joy was short lived as in a small space of time two of their men were sin binned for fouls and after the second one Beddau scored a try again but not the subsequent conversion.

The Sun Setting On Sardis Road

So down in points and for a significant amount of time players it appeared a miracle of Leicester proportions would be required. But Beddau would not score in this match again. Bargoed just began a relentless series of attacks that were repelled until about 10 mins or so when they were awarded a penalty try.

14-15 to Beddau, last few minutes and the game going down to the wire.

Not a dull moment

The last minutes seemed an eternity as the Beddau team fought doggedly to withstand further Bargoed onslaughts. And they did. Just mind. Very much just.

By the way if you want my vote for Man Of The Match. It'll be to the Beddau defence coach

So it ended with a one point victory to Beddau. It was the best game of club rugby that I had seen in a long while. It encompassed the best aspects of Welsh rugby. The heart,the excitement, the local support and it also showed what the top tier teams are losing and in some respects lost.

Beddau Celebrating

Thank you Bargoed RFC,Beddau RFC and Sardis Road...it was fun.

Thanks

When I went home I watched the Europa League match without knowing the result beforehand. And if you have not yet seen it. I won't spoil it for you.

I've finished The Fan by Hunter Davies. It was an enjoyable read and it is recommended though not if you're a younger reader as it'll probably have you confused and googling in frustration (Glenn Hoddle as England manager for example).

So there was a need for a new book to keep in the car and I picked this one.

Henry Cooper - H for 'Enry

For those who don't know Henry Cooper was a famous and popular boxer of the sixties and seventies. Who is often recalled nowadays as the man who nearly beat Muhammed Ali. This autobiography, done in snippets is a record of his eventful post boxing life which makes it an unusual read.

Until the next time.

Why Books Are Your Constant Friends,Tesco Appears Pro English In Wales And Some More Bridgend Town And Garden Updates

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I was an only child and the thing about this is that you don't feel lonely because you're used to the situation but you do feel more bored as there is no brother/sister to battle with, Must admit as well that when I was younger when friends did come an awkwardness settled upon me as I didn't know what to do when they played with my toys.

But books have always been there for me. Taken me to places and worlds that nothing, not even television could do. I think also it kept me whole.

I say all of this because this evening I was outside a local church waiting for my daughter to come out of her Guides group. When I arrived there were a few parents there already.  Some were chatting amongst themselves, some were chatting on their phones, others were playing with theirs.

I however was reading a book. The Kim Edwards one as it happens.

And so whilst physically I was outside a Church  in a bright and slightly breezy Bridgend evening mentally I was in America in the late sixties and early seventies. Whatever the problems in my life (and we all have worries) there was a moment where I could forget them for a while.

Books can do that.

In Bridgend Town there are two specific shops selling Polish food and drink for the growing community in the area. A local petrol station is selling a Polish weekly paper and even the supermarkets have Polski products. And I get it. What I didn't understand was what I saw in a local Tesco today.

Why?

The red box contains figures from the English football team presumably to cash in on the European Championship. Now full disclosure here I do collect these figures (for reasons I won't bore you with today) but my collection is only (with one exception)  current and former players of West Ham.

But. This is not England this is Wales. Does Tesco think so little about Wales that it's happy to sell these figures to a nation that has also qualified to the Euros? 

Now Welsh figures are available in the store (though I didn't notice them) according to the website of the company that sells them (http://www.soccerstarz.com/national-teams/wales/) but Tesco wouldn't sell a similar display for French or Italian national players so why is this being done for England? It would after all surprise me immensely if Tesco did a similar thing in Scotland, or Northern Ireland or the Republic.

The point is not an anti English one (after all that's what I am) rather a pro Welsh one, I remember other examples. There was a poster some English stars in a World Cup that the local W H Smith tried to sell. It gathered dust for years.

Wales is a proud nation. What it should not be considered is as an extra opportunity to flog official products of a sporting rival. A rival I should point out who will be playing them in the same group in the forthcoming Championship

More Bridgend Town news here are some more closures. Now when they were closed I'm not sure.

Example One

Now the shop on the right has relocated to somewhere else in the town. Unlike the next example.

There are relocations and there are relocations

This shop has relocated to Cardiff Bay. So the local area has lost out again.

This next example has been closed for a while. But just look how everything is almost literally crumbling.

Closure breeds decay

And finally the fact that the garden has been finally cut has brought back the birds looking for food now that the jungle has disappeared. Including this one.

Big

It was as big as a kitten. Trust it's not an omen.

Until the next time.

In Which I Take Kim Edwards To The Dentist And I Contribute To Murdoch's Coffers To Say Goodbye To The Boleyn

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well my long delayed appointment to the dentist eventually happened today (Tuesday). As you remember it was postponed twice when I was under the weather. I took the Penguin paperback I've been reading. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards whilst I was waiting to be called in.

Of course Dentistry has gone beyond the days where pre waiting entertainment constituted a few worn fashion and motoring magazines. Now they give you a TV to view. However it's daytime TV which means mainly something along the lines of property/emergency services/ benefit scroungers/antiques/collectables/people with domestic disputes resolved in a mock court or an emotional bear pit that make you feel you're watching prewatershed MMA/progammes you like but was first shown decades ago/ general cheap trash.

Which all meant that TV was not a distraction.

It is you know a very emotional book. I find myself more amenable to such novels the older I get. A couple of years ago I found myself surprisingly affected after reading Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan. If this was in my twenties I'd have just shrugged. Age does that to you.

Things went OK at the dentist. Especially as she had seen me make the effort to come earlier this year even though I was unwell (so that was cancelled). So when I admitted that dental hygiene was the last thing on my mind during the past month I was spared a lecture.

Rupert Murdoch is a little bit richer this month. For this afternoon I had Sky Sports added to my TV package with BT. It costs £22 a month and a month is all I want. Because tonight (Tuesday) West Ham were playing Manchester United in the last ever game being played at the Boleyn. And I had to watch it.

Before I go on, and give the impression that this is not so much a post more of a eulogy for a much loved stadium. I'm not going to make any excuses for the drunken apes that smashed the Manchester United coach on the way to the ground. It didn't matter if the result was 8-0 and gave the Boleyn a memorable send off it will be this that it will be remembered for. They've disgraced the team,the memories and the majority of the supporters. Not only that but rival fans will throw tonight at our faces for a long,long while.

That all being said. They are the team I have supported as a child. I've fond memories of going to home games. Think the one that sticks in my memory of the games I went to was the first home game after the death of Bobby Moore. It was against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Before the beginning of the match there were emotional scenes as a wreath of a West Ham football shirt with a number six on it being brought on the middle of the pitch

Remember Mike, (or was it Gavin?) Small missing a chance that I could have scored without my glasses on. Wolves scoring first. It was Steve Bull (I mean who else would it be for them in that period?). West Ham won though. One of the goals was a Julian Dicks penalty. And if there was one certainty in football at that time it was that goalkeepers never saved a Julian Dicks penalty as he kicked it with a force that I've never seen before or since. They just avoided the ball.

Also, as I've mentioned before. Friends and family aside the one thing I have truly missed about moving to Wales was West Ham United. So I wasn't going to miss this match.

I have a collection of twenty football shirts,which I'll explain about in another post (though probably twenty, to a real collector, will evoke laughter bordering on mockery). There are two rules to this collection. One is that full price is never paid and the other is that it's just one per team. Of course these rules are broken for West Ham (I've four of them). This was the one I bought for its original cost and it seemed fitting I'd wear it today.

The Legend that is Dagenham Motors

Well you probably know that West Ham won memorably after having been 2-1 down. It was a wonderful game. But the final show after the match to celebrate the history of the Boleyn did make me shed a few tears I must admit (though in a manly way of course).

Let me apologise to Manchester United and their supporters for the actions of a few drunken apes...but I'm happy we won.

Until the next time.

In Which Votes Are Cast,Books Are Read Paul Theroux Is Writer As Hitman and Possibly Discovering Another Reader

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well as I'm writing this blog it's Saturday morning at 7:14am. Not only am I awake but astonishingly so is my daughter.

A couple of days back I cast my votes in the National Assembly elections for Plaid Cymru. Now we know that that Labour are the largest party. Plaid have progressed,albeit slowly. Still it is progression not regression and that is important.

Speaking personally I regret being unable (in a small way) to help Plaid,the party I'm now a member of during the election due to ill health. Hopefully I'll do better in the local council election and see whether the party can dent the incompetance that Labour currently rules Bridgend with.

The rise of UKIP in Wales is a disappointment. Suppose though that the politics of fear is powerful anywhere.

Well a number of books have been finished. The first one was the library book Spanish Swans by Pablo Gomez about the those Iberian players who helped in the rise of Swansea City. As the book went on like a mountain descent it started from a peak and went downhill into dullness from then on. Mainly because as the book progressed it did not tell me anything I didn't know already.

But then the realisation dawned on me that it wasn't the writer's fault or mine. This book was a translation from Spanish. So for the majority of the readers it was originally intended for it was all new. The mistake was publishing it in Britain.

Now the only other library book of the three I borrowed by Christopher Hitchens is wider than a brick so it was impossible to take to work. Visiting the library is impossible for me until Monday so another non Penguin book was needed to be plucked from the great unread.

This is the book I picked.

Andy Miller - Tilting at Windmills

This book is an account of the writer's attempt to shed a lifelong dislike of sport by taking up miniature golf. So far so good.

The Paul Theroux travel book The Pillars of Hercules is also finished.When I started it I'd described the author as a "professional" writer. This was I realise now wrong. The correct description of him is writer as hitman. Indeed if you look at early adult pictures of him he looks like an archetypal seventies assassin. Ready to kill some democratically elected politician before being foiled by Roger Moore and Tony Curtis.

For on the one hand he's cool,sophisticated and well researched. However he's equally cold,unemotional and self centred. Like a hitman you dislike the writer and what he produces. All my younger self prejudices against him came back as I was reading this.

So I need a new Penguin Paperback to read. This was picked from the great unread.

Kim Edwards -The Memory Keeper's Daughter 

When I mentioned on this Twitter I got a response from someone saying that it was one of the best novels she'd ever read. So all very encouraging then.

I'd bought this Penguin Paperback, which has the orange/white spine of their books published in America in a charity shop in Maesteg, Inside it though there was a calling card from a Kenneth Henry,Assistant Manager - Technical Training from New York. Well that card has an email address and I've emailed him. We'll see if he's a fellow reader. Hopefully he's still with us.

Until the next time.