Half Term

Half term next week, and my kids also seem to have today and the following Monday off, as teacher training days. I'm sure we never used to have teacher training days when I was at school. Young people today...

Listening to Jerusalem by Steve Earle.

East Fife 4 Forfar 5

Having perused the scottish league tables at the weekend, I was concerned to note that whilst Forfar are pleasingly adrift at the bottom of Division Two, East Fife are annoyingly sitting pretty at the top of Division Three, meaning that these two bitter rivals could pass each other like ships in the night at the end of the season, thus preventing the possibility of That Scoreline for another year. They've been in separate divisions for several seasons now, which obviously reduces the chances of it happening.

The reverse score happened once, in the 1963/4 season in the old Scottish Second Division, the final score being... Forfar 5, East Fife 4.

My brother and I went up to Scotland in a hirecar a few years ago, stayed a couple of nights in Edinburgh, and cruised up the Fife coast on the Saturday, taking in the game and a couple of meat pies. (It was 1-0 since you ask). It snowed on the way back.

Football powers

The traditional North-West/South East axis of domination in the top division of English football seems even more pronounced than ever this season, with nine out of the twenty teams from London & the South, and seven from the North West. All but one of the Midlands' top clubs are in the Championship, or worse, (Forest, whose purgatory may come to an end this season) and all but one of Yorkshire's bigger clubs are currently vying with each other for relegation from the Championship.

Should I stay or should I go now?

BBC NEWS Magazine Should I stay or should I go now?:
"Strummer was one of the first performers to make his tours carbon neutral, and was instrumental in promoting the idea of carbon offsetting. There's a forest planted in his memory on the Isle of Skye. "

Cardiff

And it was all going so well for Cardiff City.... Ridsdale to fulfil Hammam 'dream' : Hmn what was that other thing about living the dream...?

There'll Be Custard In The Streets

I like this:

Neil Dixon, a science teacher, in an article in The Observer describes ' an explosion in a custard powder factory in the Midlands in the 1980s. A fire started in a storeroom and custard powder fell into the flames. There was an enormous explosion, which did extensive damage. That was bad enough. However, when firemen played their hoses on the burning factory the water dissolved the unburnt powder and custard began pouring down the streets.'

Sheds

When we used to live in Brierley Hill, I used to collect funny shed stories from the local paper, the Express & Star - there used to be loads about sheds getting burned down, having tools stolen, etc. and occasionally sheds getting blown down. There was one about a shed in Dudley being the first probation office in the borough, and another about a shed getting blown over a fence and on to a passing police car, although this was somewhere in the south west, rather than the Black Country.

There was also an article about a local artist who was making a study of local shed culture, and although I emailed her offering my help and expertise, I never heard back from her.

Now I have come across this website: http://www.readersheds.co.uk/readersheds/index.cfm
which in many ways is very good, shed-wise, but seems somehow worringly serious about sheds, and not sufficiently postmodern for my liking.

Tree

I think the tree in the corner of our bank out the back may be some kind of mountain ash (had a discussion about it with one of the Ladies Down the Road With Many Dogs - this is her native american name).

Nearly mist Monday

So, when does mist become fog, or vice-versa? First thing, valley filled with fog. By mid morning thick hanks of mist clinging to hillsides, and sun trying to come out. Cold.

Did a quick once round the park. Damp.

On the way back, a seagull crapped on my shoulder, which I know is supposed to be lucky, but I was not best pleased. Got home and put fleece in washing machine, thinking, must remember to Chec (it's) hov. Hmn.

MDF

Yesterday I went to my first meeting of the local branch of Manic Depressive Fellowship (MDF), which in acronym form sounds like it should be something one purchases from B & Q. It was not as bad as I expected, and there was chatting and cups of tea, and biscuits. The people were nice and welcoming, and I didn't have to stand up and say 'My name is Frank and I'm a Manic Depressive.' Which was nice. I don't really like the term Fellowship, which sounds sort of odd, and vaguely sinister, but there you go. And I got to go to Aberdare on the bus. Upstairs, on the almost mythical X55.

Today I had v. short haircut and spent my birthday vouchers on new jeans (moleskin) and new book called My Father and Other Working Class Football Heroes, by Gary Imlach.

It's all go.

Trees

The tree on the bank out the back is shedding its leaves at a rate of notts, leaving big clumps of pod things dangling like bunches of little bats.

The russ tree is turning fire-orange.

Complaining

Old women in Somerfield complaining that it was too mild for the time of year...

Old woman in Barnardos Charity shop complaining about Tony Blair.

Old women in Doctors complaining about queue for flue jabs.

Had nice chat with Doc. Didn't complain.

Bad Blood News

V. Bad News - my nice blood lady, (Phlebotomist) who takes my blood every few weeks, in order to monitor it's thickness (I take Warfarin, due to blood clots a few years ago) and check my lithium levels, is leaving. I will end up getting a blood person who can't get blood out for love nor money, or even out of a stone.

Listening to Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Fierce Wind

Swept yard in the end yesterday, but then in the night, the fierce wind and rain tore down loads more leaves of course. For some reason I didn't hear the thunder. Still raining.

Went out first thing and did my thirty minutes walking.

Running Lady

Low cloud, slowly lifting. Mist down the valley. Smell of leaves.

Just heard, then saw Running Lady, and today, excitingly, she had Running Boy with her. Too many commas. One day S. and I saw her at the bus station. She was running for a bus of course. She must live on the estate up the hill, above and behind our house.

Bad Run

Just trying to get back into the swing of things here.

Forest on TV on Saturday, and of course played appallingly , as they always do when appearing on television, but in spite of 4-0 home defeat, managed to remain at top of table, in spite of current Bad Run.

Next it's Gillingham. Twice in fact, as we play them in the crap sounding Johnstone's Paint Trophy, three days after the league match. This is of course the Football League Trophy, which has had some of the crappiest sponsors imaginable over the years - LDV Vans, Autoglass, Leyland DAF, etc. and for me is one of the most embarressing things about Forest having to play in League One.

Just waiting for back yard to dry, so I can sweep up leaves which are arriving, before they get too slimy, and make paving stones even more hazardous in wet weather.

Back in the SSRI

Been away so long I hardly knew the place. Gee, it's good to be back home!

Haven't been here since May 25th, which is about four months. Not sure why really. Just suffered a lull in Blog interest generally.

Since May, we've had a World Cup (England v. poor) some average cricket (Notts v. poor), and a holiday in Milan (v. hot).

Now it's autumn.