Can This Christmas Get Any Worse?
Yesterday’s lunch with my son and his friends went well, but I had to come home, as I wasn’t feeling well! Nothing serious and I suspect it was just the effect of the cold dry weather, affecting my gut. I don’t think I ate any gluten, but it was as if I had. So it was alone and back to watching old Two Ronnies and Morecambe and Wise on BBC2.
To make matters worse, when I returned home, I did find that I’d left a window open, when I went out. The house had a temperature of eighteen. At least, the open window only let the cold in.
At least, I was able to use the air conditioning to take the chill off of the temperature. But of course, the humidifier I’d hired in to get the humidity up had failed. Although, I’m doubtful it was ever working properly.
Why does she hate me so much? You can understand, why I feel that religion and God, herself, is so much rubbish.
I went to bed at about ten last night, as bed was the one warm place in the house. The temperature was about 20 °C with a humidity somewhere in the low thirties.
I slept well as I always do and decided to get up at five, as I was fully awake. I thought there might be some good news on the cricket and with the air-conditioning on, I might get the temperature up to twenty-three or so.
But of course, the news from Melbourne was its usual load of old rubbish.
And then the letter R on my e-mail computer packed up. Try typing anything sensible without that letter. It could have been worse, as the E might have failed. So now, I’m using my other computer, which is not as easy for my one-handed typing. It also doesn’t run my preferred Windows Vista.
At six-thirty, I decided to have a hot bath. That was good, but the bathroom is stone cold, as the heating isn’t really working.
In an hour or so, I’m going to get my paper and see if I can find a nice warm cafe. Sadly, there isn’t a hotel near me with a restaurant I can trust. Carluccio’s don’t open until eleven.
At least though, I’ve got plenty of porridge and some bacon, eggs and beans for a fry-up. I’d love to have some sausages, but they’re all in my freezer. But would they freeze out before next weekend, if I got them out now? The nearest supplier is one of two Sainsbury stores, which open at ten. I’ll need to go to one, as I’m virtually out of gluten-free bread.
I still intend to get to Doncaster, and as I write this, I haven’t got a lift. I did think there’d be someone in the area going north with a space, so I didn’t make alternative provisions. This would have been to book a place on the coach from Newmarket. I can get there by taking a train to Stansted and then using a taxi. But it is now too late to book the coach.
So if I do go, it’ll be a 113 bus to Apex Corner and then hitching up the A1.
I’m really looking forward to tomorrow and the return to some degree of normality.
Next winter, I’ll book myself into a five-star hotel on Christmas Eve. Then when it all goes pear-shaped, I’ll at least ruin the Christmas of a lot of other people.
Another Letter In The Times
I had a letter published in The Times on Tuesday about the cricket, under a title of Spin Bowling.
Sir, If the Daylight Saving Bill had been passed into law, the farce of the fifth Test at the Oval would have been avoided (Aug 26). The match would have been coming to a conclusion at effectively 6pm, when the light was certainly good enough, as events showed, for nearly an hour of play.
Those MPs who opposed the Bill should hang their head in shame.
On Monday, I did talk to someone, who’d been at the Test, that I’d met at Welling. He said that the light at six, wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough to play cricket, as they in fact did.
Ashes To Ashes
I was listening to the end of the Fifth Test on TMS last night and the way it ended was disgraceful. But then Jonathan Agnew felt the same here on the BBC, He wrote this in the article.
The way the fifth and final Ashes Test finished on Sunday evening leaves one both speechless and angry.
For the bad-light regulations to force the umpires to take the players off the field with England needing just 21 runs off 24 balls for the victory, in front of a full house at The Oval, with millions watching and listening at home on the edge of their seats, is an absolute disgrace.
There are many of us who have talked to people at the ICC about this. We have told them what was likely to transpire.
We obviously need rules for the umpires, but they must be ones that work and everybody respects.
As it stands now, we will see more players and fans cheated of exciting finishes.
I can’t help thinking that some of these running out of time problems with cricket would be helped by moving the clocks to get lighter evenings in the summer.
But then the Lighter Later legislation was talked out by the politicians.
I Think The Cricket Is Heading For A Draw In The Rain
England have avoided the follow on, and it looks like the weather is going to do what Manchester is famous for; rain.
So what are the odds on a draw? The draw is four to one on, on Betfair.
The bookies are usually right!
You Don’t Have To Be Big
I went to Reading today to see Ipswich play. We did lose 2-1, but Jay Tabb scored our goal.
He is not one of the tallest players being only 1.70 m., but judging by the reception he got from the fans at his old club; Reading, he was popular with the fans.
In some ways he reminded me very much of Terry Dyson, who I saw play for Spurs many times in their famous double-winning side of 1960-61. Dyson was very much an irritant and got a lot of his success by being persistent and in the right place at the right time. Tabb seems to play in a similar vein. According to Wikipedia, the much more successful, Kevin Phillips is the same height, and he’s just signed to play in the Premier League at 40. Having met Kevin Keegan, I can attest that he’s not much taller than my 1.71 m.
Given the fact that the next batsman in line to play cricket for England; James Taylor, is only 1.68 m., do we sometimes put overdue emphasis on size?
My Sunday Lunch
This picture may say I seem to be on the breadline.
My Sunday Lunch
However, I’m just returning to one of the traditions that C and I adhered to in the early years of our marriage. We tended to get up late, feed the kids, read the Sunday papers and then have bacon and egg and probably some extras like tomatoes, beans and perhaps mushrooms.
Why and when we gave it up, I do not know!
I only did it this time, as I wanted something simple to do, whilst listening to the Australians losing the cricket.
The Dangers Of Eating Pies
As a coeliac, I don’t eat pies unless they have a potato topping, rather than a pastry one. But this story, should be a warning to us all.
Aystralia seems to be going rather soft these days, what with the rugby and now the cricket.
The Only Problem With England Australia Tests
After the thrilling test match at Nottingham over the last five days, surely it shows that England Australia Test Matches are one of the most amazing sporting spectacles in the sporting world.
The only problem is that the various Test grounds here are too small, with the possibly exception of the Oval. But then as they were saying yesterday on Test Match Special, they are spreading the games a bit thin, with extra test venues, like Cardiff, Durham and the Rose Bowl coming on stream in the last few years.
Definitely gone are the days in the 1960s, when some of my schoolmates, used to get up early on the Saturday of the Lords Test, rush to the ground and buy tickets to get places on the grass, just beyond the boundary rope.
Will It Be Kangaroo Or Lamb Pie Tonight?
With Australia and New Zealand playing today in the cricket, the question has to be asked!
With Australia at two for twelve, it looks like it’s veering t0wards kangaroo.
But because I have one in the fridge, it will actually be shepherd’s made from beef.
How To Celebrate Australian Defeat By England
Last night, I made a couple of my shepherd’s pies.
Last Night’s Shepherd’s Pie
One was for last night and the other was to be saved for later. Although, as I have had a slight problem with the fridge, I suspect it’ll go in the freezer. I dropped a knife yesterday and it slid under the fridge. In getting it out of its hole under the work-top, I must have pulled the cable out, so of course it stopped working. As all my milk went solid, I’m not in the best mood today, having had to drink black tea.
I had a thought yesterday, as I was making the pies. Would one work with kangaroo mince, to celebrate a victory over the old enemy?
My rudimentary cooking skills say it would and from time in Australia, I know that kangaroos are good eating. So I used that great cooking utensil, Google, to look for a supplier.
The first I found was Macken Brothers in Chiswick. They have a selection of exotic meats and confirmed they can do kangaroo mince.
I also searched further and found Kezie Foods in Scotland, which has a wide selection of kangaroo meat. According to that page, kangaroo meat is very good for your heart.
I’ll definitely cook something in the next month or so.
The Anonymous Widower 