...cus I got wet at work again today - aahh this summer weather - bloody pants ... I reckon since I began "going out on my own" (i.e. after training fortnight), it's probably rained at sometime on EVERY BLOODY DAY. Some people are blaming the intoduction of the hosepipe ban "oop here" - others are blaming ME - aargh !! In fact it's now got to the stage where, having a day off tomorrow, I've hung my bag and pouch bags out to air a bit in our spare bedroom - starting to worry with this continuous rain/dry/rain/dry/rain that things will start to get a bit musty - ever the saddo here's the proof (plus a bonus pic of the crap I took out of the bag - notice "No Work Brought Home" - can lose job/liberty etc I believe !!!) ...
Next ... a quick check on the old camera and stuff (after last night's "fun and games") - if all OK I might well take advantage of Mrs Smiffy's absence to wander up to Mossley Social Club for the "2nd Thursday Live Night" - and thanks to Dave (Ashton U), I now know it's Princess Elizabeth on the "Scarborough Flyer" tomorrow - should look something like this (pic from BBC Cumbria website) ...
Right ... off to play Doctor Camera ... you never know - there might be some pictures of "The Hours" on here later ... .
... at Surrey Street tonight - something to do with the seasonal summer weather (ha !!). As the players came back out for the second half (it was 1-1 at the time), I turned the camera back on to find ... nothing. Tried the usual quick fixes (battery in/out; lens off/on; memory card change) to no avail. Into the Social Club for a "dry out the innards" session, whilst listening to the second and third goals for Glossop going in - bugger ! Finally got it up and limping about 15 minutes from the end, to take a few extra scruffy-looking pictures (including something on goals 4 and 5), but I reckon both camera body and big lens need a good bottoming (including possibly time for a sensor clean - eek !) before it comes out to play again.
Which will be on Friday morning - my day off - because at about 0930, the "Scarborough Flyer" will be hurtling through Mossley on the way to ... Scarborough - and it should be one of two steam engines; 60009 (Union of South Africa) or 46201 (Princess Elizabeth). Coming back through Mossley about 2025, so I'll try for both. (For those interested, the full timetable for the train can be found here). In between times, a dentist appointment awaits as well - eek -and if the weather's OK, some breeze-block laying in the garden.
... and if you're still here ... tonight's (reduced) pictures from the Glossop game are at
An interesting evening - certainly listening to Manager Jim Harvey and his "vision" for the upcoming season - not many "controversial" questions asked either ! Some 'rough and ready' pictures of the Celtic squad and some others as well ... and I'm not going to do names (either do all names or none at all - safer this way, especially after cocking up on one of the Fleetwood pics !)
... and still awaiting some official issue footwear ! Still haven't got round to taking the GPS for a walk with me - but I reckon my old Karrimors tell the tale ...
Never mind - thanks to Mark (another postie), I've gained a pair of slightly used "official" boots this afternoon ...
Oh - and as promised ... a fully-pointed patio ...
Enough, enough ... probably all asleep by now ... something football-based tomorrow hopefully ... .
... when lots of you peeps are already at work - and I'm not - yet - aah, the joy of a 24 hour a week contract ...
Finished pointing the bottom patio eventually yesterday - hurrah - swept all the dried up mortar off this morning (believe they're called "snots" in the trade !) - might even take a photo after work today when it's had a bit longer to dry out. Not much else from Sunday ... watched "Classic Albums" last night on Sky2 (making the most before we finally say farewell to Sky - Freeview all the way now - well it is built into the telly !) - it was "Bat Out of Hell" featuring my hero (Todd Rundgren not Jim Steinman !). Took me back a bit - to a small flat in Andover in 1977, listening to the Sunday afternoon Rock Show on BBC Radio Bristol - where I first heard the album ...
Also played about on Photoshop 6 with some "babycam" pictures of our mate's new kitten - a stray with only one eye (apparently the vet reckons it had been bitten by a rat - ouch !) Try this one for size ...
Time for some brekky now I think, before hitting the pavements of Oldham ... Football this week may well involve Glossop North End on Wednesday night - they had a bad start to the Vodkat League season, losing 3-0 away at Padiham on Saturday - Flixton are the visitors to Surrey Street this midweek. Might take in the Stalybridge "Meet the Manager" session on Tuesday evening as well ... .
... home from work at 1300 - quick change, cuppa tea and out again on the 1330 bus. First trip of the season to Bower Fold to take a look at the new "Jim Harvey Revolution" - for those not in the know, Stalybridge Celtic have gone "full-time" this season with a mix of "old heads" and "young guns" ... and first impressions were distinctly favourable. Patient build-up, ball to feet, good interchange, and from what I was told, there's been a continuing improvement "at the back" as the Celtic pre-season games have gone on. Only one goal in it, but plenty of chances at both ends (with both Celtic 'keepers performing well - Fleetwood 'keeper did alright as well !) and some very promising performances from some of the younger players on view. A few pictures at
Got me tea in Longsight last night - home now hoping for some garden works - but this bloody spitty rain just goes on and on and one - really depressing. However - photos sorted - let's hope it brightens up a bit this afternoon, and I can nail this bloody pointing once and for all.
Football next week ?? Not looked yet, but Mrs Smiffy is off on her travels on Wednesday, coming back the following Thursday, so it should be "fill your boots time" - in a pre-season friendly sort of way !! .
... just got home after watching Stalybridge Celtic beat Fleetwood Town 1-0 in a PSF - but now I'm off to Longsight where a friend is cooking mine and Mrs Smiffy's tea !!
Thursday was Postman Smiffy's "Day Off" this week - which was handy as we had some friends up from darkest Wiltshire for a day and a bit. A trip into the big city was the order of the day - shopping, showing off the "sights" of City Centre Manchester (including the big wheel thingy) followed by a Tampopo tea (Chicken Ramen for me) and thence to the Royal Exchange for a bit of a laugh ("Charley's Aunt" - very very funny indeed). Armed only with babycam (and dodgy batteries - with the lack of patio stuff going on due to the absolutely sh*te weather, the batteries had almost faded away !), I can only offer up
Late home - to find I'd missed what sounded like a "feisty" private friendly 'twixt Mossley and Dukinfield Town ("feisty" enough for the ref to call it a day 10 minutes early apparently !!). One other thing as well - remember that place that made me redundant ?? I believe that "redundant" means that your job does not exist - however ... for the THIRD time since giving me the boot I'd had an e-mail saying "We've got a problem" - you can work out the rest ... As usual it was one of my mates who asked the question (rather than one of the b*st*rd management scum that got rid of me) so, ever the nice guy (some might say MUG), I came up with the solution to their "problem" - which was naturally successful. Time I feel for an e-mail to "head b*st*rd" in India pointing out the error of his ways ...
No football at Mossley tomorrow - so I feel a trip to Stalybridge Celtic coming on. They've a friendly against Fleetwood (Moneybags) Town tomorrow, so I may well bump into "Docs" and some of our other Cod Army friends, as well as the usual suspects from 'Bridge - first of course, a bit of postal delivery in the Oldham area. One nice touch this week - I had a recorded delivery to one house - knocked on door - shouts from upstairs "Don't go !!! I'm in the shower !! Please wait !!" - dripping man appears on doorstep saying "I've been waiting for this one - I won a competition for two tickets for the Charity Shield at Wembley". Signed for, he opened it up and showed me said tickets - well I made someone happy this week ! .
Another win - another promising performance - a bit of a rush job tonight, so few words (check out Mossleyweb.com for the full SP !) but here are some of the important (and not so important !!) moments from the evening ...
... for Mossley, winning the Willow Wood Hospice Cup today by beating Ashton United 1-1 at Hurst Cross...
... OK - at 90 minutes, it went to penalties - and as I was behind the net for them, I can assure everyone that it finished 5-3 to Mossley (as Ashton didn't bother to take the final "dead" pen). A game of two halves for me anyway, with Ashton just edging the first 45 minutes and going in 1-0 up. However Mossley stepped up a gear in the second half, and after Mike Fish's equaliser, looked the more likely to go on and win the game - but after 90 minutes it remained 1-1 - and it then went straight to penalties - where Mossley prevailed.
Today's pictures (my first efforts using Photoshop Elements 6.0) can be found at
Excellent game - disappointing turn-out from both sets of fans I thought - they missed a good'un, and also missed a chance to contribute to a very worthy cause.
Good to get a bit of silverware in the cabinet mind !
Next stop - Seel Park on Tuesday to see the Lilywhites take on the newly-rebranded Hyde FC (new name, new colours etc) - here's hoping for a similar performance - things are certainly looking up at the moment ! .
Yesterday afternoon there was a fire at the Warburtons factory in Bolton ... There must be plenty of other jokes to follow so I'll just leave it at that for now !!! .
... finally got round to loading Photoshop Elements 6.0 onto the laptop today (thanks again Ken !) - tis a "touch different" to the old Version 2.0 - still some pre-season games for me to get to grips with it though ! Played about a bit with it anyway - and came up with this (using some album cover photos of "God") - click for big ...
Today's day off was another "no-go" for pointing the patio - damn summer weather - never mind, I could have been pushing damp envelopes through letter boxes - can do same tomorrow instead probably (I've already learned that it's a good idea to do a weather check the night before !!).
There was some footy tonight - Glossop North End beat Chapel Town 4-1 in the High Peak Cup, and will now meet Buxton at Silverlands in the final on 4th August - good luck to them in that one (always nice to start the season with a bit of silverware innit ?). The Willow Wood Hospice Cup is calling on Saturday up at Ashton United - and then Mossley play Hyde F.C. on Tuesday night (so that will be 4 of the "Six Tame Sides" seen before the season starts - leaving Celtic and Curzon to complete an early set !). .
A very evenly contested game tonight - Mossley were certainly not overawed by their Blue Square North opponents at all, and it was only a touch of class by ex-Hyde (and Stafford Rangers !) man David McNiven which separated the sides after 90 minutes. Some piccies at Mossley 0 Droylsden 1
An excellent work-out which continued the good form that has been shown throughout the friendlies so far - next stop is Hurst Cross on Saturday to meet our old friends (and ex-landlords !) Ashton United, with a bit of silverware at stake in the Willow Wood Hospice Cup - and I'm damned if I can tell you who the current owners of said trophy are - might even be Mossley !!!
Can't you tell I've got a day off tomorrow with this late late show ? Praying for some decent weather to ... well you know the rest (you might even get some pictures later) !!! .
... I assume Droylsden will bring a strong squad (including their Southport "captures") ... so I assume Mossley will be turning out a similarly strong squad ...
I know what - put this laptop down and go and have a look !!!
Pix etc later - tis my "day off" tomorrow, so will have time to do "stuff" tonight when I get home. .
Plans for a massive shake-up in policing in England and Wales have been outlined by the home secretary which include:
1) the abolition of Soca in favour of a new National Crime Agency, which will include organised crime, border policing, and the child exploitation and online protection centre (Ceop)
2) the scrapping of Police Authorities. Instead, elected police and crime commissioners will have the power to hire and fire chief constables from May 2012
3) the proposed introduction of police reservists - a pool of volunteers to undertake police duties
4) "community crime fighters" - ordinary people could take part in joint patrols with officers. There will also be a push for more to become special constables or join Neighbourhood Watch schemes
5) phasing out of watchdog the National Policing Improvement Agency
Some thoughts on the above:
1) For a Government who seem to be into "cutbacks" and "get rid" mentality, the scrapping of one group to create another ... will probably cost money ...
2) Police commissioners ?? Hopefully this will include special phone lines for all the commissioners to contact Batman directly (well it worked for Commissioner Gordon) ... and phone lines ... cost money ....
3) Aaah .. volunteers - well we all know how people view the existing PCSOs - and they get paid; so if someone turns up with a "volunteer" uniform ... never mind, 'tis policing on the cheap I guess ...
4) Possibly a good idea - having watched "Death Wish 3" last night, it would be good to think that Charles Bronson would be organising the training sessions - maybe the world needs more vigilantes - still sounds again like policing on the cheap mind ....
5) Get rid of a watchdog - and decrease accountability - perfect (assuming that this gives the vigilantes - sorry "community crime fighters" - a little more leeway to instigate 'instant justice' etc.).
No idea what brought this on - but there you go - my rather immediate"gut reaction" view having just spotted this on the BBC website ... .
Finished work comfortably in time to get home, get changed, get camera bag and (via the pub !) head up to Seel Park for today's "international" against Clwb Pel-droed Tref Y Bala. Mossley started the brighter and took the lead on 12 minutes with an exquisite long range effort from new boy Chris Rowney (definitely one to watch this season this lad !). Mossley looked very comfy for the first 45 minutes against their Welsh Super-12 League opponents (they were playing downhill as well !). It was a different story in the second half however - you could blame substitutions, but I reckon Bala stepped up a gear - they got a deserved equaliser through Mike Thompson, and looked set to go on and win the game. However Mossley were not to be denied - they stuck at it and in a late late show, goals from Jordan Goodeve and Steve Moore made it 3-1 to the home side. There was even a crowd invasion at the very end (OK a dog !). Another good performance from the Lilywhites, which does bode well for the future. Some pictures at Mossley 3 Clwb Pel-droed Tref Y Bala 1
Changes next week - the Wednesday game against Padiham is OFF (hurrah - tis my last college night !) - instead Mossley will face a stern test at home to Droylsden on Tuesday night instead.
That's my lot for tonight - a day off tomorrow - weather permitting, some garden antics - I know you're all missing the patio project updates - blame the football ! .
Y Fenni cheese ... yes it's Welsh (Y Fenni is actually Welsh for Abergavenny), and it's a Cheddar cheese made with mustard seed and brown ale - it's wonderful !!!
Quiet night in now - a bit of messing in the garden tonight (built up a border and - once again - moved a lot of soil) - the pointing done earlier in the week is not brilliant - suffering from rain damage (despite being covered - bugger !), but I'm going to live with it.
Fingers crossed I can finish early enough tomorrow (need to get up at 0530 hrs - eek !) to get the full 90 minutes up at Mossley - Mrs Smiffy is away (in Wales ironically !) so I don't have the use of the car, which would have speeded things up a bit - still it'll be good to see how we do on a Saturday "sans automobile" - hopefully not too many bloody packets towards the end of the walk (last couple of days have been somewhat "heavy" in that area - not as in weight, but as in bloody awkwardness - lots of 'em, crazy sizes and nobody being in - meaning 3 or 4 minutes filling out the forms each time, and then having to continue to carry the damn things !) - welcome to Royal Mail !!
Now off to see what's on the telly - otherwise a DVD calls ... .
I think (officially) it was Mossley Reserves v East Manchester, but it was a mix of what I would call first teamers and fringe players. Still don't know all the names, but there were some rather nice touches from some of the "AN Others". Also worth pointing out that for mid-July it was bloody cold tonight !!!! Pix from tonight at
Saturday should be interesting - game at home against Bala Town and also an away game at Bacup Borough at the same time (oh to have so many players !) - let's see which players play where - and hopefully I should be finished work-wise in order to get up to Seel Park for 1500 hours.
Other news - applied for my Football Conference Snapper Licence today - so I'll be covered at all levels with the Six Tame Sides, depending on who plays where - and my work commitments - after a pretty poor effort last night (albeit only ten minutes !), I'm a little happier with tonight's offerings - and the deal has been done with Mrs Smiffy as in "You can have the new lens - if you pack in the fags again !" - so it's a no-brainer really. Prepare for a grumpy Smiffy over the next couple of weeks - but it's all in a good cause !
And here's a bonus pic - just for the hell of it - Nathan Neequaye getting involved ...
... meanwhile the patio "lies dormant" - might get something done down there on Sunday - weather permitting of course !!! .
... tonight after getting back from college (p.s. got certificate tonight - passed "with distinction" - what a swot !) - apparently I missed a useful 80 minutes - all you get is some very "rusty efforts" at: Mossley v Oldham Athletic - the Last Ten
Still - the chance for more practice tomorrow night as Mossley take on East Manchester in another pre-season friendly ...
News today ... SSL International is set to be sold to Reckitt Benckhiser in a £2.5billion deal ...
When you delve further to find that SSL International make Durex condoms ... and Reckitt Benckhiser make Cillit Bang ... you can probably see my warped sense of humour ...
BANG- and the baby's - errr - not there !!!
Off to college in 30 minutes - with possibly a little bit of football afterwards (Mossley v Oldham Athletic XI) - assuming the game is on (weather is horrible yet again - spent 20 minutes sheltering on someone's doorstep today - and thus overran my time by ... about 20 minutes ...) !!! .
Day off tomorrow - but the weather forecast which last week was predicting good stuff is now predicting not good stuff ... so garden activities may be restricted.Watch this space (maybe !!). .
Looks like some of the local teams got under way yesterday - Mossley had a "behind closed doors" match against Springhead (won 4-0); Hyde lost 2-0 to a Man City XI; Stalybridge Celtic lost 2-1 at Congleton; Glossop North End had a re-run of the 2009 FA Vase final up at Whitley Bay (lost 1-0) - they also drew 2-2 with Curzon Ashton earlier in the week as well. Also my snapper mate Tim dusted the cobwebs off his lens with Belper Town drawing 1-1 at Parkhouse (apologies if I've missed any out - not yet had a thorough look through either the message boards or the "Non-League Paper")
Well - that's one week "out on my own" under my belt at work - went pretty well up until yesterday, when I'd (rashly ?) promised to do a bit of O/T (an extra half of a walk) ... and it hammered it down with rain several times ... and I didn't get home until nearly 1700 hrs ! All part of the learning process I guess. Quick change and off to Rochdale for a barbecue - naturally the weather had improved so the burgers and sausages stayed dry. Today - more cr*p weather, so a walk was called off, and we ended up going to a small art gallery on Platform 1 at Todmorden Station - well it's different ...
Pasta Bolognese is calling tonight - will start prepping that about 1800 - work shirts already ironed - and back in tomorrow praying for better weather. Day off this week is Tuesday (and some weather forecasts predict a scorcher - I'll believe it when I see it), so hopefully some further progress on the patio project (pointing, pointing pointing will probably be the order of the day). Mossley are at home on Wednesday night (i.e. college night), but I might just get to see the last 15/20 minutes ... and I will take my camera to college just in case - prepare for some rusty football photography ! .
... must be a record for me (excluding holidays with no internet) - no real excuse either. The World Cup is over, and I'm still in work. No friendlies attended yet - in fact the first two Mossley home friendlies are on Wednesdays (i.e. my college night) so that's two more to miss ! Anyway, given the changes in my circumstances, this coming season will probably see a more "restrained" view of football - OK so I'm back in work, but obviously earning nowhere near as much salary-wise ... and it's goiing to take a while for the bank balance to settle down (I think I mentioned that the first week's wage put it into credit - 24 hours later, out went a D/D - back in the red again !!).
What else of note - the patio project carries on relentlessly - but obviously with restricted hours available to it - here's the latest:
Next jobbies - get the bloody thing properly pointed, build the final retaining wall on the right to stop it all falling away - and then paint the breeze blocks (a colour of masonry paint called "hot brick" is the colour of choice !) - also tidy up ye olde sinke and the prospective flower bed (bottom right). Mrs Smiffy is the 'plantmeister' and will fill all the gaps accordingly.
Had a day off work today - and messed about a bit. Got a battery for my watch (save me scrabbling for the phone to check the time when filling in the P739's and the recorded/special deliveries) - new bus pass bought - and also a quick (!) trip into Oldham for a second walk around my new walk just to get my bearings. I shadowed the guy last Friday, but he's one of the guys who does his walk with the aid of a car, whereas I'll be doing it the 'old fashioned way'.
I'm sure there'll be some football to talk about soon ... bear with me ... .
... after "six days on", a deserved break was spent resting aching legs, ready for tomorrow. Actually I lie - the morning was spent loading up the motor with furniture which we then drove up to Lancaster to "install" in big boy and fiance's new house, which they will be moving into sometime this week. Home to (would you believe) help to sort out a finance problem at the place that sacked me off last year - unpaid of course !! Tea, bath, telly and this ...
... and for the latest "patio pic" look no further - retaining walls almost complete - next job is some hard core before laying four more slabs up a level (left of spade !!), to be followed by some edging stones up the other end - should keep me going this week ...
World Cup anyone ? Holland for me ... but that was one helluva performance by Germany ...
Wimbledon ?? The usual (as in Andy Murray at 1400 hrs - "Great British Hope" ... Andy Murray at 1800 hrs - "Useless Scottish has-been") ...
3-0 up and squeezed through 3-2 ?? Good job that cricket wasn't the best of seven ...
... aaah the Great British Summer of Sport - roll on August, when honesty takes over from greed ... .
... at work (for a change !), hence the lack of "stuff" on here ... however, as it's the weekend (and I'm in tomorrow at 0730 - which equates to leaving house at 0615 - integrated bus services - ha !!) I thought I'd squeeze a quick one in.
What can I say, apart from "I'm loving it !!!" - once I get my own "patch" I will take the GPS out with me, just for the hell of it, but up to now, it's been good - a little awkward today (lots of packets - lots of empty houses, so ended up carrying them ALL the way round) - more paperwork than you think - first paypacket went in today (none of this "week in hand" kerfuffle), which finally gets the bank balance looking 'positive' - home in time to finally kick-start the patio project as well (a couple of breeze blocks laid - pictures later !!) before heading to the pub to watch extra-time and penalties ... and heartache for Ghana.
In between times, I've emptied the pix off babycam - and I offer up two for now:
From the "bog wall" in the Britannia - just about sums it up !
After college on Wednesday - ended up in the "Q" in Stalybridge (in the Guiness Book of Records as the pub with the shortest name !) - witness the astro-turf - it's actually the very same stuff from Hyde United's ill-fated move towards artificial turf back in 19eightysomething !!
Anyway - proves I'm still alive and kicking - let's see what the weekend brings ... I'll be back before Sunday night - promise !! .
(courtesy Getty Images - least I can do - shame others don't credit mine sometimes when they "steal" them)
... but would it have REALLY made any difference ? I believe not ... sooner (hopefully) rather than later we will finally realise that we are JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH. The Premier League may well be (to some - certainly not me) one of the best in the world - but when you realise that 80% of the stars are actually ineligible to play for England ... it's time for a rethink. In the meantime Sky TV will continue to assist in paying the obscene wages to what have been shown up this tournament to be extremely average footballers - and if people continue to buy their Sky subscriptions and pay stupid prices for Premier League season tickets - and stupid prices for premier League "merchandise", and all branded goods (where many "players" will be taking a tidy 'rake-off') this whole sorry tale will continue.
And I've not even started on words like "effort" or "passion" - look at teams like New Zealand or South Korea - any limitations these players have are more than offset by their passion and their effort. I could name names - someone said to me before the tournament started that Rooney was not 100% fit - case proved I think ... the guy has done absolutely zilch in four games (apart from slagging off the fans after the Algeria game !) - people moaned when Heskey was brought on, but isn't Rooney meant to be a goalscorer ? And are the others really the best we have to offer ?? I could find many many others that would have sweated blood and given 200% effort to have the chance to wear that shirt - unfortunately most - if not all - of them are not in the Premier League
I could say I was fortunate this afternoon - I watched the game in a fairly quiet boozer - just a couple of fairly well-behaved under-18s, and a good number of people watching the game - no hysterics, no stupidity - and in the end a complete and utter sense of realism ... the party is now well and truly over, and England go out with a whimper rather than a bang.
So - with the game over I went out and smashed a few beer glasses, rioted on the streets, and looked for some German cars to scratch ... OK I lied, I went back home and laid a couple more breeze blocks before a very nice chicken tea ...
Yep I do corners as well ...
... and after tea I shovelled a bit of soil and sat outside for a bit admiring the strawberry plants - in fact last Friday night we did have a barbie and afterwards Mrs Smiffy was sat there on "Patio 1" reaching over and helping herself to home-grown pudding ... fortunately with this excellent weather, they just keep on coming ...
Watched a bit of the Argentina/Mexico game - no great surprise there really (wonder how the Mexican fans approached this one ?) - and then a nice hot bath before this (sat in front of "Matrix Revolutions") - all prepared for my first day of work for many moons tomorrow morning - an "Induction Day" in Manchester before heading for Oldham on Tuesday morning - and for those who really really want to know about this great career change ...
(yes there are some "non obscene" versions out there !!!!)
... so now you know - beats all that IT aggro eh ?? .
... well they are at the Britannia in Mossley ... (excuse pic quality - I was drinking beer and watching the Uruguay/SKorea game at the time ...and for those "in the know" - Phil Wagstaff bought me a beer !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Patio anyone ??? Did a bit this morning - will have to sort some more blocks out tomorrow - in order to get the necessary pass-out (I believe they use to call them "ausweis" !!) for the afternoon game ... this now becomes "Patio 3" ...
S'pose bed is an option as well now ... twas Mrs Smiffy's "Come Dine with Me" tonight and following some excellent (vegetarian) snap, we've been out on "Patio 1" till daft o'clock with chimenea and CD player (for the pop-pickers out there ... Yes "The Ladder"; Page & Plant "No Quarter"; and Soundtrack of Our Lives "Origin Part One").
... but not too far !!! Got some foundations in this morning - and in a slight change of plan, another slab (in the bottom left-hand corner if you check out the previous "message") - and then off to Top Mossley to get tonight's tea (which will be Baked White Fish in a Tomato Rarebit Sauce) - nipped into Seel Park on the way round to check out stuff - new sponsor signs are up - but no Evo-Stik hoardings have arrived yet - plenty of painting has occured - mostly down to the "Community Payback" guys - and it's looking well tidy ! Check out
I could have took these piccies yesterday as I was "up there" for the Slovenia game, but I didn't. In fact I left the football club at half-time and watched the second half in a nearby pub. Reasons ?? The Social Club has gone for the "family atmosphere" type thing for the England games. This - to me - means some tidy money for the club - which is great ...... but ...... as someone who wants to actually watch a football game, it roughly equates to - small kids running around in an uncontrolled manner, whilst parents mostly drink with little interest in what's going on football-wise (and even less interest in controlling their "brats" !) - groups of 14/15/16 year olds hoping to "get served" (you know what I mean), again with less than 99.9% interest in the football - people turning up at half-time because someone has told them "free food" - so, while it's a great money-spinner for the football club, it's not the atmosphere in which I/Me wants to watch a football game. Don't get me wrong - I'm not knocking it, but it's just not for me ... Sunday afternoon will probably be a pub job as well (but I must be good as I've got work on Monday morning - huzzah yet aaarrrgh !)
So - today - after the shopping, a quick "nip in" to a handy pub (should I advertise the "Highland Laddie" - why not !!!!!!) to watch Italy go down the same route/toilet pan as France - a truly awful display by the Azzuri which left me thinking "There for the grace of God could have gone Ingerrrlund" - yet a further blow to my Fantasy league team - Zambrotta - grrr !) which has seen me plummet to 4th place in the "League of Nailers" - looking forward to a revamp once this round is over ("au revoir" to Gallas as well !). Unlucky for New Zealand as well today - three games unbeaten, yet "out" - certainly no disgrace there.
Anyway - off to cook tea - and then to watch the "Oranje" boys tonight (and hoping that Dennmark make it as well )... .
So - England (8th) finally win ... against Slovenia (25th), having drawn against USA (14th) and Algeria (30th) - numbers being the FIFA Rankings as at 26th May 2010. It was a job done I suppose - but hardly well done, especially when you think a late Slovenian equaliser, together with the Yanks winning, could have dumped us out - and the limited edition Oxo cube with the St Georges Cross on it would have been on the shelves pretty quickly (you must have heard the "laughing stock" quip over the last seven days - surely !). Still a little too hurried, still too many misplaced passes, still a bit nervy at the back - at least Milner got some decent crosses in - eventually !! A Sunday afternoon showdown with Germany awaits then ...
Got some more slabs down pre-match - now it's time to look at edges, retaining walls, proper pointing etc. Found some nice "garden design software" - a slight upgrade to the 'back of the envelope' version as well ...
Paper ....
Reality ...
Looking to get some footings in today for the first of the required walls ... weather's cooled down a bit - which is nice. Sent back a signed copy of the job contract yesterday as well (I did leave a subtle clue last week if I remember rightly - all WILL be revealed soon, although the "cat is out of the bag" to some peeps already - suffice to say it's quite a career change !!!). .
Whilst watching (suffering ?) the Algeria match last Friday, I spotted this as a possible look-a-like option. In the red corner we have Mossley's own Lee Blackshaw - in the blue corner we have Algeria's Karim Matmour - what do you think (Lee is the one without the Arabic writing on his chest !) ...
Onward to this afternoon - not really much else to say on "that game" that hasn't been said everywhere else ... we wait - we see/suffer/enjoy - and then off to college afterwards ! .
... that Chris Sievey has died aged 54 after a long battle with cancer.
Chris Who ?? I hear from some quarters - you'll probably know him better as Frank Sidebottom, star of Radio Timperley and the Fantastic Shed Show ... there's a Youtube vid of one of his last live appearances which showcases his World Cup anthem "Three Shirts on the Line" - I give you Frank ..
... weekend away (family duties - no pictures - not for web consumption anyway !), and a "quiet" day today (laid SIX patio slabs - think that's a record for one day - and still found time to watch Portugal stuff Korea DPR !). Appear to have had rather a lot of hits today from the Telford area linking back to a game against Mossley back in 2007 - had a nosey on their message board but couldn't spot anything of note !
Tomorrow I get to sign on at dole city ... and tell them that I've got a job starting next Monday - that will be fun ... but apart from that ... aaah, just remembered I need to sort out my photography insurance ... like now (think it runs out either midnight tonight or midnight tomorrow) ... but apart from that ... Spain won (just glad I swapped Torres out for Bendter in my Fantasy League team - at least he can score !!) ... but apart from that ... OK one pic from the weekend - the River Gardens @ Belper with East Mill in the background ...
Obviously I missed the sight of the USA game last week (see below) but I sent a txt to Mrs Smiffy just after half-time today as in, "Tonight 'looks' like last Saturday 'sounded' - awful" - and that just about sums up the shambles that I've just watched up at the Football Club ...
It's only a matter of time before our hysterical tabloids finally put all this bull to bed and finally admit that "We're Not Very Good" - witness tonight - toothless up front - Glen Johnson getting skinned every time down the Algerian left - midfield looking non-existent at times - bring Crouch on, and he crops up on the right wing - great place for a 6 foot 7 inch player. Big up to Algeria - they'd done their homework and they got a result - and made England look ordinary.
Apparently Rooney came off saying to the camera "Nice to hear your own fans booing you, that's loyal supporters." Now - some words to the man who earns £150,000 per week (yes - per week i.e. more money than most people earn in 20 years). Point 1 - You'll find that most of the England fans out there are not "loyal" football fans - they're just rich peeps who can afford it (as in Prince Bill and Prince Hal) or ex-pats who took their money out of this country - why the hell do you think all the trouble/violence has happened elsewhere (as in this country - we'll see what has happened tonight tomorrow no doubt) - if you want to talk to the "loyal supporters" - feel free to pop into Mossley (or any other pub/club in England - where you will find the loyal supporters) sometime - you got a lot more than a mere "booing" tonight - because you deserved it - you and 10 others (plus subs) basically did nowt tonight - all of you - yes ALL of you were an absolute disgrace. I heard Capello talk about "pressure" - maybe you've got the "pressure" of the UK tabloids bulling us up - and what the hell was Beckham doing on the bench (now maybe that's "pressure" ??).
Pathetic - thank God I've no England players in my Fantasy League team - back to realism again I guess ...
That's the early "stream of whatever" out of the way - I'm sure I could have said more, but ... Wednesday afternoon will be VERY interesting ... .
Is everyone confident ?? (I'm never confident when England are one of the teams - the perils of being a realist).
Will Robert Green play ?? (He'll know by 1730hrs - Joe Hart for me, but I bet "Calamity James" gets the nod)
Will there be "trouble" at the big screen showing in Manchester ?? (I reckon everyone will be bunking off work early - it is a Friday - and the "lubrication" will have already started - so I'd assume "yes" - even if the "Manchester Evening News" try to 'manufacture' it - allegedly).
Will the Yanks get anything from this afternoon's game ?? (Slovenia already 1-0 up - which will give them six points, and through - I'm going for a Slovenia win - which would put a little more pressure on England).
Is everyone happy with the Germany result ?? (On the grounds that they're not English - I'd assume "yes" !!).
Will I be up at Mossley Football Club to watch the game (Someone mentioned free food - so I'd assume "yes" !!).
Just got back from B&Q with more "garden supplies" - patio slabs and sand and cement - but there will be nowt happening this weekend - yet another "trip away" ...
(New Job Contract has arrived though - to be perused later !!!) .
... for those who don't know - those unfortunates claiming the dole are "obliged" to fill in a "Job Diary" (i.e. efforts you have made to obtain employment) which has to be presented every time you sign on - one of the usual 'scams' is to write "Read the Manchester Evening News Jobs Supplement on Thursday" ... well it fills a line ! Anyway - to my point.
Today's "Manchester Evening News" as usual advertised on the front page - "Inside: 12 pages of jobs" ... oh really ??
Page 1 - Flashy "front page" advertising jobs website - NO JOBS Page 2 - Index, "Problem Page", List of people who've got 'senior jobs' - NO JOBS Page 3 - A typical heartwarming story about someone - NO JOBS Page 4 - Jobs (less 1/8 of a page advertising job website) Page 5 - Jobs (less 1/32 of a page - advert) Page 6 - 1/2 page of jobs - 1/2 page advertising job website Page 7 - Jobs (less 1/16 of a page - adverts) Page 8 - Jobs (less 1/16 of a page - adverts) Page 9 - Jobs (less 1/16 of a page - adverts) Page 10 - Full Page advertising job website - NO JOBS Page 11 - Jobs (less 1/64 of a page - advert) Page 12 - Full Page travel/holiday advert - just what the unemployed need - NO JOBS
The above figures are a bit rough and ready (I could have done this with a ruler, but that would be taking "geek" toooo far !!), but by my reckoning, that "12 Pages of Jobs" equates to a shade over "6 Pages of Jobs".... and it's pretty much the same every week. Maybe next week, I'll attempt an analysis of the actual jobs on offer - but maybe I won't ...
France were poor tonight as well weren't they ? "11 Players of Football" probably equated to just over "5 Players of Football" in the end - the rest were just adverts for the club game ... .
... a roasting hot day, so it was "easy on the garden" this morning - just filling in the gaps between the slabs with soil - just for "support" before they get properly pointed up - then an afternoon of "admin jobs" involving trips to Ashton and Manchester followed by college tonight.
Going back to the garden this morning - the damselflies returned (I assume same ones - I may be wrong as I failed to fit yesterday's pair with electronic tags) ...
... but then - a big splash, and something else appeared from the murky depths (need to check out whether it should be that murky - job for tomorrow !!!). We have a frog - and I'm sure it can't be one of our "house tadpoles" because it's far too large (but then again, I know bugger all about this wild life stuff) - see what you think ...
I'm gonna miss all this week commencing 28th June ... and I WILL reveal more once the employment contract arrives via Royal Mail ... .
Taking advantage of some half-decent weather today, and with the knowledge that my dole signing-on is now back to fortnightly, I ventured forth into the garden to use up the rest of the available slabs in the "Build a Patio before November" game. I've now got none left - needs a trip out to B&Q for more stuff sometime this week. A day off tomorrow might be good for my back, but I might well dig out some more soil and sort out some footings/foundations for the walls that now need building - still got some concrete left to play with ... here's the state of play at the moment ...
I reckon another 6 slabs should finish that particular level ...
But back to the title - I spotted "some action" in the pond (!!) and thought "Hmmm - red dragonflies getting jiggy with it" - but I was wrong on both counts !!! It's actually a red damselfly ovipositing i.e. laying eggs (with the male still attached) - as usual babycam was close to hand and I offer up a couple of "not too bad efforts" of said damselflies (double-click for big as usual):
Cute eh ???
Finish this one with a thought for NZ Neal - might be a Mossley fan living "over there" - but I bet he was jumping up and down with the rest of them Kiwis when Winston Reid put that equaliser in against Slovakia in the 93rd minute - tonight - we cheer for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea - or North for short !!! .
... to sum it up, camping, walking, talking, drinking and eating - and yes I did manage 90 minutes of football in the "old fashioned way" - with a radio (albeit a wind-up jobbie - at least we were three or four seconds ahead of the people on the nearby pitch with their DAB radio - tee hee !!). Having got home and seen the "lowlights", it looks like I was one of the lucky ones - what the hell was Capo doing playing the third-choice keeper ???
Eight-miler on Saturday and a six-miler today - seemed to have been a lot of bird-life looking at the pictures (all with the cheapo 28-105mm lens - I've stopped bothering with the heavier lenses when out walking !!!)
Anyway - caught up with the football with all the "three minute highlight" options most of the games on the net - now eagerly awaiting the "big one" on Tuesday ... come on North Korea !!!!
Now it's Monday ... and let's see what can go right/wrong this week; the early "bad start" was that the patio slab I laid in the pouring rain last week has "failed" - been down there tonight, looked at it and lifted it - bugger ! ... .
... is a long time in "jobhunt world" ... from those "heady moments" of Wednesday, I now find myself in "Black Friday" mode ... yep yesterday afternoon's IT job interview has gone thumbs down/pear-shaped as well. It looks like the Gods of IT are telling me "Forget it mate - too old and not up-to-date enough with your skills" ...
Looks like we're banking on t'other (non-IT) one for now - not sure what all the "checks" are, but as far as I know I'm not a criminal, I've got two legs and no (apparent) disability ... so ... we wait on. Meanwhile I believe there's some called the "World Cup" starting today - and in true "timing fashion", we're off to the Yorky Dales tonight for a weekend under canvas (well nylony-type stuff really !!) - nearest pub is apparently 5 miles away - so Saturday night, after a good long day walk, might involve a good long night walk (it's either that or a wind-up radio - or a peep through a caravan window !!!!! ... away again next weekend - but Friday night's Ingerrlandd game is a go-er in Mossley - phew !!
This job hunt "sh*t" - you plod along - you apply - you justify yourself at the dole every Tuesday - no loyalty points for being a "trier" - just the same "automaton" reactions that everybody probably gets - even the lazy idle buggers - when it boils down to it, we're all the same I suppose in the eyes of the DWP - and also many of the smug (i.e. employed) people out there in Britworld ...
... but then, just like a London Bus, you wait a while and then several come at once. I've still got an outstanding decision on a second interview (IT job) from a couple of weeks ago - then I'm offered an interview (tomorrow @ 1400 hrs) for a three month contract - IT work) - so I ring the recruiter from the earlier interview - he's still chasing (bank holidays and staff holidays appear to be holding things up) - he says, "Go for the other one anyway - if you get the offer, I can go back to T***T*** and push even harder for a final decision". Then - another phone call this morning - from an even earlier interview (which had resulted in this decision) - I'd given this one up for dead (a bit like "we'll keep your info on our database" which I always assume to mean "thanks but no thanks ...") - basically this looks like it 'could' be a definite job offer - but ... they need to do some "checks" first - it's only 24 hours a week - it's only a six month temporary contract - and it's not IT (and not brilliant money) ... starting to get a bit complicated ...
Other than that (!!) - managed a couple more slabs in the "Get the Patio down before the summer finishes" race (had to stop because the weather turned nasty !) - and during the "Top Mossley Walk", a diversion into Seel Park saw that five of the six stanchions now have lamps on them (the guys have probably done the other one by now as well) - will check out pictures later (again only babycam), but now it's "Get ready for College" time (nearly five o'clock). .
... or at least one-third of the same (and it's got nowt to do with washing a small Italian car either - 'tis Latin for "Let there be Light" !!)
Today's afternoon trundle up to Top Mossley to get the tackle for tonight's exotic meal (I call it "Italian Builder's Breakfast" - pasta with bacon, egg, mushrooms, passata and chicken mixed in) saw me bobbing into Seel Park - to see this ... enjoy (albeit only babycam !) - we now have two out of six stanchions (the middle two) with bits on top (so we can at least see 30 minutes of football).
The lights are coming back to Mossley AFC ...
(Plus for all you patio fans - just been to B&Q for some more slabs and mortar stuff - managed to get two down in the end today before the heavens opened ! Let's see what the rest of the week brings ...) .
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