Work Crap - Nearly Forgot ... ho ho ...

Redundancy shit - continues - here's a laff - as part of the "consultation exercise" (lmao) the weekly meeting was arranged with "da management" and reps next Wednesday for 1400 - 1530 - it was later re-scheduled for 1600 - 1730 - i.e well outside core hours. I saw this as management taking this "consultation exercise" really really seriously - not - OK be blunt, they're taking the p*ss !! I immediately e-mailed the rest of the reps suggesting a "block decline" - only to be told "I've accepted" ... "I've accepted" ... "No problem with this - I'll stay till midnight" and other such sh*t. So there you have it - the management "try it on" - the reps "roll over and accept" - no doubt the next meeting will be held on a Saturday lunchtime and the reps will be falling over themselves to get into the building on time.

Me - bollocks to it - my resignation from both the Staff Forum and Union Rep is in the post. I've been emailing our Amicus/Unite rep this week to be met with .... Jack Sh*t ... last week when I was on holiday, one of the members got in touch with the union to be told "We'll get back to you" - they didn't ... they haven't - a waste of time (and nine quid a month by the looks of it).

Never mind - sometime next week someone will send me a letter that says "47" - my kick-out criteria total that means absolutely f*ck all as we are not allowed to see anyone else's scores - so why bother - the whole thing is a total charade put together by very clever people, who had they spent more time sorting out the Project Management f*ck ups from the previous regime - this whole sorry episode may never have happened. I may have said it before, but the incompetent bumblers have been replaced by hatchet men - and it's us buggers who have been doing their best - and those whose views/ideas/options have been consistently ignored by the pillocks in charge that have led to this - naturally those earlier "pillocks in charge" are now long gone ... but with damn site better pay-offs than us "low levellers" who are being sh*t on now - just think of that RBS b*stard Sir Fred Goodwin (even got a f*cking knighthoood !!!) - the price of failure is a £1898 per day pension - if I get the boot I get the Government statutory that's about £10,500 - little Freddie will get that in just over a week ....

It's like many people say these days - what is the point of being good, being honest, paying your way and paying your loans off - it's absolutely pointless - just get into the sh*t - and then beg for assistance - because assistance seems to arrive - at so many levels these days ... no doubt when I go to sign on I'll be treated like sh*t - just because I'm not a 17 year old one parent mother/father benefit scrounger ...

Happy weekend y'all ...
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Finally on Friday - Come on Glossop !

.... can't finish off tonight without wishing Glossop North End the very best of luck in their FA Vase Quarter Final against Marske United .... they should get a decent crowd as well (I could myself ... but ... we (Mr/Mrs) are scooting off to the Royal Exchange -in the evening to see ..... "The Scottish Play" !!! )

(Anyways I've got the entire photo collection from the Calverton MW v Glossop NE 2nd Qualifying Round game way back in September !!).

Seriously though - you're "over the border" vis-a-vis "Six Tame Sides" - for me - Mossley v Harrogate RA - but we're ALL rooting for you ....
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Spotify

Another plug - the new super duper internet music thingy - get on www.spotify.com, set up your account (very simple), download/install the software (very fast) and start listening ... it's brill - it's got literally "everything" (tonight at home we've had Barclay James Harvest, Kiki Dee, John Dowland - at work I found Steve Hillage and Todd Rundgren and Joe Satriani) - James (@ work) went for Billy Bloody Joel !!

There's the option for continuous music - choose your genre - basically it's brill - and free !

(and if you're that way inclined - the new U2 album is up there ...)
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Attention People of Bristol !!!

Yep - it's shameless plug time for our family friend Cleo - tomorrow sees the opening of

"Clifton Vintage Boutique" @ The Arcade, Boyces Avenue, Clifton, Bristol

It all kicks off at 12 noon - apparently the door opens and you the punter exchanges money for vintage clothing - style, quality - or just something "different" to wear on a night out.

Tell them Mike from Mossley sent you !

Good Luck Cleo ....
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If it's Thursday it must be ....

... more of the bloody same at the "Tower of Doom" - I'll tell you what really p*sses me off - some call it "gallows humour" I guess, but it's so bloody forced - we're sat there - working with people (many who we've known for many years) knowing that very soon someone is going to say "You Go" to one person and "You Stay" to the other ... and they're expecting productivity ????


Much of today was spent fannying around with "minutes" from yesterday's "consultation" - which should really have said "Company Enhancement on top of Government Statutory - NO" - the rest was (to be honest) really meaningless cr*p - but it kept the e-mail system happy for a while ... and how about this - I check my blogsite stats to find some fancy-dan search engine software - http://www.cymfony.com - is checking out my website - and strangely enough, it's coming from a Delhi IP address (and strangely enough, our company is owned by an Indian company - think they're the ones who are really pulling the strings on this redundancy exercise as well !!) - "... gain insight on what people are saying about your company" - strange that I haven't mentioned the "company name" on the blog at all this year !!! Someone's grassed me up - guaranteed ....

Had to do Parents Evening tonight as well - aaargh - say no more (he knows what he's gotta do between now and GCSE time !!) - caught the last 15 minutes of the City/Copenhagen game - and now here - have had a phone call from Andy W advising of a poss job opportunity with GMP - I will pass the info on to our Lotus Notes team tomorrow - I can do Lotus Notes development myself (irony - the Staff Recruitment System @ work is "one of mine") but like so many areas - I'm not fully trained up/certified - they never used to like training people up too much in certain specialisms at our place - just in case they left - ha !! This does put me in position poo as the "Jack of All, Master of None" vis-a-vis Oracle, SQL, Unix, Microsoft Access and Lotus Notes (turning into a cheap plug this !!!!!)

... Friday tomorrow ... actually Friday in about 2 minutes ...
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Update - Football and Work Stuff

First things first - pix from last night now up and running at

Celtic home hoodoo continues

Work ? A "staff forum" meeting today - apparently it's part of the "consultation exercise" - I call it going through the motions - we can "jaw jaw" - but it's a done deal - in other words - 50% of the company are f*cked no matter what - wonderful - enough to turn you to drink (if that turn hadn't already been made) - 'tis the stress-related smoking that's scaring me ....

Fingers crossed for the sub-editors at the "Derby Evening Telegraph" as well - it's all kicking off daaaaarn there as well (with me knowing a sub-editor) ... anyone else out there in "recession land" heading for oblivion ??? Not to worry - KFC will be "taking on" soon - with most in the North of England apparently ....
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Stalybridge Celtic v Gateshead

Celtic lost 2-1 - too late to do so much ..try

Celtic Goal
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Good to be Back ...

Imagine a five storey funeral parlour where people - either under orders or through sheer bloody-mindedness - are wandering around with forced grins and that "crisis - what crisis ?" attitude. Welcome to my world - the world where, by Friday, those who reach "stage two in the sack race" will have been selected. As predicted earlier, it looks like six will drop to three in our department ... times like this you wish you worked in the "safe areas" of the Finance Department or the HR Department ...

OK I lied about working in HR - I picked up my "at risk" letter last Friday before going on holiday - they still saw fit to send another copy to my house - does that make me doubly at risk ??) - at least they got the address right - more than they did for one poor "victim" who thought they were "safe" - until it transpired their letter had gone to number 27 rather than number 20 - I kid you not !

Not quite sure how efficient/productive our place will be this week - I believe the idea is to "be professional about it" until you are guaranteed "surplus to requirement" - after that, who knows ? Maybe the "most professional" thing to do would be to just walk out and head for the garden ..... I had to put my union hat on today as well (as well over 50% of union members have got the "dark mark"). The fact that our union has as much power as a wet f*rt in a vacuum (too busy standing up for 850 agency staff @ Cowley - that's agency staff with no rights/ t's & c's etc - those who are on three times the hourly rate of staff) - in our workplace the management are more likely to recognise Norwich Union (OK Aviva) - they keep quoting Amicus even though we're now Unite the Union.

Enough of this meandering - there's football to be had up Mottram Road tomorrow night - I just get this feeling that Stalybridge Celtic will turn this "home nightmare" around - I'm sure Mossley will do OK @ Warrington Town (a bloody nightmare by public transport - especially on a midweek eve !) as well ...

... but first - another 8 hours @ the "Tower of Doom" .... not this one (@ Six Flags America in Maryland) though !!!

the only way is down ...
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Got the walk in ....

... weather cr*p in the end, but we managed a six miler around the Holme/Digley Reservoir area - pix in the post ...

(while waiting for the weather to improve I actually ironed about 8 work shirts - wonder if I'll need 'em all ? More to the point - do I buy a weekly rail ticket tomorrow morning ?!!!?)

One important footy game today - Marske United beat St Ives 3-0 in the FA Vase and will now be Glossop North End's opponents next Saturday - we're now at the Quarter Final stage ....
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Mossley v Clitheroe

Well - first live footy game for a fortnight for me - a great excuse for my cr*p photo efforts (especially when the goal went in on 99 minutes or whenever if was) - I certainly wasn't the only one - people were streaming past me trying to escape from the ground at 89 mins - I said to York Branch "Was it worth it ??" - no answer until I met 'em in the club after the winner had gone in - but I ramble - some pix for your ....

http://mossleysmiffy.jalbum.net/MossleyClitheroe/

Win ugly ?? Why not .... Tis the sign of a team who will go places ... and it's also nice to see that Mossley managed to give (last Tuesday) enough of a "kick up" Retford ("sans Harvey"), thus enabling Belper to "do them" ("avec Harvey") 3-2 on their own patch today (with a late winner as well !!)

But what the f.... were Stalybridge Celtic doing today - OK losing - at home - again - their home/away record is something like Stafford's - p*ss poor at home but great away. Only prob with Celtic is they now have 10 @ home and 7 away in order to get in the play-offs ... Droylsden win @ Farsley ergo catching up Celtic ..... Hyde lose what I call a "six pointer" at Stafford (which completely cocks up my earlier statement !!!!!) - Curzon win - Ashton United lose ...

Mossley @ Warrington on Tuesday - I'm going for the Stalybridge Celtic v Gateshead option - if the sh*t really hits the fan @ work, I know I CAN use my Conference Photo Licence to its fullest extent - i.e. it does allow free entry (although I've never really taken advantage of this - cus I'm a proper socialist !).....

Still to go through the holiday snaps - but weather looks good for a walk tomorrow/today ...

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Return to ....

.... Frith only knows - apparently the entire IT department got "letters of doom" - my guess is that it's gonna be like "Celebrity Death Match", with the two hardware guys, the two software guys and the two Lotus Notes guys fighting it out .... there's been a few/lot of meetings this week - no doubt I'll find out more / have my "meeting" on Monday no doubt !

For now - 300 pix of an excellent weeks holiday to go through before charging everything up for some football tomorrow .... this is the cheap one-bed fleapit where I've been for the last 7 days !!!

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In the words of Yosser Hughes ...

.... GIZZA JOB !!

... because I'm on the "hit list"

... but for now - it's holiday time ..
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Late Night Transport Moan ...

.. mentioned earlier that boy has new Sunday jobbie at Pet Shop in Guide Bridge - up to now he's "had a lift" in the morning (0930 start) - with us being away this weekend (and more) we checked out public transport options, only to find that it is impossible to leave Mossley towards Ashton/Guide Bridge before 0937 on a Sunday (no better going via Stalybridge either) !!!! There are regular buses from Ashton to Guide Bridge from about 0630 on a Sunday - it's just an hours walk to Ashton from Mossley mind ............................

I could blame those t*ssers who vote "NO" for the Congestion Charge - but I won't - Mossley has ALWAYS been a poor relation in the public transport stakes - and this just sums it up really. With so many shops now open on Sundays, you might expect better methods of transport - especially as many weekend workers ARE the youngsters without the aid of petrol-driven things ...

One for GMPTE to have a look at I feel ...



(Tee hee !)
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Different Sh*t - Different Fan

Fresh from ... whatever ... today's post was going to be entitled "Wee Cough" - because I've got one - starting tonight - a bit of a seven day silver wedding anniversary booze-up/chill-out at (believe it or not) an Elizabethan Manor House what we've rented - 14 beds and open house for all the family members.

AND THEN - I get an invite @ work to a hastily-arranged "Staff Forum" meeting on Friday morning, entitled "Restructure" - apparently some of the "hatchet men" are back from the "hatchets anonymous" meeting in Abbey Dabbey. And rumours that began at the end of last week start to take on a new meaning - looks like we're in for some serious redundancy sh*t - some of the numbers quoted sound rather nasty (DTI have allegedly been informed on the 60 day "gig" - so we're talking twixt 20 and 99 - 99 is nearly 50% of the full-time staff !!! ) Therefore holiday does not begin tonight - as the Union Rep/Shop Steward/Bolshie Opinionated Bar Steward, I'd better be there. Reading between the many lines - eek !

In the words of SteveMcCroskey (Lloyd Bridges) in "Airplane" - "Looks like I picked the wrong week to ...."

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Tuesday - Football .......

....ish .

Mossley off, Stalybridge Celtic off - got out later on (after fulfilling an earlier request from Mrs Smiffy viz "make something with sprouts cus we've got some left from last Thursday's veg box") - if anyone wants the recipe let me know (it involved sprouts, chicken, carrots, breadcrumbs/cheese amongst other stuff) -it was rather nice. 2047 train to Greenfield to watch the second half of the Brazil/Italy thing - Brazil 2-0 up when I got there (Manchester City 2 World Champions 0 as it was quaintly put) - got a bit busy in the 45 mins I saw (nice to see local boy Perrotta - born in Ashton-under-Lyne - giving Ronaldinho a good crack - yellow card fair cop !!). Back home on the 2151 train (message to Bez - I went home to see my wife - you married or still ... ?? Feel free to introduce yourself to me at Stalybridge Buffet Bar - you obviously know my timetable ....) and bugger - it was bloody snowing again. One in the Brit before going home - lad was watching "Shameless" - and there was one really serious "slag off" against the people from last year's City of Culture ...

And does anyone really care about England's friendly tomorrow - an excuse for many to get away from the wife and watch in down the pub - which is what the economic world needs these days - smoking ban does help to f*ck this up mind - bravo TB and his "Nanny State" government - just amazed that they've not introduced something about swearing in front of women at football matches (non-league) ....

Lizards ?? The new ones have arrived - but I'm on laptop at the mo and the pix are on team PC ... maybe tomorrow - Romeo and Juliet believe it or not - and loads of bouncing locusts for their delictation ...

Still hitting the fan ...

... judging by the comments received - just for "balance" (as one of my few supporters has accused me of having ..!!) - and for those who can't be *rsed to sign up to AFC Liverpool's forum - I cut and paste my reply to one of the few AFCL fans who have asked a civil question (scousesnail1) - who just asked what my gripe was with Jay Chandler - I replied as follows at about 1430 yesterday in an attempt to close this one off:

OK I'll attempt to bore the pants off you and "put this to bed" - football is a beautiful game - non-league even more so (why else would AFC Liverpool, FCUManchester etc exist ??). I've been watching non-league football since the late 1950s as a pushchair hooligan at Stafford Rangers (and before you ask - I DO remember Derek Goulding when he was at Marston Road - a little later on mind !). I think what I like most of all is the honesty - you go to work - you come home - you play football - to the best of your ability - you go home. As time has passed on - yes I'm nearly up there with the "elderly gentlemen" - the "dishonesty" of the highly-paid prima-donnas is starting to make inroads in a downward direction - it's spoiling a beautiful game and when I see it with my own eyes I take it as a personal affront, a personal insult - and the "grumpy old man" syndrome kicks in. I'm afraid your Mr Chandler's attitude on the park yesterday came into that category ... what makes it even worse (and further heightens my BP) is that so many clubs and so many players do not need to behave like that - as I've said elsewhere a tight game between two very good sides - I'd be surprised if you're not promoted (and if this is classed as a "butter melting in mouth" moment ...so be it ).

So what do you have there ? Probably the nearest this opinionated b*st*rd will give out as an apology (this "grumpy old man" thing is really gonna be useful from now on) .... however many feel the need to keep this one running - the constructive comments are still pouring in - mostly from the Wirral (looking at my IP stuff) - but there's even someone called Bez from Stalybridge - we're get the "total quality" stuff that really lets so many people down - acusations of AIDS, not wanting to spend "time with the misses (sic)" , talk of "anti-Manc" and "anti-Scouse "and stuff like that - which puts all those "There's ladies around.." quotes to shame. Another one of my (few) "backers" (called "Anonymous" strangely - like most of them) talked of stereotypes - what can I say - I live in Manc-Land - nowhere have I come across as anti-Liverpool (my Grandad came from Allerton - I still have relations just round the corner from the old South Liverpool ground (or railway station as it is now !)) - I made what I (still) believe to be a valid point about one player's attitude on the day - and you get all this sh*t.

Someone else on the AFCL board (samdoddsred) made the following point (thankfully, another who didn't insult):

"Jay Chandler is one of the quietest guys that you could meet, a really nice fella and a thorough gentleman. I take my wife to every game and I can assure you that having had many conversations with him he is a credit to AFC Liverpool". Sam also pointed out that the Cheadle no 18 had been giving out sh*t and maybe "it was him that broke Jay Chandler's patience"

OK maybe I got him on a bad day and he got me on a bad day ??? I've seen him once - I've seen AFC Liverpool once - fingers crossed we'll see each other again this season - to get a better balanced view (!!) - they'll go up - no probs

I've had a few "spats" on message boards with FCUM fans, AFC Telford fans - even Mossley fans (part of the opinionated b*st*rd syndrome) - but none of them - repeat NONE of them - have ever felt the need to lower themselves to some of the crass insults that have come from the Liverpool area - my rant at 1645 on Saturday must have lasted the best part of 2.5 minutes - some feel the need to drag it out just a touch longer... and lower the tone (behind the Anonymous moniker just in case some ladies are reading). And some of them even came up with constructive options like "fill you in", or "you'll get a good hiding" - interesting to see that options of violence are alive and well in the world of non-league football (Liverpool branch) - I could tell you about the good kicking I got @ Runcorn in the mid-1970s -but I've never been one to bear a grudge....

Must go - night in with the wife of 25 years - AIDS test in the morning .....and I've realised that last Friday night at the theatre (with the wife no less, Mr Bez !!) has been completely "mislaid". ("True Love Lies" at the Royal Exchange Theatre - very good indeed) Maybe more later ....
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"Tongue in Cheek" Productions present ...

A warm welcome/wilkommen/hiya to all who have taken Ossie's advice and trundled over here to see what a total t*t I am ... for those interested in ALL aspects of non-league football - feel free to peruse the many threads of matches involving more than just the "Six Tame Sides" - Real Ale - we've loads of it here (the site is almost sponsored by that "real ale mecca" known as Staybridge Station Buffet Bar). Trains ?? We've got lots of them on here as well - most of them late of course (cue muffled laughter) - looking for opinions - I've got loads (I am an opinionated bar steward of course) Liam Coyne ? type his name in the search box at the top and see how much we appreciate him as a footballer - hard and fair and most of all .. honest - he was MOM playing for Chorley when they stuffed Mossley - and he was great when he was at Mossley as well this season (I have to say this of course - I may need protection if I'm ever in the Prescot area)

Coming soon to T*t Towers in Mossley - more bloody lizards - not content with a blue tongued skink and a giant African land snail, the new vivarium arrived today (Peter now working Sundays in "the" Pet Shop at Guide Bridge as well - work at last !!) - the lizards turn up at a later date ....

Now I really must go - ... must fly - there's food to cook (tonight it's a Pork/Cider/Apple concoction for the carnivores - and quorn and mashed potato for the veggie !). - and THEN to decide which end of my monopod to shove up ..........




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Cheadle Town v AFC Liverpool

I'm putting this together at 0300 - excuse misprunts - we've had visitors tonight ..........

It was that kind of day today ... morning was agony.. Stalybridge, Curzon, Mossley friendly ?? And then things started to filter through - 0900 - Celtic off .... 1100 Curzon off .. a phone call to Cheadle Town was replied with a "deffo on" - whoo hoo - action. Celebrated with a trip to Ashton Asda with Mrs Smiffy to do "le shop" - dropped me off at Stalybridge at about 1230 - pint of Millstone "Vale Mill" before getting the 1244 into Picc just in time to miss the 1304 to Cheadle Hulme - Cheadle Town recommend Gatley as nearest station, but I know the way from Cheadle Hulme - cus I work there ! (and it was Rail Replacement cr*p down the Airport line as well today !) Train missed. I hit the Man Picc Sports Bar to watch some of the City v Middlesborough game - 0-0 when I left Manc - 1-0 when I get into the Penny Black @ Cheadle Hulme !!

Wandered down to Park Road (tis a wander !) to see a strangely small crowd - only game on round here, what's going on - bar is chocka with people with red scarves and strange accents though. Thence to the game - piccies at

http://mossleysmiffy.jalbum.net/CheadleLiverpool

A tight game between two very good teams - but unfortunately - the whingey "squeal like pigs" syndrome (noted when watching Warrington a couple of weeks ago) kicked in once again - for Frith's sake Liverpool - you are a good team - you DO NOT need to behave like dicks - and the number 2 Jay Challender (UPDATE - it's actually Chandler) was the complete pr*ck of the day - moan .. niggle .. hack .. whine .. get involved in anything that doesn't involve - what's the point ?? Stuff like that is just totally unnecessary - and there are many out there that see right through it ....

At the end of the game I checked out who the number 2 was - and when asked why I wanted to know I said "Because he's a complete f8cking twat!" - and this was followed by the (now totally boring) "A A A there's women and kids here !!" - God Almighty - it's always those from either Merseyside or Tyneside who come up with this little gem (cus no-one repeat no-one swears in Newcastle or Liverpool do they ??? ever ever ). I have heard this crap SOOOOO often - and if to add insult to injury a (not so young) lady turns to me and says "You're a disgrace to non-league football" - she obviously a supporter of a 'breakaway' team formed in 2008 talking to someone who has been watching non-league football for the best part of 45 years - obviously spent too much time amongst the thousands at Anfield - you can't hear the rude words in amongst that "you'll never walk alone" racket can you ??? I was hoping to get some better vibes from the AFC Liverpool experience ( I still struggle with the FCUM version) - this little "spat" showed me that there are still people trying to reinvent non-league fotball for their own ends - I'm afraid - at non-league level - if a player behaves like a tw*t he deserves to be called a tw*t - look at your own players and their behaviour before turning on complete neutrals - what I was today ... AFC Liverpool had a great chance to make me feel good about fan-based clubs - unfortunately one stupid / crass / uneducated comment has - to me - put them in the same "pot" as FCUM - several years ago AFC Telford United hit the non-league scene - and by Christ some of their fans behaved like complete cocky tw*ts at the outset - however it didn't take too long for the majority to realise where they were, what they were doing, and who they were "living with" - they got there - FCUM are slowly getting there - I just hope AFC Liverpool get there too - just lose the self-righteous crap - and jump into bed with non-league - it's nice really !
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Bitton v Glossop NE is OFF !

I say no more - Mossley game off too - see ...

there was a vid here - it's buggered off

(video courtesy SJNRs site) - apart from that ... check out the Stalybridge web site tomorrow @ about 0830 - if Jamie says "yeah" - they need snow shifters - I may need to wangle with Mrs Smiffy ...

There is a Mossley v Glossop friendly tomorrow/today @ Wright Robinson Sports College - ko @ 1215 - but I'm looking for unfriendly stuff ... Stalybridge .... and after that ... Cheadle Town - check 'em out - we'll find football ... somewhere ...
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The crisis continues - but anorak cheers !

For the third morning, the coffee machine @ Greggs on Piccadilly Approach was not working - curse this weather - always my option (why pay £1-80+ at Costa Lottie when by leaving the station and walking 50 yards you can save 50p or more !).


Snow - again today (morning anyway) - probably enough to cock-up up Saturday football - although I hope to be proved wrong ....if push comes to shove, there's probably "ways and means" of getting to Bitton v Glossop North End in the Vase ...


The trains remain the same - it's really been a "big up" to Northern Rail & First Trans-Pennine - they may have been sh*te over Christmas/New Year, but this snowy week -they've been excellent !


Anyway - to today's moment of total geekdom .... last year they installed extra lights on Platform 2 at Cheadle Hulme to enable bi-directional workings - and the lights were promptly covered with sticky tape for God knows how long ... but TONIGHT ... the screens showed the Crewe to Manc train as leaving from Platform 2 - a first (for me anyway !) - so naturally it's time to whip out the camera and "keep the moment" ... feather and all ...




... it's up there with the opening of Platform 0 (zero) at Stockport Station - check out the previous post including the word anorak !!!!!

an (almost) train at Platform 0 (zero) (Stockport)
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TV Footy = Desperation

Last night - my night out - I ended up watching Tottenham v Chelsea (1997/98) together with England v West Indies (1976 @ Trent Bridge) thanks to Arsenal "bottling it" 24 hours earlier - see "Southern Jessie" words below !!

Tonight .... a lack of home TVs meant no football until now (2330) -looking forward to the Forest/Derby game !!

Weekend offers - God only knows - we supposed to have more snow tomorrow - and we've still got loads on our pavements (usual sh*t - do the roads and sod the walkers) - incidentally one point from last weekend's debacle in Colwyn Bay - I had a bag of Walkers "Builders Breakfast" flavour crisps, suggested by a certain "Emma from Belper" - my initial enquiries tell me that there are many many Emmas in Belper - but who came up with the idea ??? I enjoyed them - and they sound far more tempting than Cajun bloomin Squirrel !!

(Shouldn't Bywater have walked ????)
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Southern Jessies ....

Snowed a bit today I'm told ... 0640 this morning, Radio 4 announced the "transport problems" viz London, London, South East, London etc etc bloody etc - the flipping London Underground was suspended !?!?!?! Now tell me I'm wrong, but "underground" implies large amounts of earth etc between sky and choo choo train (yes I AM aware of the outer London "overground" - and bits of the Circle Line) - my guess is that if London was closed today the credit crunch / recession problems have in fact tripled ....

Meanwhile in a land far far away (oop north) - my trains ran normally - I slipped and slid on the pavements - we only grit roads round here (no underground you see ..) - managed a day's work - got home OK on the trains (remember - 15 miles - three trains each way ...) - believe London still shut .... some piccies from today anyways ...starting with an exotic view from my 4th floor boudoir in Cheadle Hulme - a few miles straight ahead is Manchester Airport - where planes took off and landed today - unlike Heathrow (and they want another bloody runway ??)



The "missing pic" from Friday @ Stalybridge - no flunkeys in tonight so I get to go in the posh room !!



Coming home this evening - Mossley Station - where trains were running - unlike London ..



Our back yard (believe they're called "gardens" down south ... probably closed though - our back gate is broken !)



..and finally a quick fiddle with the old steel rule - I'd have probably found deeper, but I felt that the point had already been well and truly "made" !!!!!



Football - tomorrow - no bloody chance !!!
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Stalybridge Station Buffet Bar Conservatory

The "Official" opening took place on Friday night - here's the paparazzi view (i.e. from the "wrong side of the glass" - I left the inside stuff for the professionals !!)

Buffet Bar Conservatory Opening

and for any new comers thinking, "What's this all about ??", check this out for the full story ..

Demolish - and rebuild
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24 Hours after a 6-1 stuffing ..

GRRR but not as Angry/Suicidal - here's some piccies of the "Inter City Crew" - we lost a few on the way back (believe Topsy "gained a few" in his automobile !!) ..

Win or Lose - Have a Shandy !!

Prospects for midweek - it's snowing here ... and it's sticking ... eek ...
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Mossley into Europe .. HA !!

1-6

No effort - no points - no nothing .. a total shambles - that's all you get for now (and just this is ME putting in more effort than an entire football team) ....

UPDATE - It's ten't'two - here's the pictorial shambles from our Welsh sojourn ...

Stuffed like a bunch of English

Meh !
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