GI Veale

Latest project at chez Janes/Veale is the construction of a porch. Work is well underway, and of course scheduling it for the summer has meant that there have been no rain interruptions. Ha! Work goes on apace now though, with all of the walls complete and the roof on. The window and door went in on the weekend – no glass yet though. Should be finished in a couple of weeks (fingers and everything else crossed).

I’ve been on the GI diet for the past couple of weeks. I wish they wouldn’t use the “diet” word, ‘cos really it’s about just eating sensibly, with lots of fresh fruit and veg. They reckon that on the GI plan you eat more fruit and veg in 10 days than the average Briton does in 10 weeks. Its not all lentils and quinoa though; the recipes are really varied and interesting. Get the book. Its just £5.99 on Amazon right now. (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/customer-reviews/0600610020/026-3267679-7357211)

Anyway, the results are pretty good so far. Down over half a stone in three weeks. Plenty more to go though. (Don’t know the number in kilograms and don’t really care – when I start going metric then the terrorists will have won).

The toughest test of willpower so far was the trip to the fortnightly Cwm quiz. There were chips and scrumps for all, and the temptation for huge. But resist we did. Just.

Random Thoughts

1. Had a meeting down on the SA1 development in Swansea last Monday. Wow, that area has really changed. I remember the docks area being rundown, but now there is building work aplenty and two superb Technium buildings providing start-up facilities for hi-tech companies.

2. Pete Doherty – how come he isn’t in jail? Yet again he’s been in court again and yet again he’s been given unconditional bail to be a complete arse rock star until arrested again.

3. How is it that people are being stabbed just for being on a train or for going to school nowadays? It’s not knife amnesties we need, but the locking up of loonies who are carrying around weapons on the inter-city or taking them to school. Geez.

4. Big Brother. Who cares?

Rugby Notes

After the dust has settled from the Battle of TAG (Talbot Athletic Ground) its just 2 down from the Premiership – Carmarthen Quins & Pontypool. Maesteg saw off the challenge of Bonymaen on Saturday in a game which saw 3 red and 3 yellow cards. A bit like the Wild West, said a friend who was there. Bonymaen needed leadership from their captain, who proceeded to head butt one of the Boobyers in front of the ref and be sent off in the 3rd minute.

As predicted here, Munster saw off the challenge of Biarritz to claim the European Cup in their 3rd final, running out 23-19 winners. The pack and particularly the line-out was awesome, Paul O’Connell and Donnacha O’Callaghan were immense.

Fogbowl has come and gone too. Or to give it its proper title, the Super 14 final between the Hurricanes of Wellington and the Crusaders of Canterbury. As far as I could make out, the foggy blurs of Canterbury won. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a game with two commentators, one for each side of the field. How they played at all was beyond me. Needless to say, it wasn’t exactly a spectacle.

Now it’s on to the summer tours by Wales and the rest of the home nations to various quarters down under. Wales have two games against Argentina on 10 and 17 June. You will recognise the red shirts but not the faces, Wales taking a very inexperienced squad to Patagonia.

That takes us to the end of June, and then it’s the turn of the Tri-Nations, which goes through to next season. There’s no let up. Thankfully.

Cricket Notes

Comfortable win for England in the second test against Sri Lanka. Kevin Pietersen’s century was something to behold. Three centuries in his last three tests in England. The comparisons with Denis Compton and Viv Richards have started already. If England get Michael Vaughan and Steve Harminson or Simon Jones back and Monty Panesar learns to field then it looks like England have a good team on their hands.

Glamorgan got washed out last Friday in a potentially lucrative floodlit game against Middlesex. They snatched a draw from the mouth of victory at Worcester too. Looks like its going to be that kind of season for Glammy.

Two more defeats over the bank holiday. The faint glimmer of hope in yesterday’s poor performance was that Mark Cosgrove and James Franklin, the two imports scored half of Glamorgan’s runs. But losing Cosgrove for a big chunk of the summer is going to be a difficult hole to fill.

My cricket season has just started. After two games rained off last week (the wettest drought I can remember), the Haddocks took to the field this evening. The problem was that this was the first round of the cup, and we (division 3, remember?) were playing Khyber from division 1 (league champions for the past two seasons). We were duly dispatched. They scored 170-1 off their 18 overs. In amongst this a new club record for the worst bowling analysis 1-0-25-0. I managed to put down a catch on the long on boundary – a “frozen rope” line drive out of the setting sun. I have a lovely bruise on my hand to show where it hit.

In reply, we managed 52-9. That included 21 off one over! I opened and managed 5 (third top score). When I got out we were 12-5 off 10 overs. Saw off the opening attack though. We knew we weren’t going to win & it was good just to actually pick up a bat for the first time this season. Nets? What nets?

TV Notes

I know it’s a week late but the Eurovision Song Contest must get a mention. There’s many a drinking game played whilst watching it, one of which Terry Wogan clearly indulges in. It was won by Rock and Roll Hallelujah, performed by Finns dressed like extras from the Lord of the Rings. Wonderful stuff.

The voting is a perfect example of political correctness. All the former USSR countries voted for each other, as did the Balkan countries. Very few people voted for the UK and unsurprisingly only one voted for France. The songs that were sung were completely irrelevant. For my money the Swedish entry sounded best.

The West Wing (on More4) and House (five) continue to be the best programmes on TV right now, although just once I want to see House fail to save the patient.

Used part of the bank holiday to catch up with the new series of Lost (thank goodness for Sky+). There’s more holes in the plot (plot, what plot I here you say) than a Swiss cheese, and I don’t pretend to understand any of it, but it’s certainly different.

Squirrel Notes

Another bird feeder bites the dust. Reduced to pieces by a roving team of squirrel demolition experts. I reckon there are working in cahoots with the bird feeder manufacturers to boost repeat sales. Perhaps there’s a tips section on a website somewhere. We need to know.