This week's stuff

This week’s sign of the apocalypse

This past week saw the first mobile phone call made from the top of Mount Everest. British mountaineer Rod Baber also sent a text message that read “One small step for man, one giant leap for mobilekind”. Now its official – nowhere is safe from the modern irritations of life. If you want to read more (I don’t really suggest it, you’ll only get depressed) you can do so here.

Rugby Notes

This is my first chance to congratulate Ebbw Vale on their second place finish in the Principality Premiership. Great job guys. Best wishes to coach Alex Codling who has secured a new job nearer home as forwards coach at London Welsh. Good luck too to Ian George and Hywel Jenkins who appear set to follow him to Old Deer Park.

In recognition for their great season, Ebbw Vale features in the running for the Principality Premiership Awards, due to be given out this week. Alex Codling is on the shortlist for coach of the year (with Simon King, Pontypridd and Iestyn Thomas, Llandovery) and John Bowd is on the shortlist for player of the year (along with Dafydd Lockyear, Pontypridd and Morgan Stoddard, Llanelli). Good luck to you both.

Wales put up a good show in Australia on Saturday, losing 29-23 after leading right up to the last move of the game. In Bloomfontein however, the Springboks thrashed England 58-10.

Cricket Notes

Just a month ago when Cath and I set off on honeymoon the World Cup final fiasco had just finished. By the time we get back the summer test series is underway in England. There’s no break at all for test players nowadays. I sometimes wonder why they bother listing the county that each test player represents, because they never turn out for their county side.

Glamorgan have managed, as predicted here, to reach some new lows this season. This past week they lost by an innings at home to Middlesex within two days. And to add insult to injury, they have been docked eight points for the Swansea pitch being substandard.

Glamorgan are firmly rooted to the bottom of division 2, with just 14 points thus far. And in the one-day tables, Glamorgan would be bottom if it weren’t for Ireland’s inclusion in the tournament. And now there’s news that Simon Jones is injured again. It’s looking like a good decision not to renew my membership this season.

Television Notes

Watched Dr Who on BBC1 on Saturday night. Many of the street scenes for 1913 England were filmed at the National Museum of Welsh Life at St Fagans. Rhydycar Cottages and the Oakdale Institute both featured in the episode. Bringing back the Doctor was one the Beeb’s better ideas in recent years.

Website of the week

Heckle Depot has some good pieces of abuse which can be added to any sports spectator’s armoury of heckles. They’re mainly baseball-orientated, but I’m sure they can be adapted. Of course there’s always the witty banter page of the Ebbw Vale RFC website, the best rugby website in the world. Not that I’m biased, mind.

Astronomy limerick of the week

There was a young lady named Bright
Whose speed was faster then light
She went out one day
In her relative way
And came back the previous night

Of course, the second funniest joke in the world is about a limerick. The funniest is about a piano player with Tourrette’s syndrome. You’ll have to ask Rob Smith to tell you them as they certainly aren’t repeatable on a family-friendly blog!

Old joke home

“Doctor, I can’t pronounce my Fs, Ts and Hs.”
“Well, you can’t say fairer than that then.”

Things that make you go Hmm

Why do people say: “Can I ask you a question?”
Didn’t really give me much of a choice there, did you?

Why do people say: “Its always in the last place you look”?
Of course it is. Why would you keep on looking after you’ve found it?

Ode to IT

I have a spell in checker
It came with my PC
It plainly marks four my revue
Missed takes I can knot sea
I ran this poem threw it
I’m shore your please two no
It’s letter perfect any weigh
My checker tolled me sew.