As usual this time of year, the media draw up a list of the best jokes from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. From amongst the ordinary and/or dross, a few gems: "When I die I want my remains to go to my iPod, my iPhone and my laptop. I want to be left to my own devices." Gareth Richards "I'll never forget the day when I got a rear-view mirror installed for the car. I never looked back after that!" Jimmy Cricket "I find that ants over-praise me. Sycophants? Yes I am." Tim Vine And a few off the telly: "The Scots released Al-Magrahi because he only had three months left to live. That still made him one of the healthiest people in Scotland." Frankie Boyle "How does Bob Marley like his doughnuts? Wi' jam in!" Peter Kay "I spilled spot remover on my dog.. he's gone now." Stephen Wright Notice that there's nothing by Michael Macintyre here. There's a simple reason...
I think that whatever the concerns about ITV only covering rugby once every four years, the enormous upside is that we won’t have Jonathan Davies whining for 6 weeks. We may, however, be subject to Bob Symonds doing the same commentary that he’s done for 40 years.
I think that Quade Cooper has a good chance of being the RWC’s MVP.
I think that I can’t wait to see how many fans buy Ebbw Vale’s new white, pink and navy away shirt when it goes on sale. Not exactly traditional Ebbw or Gwent colours. Whatever happened to sky blue for the alternate shirt?
I think that I’m hoping India will continue to show some interest in the One Day International series. I’ve got a ticket for the final ODI in Cardiff next week, and am hoping that both teams will be bothered to show up.
I think that Glamorgan cricket got its marketing all wrong this season. Unlike in 2010 there was no way of buying a T20 season ticket. As a result of that, lots of travelling with work, and lousy results I’ve been to Sophia Gardens (sorry, the SWALEC stadium) just once this year.
I think that I’m pleased that Would I Lie To You is back on BBC1 this week. On its day it’s one of the funniest programmes on TV, as witnessed by this clip of Kevin Bridges explaining how he bought a horse whilst on holiday in Bulgaria (or not, as the case may be).
I think that Torchwood isn’t half being dragged out. I feel like I need to watch it on fast forward.
I think that as the guy on the toy stall at Abergavenny market was happy to point out last week, its just 16 weeks to Christmas. And that can only mean one thing. It’s The X Factor. Gary Barlow’s age “has given him the regal stillness of a wise meerkat elder” (@petepaphides). Some of the contestants are borderline mental health cases. And Sidewinder do a better job that the vast majority of what I’ve seen so far – go see them if you’re ever in Aberystwyth!
... after a lull in proceedings, the blog is back. Some general musings to get back into the swing of things.
Website of the week
www.beercupboard.com – does what is says on the tin. Now this is what t’internet was invented for: single issue, borderline-nuts places. I’ve yet to post my Beer Cupboard, but will do soon.
Beernerdness
A couple of weeks ago I spent a couple a rain-drenched hours visiting the Big Welsh Bite in Ynysngharad Park just over the road. It’s a sort of food festival with other bits bolted on too. Anyway, around to the beer...
Picked a couple of different beers from theUntapped Brewing Co. in Cardiff and another couple from the Jacobi Brewery based in Caio, which I regularly drive past en route to Aberystwyth. Handy.
Things I Think
1.I think broadband speeds are one of the biggest fibs out there, right up there with “your call is important to us”. I currently “enjoy” around 2.4Mbps. There are times when iPlayer simply won’t work. Technology? Meh (to use a new OED-approved word).
2.I think a recent list of raffle prizes put the cost of living in perspective: First prize: a tank of petrol, Second prize: a DVD player.
3.I think that it’s hard to disagree with the people who voted on best one-liner from the Edinburgh Festival:
1 - Nick Helm: "I needed a password eight characters long so I picked Snow White and the Seven Dwarves."
2 - Tim Vine: "Crime in multi-storey car parks. That is wrong on so many different levels."
3 - Hannibal Buress: "People say 'I'm taking it one day at a time'. You know what? So is everybody. That's how time works."
4.I think it’s starting to feel like rugby season. What with the overcast days, regular downpours rain. Oh no, that’s just a traditional Welsh summer. As Rhod Gilbert put it: “In the Bible, God made it rain for 40 days and 40 nights. That's a pretty good summer for us in Wales. That's a hosepipe ban waiting to happen. I was eight before I realised you could take a cagoule off.”
5.I think that I will post here as often as I can. It’s a bit more structured than one-off rants on Facebook or Twitter. But if you want to find/follow me then I’m on Facebook and Twitter. But frankly I won’t worry if you didn’t.
