Veale Crest

Right, lots to talk/rant about this week, so let’s get straight to it.

Found a family crest for the Veale family on the interweb – isn’t technology wonderful, eh? The motto is “conquiesco” means translates as something like “contented”.

As for the coat of arms, here comes the science bit. They are described as being Argent (silver), on a bend sinister Gules (red), three calves Or (gold).

This site gives a brief family history. The name is first found in Gloucestershire where two knights called De Vile were honoured in the Honour Roll of Battle Abbey, in 1066, and were granted lands in that shire. Following on from that the Veale family of Over were quite famous, apparently. I think that is roughly where my grandfather came from (Percy of PJ Veale & Sons).

Some of the first settlers to America which this name or some of its variants were: Jane Veale settled in Virginia in 1636; Christopher Veale settled in Virginia in 1663; James and Ann Veal settled in Portland, Me, in 1820; and Tony and Heather Veale settled in Massachusetts in 1996.

Yob Notes

We were sitting in the Cwm Con Club last night, as we do every fortnight for a quiz. Terry & Marilyn, regular quiz-goers got a message that their house, four doors down, had been vandalised. A brick had been thrown through the front window, and the windows of their car had been smashed too.

This apparently happens just one day after a public meeting about anti-social behaviour in Cwm. Nice to see the police on the scene after the event, but it’s a case of too little, too late. If this can happen on Marine Street at 9pm then it seems anything is fair game.

On a more pleasing note, it was nice to see Cardiff’s finest arresting a youth in Bute Park yesterday whilst I was out running. Guess how he was dressed? Grey hoodie, baseball cap, baggy jeans, and this year’s must-have accessory – handcuffs.

Work Notes

Office accommodation reorganisation has just been announced. Am I affected by it? Yes. Was there any consultation? Of course not. Well, announced is a strong word for it. It’s a more like a half-arsed series of whispers. I know I should be used to it by now, but it still irritates the hell out of me that people don’t think to communicate. Even worse is the suspicion that you are deliberately being kept in the dark.

Clearly I don’t get paid enough to have a worthwhile opinion on anything. This is probably the third major issue affecting my job in the last year where it seems I was the last to know.

Last year the whole department got reorganised, and the fact that my job was fundamentally changed just happened to get mentioned in a team meeting. Yeah, thanks for that.

And earlier this year a new programme of work gets developed, and eventually a copy gets to me. I find my name alongside a list of activities, all of which comes as a complete surprise.

Oh, sorry, I forgot seems to be the sole defence to this institutionalised shambles. But that’s not good enough. It does nothing to help develop a feeling of belonging or any sense of being in this together. Clearly it’s every man for himself.

Most hated update

Tempting though it is to add a few work “colleagues” (PtW), I’ll stick to celebs.

Another glaring omission from the list: Craig David. His singing/talking career has been in freefall since Bo’ Selecta did a magnificent hatchet job on him.

Weather Forecast

According to Bwrdd, the Mensa Cymru magazine…

“50% chance of rain in some areas with the prospect of sunshine in others. Strong winds possible in exposed coastal areas. Temperatures around normal for this time of year although there will be variations to this in some parts. Colder on the higher ground and cooler everywhere in the evenings.”

Doesn’t that spoof remind you of every BBC weather forecast you’ve ever seen?

Book Notes

The BBC’s Big Read was a search for the UK’s best-loved novel, and we asked you to nominate your favourite books. The site lists the Top 100. This is the top 10 and, intellectual pigmy that I am, I’ve read just three of them. And that includes Winnie the Pooh!

1. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë

Cricket Notes

Its August bank holiday, the last weekend of the summer: so there’s cricket, right? Wrong.

The international series is stuck between the end of the test series and (hopefully) the one-day games next week – starting in Cardiff next Wednesday.

Glamorgan’s next home game is 6th September, their last floodlit 40 over game against Northants. They’ll need the floodlights on from the 4pm start in September.

Rugby Notes

The Tri Nations is all over after New Zealand saw off Australia for the third time this series, this time 34-27. This time they had to come from behind though with a couple of late tries from Chris Jack and Luke McAlister.

The incident of the game was a spear tackle from Australia wing Lote Tuqiri on Richie McCaw, dumping him on his head. The ref saw nothing wrong at the time, but after being cited, Tuqiri has been banned for five matches after being found guilty of a dangerous tackle.

South Africa, stilling looking for their first win of the series, take on New Zealand this Saturday on the high veldt of Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

Soccer Notes

Saw probably the worst tackle ever on the news last night. Ben Thatcher decided to lay a forearm cross on the jaw of Pedro Mendes. There was a ball nearby and apparently a football game was going on at the time, although this didn’t seem to have anything to do with the incident. The “ref” saw this as worthy of a yellow card.

Thatcher’s manager said that "What happened on Wednesday was indefensible. Any form of discipline will be discussed at board level, kept internal and we will move on from there.”

That’s laughable. The guy ought to go to jail for assault. One of Mendes’s team mates got it right when he asked "How can that not be a sending-off? What do you have to do? Kill someone?"

Fantasy Football Notes

OK, I’ve got the team drafted (Ebbw Vale Steelers) and I’m ready for the new season. My starters look like this:

QB Duante Culpepper (Miami)
RB LaDainian Tomlinson (San Diego)
RB “Cadillac” Williams (Tampa Bay)
WR Plaxico Burress (New York football Giants)
WR Donald Driver (Green Bay)
WR Derrick Mason (Baltimore)
TE Antonio Gates (San Diego)

I’ve got some reasonable cover in Jake Plummer, Keyshawn Johnson and Mike Bell. So, as always at this time of year I fancy my chances. Roll on the first game on September 10. You can track the fortunes of my team here.

Incidentally, aren’t there some wonderful names around? I mean, Plaxico? Duante? Carnell Williams decided that he needed something fancier and so renamed himself the Cadillac.

Link of the week

Quizardry is a great picture quiz website, where you can download general knowledge quizzes. They tend to be pop culture and sports, and range from NBA basketball players to characters from Eastenders. A good way to while away a Bank Holiday hour or so.

Sitting off

Spent the weekend visiting friends in Liverpool. Wonderful welcome and a great lazy weekend. Time was mostly spent just lazing around and putting the world to rights. “Sitting off” is a scouse term for just hanging around, doing nothing. Describes the weekend perfectly.

Karen and Ray live near Crosby beach, the site of Anthony Gormley’s Another Place installation. These cast iron figures are standing on the beach and often in the sea as the tide rises. It’s a brilliant piece of art, and hopefully it can be a permanent feature of the area.

Bar Notes

Alma de Cuba is a church converted into a bar in the middle of Liverpool and is supposed to the trendy, happening place. I’m told that you’re likely to bump into a footballer or a Hollyoaks actress in there. Not that I’d know because a) I wouldn’t recognise any footballers or Hollyoaks actresses and b) it was too dark to see anyone in there. They call it atmospheric; I call it dingy. This reviewer in The Times liked it though.

Restaurant Notes

Il Forno was the venue for an excellent Italian meal on Saturday night. Good food and excellent service. If you happen to be in Liverpool, try it.

Travel Notes

Enjoyable I – Very happy to report that the decent into chaos of Heathrow airport has been hugely exaggerated. Trip to take mum to catch a flight to Boston last week went off without a hitch. Got to airport before check-in opened, so asked to wait in one of the new marquees. Expecting some version of a refugee camp, we were greeted by BA staff with free newspapers, sandwiches and drinks. Online check-in meant beating the queue and dropping the luggage took five minutes. Clearly BA have got their act together.

I wonder when BAA will catch up and take their security responsibilities seriously?

Enjoyable II – It would have been aggravating if I’d chosen to travel to Liverpool via the M6. Thankfully previous experiences led me to choose the scenic route through mid-Wales and the Mersey Tunnel instead. What a good decision. Whilst Friday’s radio reported 20 mile queues on the M6, we tootled our way up through the A and B roads.

There’s a town near Oswestry called Knockin. I amused myself on the journey by hoping that a local trader took up the challenge and called their store the Knockin Shop.

Coffeenerdness

On the way to a meeting in North Wales yesterday I called into a coffee shop in Mold called Brew. Great little place with a cosy atmosphere, and a very good mochacchino. It’s a shame that more towns don’t have independent coffee shops like this with good coffee and good service.

TV Notes

A motivational speaker once said, "I don't believe there are many stupid people, but I do believe they move around a lot.” And most of them end up on TV.

Spent Friday night in the company of our Liverpudlian friends Karen & Ray with a pizza & a glass of wine. The final of Big Brother was on. Oh dear. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a collection of self-centred celebrity-obsessed morons in all my life.

Glyn Wise, an 18-year-old from North Wales was runner-up, and our esteemed First Minister Rhodri Morgan sent a message of congratulation. He said that he was “an inspiration for other young people”. Cut to pictures of Glyn falling over drunk and throwing up. Yep, that’s right – this is what Rhodri thinks should be a role model for the youth of Wales. God help us all. But then, we get the politicians we deserve – after all, we voted for them.

The X Factor is train-wreck TV. You know you shouldn’t look, but something makes you watch. Some families are cruel. They tell their partners/children that they are talented only for Simon Cowell (and the rest of the TV world) to know that they are anything but.

Cricket Notes

Subject to final confirmation, the Haddocks are promoted from Division 3. We finished in second place and will return to Division 2 after a one year absence (we were relegated on the last ball of the season last year).

Watched the lunacy at the Oval unfurl on Sunday afternoon. Its not the first time that ball-tampering has been spotted – I remember a game between Glamorgan and Gloucestershire being affected (and points deducted). The Pakistani administration badly misjudged umpire Hair and are now furiously back-peddling (protest was “only for a few minutes” and “we were ready to play”). I hope the ICC doesn’t back down on this, although I fear that Hair’s umpiring days might be over.

Rugby Notes

I had a hit on the blog from New Zealand last week. Thanks to my nifty new surf monitor, I can tell what people were looking for when their google search comes up with my site. There’s a Marty Veale who until this year played lock/flanker for North Harbour NPC in New Zealand (home of ex-Ebbw Vale utility back Andrew Whiteman). According to their site Marty’s gone to play in Japan.

Weekend away means I haven’t caught up with the Tri Nations game yet.

Link of the week

Peter King is a columnist for Sports Illustrated, simply the best sports magazine around. He writes a weekly newsletter on the NFL, the Monday Morning Quarterback, which reviews each week and gives his great insights into the game. An intelligent read.

Promotion

Today's game got rained off, and that together with 7 points in a losing effort on Tuesday evening is enough to get the Haddocks promoted! Its all subject to the final table being updated - I'll keep you posted. (http://www.cmcl.org.uk/)

Meteors

On the walk back from the Bunch of Grapes on Saturday night, C spotted some sort of flash in the sky. Wondering whether it was part of a meteor shower C found the relevant book and, yes, 12 August is/was the best day of the year to see the Perseid Meteor Shower.

The Perseids is made up of bits of dust and stuff from the tail of the Swift-Tuttle comet which burn up when the Earth’s orbit moves through the debris. Apparently, even a microscopic dust particle burns up so brightly that it’s visible to the naked eye. So we spent a while stargazing. As a result, I saw my first ever meteor, a spectacular bright streak that only lasted a second or so – but well worth the wait.

C Notes

Cath’s recent cover feature and article for the BMJ (British Medical Journal) got a write up in The Times recently. Cath is also writing a regular column in The Times on Office Dilemmas.

Most hated update

I know that Coldplay make a very good case for topping everyone’s most hated list and topped my list the other week – after all Chris Martin is a tediously dull and whiney git with fruit for offspring.

But I managed to forget about Bono, the most irritating man on the planet and my new Number One with a bullet. You know how sometimes you block traumatic memories out? It’s the same thing with Bono. He’s a self-righteous hypocrite wants to change the world whilst flying his hat around the world first class.

Coffeenerdness

A while ago now, having to kill half an hour in Abercynon having missed my train I wandered into the local café and asked for a cappuccino. The lady behind the counter replied “I can do you a milky coffee, love.” And good it was too.

There’s a quantum leap between Abercynon café society and the Starbucks and Costa Coffees of the world. OK, I know that they are overpriced, but the range is enormous and during the recent heatwave the cold drinks have been greatly appreciated.

Two I can heartily recommend are the low-fat Raspberry Frescato in Costa Coffee and the Banana Caramel Frappuccino coffee in Starbucks. Sampled them both on my recent trip to London.

Needless to say though, Starbucks and Costa have yet to crack the lucrative Pontypridd market yet. There seems to be a hundred cafés in Ponty where you can get a milky coffee for a pound (I recommend the café in the indoor market – excellent for coffee and crowd watching), so they are facing some stiff competition if they want to conquer the valleys.

Travel Notes

Aggravating – Thankfully haven’t been caught up in the mayhem that is airport security yet, but I’m taking my mum up to Heathrow tomorrow, so all that’s going to change.

The current restrictions on hand luggage are completely barking mad and unsustainable. Denying people on long haul flights access to a book, iPod and bottle of water is complete lunacy. Shouldn’t there be a bit more profiling of travellers, rather than suspecting every 70-year-old granny of trying to blow up the world?

Enjoyable – I happened to see the historic transport procession through Pontypridd town centre on Saturday. Some wonderful old vehicles – horse-drawn and steam-powered all the way through to Jags.

Cricket Notes

With two games to go, the Haddocks are top of Division 3. All to play for with just two games left – this Tuesday and Thursday.

Dean Jones, the former Australian test cricketer has been sacked as a TV commentator for a comment of Big Ron proportions. Atkinson was famously sacked as an ITV pundit for calling Marcel Desailly "a lazy f***ing nigger" - his excuse being that he did not think he was on air.

Well Dean Jones' comment was perhaps even a touch more insensitive when he labelled the South African Hashim Amla “a terrorist” after he held a catch at slip: "the terrorist has got another wicket”. Switchboards were flooded with calls of complaint and Jones' employers Ten Sports reacted swiftly, sacking Jones immediately.

Rugby Notes

Ebbw Vale won their first pre-season matches at the weekend. They had wins over Cornish Pirates (5 - 0, Kristian Owen try) and Launceston (17 - 12, Kristian Owen, Jon Bowd and Andrew McLaughlan tries and Sam Mills conversion).

Next pre-season game is versus Bristol next Monday.

No Tri-Nations game last weekend, but it’s the last New Zealand/Australia game next Saturday, 6:30 am start. I’ll be setting my Sky+ gizmo to record it.

Football Notes

Here’s a link to how blogging should be done. It’s a sports blog of Notre Dame college football. It has stacks of technical information and behind the scenes news, and a pile of links to other college football sites.

HTV used to show some college football in the middle of night way back before Channel 4 existed, let alone brought the NFL to the UK – perhaps 25 years ago. That was my first exposure to football and how I became a Notre Dame fan. It has always been one of my ambitions to go and see a Notre Dame game at South Bend (a second best would be to see them play at Boston College).

In their first pre-season game, the New England Patriots went down to the Atlanta Falcons 26-23. Nobody reads too much into pre-season games as they tend to be a chance for second and third team players to show what they’ve got.

Link of the Week

My mate Ben Stovold has been blogging for years now, writing of his travels between Australia, the UK and places in between. The photos on the blog and his Flickr site are impressive – clearly an Aussie with too much time on his hands.

Safe Speed

Found a great website from the Safe Speed campaign. It argues that you can't measure safe driving in miles per hour, and that you can't measure safe speeds in miles per hour either. Very true, and 180 degrees from the official line that the speed is all that matters.

Drivers fulfil their duty to road safety by selecting a safe and appropriate speed according to the conditions. The message from the conditions is so clear and powerful to experienced drivers that choosing a slower or a faster speed than that dictated by immediate conditions actually feels wrong. In fact, setting an appropriate speed, and reducing it when necessary is the essence of safe driving.

Their figures show that the typical driver exceeding the speed limit on almost every journey, he will be able to go over 100,000 years before he causes a "speeding related" fatal accident (there are just over 300 a year).

Of course, we've all seen the films on TV of joyriders in stolen cars blasting through town centres at 90mph & doing donuts in B&Q's car park. That really is a dangerous use of speed. But guess what? The reckless joyriders are included in the figures. The boy racers are included in the figures. The high speed drunks are included in the figures. The young and inexperienced drivers are included in the figures. The unlicensed and underage reckless drivers are included in the figures.

If you are a normal responsible motorist who regularly exceeds a speed limit, your chance of causing a speeding related fatal accident is probably 1 such accident in 200,000 years. This doesn't sound like the expected results of reckless behaviour does it? So much so that we can say for sure that it isn't reckless behaviour.

Last month the government announced a three-month moratorium on further speed cameras. This was partly in response to Safe Speed who have been looking at why, though the number of cameras has risen exponentially, there has been no corresponding reduction in traffic fatalities. They conclude that, far from acting as a deterrent, speed cameras take responsibility for safe speed away from drivers, and their concentration from the road. Cameras are as likely to cause an accident as to prevent one. This article in the Observer agrees.

This maddening over-reliance on speed cameras takes away from all the other bad things that happen on the roads. The message to joe public right now seems to be that as long as you stay within the published speed limit then you can do what you want on the road. That’s so wrong.

Google Earth

Google Earth really is quite unbelievable for a free product. It’s a great web application that you can use to find your own house from a satellite picture or any other place in the world.

It’s one of the first web applications that you can just sit on the sofa and watch for hours, flying around the world’s great wonders, hidden secrets and of course sports venues. Have you tried to look for rugby grounds of the world? How about F1 circuits?

Cricket Notes

Great day out in Ebbw Vale yesterday for the one-day game between Glamorgan and West Indies “A”. Over 650 runs scored, some big hitting and a win for Glamorgan in the last over. What more could you ask for? Well, in my case some shelter from the sun – I went home rather pinker than I started the day.

Hopefully Glamorgan can make this trip to Ebbw Vale an annual fixture as it used to be.

A strange mix of concession stands together on the rugby ground – a beer tent (naturally), Carini’s ice cream (Marco being ever inventive) and the St Lucia Tourist Board (somewhat out of place, but very good rum punch nevertheless).

Minor niggle – in olden days Ebbw Vale used to operate a second scoreboard at the rugby ground end. Yesterday there was only the main scoreboard, partially obstructed by seating.

Chatted to former Ebbw cricket stalwart Hugh Davies at the game. His daughter Marsha Davies was part of the Kent Invicta Ladies team that recently won the Women’s County Championship. Congratulations.

Another win for the Haddocks last night while I was at the Glamorgan game. Skips won the toss again, and opted to bat. Fine performances from Charlie, Buncey, Coxy and Tim, including sharp running between the wickets, gave us an impressive 146. The opposition never looked like getting near, and were effectively tied down by sustained accurate bowling from Skips, Matt and Ganesh and by good fielding pressure. Their 6th wicket fell to Dan (newly returned from being the best man at a wedding in China) with last ball of the game, and they ended up with around 60, giving the Haddocks an 18-point victory.

The post match celebrations took the form of a week-early end of season pitchside BBQ. Beer and cava in quantity, and the usual barby items, burgers and sausages, but with a twist - two smoked haddock.

Two games to go next week and promotion is a possibility, although there are six teams within 12 points at the top of the table before yesterday’s games.

Rugby Notes

Good decision on my part not to go to Cross Keys last night to watch a Gwent Select XV take on the Dragons. The Dragons won it 66-0. The team seemed to be selected by the Dragons to give as little opposition as possible. It worked.

One Ebbw fan’s comment on the forum on why he wouldn’t be going to the game: “Sorry, I'll have painted the back fence by then so will be observing how the moisture in the paint is lost to the atmosphere by evaporation.”

Football Notes

No not soccer, football – American style.

The new season is almost upon us, and means that it’s almost time to pick my fantasy football team. I use Yahoo for fantasy sports as it is 1) good and 2) free. I’ll update you when I’ve made my picks in the next few weeks.

The NFL website has all the fixtures; Sky Sports will again be carrying a bunch of games although five will hopefully have the Monday night game. Go Pats!

Sports Notes

Rugby Notes

Australia squeaked past South Africa 20-18 on Saturday. The first half was an ugly kicking contest with nobody seemingly willing to run with the ball. Australia looked dismal compared to recent outings and the knives seem to be out for George Gregan.

It could have been the shock of the tournament when the Boks were leading with 3 minutes to go. A late Matt Rogers try and Sterling Mortlock conversion stole it for the Aussies at the death.

Highlight of the game was ref Joel Jutge’s comment when penalising South Africa for diving into a ruck – “It’s not a swimming pool”.

Cricket Notes

England won in fine style in the 3rd Test against Pakistan. Chris Read showed well with 38 and 55 and 5 victims. Looks like its back to Abergavenny Shackleton’s for Geraint Jones. Who would have guessed that Monty and Mahmood would each have 6 wickets? With 4 run outs (Pakistan’s running between the wickets was reminiscent of Geoff Boycott in his prime) there were only 3 wickets for Harmison and Hoggard.

Highlight of the game was Pakistan’s 3rd wicket partnership of 363. Farce of the game was Inzamam’s hit wicket dismissal.

Cricket fact that might interest only me I

The Times reports that Inzamam-ul-Haq has now been out 8 of the 10 ways you can be in cricket. Only hit the ball twice & timed out left for a full set. Like most people, I've got the usual 5.

Cricket fact that might interest only me II

Q. Which batsman playing in his first and only Test match for England, scored ducks in both innings and never played for England again due to unfortunate circumstances?

A. George Frederick Grace, the youngest of the three Grace brothers who made their England debuts at The Oval in 1880. He died from congestion of the lungs following a severe cold, aged 29, just 2 weeks after that match ended. Although he scored a pair and did not bowl, he did hold a magnificent running catch off such a towering hit by George Bonnor that the batsmen had allegedly almost completed their third run.

Gavin Hamilton (where is he now?) also got a pair in his only test for England against South Africa in Johannesberg in 1999-2000.

London

Spent the weekend in London. Calling it cosmopolitan doesn’t start to do justice to the thronging mass of humanity that makes up the streets of London nowadays. Every colour and creed is represented. It was always a magnet for tourists, but another wave of tourist armies has arrived, coming from the sub Continent, SE Asia and the former communist block countries.

Stayed at the Sherlock Holmes Hotel which is of course on Baker Street. Good location, quiet rooms with air con – a tranquil retreat from the chaos outside.

The only British voices I heard all weekend were the two cockney guys running the ferry from Westminster to Greenwich on which we whiled away Saturday afternoon.

Sunday was the Dali exhibition in the old County Hall next to the London Eye. Retreated from the crowds with a picnic and a paper for a relaxing afternoon in Regents Park.

Cool music?

August is always a slow news time, and the papers resort to lots of “fillers” to pad their pages (likewise here of course). This time is a list of “guilty pleasure” songs compiled by Q Magazine – ones that are uncool but people like. The top tem is:

1. ELO - Livin' Thing
2. Boston - More Than A Feeling
3. S Club 7 - Don't Stop Movin'
4. 10cc - I'm Not In Love
5. Gary Glitter - Rock'n'Roll Part 2
6. Foreigner - Cold As Ice
7. Billy Idol - Rebel Yell
8. Status Quo - Whatever You Want
9. Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street
10. Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive

I have to admit that three of these currently reside in my record collection, and as a kid I used to own another as a 45 (back when such a thing existed).

Travel Notes

The £1 litre is almost upon us. Petrol (and diesel) has stuck at the magical 99.9p per litre mark for the last week or so. Apparently the delay is until the filling stations and supermarkets get new signs that can show ££s!

We shouldn’t forget that 99.9p a litre is £4.50 a gallon. At 30 miles a gallon that’s 15p a mile. Yikes. (Why is it that we have litres at filling stations, yet road signs are in MPH and speedometers show MPH & the economy of cars is advertised as MPG?)

A great perk of weekend train travel is the chance to upgrade to first class. £10 buys you an upgrade to the first class carriages. A bargain.

£4.90 is good value for a one-day travel card in London; it lets you use all the buses, tube and Docklands Light Railway. £3 for a single underground journey is a complete rip-off though. I know the plan is to encourage people to have passes and the new “oyster” cards, but the occasional user (read: tourist) gets it in the neck.

Oh, on the subject of the tube – the London underground dates back to 1865, but that’s no excuse for not having any air conditioning. The temperatures are ridiculous. Sort it out, Ken Livingstone.

Cricket Notes

The Haddocks are flying high in Division 3 of the Cardiff Midweek league. Last week saw two wins (20 runs and a walkover). All of today’s games have been rained off, so that leaves just 3 games until the end of the season. The promotion run will be close, with five teams vying for the two promotion spots.

Wednesday sees the return of Glamorgan cricket to Ebbw Vale when they host West Indies “A”. I’ll be there. Glamorgan’s website has a nice piece.

There’s been some great batting in the Test this week, and some pretty average bowling. Kevin Pietersen (135) was flashy and Ian Bell (116) dogged, but the Pakistan reply from Younis Khan (173) and Mohammad Yousaf (192) was simply awesome. It looked an impossible job to try to get them out. Should be a good last day.

Rugby Notes

Held over until I catch up with the Tri Nations from last weekend.

Ice Hockey Notes

Cardiff Devils' plans for the coming season are on hold as they wait for their new home to be completed. Their old Wales National Ice Rink in the middle of Cardiff is in the process of being demolished to make way for another shopping complex, St David’s 2.

After Glamorgan cricket failed to get planning permission to erect a temporary rink at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff Council are to put up a temporary rink in Cardiff Bay. The rink is currently in transit from Finland, and delays may mean that the first few weeks’ fixtures are played on the road.

It will serve as home for the Echo Cardiff Devils until a permanent home is constructed in the almost mythical Sports Village in Cardiff Bay.

Obituary Note

Richard Avent, Cadw’s Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings died last Wednesday in a scuba diving accident in Malta, along with his teenage son.

I occasionally worked with Richard when assessing applications to Cadw for grant aid, and he was always very friendly and hugely knowledgeable and passionate about his subject. He will be missed.

Don’t you just hate…

According to a recent poll the top 10 most annoying things are:

1. Cold-callers
2. Caravans
3. Queue-jumpers
4. James Blunt
5. Traffic wardens
6. Tailgaters
7. Brown-nosers
8. Chantelle & Preston
9. Ex-smokers
10. Noisy neighbours

My list is a bit different. Firstly a list of stuff that annoys me:

1. Loud mobile phone users (“I’m on the train” and “I’m shouting loudly to show everyone how important I am”)
2. Call centres (“you’re call is important to us”. Oh yes, then why don’t you employ someone to answer the sodding phone?)
3. Caravans (not just the road-hogging, but the whole concept of caravanning)
4. Shop assistants who can’t be arsed to be helpful
5. Fog lights when it’s not foggy (or even remotely cloudy), usually but not always linked to…
6. Chavs, especially those who flaunt their chavness with the Burberry baseball cap & chav uniform
7. Modern parents (the type who drag little Tristram and Sienna around IKEA when they would rather be out playing)
8. Muffin tops (the mutton/lamb expression applies here)
9. Queue-jumpers
10. Soap operas & ham acting (quality TV can’t be knocked out 4 times a week every week)

Now a list of annoying people:

1. Coldplay
2. Wayne Rooney
3. Jason Mohammed (he is deeply irritating on Wales Today and even more so in person)
4. Jimmy Carr
5. Cliff Richard
6. Tim Henman
7. The Beckhams
8. Chris Moyles
9. Anyone who has ever appeared on Big Brother
10. Love Island & I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here “celebs”

This is easily a feature that could run and run - there’s plenty more where these quick hit lists came from.

Running Notes

Just sent in my application for the Swansea Bay 10k race. It’s on Sunday 24 September, which worryingly is only 7 weeks away.

Going to have to get back to running 3 times a week. The schedule has completely gone to pot in the heat since we got back from Lanzarote. Lunchtime running in the heatwave has been nigh-on impossible and it seems every evening is taken up. Tuesday and Thursday lunchtimes and a longer run on the weekend is the plan from now on.

Cricket Notes

Glamorgan’s John Player League game was rained off on Monday evening. Should have played it on Sunday afternoon when the sun was shining.

Haddocks had another fine win last night. Skips called correctly and opted to bat against Rags. We reached a substantial 136, runs coming from Tim, Coxy (riding his luck with aplomb), and Angry. I chipped in with a useful 5 not out at the end.

After an early success, we came under a bit of pressure from a big-hitting pair, and some wondered whether our bowling lineup would be strong enough to contain them in the later stages. I took a catch in the deep off a steepling top edge off a no-ball. Nice bruise on my thumb for nothing.

But with four or five to go, and the opposition looking for around 10 an over, Shotgun and Andy each put in a nerveless over, putting the target almost out of sight. The opposition were forced to hit out, and wickets fell in consequence. Skips bowled the final over to complete an excellent spell of 3 for 9 off 5 overs, and give us a twenty run victory.

Calibans

Theatre Notes

Went to see The Tempest being performed at Castell Coch on Friday evening. It’s a summer tradition of touring outdoor shows around Wales, and good fun although I’m not entirely sure it’s a proper way for grown men to make a living.

This performance is touring for the rest of the summer (http://www.stageworkstheatre.co.uk/), although another group, the Wales Actors Company, got cancelled last year after the Arts Council withdrew its funding.

Restaurant Notes

Found a new restaurant nearby, in Nelson. It’s called Sergeants, and it used to be the local police station. Great food: haddock chowder, fillet steak & lemon cheesecake; but the words alone don’t really do it justice. Top scoff, and all locally sourced and prepared on the premises – no ping cuisine here. (www.sergeantsrestaurant.com)

TV Notes

The West Wing has finished. Forever. There’s now a gap in my life, which could only possibly be filled by the new series of the Sopranos being shown soon. Let’s hope.

BTW, it’s clear that the US could only get Presidents like Jeb Bartlett and Matt Santos on TV. In reality they got the President it deserves.

There’s a new series of Brainiac on Sky, the pop-science show which answers the great science questions, such as will it blow or will it glow when two chemicals are mixed. That’s the kind of chemistry I wish I’d had in school (of course Gwyn Williams tried his best to blow the school up on a couple of occasions). Things get put in microwaves and lots of caravans get blown up (slogan – we do this so you don’t have to).

Rugby Notes

New Zealand ran out winners over Australia 13-9, and in the process claimed the Bledisloe Cup. Australia fought well, and threatened to score a precious try late on, but they were let down but some average kicking by Sterling Mortlock. He and Percy Montgomery are made to look very average by Dan Carter, who looks like he’ll never miss.

The Wallabies host the Springboks in Sydney next Saturday, 10:30 on Sky. (home.skysports.com/rugbyunion)

Cricket Notes

Surprisingly England dispatched Pakistan within 3 days in the 2nd test. Steve Harmison on form was the difference. He and Monty Panesar got all the wickets except for one run out.

Elsewhere in the world, Sri Lanka ran riot with the bat and world records tumbled. They scored 756-5 declared with Mahela Jayawardene getting a massive 374 and Kumar Sangakkara chipping in with 287 for a world record 3rd wicket partnership of 624. Jayawardene’s “knock” sits only behind Brian Lara in the individual scoring records.

They duly beat South Africa by an innings.

Probably even more surprising was that Glamorgan won by 10 wickets at Gloucester on the weekend. Again it was Mike Powell with another double hundred who led the way – getting out on 299 must be a terrible feeling but getting 299 but be a great feeling. Crofty wheeled away and finished with 13 wickets, his best performance for 14 years and got the papers saying that he is now the best off-spinner in the country (England and Wales I guess that means).

Link of the Week

Richard Brunstrom, the head of North Wales Police, has a blog. Or rather, a “plodcast”. He is best known for his ludicrously strong anti-motoring views and is Jeremy Clarkson’s Enemy Number One. Nevertheless, it’s refreshing to see a boss open up his daily life like this. (http://www.north-wales.police.uk/nwp/public/en/blogs)

Foghorn

It was hot weather for the pigs and all the other animals at the Royal Welsh Show this week. Went up to Builth Wells on Tuesday, where it topped out at 91F (33C for all you metric people – back off Brussels).

Visited all of the animal areas and saw the pigs being judged. How exactly can you tell how good a pig it is unless it’s converted into bacon butties?

In the bird hall where more different varieties of chicken, ducks and geese that you could wish to meet. Did you know that there is a breed of chicken called a leghorn? I say, I say boy - Foghorn Leghorn is for real.

Theatre Notes

Went to see Rodney Bewes on Wednesday in his one-man show The Dairy of a Nobody. Straight out of the same drawer as his Three Men in a Boat show last year. Wonderfully quirky and with a very gentle humour, it was perfect entertainment for a warm summer evening.

TV Notes

Tommy Lee’s Rockstar Supernova is the second series of the reality TV show to find singers for bands. Last year INXS found a new lead singer in JD Fortune and have been touring.

This year’s project is to find a frontman (-person) for Supernova, a newly formed “supergroup” – Tommy Lee on drums, Gilby Clark of Guns ‘N Roses on guitar and Jason Newstead of Metallica on bass. Pop music it ain’t. But it is one of the few occasions on TV nowadays to actually hear someone sing live, rather than mime. It’s on Sky One.

Top of the Pops has been cancelled, and after 42 years this week sees the last ever show. If you can find it, that is. It was a staple of my youth, and it was always 7pm on Thursday, BBC1. In recent years it’s been left to die in the backwater of BBC2 on Sunday evenings, but actually it’s been dying ever since the emergence of MTV. Music videos replaced mimed performances a long time ago.

Jimmy Saville presented the first show and now presents the last show. Altogether – “now then, now then…ow’s about that then?”

Welsh travels

Spent a quiet evening down Barry Island after work late last week. Away from the chavs and hot hatches that occupy that main funfair area, the walk around the coastal path is a very pretty one. Here’s a picture of the sunset over the Bristol Channel.

Swansea Notes

Spent the weekend at the future in-laws in Swansea. Went into Swansea on Saturday night for a meal and witnessed umpteen stag and hen night groups stumbling down the street. Wind Street seemed to be awash with these groups, with almost all of them in some sort of fancy dress. I’m sure they all think they’re being original, but…

Sunday was more chilled out. Went to the National Waterfront Museum on Swansea Bay for the first time. I was very impressed (although others were less so). You can learn a lot about the Welsh people and Welsh history, but just maritime history. (www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/swansea/) And as a bonus the Tardis and a dalek were on display.

Outside was a BBC Wales open air concert featuring cutting edge musicians such as Shakin’ Stevens and Dave Edmunds. Nice to see the beeb so bang up to date.

The afternoon finished up with a visit to Joe’s Ice Cream Parlour, a Swansea institution. On a hot day the place was doing a very brisk trade. Excellent ice cream, but I’m biased and I think Carini’s is better.

Home & Garden Notes

Score one for the anti-squirrel league. Got home from the weekend away to find a dead squirrel in the street outside the house. Must have got run over. He’s off to that great bird table in the sky – well actually he’s in the bin on the way to the tip!

Rugby Notes

Last Saturday’s game was New Zealand vs. South Africa. Both teams made a bunch of changes, but for different reasons. NZ rested 8 while the Boks made a bunch of changes. South African tactic was to harry and chase everything. Almost paid off but an All Black try on the stroke of half time took the wind out of their sails. 19-7 down at half time was too big a mountain & NZ ran out winners 35-17.

Ebbw Vale's fixtures for the upcoming season have just been published - first home game is the Evil Empire, Newport on 9 September. Use the link on the right to get a full list. Patrick Horgan has been added as backs coach to Alex Codling's staff - everything's falling into place and I'm full of confidence (as always) for the new season.

Cricket Notes

The Haddocks had a fine maximum points win last week when the opposition failed to show. That stunning success has propelled us to second in the table, and worryingly in the promotion places. Another win Monday cemented our spot in the promotion places.

Glamorgan had a last ball win at Middlesex on Sunday in the 40/40 competition. Jamie Dalrymple did well with bat and ball for Middlesex, but Mike Powell’s 81 (following up his 202 in midweek) did just about enough to see Glammy through.

The competition is properly called the Natwest Pro40 League, but to me it’s the John Player League reincarnated – for those old enough to remember John Arlott commentating on Sunday afternoons. There used to be the occasional opt-out when BBC Wales showed Glamorgan games with two cameras, Peter Walker and Wilf Wooller commentating.

At least you get a result in the one-day games. The last two Glamorgan County Championship games have been tedious draws with the two sides unable or unwilling to made declarations to create the possibility of a win. It seems not losing is more important than winning (as England found out against Pakistan in the 1st Test).

Restaurant Notes

Went to La Tasca in Wind Street, Swansea on Saturday night (http://www.latasca.co.uk/). It’s an authentic Spanish tapas bar. OK, I know it’s a chain restaurant, but even the waitress was Spanish. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly and the sharing nature of tapas means that you get to sample a whole collection of different tastes. Well worth a visit – there’s one in Cardiff’s Brewery Quarter too.

Travel Notes

School holidays start today, and with it the short period when the morning commute is bearable. Package holiday prices seem to go up this week as well. The two stories can’t be related, can they?

Drove to Mold, Llandeilo and Llandrindod Wells last week. Did 500 miles in the service of the Assembly, spreading the word to new staff due to join the Assembly this year. At least the hire car had air-con.

That’s where the plus-points ended. I share your pain – anyone who has to drive a Vauxhall Astra. Irritating pings to remind you to do or not do a hundred different things, yet the indicators had entirely a mind of their own – sometimes cancelling the second you put them on and sometimes not for several miles down the road.

Go on, do a survey. Next time you see someone driving down the road with the indicator flashing for no reason it’ll be either a white van (naturally) or else a Vauxhall.

Link of the Week

The famous footage of John Redwood failing to sing the Welsh national anthem has been posted on the YouTube website, one of the fastest-growing websites (youtube).

Porch

Found a nest of blue tits in one of the walls in the garden. They seem quite happy, feeding off nuts on the bird table. (The squirrels clearly can’t be bothered with malicious damage in this sort of weather.)

The porch is finally nearing completion. But the kitchen now needs a new roof. We’ve found that the existing roof doesn’t slope sufficiently to prevent the rain from going up under the roof tiles. So it’s time to bite the bullet and go for a new fibreglass roof for the kitchen at the same time as the porch is being done.

That aside, the snagging is complete and we now have a new entrance hall for the house. The whole patio area has had a makeover and the finishing touches and new plants put in by Cath have made it quite a relaxing space.

Rugby Notes

It was supposed to be the Springbok juggernaut pack versus the Wallaby backline in the Tri-Nations this week, but in the end it wasn’t even close. Australia pounded South Africa 49-0. And even that’s not a real reflection of the game. Springbok indiscipline cost them; Ricky January at #9 was a liability, giving away penalties throughout the game.

I fear for South Africa when they take on New Zealand on Saturday.

Music Notes

Just bought the new CD from the lostprophets, Liberation Transmission. It’s a top rock/metal album and perfect for blasting out on the car stereo on a hot summer’s day. The Pontypridd boys have really made it big now: it went straight in at #1 in the album chart last week. That clearly proves how trendy my musical tastes are (http://www.lostprophets.com/).

I went with DJL to see them at the Cardiff CIA last year, and they were good live too. Didn’t mosh pit though.

Sledging

Poor old Zinedine Zidane was upset because Marco Materazzi insulted his mother (allegedly). Well, at least is mother is proud that he stood up for her honour. The rest of France is less impressed.

(In related news, it’s been an astonishingly bad few weeks for the lip-reading industry: there have been hundreds of versions of what was said to Zidane. It’s not as though there was only one camera there.)

An article in the paper earlier this week listed some of the best bits of sports sledging, and the one common theme is that there’s always an Aussie involved. It must be taught in school over there, alongside backpacking and barwork. (© Al Murray)

- Merv Hughes to Robin Smith: “Does your husband play cricket as well?”

- After Hughes tells Smith that “you can’t f***ing bat”, Smith hits him for 4 the next ball and replies “Hey Merv, we make a good pair, I can’t f***ing bat and you can’t f***ing bowl”

- The most famous though is the exchange between Eddo Brandes, the Zimbabwe tailender and Glenn McGrath. “Hey Brandes, why are you so fat?” “Because every time I f*** your wife she gives me a biscuit.”

Cricket Notes

Glamorgan crashed out of the 20/20 cup. After 3 wins, there was a rainout followed by 4 defeats. The last home game on Monday was hugely disappointing. Richard Grant made another great start, with 77 off 44 balls. Glam got 190, a reasonably challenging total. In reply, Gloucestershire went well early, but some great bowling from Dean Cosker (4 overs, 2 for 20 is wonderful in 20/20) hauled the game back in Glammy’s favour.

Then with Gloucs needing 36 off the last 3 overs, James Franklin imploded. OK, the ball was wet from the drizzle, but to bowl two no-ball beamers & get taken off mid-over was poor. The over ended up costing 23 runs and Glamorgan any chance of progressing in the competition. Franklin’s 3.5 overs cost 58 runs.

High spot of the batting was when Grant smashed the window of the BBC radio Wales commentary box with a clothesline six. It was the fastest Edward Bevan had moved in years.

The Haddocks pulled off another win on Wednesday in my absence. They knocked over top-of-the-table Penylan for 74 & got them with 6 overs to spare. Mid-table safety looms. It’s fitting that the club motto translates from the Latin as “aspiring to mediocrity”.

Snooker Notes

John Spencer, 3-time world snooker champion, died this week, aged 71. It seems like only yesterday when I was watching him and Ray Reardon dominate the sport in the Pot Black days.

Theatre Notes

Cath and I went to see Evita in the West End on Wednesday night. It’s a new version of the original show which has only been back in London since last month. Very good too. I saw the original on a school trip to London, which means that was over 25 years ago. I still couldn’t help hear the part of Che being sung by David Essex in a cockney accent though.

Travel Notes

Stayed at the Strand Palace Hotel when in London this week. Thinking of staying there? My advice? Don’t. With no air-conditioning or personality, it’s a tired hotel with aspirations to be average. Chock full of tourists getting a bad impression of London.

Aggravating – In the mobile-free “quiet” carriage home from Paddington, there’s a guy on his phone. When challenged he says “the train hasn’t started moving yet”. What an self-important ass.

Food Notes

Cardiff’s international food and drink festival this weekend. At the Roald (can’t spell Ronald) Dahl Plass (can’t spell Place). Top scoff!

Pub Notes

If ever you find yourself in Pontypridd and in need of some liquid refreshment, then this pub guide might come in handy. For my money, Alfreds in the middle of town is good, and of course my local, the Bunch of Grapes. The Wetherspoons pub in town, The Tumble, does reasonable food and as always cheap beer – but I’d probably avoid it at the weekends. www.pontytown.co.uk/pubguide.html

TV Notes

Sky have just brought out a new service for Sky+ viewers. You can now programme your Sky+ box by text message. From anywhere in the world. How cool is that?

Also coming so is the ability to manage your Sky+ system from a PC. So if you go to work & forget to set your system to record the cricket, then you can do it from your desk.

Monkeys

Latest on the car’s CD-changer. Arctic Monkeys.

Some great lyrics, like: “you can see it in his eyes that he's got a driving ban”; and “oh there in’t no love, no Montagues or Capulets; just banging tunes in DJ sets and dirty dancefloors and dreams of naughtiness”

OK, I know I probably just pulled a hamstring jumping on their bandwagon, but what can I say. I like them.
(http://arcticmonkeys.com)

Work Notes

Just got appointed as a financial assessor to the Traffic Commissioners. They are responsible for issuing haulage and bus operators’ licenses. It’s a very part-time add-on to my existing slog in the Assembly.

Travel Notes

The journey to work is almost bearable now that summer holidays have started to reduce the amount of rush hour traffic. Managed to drive home in 20 minutes the other day, when through the rest of the year it’s more like 45 minutes. That’s why I usually let the train take the strain.

TV Notes

It’s clearly the end of season week on TV. There were last episodes of House and Boston Legal. House is one of only two shows on right now which is required viewing in the Veale/Janes household (the other being The West Wing). Boston Legal is great fun though. William Shatner and James Spader are wonderfully eccentric.

Summer season will of course be packed with repeats and reality TV shows (although whose reality I’m not quite sure – certainly not mine).

This week’s sign of the apocalypse

The Government has a Minister for Local Government and Community Cohesion. Community cohesion? Really? It’s so “right-on” it’s painful.

Soccer Notes

OK, I have something to confess. I actually watched some soccer (football as its known in some parts). I tuned in with 10 minutes to go in the final and then watched extra time and the penalty shootouts. I think that I saw one save being made in the 40 minutes that I watched.

Zidane has quickly gone from hero to villain in France. What a complete idiot. Did he think nobody would be watching?

Although I wouldn’t condone such language to describe our colleagues over the Channel, there are some who would describe them as “cheese-eating surrender monkeys”.

Rugby Notes

What do the names Ben Blair, Mosese Luveitasau, Taufa’ao Filse, Paul Emerick, Nic Fitisemanu, Ben Daly, Shane Stewart, Filo Tiatia and Deacon Manu have in common?

Give up? They are all new overseas signings made by the Welsh regional rugby teams. Give yourself a pat on the back if you had heard of even half those names.

Not exactly the cream of the crop, eh? Yet these players are squeezing out Welsh players from the regional set up. And to rub salt in the wounds, it is funding from the WRU that is being spent on these Johnny Foreigners. It doesn’t auger well for the future of Welsh rugby.

Game one of the Tri-Nations went according to plan on Saturday and the inexperienced Aussie pack were pushed off the park by New Zealand. It’s probably not a good idea to upset them by making an advert showing the All Blacks doing a haka whilst carrying handbags. (This apparently links to a nightclub incident where Tana Umaga broke up an “incident” between a player and a nightclub patron by using a handbag that happened to be nearby.)

The Tri-Nations this season is expanded to nine games, but I’m yet to think of a good reason why, cash aside.

Cricket Notes

Glamorgan’s home 20/20 game was rained on last week (as was I waiting hopefully, but in vain). It was Sky’s televised game, so the fancy dress was out in force. One group of lads sitting near me were: Scooby Doo, Tweety Pie, Fred Flinstone, Superman, a gorilla and a baby. Needless to say, the Sky cameras found them.

Haddocks were rained out too. Their last game was rained off too, but in the 9 days in between fixtures there was a permanent heat wave.

Carnac the Magnificent

I was reminded of this old sketch while reading a column from Sports Illustrated the other day. Johnny Carson, who hosted the Late Show before David Letterman, used to do a sketch where his sidekick read him an answer & he would then give the question. Here are a few:

A: Green Acres
Q: What Kermit has after Miss Piggy kicks him in the groin.

A: The Orient express.
Q: What is a drink made with soy sauce and prune juice?

A: Old wives’ tale.
Q: What do cannibals find hard to digest?

A: Head and shoulders.
Q: What do you see if you open the trunk of the Godfather's car?

A: "Follow the yellow brick road."
Q: What are good directions to a urologist's office?

A: Supervisor.
Q: What does Clark Kent wear to keep the sun out of his eyes?

A: Grape Nuts.
Q: What are Ernest and Julio Gallo?

A: Shareholder.
Q: What did Sonny Bono used to be?

I'll si thee

This past weekend marked the passing of the great Fred Trueman. FS was a giant of the game, and was the first player to take 300 test match wickets.

I never saw him play, but as a youth, I came across him presenting Indoor League, a fabulously bizarre show from Yorkshire TV. It consisted of pub teams competing at bar billiards, arm wrestling, shove ha’penny, table skittles, and of course, darts. In its way it was the forerunner to Bullseye.

At the end of each show Fred would raise his pint mug and utter the immortal words “I’ll si thee”.

He went on to be part of one of the best (few?) arguments for the BBC licence fee - Test Match Special.

Interesting fact that may interest only me: The producer of Indoor League way back in the 1970s? Sid Waddell, the god of darts commentary.