Before The Match

Harlequins v London Irish,
Guinness Premiership Semi-Final

We arrived too early

and there was nothing to do

except stand in the sunshine and enjoy a drink,

consider the retail opportunities,

watch the team warm-up,

and admire the scenery.


*****

It was a shame about all those pink flags
because Twickenham will be green next Saturday.
A reliable source told me that
London Irish ordered 10,000 flags
'just in case...'

We will be there - it should be quite an occasion.

A posy from the garden

for my daughter.

My mother always leaves a tiny posy for me
when I go home.
Yesterday, when I picked these flowers
I thought of her
and hoped that,
one day,
my daughter will do the same.

Staick House, Eardisland

At the edge of a small village
encircled with orchards
at the height of their blossomy beauty

beside a slow stream,
adrift with reeds,

is a house
enclosed with stranded ivy

where the Sleeping Beauty
sleeps on.

Hereford Cathedral

Do you want to see what I saw?

A squat Norman tower

Arches and Pinnacles

An ancient door

Assorted mouldings

A peaceful cloister

A dazzling river panorama.

Do you want to see what the gull saw?
Let us pan slightly left...

The outcome of a flawed planning system.

It truly pains me to post this picture
because I hate ugly things
but I felt so sad that the planning system
in Hereford could have allowed this project
to spoil the historic heart of the city.
It was opened in 2000
but is already empty and dilapidated.
I hope that they get it right with the next major development.

Go forth and comment...

image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

Rhiannon is as cute as a button
She bakes!
She wears adorable outfits!
She has a 'lovely' young man !
Best of all, she has nearly finished her finals!

And then she is going to New York
for a romantic time
with her 'lovely' young man.

Where should she go?
What should she do?

My last visit to New York
involved a visit
to every single sports shop
in the city
because MasterM wanted
a particular basket ball shirt
in a particular size.
It was not romantic.
I have nothing to offer.

I'm relying on you lot.

Oh and don't touch the Princess Mug while you are there.

Clock-watching

MrsM has been signed up for a Time Management course.
MrsM is aggrieved. She does not think that she needs to attend.
MrsM is informed that it is compulsory.
MrsM provides a credible excuse for the first session:

"Board Meeting"

MrsM provides a credible excuse for the second session:

"Recruitment"

MrsM runs out of excuses.

MrsM checks her diary first thing in the morning. It is The Day.
MrsM shakes her head at the shocking waste of time.
MrsM arrives with a minute to spare.

There is no-one there.
MrsM is a week early.
MrsM turns around to see the course organiser.
MrsM is busted.

Alas! MrsM knows that the course organiser knows that
MrsM really, really needs a Time Management course.
And the course organiser knows that MrsM knows that.

It is a bitter medicine to swallow.

Somewhere in South America

The Andes between Argentina and Chile.

Dear Parents,

So guess where I am??

It's a country in South America but not Ecuador and its capital is Santiago. Unfortunately, the plane from Buenos Aires was delayed to Santiago so everyone missed their connecting flights to Ecuador and Mexico, that means that unfortunately I have to stay in Santiago tonight.

Not all bad as you are about to find out...

I am in a 5 star hotel, supper, breakfast and mini bar are included. I am debating whether to use the gym and then go for a massage or have a massage then go to the gym then to the spa and jacuzzi or alternatively just watch films on the 40inch plasma screen in my room, which to the 'average juan' would cost $239. As you have probably guessed life is tough. Couple this with the decision I have to make regarding whether to get breakfast in bed and I think you will realise that gap year hasn't turned out as planned.

It's pretty ideal actually because I don't know where TMac and TBrown are in Ecuador so this will give me a chance to find out before I actually get there.

Also got a Chilean stamp in my passport which is really cool as it is a mixture of two different colours on the stamp. Good stuff.

Thats all for now.

oink oink

Eavesdropping

The Fosse, Castle Green, Hereford

1.
The gasp of delight from MrsM
when she sees this view out of her hotel bedroom.

2.
A champagne cork explodes out of the bottle
hits a lamp shade,
and then ricochets into the ice bucket
with a splash.

3.
Reverberations from the Cathedral organ.

4.
A man at the next table says
"I put my aftershave on
and then I tried to put my contact lenses in
but it really made my eyes sting."
MrM murmurs
"Should have put your brain in first, mate."

5.
Church bells in the early morning.

6.
A mother singing Frere Jacques to her daughter
as they cycle through empty Sunday streets.

7.
Dusty silence in a village church.

8.
The young waitress persuading us to try
homemade lime cheesecake.
"It is delicious" she promised.
It was.

9.
Laughter from the elderly museum guide
as we try to guess what the mysterious object is.

10.
Listening to the decisive penalty kicks
through the hiss and fade of
a car radio with appalling reception.

11.
A squeaky yawn from tiny Maisie,
a very precious new daughter
for our friends, Graham & Ursula.

12.
The sigh of despair from MrsM
when she realises that her camera battery is flat.

Tulips

There are days
when you believe that
Winter will last forever.

Then one morning
you open the curtains,
sunlight illuminates the tulips,
you know that Summer is nearly here,
and you wonder why you ever doubted it.

Happy May Day.

This post is dedicated
with love
to my friend
Bobby.

Planning ahead

Mr and Mrs Ralph Izard by John Singleton Copley (1775)

MrM and MrsM have a free weekend ahead of them.
For the first time for years and years and years
they have no responsibilities at all.

MrsM
We could just go...somewhere...

MrM
Where?

MrsM
Herefordshire.

MrM
Why?

MrsM
I don't know...it just popped into my head...

MrM
What is there to do in Herefordshire?

MrsM
I have no idea.

MrM
There must be something to do.

MrsM
We can drink Westons cider.

MrM
Pass the phone.
I will book a hotel.