Sick Season

“SICK” Season!

One and a half weeks to Christmas!  Silly season is well upon us.  Everything is TOO ………  cold, much, expensive, late, wet, dark, drunk, SICK! Etc.  In my own case, I wish I were less sick and perhaps more motivated.  And yes, I am whining.

It feels like months since I went out for a run or had a crazy party or went shopping, and even more months since I wrote anything good, useful or in fact, at all.

So I’ve titled this “Sick” season instead of the overused “Silly” season.  This Christmas build up has not been an abundance of cinnamon, mulled wine, ginger and cardamom scents but rather menthol and eucalyptus smothered with chicken noodle soup, burnt toast and marmite.

There is no warm glowing red-cheeked beauty, tipsy with mulled wine and chestnuts.  Yes there is red, but rather fever shiny, dull eyed, red nosed grumpy tart with bulging pockets of tissues and a frown.

“Snap out of it” I hear you say, well perhaps I will.  Perhaps if it snows and the Nurofen kicks in and I find the energy to actually leave the house, I can find an outdoor market teeming with shoppers quaffing mulled wine and buying tat!

Here’s hoping.

Buon Natale

No really,

Happy Christmas!

I'm Back !!

Peering out my ‘office’ window, I’ve just had the pleasure – well around 30 minutes of pleasure, watching a learner driver trying to reverse park!

Actually, some pleasure tainted with vague unease as the car she’s pulling up next to each time and trying to park behind is in fact Hansie the fat red Volvo!

It’s been many years since I passed my drivers test and I have no doubt that I could/would in fact fail another attempt at this – only because of bad habits learned such as crossing hands on the steering wheel (which i notice she's not doing which makes parking look REALLY hard) not making 3 trips around the outside of the car each time I drive to check 20 different things first and any number of other odd things i still believe to be included for sketchy learner drivers because let's face it, we're all dreadful when we start out.

Saying that, I don’t remember finding reverse parking quite as difficult as this poor dear clearly is and in fact the inspector on my test day wasn’t even watching me park! He was chatting to a work colleague and once I’d finished, parking left and right – I actually hooted at him to let him know I was done!  He merely raised his eyebrows, hopped in and told me to move into the road for my driving test - radical traffic roundabouts (circles where I come from) 3 point turns and hill starts!  Incidentally, that doesn’t mean I can’t park – actually, I park exceptionally well and RJB will attest to that.  Hansie is long car but I’ve been known to squeeze into the smallest spaces - without touching anything I shouldn't!

This poor instructor has the patience of a saint – she’s into 40 minutes now and is STILL turning her wheels towards the front half of my car first to reverse into the middle of the road and then back towards the curb – as ineffective now as at the first attempt and clearly no learning curve!  Might have to intervene, Hansie is getting nervous!

Hmmmm, I hope she doesn’t live around here!


Ciao
NB

Winds of Change

Wow, what a week!

Tabloid drama of a mucky level that has arrested any and all news broadcasting both Television and Broadsheet.  Finally, Rupert Murdoch and his mafioso have been outed and the public have risen and shown their displeasure at the style of corrupt culture that permeates his organisations.

In reality, what has happened is that Jnr. Murdoch has closed a sleazy grubby little tabloid (albeit one with the largest readership also renowned for outing dirty secrets internationally) because the name and reputation were unsalvageable - Oh, and also to pave the way for a new Sunday tabloid style replacement!  200 journalists and other "untarnished" staff have lost their livelihoods in a typical Murdoch style viciousness!  "Off with her head" except in this case, the body...... salvage the head!

And in weigh the heavies!

Politicians clambering over each other to point fingers and demand "justice for the people" "save and rescue the British press with a sense of morals" "public inquiry!" blah blah blah. Max Clifford, mr sleaze personified, sputtering indignantly on television, bashing the Press Complaints Commission and it's lack of independence, using word like TITI-VATION (is that even allowed?) the Police, part of the dirt and part of the solution? etc. etc.

Personally, I dislike the idea of politicians getting involved at all - the press should definitely remain free from interference by political regulation and rhetoric but I do agree that a clean out and a public display of heads on stakes is much needed.  Self-regulation needs to be vigorously re-examined and strongly defended here and the truth must out.

I love the public boycotting News International publications, galvanising to sign petitions to stop the buy out of BSkyB and halt Murdoch's megalomanic world domination strategy, forcing major brands to stop advertising with NI.  Cynically I wonder if long-term, this outrage will last and whether Sunday's last and final NoTW edition won't be the largest ever edition of a tabloid sold in history. Wether we won't all go back to our dismay at the weather and irritation at public strikes and the business of belt tightening to forget about this dirty nasty expose as we get on with the business of living?

I hope the police enquiry outs the creeps, ALL of them and that journalism gets back on its high horse, clean and purified and trustworthy again.

Mostly I wonder what Rebekah Brooks (nee Wade) has on the Murdoch's;  both generations, that she's this publicly ass-kissed by them for this long! Perhaps the Guardian should start digging here.  Seems to me, there's a lot more to this story that we can begin to imagine!

Over and out ....... and sticking to reading fiction for a while!
NBB

A Diary

I've taken to keeping a written diary - just today in fact.  I haven't done that since high school and if I remember correctly, I only did it then because that's what teenage girls do, isn't it?

I have friends who keep food and weight diaries, or mood diaries, or ovulation calendars and the like.  I've also for the longest time stuck with everything online largely because RJB is a geek and that's rubbed off a bit I think.  When I was still an active member of the rat-race, I had a paper work appointment diary, simply because I couldn't always rely on access to my online version when out at clients or travelling - technology being what it is with firewalls and overprotective IT security managers, but that often got me into trouble with the online version double booking me if i wasn't hyper vigilant.

It's not a diary in the true date sense of the word, but more a record of an exciting project and the emotions, facts and tribulations attached to that.  I think as I've gotten older, keeping a record which I can refer back to, with the flick of a page is a must have rather than a nicety or a trend blending exercise.

The project is exciting.  It's been a long time in the making and keeping a written record of everything about it is the right way to go about it.

So without further ado ........ Dear Diary :-)

Back soon
NBB

Who will beat who at football tonight?

Well, it's a biggie this evening - Chelsea vs Manchester United!  And BIG in any number of ways not exclusive to two "top" English Premier League football teams.

So apart from being two of the bigger more successful teams within the Premier League, let us examine why, where and what else they're big in / at.

They're both BIG of wallet - Chelsea just spent £50million on Fernando Torres who is yet to open his account for Chelsea and whom Carlo Ancelotti (oh he of independently expressive eye-brows) backs all the way to play "alongside one Didier Drogba".  Man U, while not flashing the cash much during the last transfer window, are fairly well known for the size of their wallet - Flashy Cashy Reds from the North!

They're both BIG of ego - back to "one Didier Drogba"







add one "super-size me on the ego John Terry"

plus a little "smooth criminal Nani',

"I think I'm God Rooney"

and ever "Mr popular Ashely Cole"  


 ...... and really, there's not much head-room left at either Stamford Bridge or Old Trafford.


BIG of idiots!  Chelsea have Ashley Cole who brought an air-rifle to training with him the other day and then shot some work replacement student "by accident"!  WTF - they'll be BIG of Insurance too right about now, I'm guessing.
Man U have Wayne Rooney who smacked a Wigan player in the head with his elbow last weekend, well perhaps not smacked as much as "jumped up and hit him hard in the head with the elbow" off the ball.  Now I'm not worried about any Wigan player - they're all tough wide boys and grew up on that sort of affectionate bashing - but Rooney? No red card? just a small little talking too by the ref ? - REALLY?

Both these super-fools are playing this evening !

The not so BIG FA don't have an issue with either player's antics over the last week.  Nor does the FA have any BIG balls it appears, no surprise there then!

They're both BIG of Manager - both past and present.  Sir Alex COMMANDS big and sometimes almost owns it.  His history includes thrown boots, shortening injury time (to suit Man U), lengthening injury time (at Old Trafford), changing the entire game time (to suit Man U at Old Trafford), tearing into the referees, during - before - after anytime of a game, putting sports journalists in their place or just leaving a press conference and even stonewalling all BBC interviews - forever it seems.  Chelsea had the wonderfully BIG everything of Jose Mourinho - actually, he's still pining to come back to Chelsea and whines about it every opportunity he gets. And Carlo has THOSE eyebrows.

But, like i said, it's a BIG game tonight.  Man U are 16 points ahead of Chelsea at this stage (which for those who're not in on the know, that's a sizeable lead).  Man U haven't done much successful at Stamford Bridge for eons ..........

So who will beat who at football tonight?  Perhaps if we're lucky, Ashley will bring his air rifle to the game & shoot Wayne Rooney in the A** just after Wayne has given him a Glaswegian kiss or something equally as deserving!

Enjoy the BIG game.

Cheers

Human Nature, kind or not!

Just when I lose faith in human kind, something or someone reminds me of silver clouds and linings or someone does something spectacular and restores my faith.

The past couple of weeks has been a roller coaster of remarkable political, sporting and individual heroism alongside some of the most spectacular failures of humanity - i have found myself riveted as a voyeur to life, unable to blink at times.

Australia has been hit with extreme weather and natural disaster from all quarters.  Watching the televised drama has been unbearable at times and i've found myself amazed at human capacity for bravery and remarkable stoic nature of some.

The Egyptians have moved a mountain in Mubarak and followed Tunisia in a revolution which is gathering momentum all over the Arab world.  What a remarkable time we live in that over a number of days the world gets to watch a dictator fall and popular uprising spread from country to country as humanity insists on its freedoms.

On a much smaller scale, a little old lady here in the UK charged across a busy road in the middle of the day to attack a group of 5 or 6 pick-axe wielding thugs smashing their way into a jewellery store. She beat them off their scooters with her handbag and kept coming back for more until onlookers were forced to assist, if only to salvage their own sense of right and wrong. Crazy story, but so uplifting.

Another dreadful pedophile incest monger has been arrested in Europe ....... loads of children and other nasties involved.  A tiny village, lots of gossip, NO-ONE stepping up to help, intervene, assist for about 15 years. Wonderful, we all knew, we all talked about it, we all stared ......... but its their own business. Cowards!

Sex offenders in the UK have been given back some of their "human rights" by the international courts of Europe.  They can actually apply to have their names removed from the sex offenders register - if they can convince someone they're rehabilitated!? Whose fabulous idea was that?! And other general population prisoners have also got into the "human rights' battle for access to vote.  Who cares whether they're Tory or Labour or Lib Dem and why should their vote count? My opinions on both these idea are very strong ...... and they're NOT in anyway PRO human rights at this level for any of these misfits.  Forfeit is a strong theme here for me!

Two horses were accidentally electrocuted through faulty exposed wires on a race-course over the last weekend.  There were actually punters interviewed voicing their frustration and irritation that the rest of the race meet was cancelled. I mean, what were they supposed to do with the rest of their day, they'd made plans to watch the racing and bet money for goodness sake. How thoughtless of the race organisers.  TAZER their asses is my response - give them a little jolt of reality - stupid fools!

There are loads more but i think ending on a positive note is always a good thing.

Wayne Rooney scored a FABULOUS goal last weekend in the Manchester Derby, and i mean FABULOUS.  I wanted to add a link to a decent video version for you, and there are a couple of average takes on YouTube  - but all the others have been removed ...... property of FIFA. Well there you go, so much for a positive note.

Over and out .... not down

Happy Sporting New Year!

2011 is going to be a BUMPER year !

Don't be fooled by the title here - I mean Sporting in EVERY sense of the word including the actual physical act of sport!

Thank you to RJB for being such a sport about my writing career ! I appreciate the new Mac infinitely and being a good sporting sort, will now earn it - seriously!

SUCH a big year in store. Here at Chez Bayly we have a mega family visit right in the middle - very exciting.  There's the matter of RJB's acquisition of a European Passport, there's the much anticipated end in sight to a long and drawn out legal battle in SA and a number of other fabulous things i'll keep under my hat for now!

New Years resolutions include MORE of all the good stuff and LESS of all the bad stuff - including Live Gig's, friends and family, holidays, exercise, chocolate, sunshine ....... can't add the bad stuff because I'm all too positive right now!

Jacques Kallis proved, once again, today and in fact for the last couple of weeks that he is one of the GREATEST CRICKETERS OF ALL TIME, a wonderful sportsman and an all round great unit!  Grace under pressure, calm and focussed skill and superb talent!  Well done on the DOUBLE TON big guy - could NOT have happened to a more deserving sportsman!

It's a Rugby World-Cup year in NZ - SO looking forward to that great sporting event.  I'm backing the Boks because I'm a believer .......... and because they ROCK!

LIVERPOOL ......... COME ON TEAM, it's in there - FIND IT!  Must find a way to get a game in at Anfield this year.   RJB won't like that because we're due at Old Trafford ...... Oh, silly me, i forgot - I'M NOT GOING WITH YOU! tsk tsk!

There's a Royal wedding in April .......... Well, at least the mood here will lift a little. And that means ..... another Bank Holiday.  Now THAT is a fine idea!

VAT is up, petrol is more expensive than platinum, it will be a year of strike after strike as the Public Sector thins out, trains, tubes & busses are more expensive and will all fall over again at the next SNOW FALL .......... which is coming ! Yay, SNOW!

Clegg-Cam or Da-Nick or whatever you'd like to call them, look more and more alike as the days tick on.  A very unholy union that one!  Keeping my eye on that lot this year ............ there's something sneaky afoot!

Still, it's going to be a bumper year and I, for one, AM READY!

BRING IT ON!

laters!!
NBB