Praise the lord! the evil empire that owned Birmingham City FC has finally gone!
No matter that they have moved us from the old third division to the prem, no matter that they changed the old St Andies from a cattle shed to a new (unfinished)stadium and no matter that they bought us a nice few wins over the Villa, I am just pleased the poison porn pedallers have left the building!
I could not stand the moaning about the fans, the fact that they practically wanted us to worship them like little diddy gods for what they did (and made a nice little earner from it), that they whored our club out to the highest bidder (yellow card sponsored by Hollywood Signs) that they promised much and failed at the last turn (unfinished stadium) and that they lied so often! Promising this player or that player during the summer transfer window just to bump up season ticket sales only for them to vanish like dust.
Well, all I can now say is Welcome Carson Yeung! I prey that you will treat the Blues with honour and how you would treat a much loved if a little dysfunctional member of your own family.
KRO
Bloody work! What a bloody pain in the arse!
I have spent the last two year negotiating with the local council about taking on the lease of a piece of land in the area I work, which would mean it was safe from developers, we could pursue those who carryout criminal damage and we could continue to use the site for our environmental projects (and it would allow us to pursue much needed funding). Only to be told that the neighbourhood manager has recommended to the council that another organisation take it over instead!!!!!
Now I really believe this is political, this person has been trying to get the Environmental Trust for a few years now and whilst we had a local resident who was very active and very much respected he was held at bay. Unfortunately last year she died and he has been sticking little knives in since.
I don't know his motivation for this but I think it must be on the lines of wanting to bring environmental issues, monitoring, education and conservation in house to the Housing trust.
Weekend
Had a fab weekend, in the most parts, met up with a friend for a drink on Sunday, Blues won and went out on a "Run" with the midland scooter club on Sunday. It was enough to lift the spirits, well until bed time when the political situation once more reared its ugly head and stopped me from sleeping.
Madame Tussauds unveil Abbott And Costello Dummies!
Ah what ever happened to Jilted John? Probably married with 2.2 kids now and perhaps no longer a moron.
Speaking of morons what is Gordon Brown up to? Now I know he is not as bad as Silvio "drop your knickers" Berlusconi with his ineptitude but he is trying bless him.
First he refused to comment on the repatriation of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi then it was leaked (or rather trumpeted) that before hand he had more or less approved that Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi should go free! Now I agreed with his release, I think it shows humanity but Gordon did his old trick of dilliying and dallying and strike me down he has done it again, this time over the victims of IRA bombings suing for compensation from the Libyan government. This time he really should have kept his trap shut. Firstly he says its inappropriate to comment on this then says he is offering support! The man is quite obviously in intense internal turmoil. I bet he must take a good two hours in the morning to make up his mind about what to wear to the office.
A few issues are thrown up by this, firstly that he shouldn't comment on anything if he is likely to change his mind and secondly, by giving his backing what further support is he going to give to the victims of the protestant terrorists? Or the discrimination that was fostered under successive governments since partition of Ireland? The discrimination of the Catholics really is one of the main driving forces behind the (at the time) success of the IRA. Is he going to support them in their claims for compensation?
I think not.
I just wish this man would go, let the labour party sort itself out and get someone to lead it that had an ounce of sense! Before its too late!
Today we visited a National Trust property in Birmingham called the Birmingham Back to Back’s. This was an interesting and humbling (if that’s not too trite a word) experience. Firstly, the reason I found it humbling, my mothers side of the family lived in a back to back just up the road from there. They lived there at the turn of the 19th Century, were button/badge workers and had 3 generations living in the house, one grand parent, mother and father, five children and a lodger. So there were 9 people living in 3 or more likely 2 rooms, working a 70 hour week and having no running water and sharing an outside loo (well bucket) with up to around 60 other people. So to see this and to know how comfortable we live now is humbling.
The interesting part is, I guess, a voyeuristic one, to see first hand how the poor lived is, I feel, far more interesting than visiting a stately home. To see how they decorated the rooms, how they cooked and lived their lives. How they coped without privacy, entertained themselves and how their hard lives shortened their lives. I would have been an old man at my age, if I had lived that long.
It was interesting to see that they flavoured their food with spices such as cloves, star anise and nutmeg. I wonder what they would have thought of our bland English food that is served up in many homes today?
Bedrooms packed with children and even in one house we saw the children’s bedroom was shared (with a blanket acting as a separator) an unmarried couple lodging with the family (total people sleeping in the room – 6, 4 children sleeping top to toe in a bed).
Strangely the 1840 home, which housed a Jewish family and in fact the area was the Jewish quarter for much of its life, was despite the lack of modern trappings more homely than the 1930’s home that had electricity and running water.
I really would recommend a visit if possible, the lady taking us round was very well informed and entertaining.
Got home this evening to discover that the Internet is down and not working. This is the second time in a couple of months that it has played up. The 12 month contract we have with them is looking a long one.
But how are you writing this? I hear you cry! Well, with the old trusted mobile phone, a length of cable and bingo you have the Internet and quicker than the old dial up service used to be :)
Off to see the Birmingham Back to Backs tomorrow, which is interesting to me as some of my great grand parents lived there (or very near by) at the turn of the 19th/20th century. They were 3 generations all living in a couple of rooms and working as badge enamel workers. See! brummy to the very core!
Back in the office for a day before disappearing for a few days to Wales.
I rode in this morning on the Vespa and, of course, as this is Britain and as this is Birmingham I got thoroughly soaked. And as this is also the country of austerity (ok not quite) I am going to have to fight to get a heater to dry my wet jeans on.
Yes I know putting a heat on in the middle of summer is not “Environmentally correct” but as I did my bit for the planet by using said Vespa I feel justified!
Wales dwells in a dark part of my heart, whilst I know it has rugged beauty and even that some of my forbears came from there, it is still the place where, as a child, we moved to for a few traumatic years. I was around the age of 11, very impressionable and English and bullied continually by the local Welsh children and by the Welsh teachers alike. But this was also the place where I saw the wonderful Barry John play which almost makes up for the abuse.
Blues never give us an inch do they?
The season is a little over a week away and so far we have won just one of our preseason friendlies and with only one left, a home game against Sporting Gijon from the La Lega, to some it all looks a little worrying.
The board have put their money where their mouth is ( and no thats not David Sullivan's back pocket for a change) and been on a buying spree bringing in the likes of Christian Benitez, Scott Dann, Joe Hart and Roger Johnson, to name but a few.
With all these new signings and the apparent lack of good performances one begins to wonder how they will fair on the opening day of the season and for the season as a whole and, whilst I don't expect miracles, it would be nice for a few things to happen such as winning a fair amount of home games, playing a passing game and the biggest ask of all having a vocal support!
Should the above happen we would stand an outside chance of staying in the prem and developing further.
But, there are already people calling for McCliesh to sacked before a ball has been kicked in anger so all I can realistically see, along with the bad preseason matches, is a season of continued struggle.
Unity seems to be a dirty word at St Andrews.