oh ireland

another quiet week in worthing so went back to hibernia. the main attraction was to see stephen rea [great actor in my opinion] in a new play, specially written for him. frankly, i had never heard of the playright but surely he must be good to be in the famous abbey. don't ask! had absolutely no idea what was going on. rea was the only person on stage apart from a dead horse (and a young girl who emerged too briefly from the grave wearing very little - o/k there were some good parts) but it was absolute nonsense. thoroughly agreed with one reviewer who said "despite the celebrity appearance in this play, the one star rating goes to the horse". what a waste. could have been watching ireland getting hammered by france – it made more sense.

but things got better. thoroughly recommend a visit to kilmainham gaol. lots of history and, despite my "loyalist" background, i was moved by the sacrifices made by people who feel strongly enough to die for their country. but why? taking a cold war analogy would you rather be dead than red or red than dead? i think i prefer life. is that wrong?

next: went on a literary pub crawl. great crack. lots of clever quotes and anecdotes but the one i remember best is around brendan behan [look him up on google]. apparently, in the early 50s, the catholic clergy decreed that women shouldn't be allowed in to pubs because they corrupted men and encouraged evil thoughts. behan disagreed saying that an irishman is the only person on earth who would climb over 20 naked women to get to the bar. good man!

ted crilly remembered

another quiet few days in worthing, the calm only being disturbed by the delivery of our new recycling bins. don’t know why but it made me think of writing a song for europe.

My Lovely Bin

I’ve just been given a lovely bin.
It’s great for putting my rubbish in
It’s much bigger than the one I had before
and sits proudly outside my back door.

Chorus:
My lovely bin, oh my lovely bin.
It looks so pretty it makes me grin.
And when I gaze at my lovely bin
I think of all the nice things that I put in.

The council’s kind, they gave me two
One for food and one for news-
papers, plastic, tins and glass.
And you’ve got to say, they look really class.

Chorus.

I’ve had to put my number on
In case one day I find them gone.
Now it sits outside number 55
with all my detritus inside.

Chorus.

So when I die, don’t grieve for me
Just place me there, beneath that tree.
Decomposing slowly amid all my sin
Snugly inside my lovely bin.

Chorus.


Harry Gregg
September 2007

humble pie

another quiet week everywhere in worthing except in my bathroom. gastric distress! don't know what i ate, when or where but the outcome was torrential - followed by a period of acute flatulence. not pleasant. perhaps it was retribution for my unwarranted attack on the current state of english sport. o/k, before a plague is visited upon me and my family (who don’t deserve it), i admit i was wrong. i'm sorry. you did win at rugby, football and cricket. barry is the new messiah, heskey the phoenix and pieterson is still a springbok. norn iron were shit....doh! memories!

but there is always a bright side. tomatoes! remember my strawberry debacle? well i have had considerable success with the solanum lycopersicum. sweet, juicy and loads of them. having them with cream next summer - sod the ragaria.

my fingers are as green as the iridescent green beetle commonly found in the tambopata rainforest.

it's only a game

a quiet few weeks in worthing so i've had to look elsewhere. let's try sport. the "sport england" website in january 2006 [latest update as far as i can see] said -

"England is the second most successful sporting nation in the world. End of year world rankings based on sporting world championships and commissioned by Sport England suggest that, England is riding comfortably high ahead of the US, China and Germany. We are now in second place behind Australia . Three years ago we were in fourth place. More significantly, England is ranked fifth in the world in sports that matter most to the public, such as football, rugby, cricket and tennis, a move from tenth place, three years ago. Roger Draper, chief executive of Sport England, says:“We have always been a passionate sporting nation and done well in minority sports. But now with victory in the Ashes, and with a real chance in next year’s football World Cup, the momentum is with us.”

o/k tempus fugit but who writes this bollocks? it was wrong then and it's wrong now. where's the evidence? let's have an update!

tip: take 33/1 each way on ireland rugby!

if cricket's your game support findon at lords on sunday. free entry, no excuse for not being there!