That name is Martin Hansson, the Swedish referee of the France v Ireland World Cup playoff game held in Paris on Wednesday 18 Nov 2009, and it will go down in the annals of Irish infamy, for his monstrous blunder in not spotting Thierry Henry's deliberate handball which led to the winning goal for France and denied Ireland a place in the 2010 football World Cup.
What of the culprit, Thierry Henry, who handled the ball. Well, he's just a footballer, and footballers will occasionally infringe the laws of football to gain an unfair advantage if they are allowed to get away with it. After all poor Thierry isn't getting any younger, and a wee helping hand is needed now and again to compensate for that lost yard or two of pace in his tired old legs.
Feet stamping outrage by the Irish, apologies by the French (including Thierry Henry), and shame expressed by Swedes, will not change the fact that France will be going to South Africa next year, and the Irish will not. For the FIFA track record indicates that while they may express regret, they will not comply to Irish demands to have the match replayed. Ireland are not a big enough player in the politics of football, and do not have iconic figures such as Michel Platini (French) in powerful positions.
A hundred years from now mention of the name Martin Hansson will still provoke a bitter scowl on Irish faces.
Friday, 20 November 2009
Friday, 10 July 2009
Chinese Flood Drill
Last Friday (3rd July) we had a sudden and heavy downpour here on the beautiful island of Bute. The rainwater streamed down the steeply inclined road I live on. Not quite white-water canoeing conditions, but worryingly torrential, nonetheless. But the real trouble spot, as far as I was concerned, was my balcony. It has a drainage gutter running into a downpipe, which was unfortunately blocked. The water level in the gutter rose alarmingly quickly, and flooded over onto the balcony finding all the cracks and openings in the bitumen covered floor. My balcony is directly above a good portion of my living room ceiling, and yes, before I could say, “Oh my fucking God”, the rainwater began to penetrate onto the ceiling and run down parts of the wall.
No time to stop and think. Time to go into controlled panic mode (something akin to “Chinese Fire Drill”, replace fire with flood). Tell mum not to worry; strategically place buckets to catch the water dripping from the ceiling; don anorak and up onto the balcony to sweep frantically and poke into blocked pipe with hastily found wire.
Progress report; thoroughly drenched, flooding getting worse.
Have to find that effing blockage. Rummage for appropriate tools. Go down into neighbours garden to access bottom of plastic downpipe. Open drain at bottom of pipe. Grope into it with bare hand hoping not to clutch a dead rat. Nothing there. Pierce holes in pipe. No water issuing from holes. Smash holes into one large ugly gash with hammer. Still nothing. Ergo, blockage must be near top of pipe where I can't reach. In desperation mode now; hammer frustratingly on pipe; dislodge joint near top; and, hallelujah, water gushes from broken joint. Hurrying back, I slip on the wet grass and fall on my arse.
Progress report; if it's possible to be more than thoroughly drenched, then I am. Is the flooding getting worse? Well, it ain't getting better.
The rain finally eases, and I do some more demented sweeping and poking about in the gutter/downpipe. I come down into living room to check on mum; she's surprisingly calm. I find my rat-on-a-wire device, which I was looking for earlier, and with it manage to unblock the downpipe. The water runs away, and things are finally looking up. Eventually the water trapped on the ceiling drips itself out. I estimate I've got about a gallon of rainwater collected in the buckets. I peel off my soaked clothing and bung it into the washing machine, and resume my interrupted lunch.
Later that afternoon I root out a tarpaulin from the shed and lay it over the balcony. I tell myself this is only a temporary measure until I get the balcony professionally repaired. But, I know that'll cost me the best part of a grand. And, oh, well, we'll see.
A few days later, almost as an afterthought, a strip of paper flops, and hangs down from the ceiling. I get some wallpaper paste and stick it back up.
That balcony is one of the best features of this house, giving wonderful views over the Firth of Clyde and Loch Striven. But it sure is a bitch to maintain. Once or twice a year we'll get a downpour which tests its condition, and my resolve. When I was in the local hardwear store the other day to buy some bunji clips for the tarpaulin I noticed a lovely tin of bitumen mastic solution. It was only £17.99p. And I was just wondering; perhaps employing a builder to “professionally” repair the balcony isn't really necessary.
No time to stop and think. Time to go into controlled panic mode (something akin to “Chinese Fire Drill”, replace fire with flood). Tell mum not to worry; strategically place buckets to catch the water dripping from the ceiling; don anorak and up onto the balcony to sweep frantically and poke into blocked pipe with hastily found wire.
Progress report; thoroughly drenched, flooding getting worse.
Have to find that effing blockage. Rummage for appropriate tools. Go down into neighbours garden to access bottom of plastic downpipe. Open drain at bottom of pipe. Grope into it with bare hand hoping not to clutch a dead rat. Nothing there. Pierce holes in pipe. No water issuing from holes. Smash holes into one large ugly gash with hammer. Still nothing. Ergo, blockage must be near top of pipe where I can't reach. In desperation mode now; hammer frustratingly on pipe; dislodge joint near top; and, hallelujah, water gushes from broken joint. Hurrying back, I slip on the wet grass and fall on my arse.
Progress report; if it's possible to be more than thoroughly drenched, then I am. Is the flooding getting worse? Well, it ain't getting better.
The rain finally eases, and I do some more demented sweeping and poking about in the gutter/downpipe. I come down into living room to check on mum; she's surprisingly calm. I find my rat-on-a-wire device, which I was looking for earlier, and with it manage to unblock the downpipe. The water runs away, and things are finally looking up. Eventually the water trapped on the ceiling drips itself out. I estimate I've got about a gallon of rainwater collected in the buckets. I peel off my soaked clothing and bung it into the washing machine, and resume my interrupted lunch.
Later that afternoon I root out a tarpaulin from the shed and lay it over the balcony. I tell myself this is only a temporary measure until I get the balcony professionally repaired. But, I know that'll cost me the best part of a grand. And, oh, well, we'll see.
A few days later, almost as an afterthought, a strip of paper flops, and hangs down from the ceiling. I get some wallpaper paste and stick it back up.
That balcony is one of the best features of this house, giving wonderful views over the Firth of Clyde and Loch Striven. But it sure is a bitch to maintain. Once or twice a year we'll get a downpour which tests its condition, and my resolve. When I was in the local hardwear store the other day to buy some bunji clips for the tarpaulin I noticed a lovely tin of bitumen mastic solution. It was only £17.99p. And I was just wondering; perhaps employing a builder to “professionally” repair the balcony isn't really necessary.
Sunday, 28 June 2009
Where Was I When . . .
I don't think I'll remember where I was when Michael Jackson died.
Hell, I don't remember where I was when Elvis Presley, John Lennon, and JFK died.
I won't even know where I'll be when I die.
But I do remember where I was when John Sergeant announced he was quitting Strictly Come Dancing.
Hell, I don't remember where I was when Elvis Presley, John Lennon, and JFK died.
I won't even know where I'll be when I die.
But I do remember where I was when John Sergeant announced he was quitting Strictly Come Dancing.
Sunday, 31 May 2009
The Moose Loose Aboot Ma Hoose
Four of the blighters now, actually.
Shambled downstairs this morning, and cussed myself for not closing the living room door before I went to bed last night: that's where I've found the 3 dead mice this past week.
About ten days ago while watching TV just after midnight I thought I saw something move in a corner of the room; something mouse sized. The next day I purchased some mouse traps and a packet of mouse poison from the local hardware store. I decided to use the poison as I came close to severing several fingers trying to set the damn traps. So five little trays with the poison distributed along the walls, in corners, behind furniture as instructed.
Next morning, bingo, two dead mice lying on the living room carpet. This big Jessy nearly jumped onto the nearest chair. My god, the adrenaline was coursing through my wherever adrenaline courses through, as if I was a WW1 Tommy going over the top for the first time. Getting a grip on my inner wuss I brushed the corpses into a bucket and disposed of them in some nearby waste ground. Not my garden, though by the aforementioned terrain description it could well have been.
The next morning I found another dead mouse expired under a chair after helping itself to my toxic offerings. I understand why they found the living room such rich foraging ground. My elderly mother eats all her meals and snacks from the comfy chair she installs herself into every morning, and she deposits a generous scattering of crumbs onto the carpet round her. And (holding my guilty hand up here) I haven't been as diligent as I should have been lately with the hoovering up of said crumbs. Ergo rich foraging ground for mice.
The following five days were mice free days. Before retiring to bed I would remove any food from the living room (bread sticks, prawn crackers, dates, and grapes being typical fare) and close the living room door to contain any further foragers within the killing ground.
Yesterday I left the living room door wide open. So this morning, having routinely searched for dead mice and found nothing I set the table for breakfast, made myself some cereal and a mug of tea, and settled down in front of my computer (which is in the dining room), and as I adjusted my feet under my seat I felt something lumpy, looked down, and leaped off my seat at the discovery of the fourth mouse. The feeling of terror-driven repulsion lasted no more than a few seconds this time. I am becoming a hardened veteran, I tell myself, and soon won't even bat the proverbial eyelid at a dead mouse find.
Shambled downstairs this morning, and cussed myself for not closing the living room door before I went to bed last night: that's where I've found the 3 dead mice this past week.
About ten days ago while watching TV just after midnight I thought I saw something move in a corner of the room; something mouse sized. The next day I purchased some mouse traps and a packet of mouse poison from the local hardware store. I decided to use the poison as I came close to severing several fingers trying to set the damn traps. So five little trays with the poison distributed along the walls, in corners, behind furniture as instructed.
Next morning, bingo, two dead mice lying on the living room carpet. This big Jessy nearly jumped onto the nearest chair. My god, the adrenaline was coursing through my wherever adrenaline courses through, as if I was a WW1 Tommy going over the top for the first time. Getting a grip on my inner wuss I brushed the corpses into a bucket and disposed of them in some nearby waste ground. Not my garden, though by the aforementioned terrain description it could well have been.
The next morning I found another dead mouse expired under a chair after helping itself to my toxic offerings. I understand why they found the living room such rich foraging ground. My elderly mother eats all her meals and snacks from the comfy chair she installs herself into every morning, and she deposits a generous scattering of crumbs onto the carpet round her. And (holding my guilty hand up here) I haven't been as diligent as I should have been lately with the hoovering up of said crumbs. Ergo rich foraging ground for mice.
The following five days were mice free days. Before retiring to bed I would remove any food from the living room (bread sticks, prawn crackers, dates, and grapes being typical fare) and close the living room door to contain any further foragers within the killing ground.
Yesterday I left the living room door wide open. So this morning, having routinely searched for dead mice and found nothing I set the table for breakfast, made myself some cereal and a mug of tea, and settled down in front of my computer (which is in the dining room), and as I adjusted my feet under my seat I felt something lumpy, looked down, and leaped off my seat at the discovery of the fourth mouse. The feeling of terror-driven repulsion lasted no more than a few seconds this time. I am becoming a hardened veteran, I tell myself, and soon won't even bat the proverbial eyelid at a dead mouse find.
Friday, 8 May 2009
An Imaginary Island
While I was creating this island with the Terragen landscape generating program I was reminded of my schooldays; and in particular Miss Broadbottom's history class.
While she would be droning on about the Kings and Queens of England, I would be lost in my latest buccaneering fantasy, busily sketching another imaginary island in my jotter. It was her wont to frequently waddle up and down the aisles between pupils' desks checking that her words were being diligently recorded when, on more than one occasion, she would stop mid drone. Thirty or more bored heads, eagerly seeking distraction, would turn towards where she had stopped; behind my desk. Her remonstration at my inattention was both swift and dismissive: a corrective slap across the back of the head accompanied by a shrill cry of "Fiddlesticks". I'm quite sure this was the strongest expletive she could find in her vocabulary. She would then allow the stifled sniggers to subside before she waddled on to continue with her monotonous listing of the succession of monarchs.
Of course, Broadbottom wasn't her real name. It was probably something forgettable like Jones or Brown. Although it is fair to say that, to put it in nautical terms, there was a fair distance between her port and starboard extremities.
Now that's a shaggy parrot story, if ever I heard one.
You can see the full size image here at my Flickr webpage.
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
Empathise With This
A play on the film title Analyse This (or should that be That), maybe one's the sequel of the other. Shut up. Anyway, I was just reflecting on a recent episode of an Antiques Roadshow - one of those where they show highlights of episodes in their archive. Well, once upon a time they were in Dumfries (Scotland) and there was this couple with a glass vase they'd dug out of their loft 'cos they heard the show was coming to their town. You see, they'd bought a plant at a car boot sale, and when it died that's where they'd bunged the thing it was in. However, might as well see if it's worth anything, probably get laughed at and told to shove off. They'd paid a pound for the plant, with the glass vase-thingy thrown in.
There they were then, on the telly, with this expert waffling on about this vase; "Did you know it was Lalique?" he said. "Naw", the blank looks might have added "What's a laleek, then?". Well the expert droned on a bit more and then got to the interesting bit. "It's probably valued in the range of £25,000 to £30,000", he finally declared. Blank looks, looking at one another, glancing at the beaming expert, and then the inevitable "Oh my God!".
It didn't take them long to exchange that glass plant pot for Twenty-Six thousand lovely smackers.
But here's what I was reflecting on. What if the guy who flogged it to them for a pound was watching that show. Sick as a parrot doesn't come close to how he must have been feeling. More like suicidal. Let's hope he just drank himself unconscious that night. No, let's be more merciful. Let us hope he, and anyone who knew what he'd flogged for a quid, didn't watch the show, and that he remains blissfully ignorant of what became of his giveaway plant pot.
Amen to that.
p.s. He might read this, though.
"Nah, extremely unlikely . . . . . I hope".
There they were then, on the telly, with this expert waffling on about this vase; "Did you know it was Lalique?" he said. "Naw", the blank looks might have added "What's a laleek, then?". Well the expert droned on a bit more and then got to the interesting bit. "It's probably valued in the range of £25,000 to £30,000", he finally declared. Blank looks, looking at one another, glancing at the beaming expert, and then the inevitable "Oh my God!".
It didn't take them long to exchange that glass plant pot for Twenty-Six thousand lovely smackers.
But here's what I was reflecting on. What if the guy who flogged it to them for a pound was watching that show. Sick as a parrot doesn't come close to how he must have been feeling. More like suicidal. Let's hope he just drank himself unconscious that night. No, let's be more merciful. Let us hope he, and anyone who knew what he'd flogged for a quid, didn't watch the show, and that he remains blissfully ignorant of what became of his giveaway plant pot.
Amen to that.
p.s. He might read this, though.
"Nah, extremely unlikely . . . . . I hope".
Monday, 16 March 2009
Getting killed for "National Security"?
Another two British soldiers killed in Afghanistan. That's a total of 152 British service personnel who have lost their lives since our troops were sent out there. It was the fourth item on the Radio 4 news bulletin at 10 o'clock this morning. Just a short statement that they were killed in an explosion and that their families were informed. By comparison, the two soldiers killed in Northern Ireland recently was headline news for several days. It was probably the fear that the Irish "troubles" might be starting up again that made it headline news.
One of the soldiers killed in Northern Ireland was on the eve of being posted, and this was reported as if the poor fellow might have escaped his fate had his posting come through a day or two earlier; as if he would have been out of harms way. My god, they were sending the poor sod to another killing field; from the proverbial frying pan of Northern Ireland to the fire (sometimes friendly, it has to be said) of Afghanistan.
The defence secretary, John Hutton, said: "All the brave and professional service personnel who have given their lives in Afghanistan have done so to counter the serious threat posed to the UK's national security." That sounds like Government-speak bullshit to me. It seems to me that the UK's national security has been more endangered since our troops have started trading killing projectiles out there. The Seven/Seven London bombings occurred after British troop deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, didn't it.
One of the soldiers killed in Northern Ireland was on the eve of being posted, and this was reported as if the poor fellow might have escaped his fate had his posting come through a day or two earlier; as if he would have been out of harms way. My god, they were sending the poor sod to another killing field; from the proverbial frying pan of Northern Ireland to the fire (sometimes friendly, it has to be said) of Afghanistan.
The defence secretary, John Hutton, said: "All the brave and professional service personnel who have given their lives in Afghanistan have done so to counter the serious threat posed to the UK's national security." That sounds like Government-speak bullshit to me. It seems to me that the UK's national security has been more endangered since our troops have started trading killing projectiles out there. The Seven/Seven London bombings occurred after British troop deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, didn't it.
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