ketteringram

Take a distraction, like an Ipad or similar.
When the footballs not so good, it helps to have something else distracting, make sure you've downloaded Peppa Pig beforehand, as the WiFi won't work.
Maybe take one for your daughter, too, in case she gets bored.

Well, I won’t lie times are rough at the minute.
Not sure if I have mentioned this already, but my sister in law was diagnosed with kidney Cancer before Christmas last year.
To keep things short, she had the kidney removed, however they didn’t clear it all away and it spread to the other kidney…..then her lungs, lymph nodes and now throat.
If that wasn’t hard enough, she went and got pneumonia.
She was taken into hospital last Friday, on Sunday morning at 4.30am we had the call that we need to go in and say our final goodbyes.
All the family were gathered in the room, ICU doctor went through every possible treatment that she was too weak to have. The only thing left now was to treat her with antibiotics to clear the fluid off her lungs, if successful she could return home to die. 
Later that day, we held an early birthday party in her room at the hospital, her 43rd birthday is 5th August however when she asked the doctors if she would make it to then, the response was a less than enthusiastic hopefully. Hence holding the birthday party early.
Monday we get a call from my wife’s mum, you need to get down here quick as they don’t think she will make it through the night. We stayed until 4am and it’s probably one of the hardest things I have ever done.
My mum and sister came up to pick up my dog Jax, this is a key part of this week which I’ll get on to later.
Tuesday, still here so we return that night as my brother in law asked us to, said he was scared to be alone when she dies. I had to leave at 1am due to the heat, with no air con and a small fan, the temperature in there was unbearable.
My wife stays until dinner time, comes home to get some sleep, she says she’s looking loads better and the doctors are pleased that the fluid is clearing from her lungs, blood pressure low and she’s still obviously terminally ill.
MacMillan end of life support team come in and we return around 8pm to spend the night there again. Couldn’t believe it, she was sat up, talking and breathing a lot better. Still very weak to even consider moving her back home.
I take a family quiz in as a distraction, after we had finished I received a text from my sister. She’s tested positive for covid again. I saw her Monday. 
We made our excuses and left pretty swiftly, heads a mess trying to find a late night chemist to pick up some covid tests. Find one, £2.50 per test! Pick up enough for the next few days, get home and thankfully we’re negative, but in that position now where we will be testing constantly as he really needs us. 
His parents are looking after their 5 kids, one of which is disabled, 10 years old with a mental age of around 4 and doesn't talk. 
Her parents are old and unable to spend the nights there like we can, brother is still sectioned so pretty much down to us.
To get Covid now would rock the family massively, we both really struggled the first time we had it, didn't leave the house for 3 weeks after.
So yeah, life is somewhat of a rollercoaster right now so this forum and football isn't even on the radar right now.
But one thing my own experiences have told me is it's good to talk and whilst I might not come back to read the replies for a while, it's helpful just to write down and stick out there for others to hear.
There are no comforting words right now, it's one of those challenges that life throws at you.
Sat there, watching someone dying that's only a couple of years older than yourself really brings home how cruel this world can be in deciding how long you're here for.
She's never smoked, goes to the gym, relatively healthy, no genetic history of cancer in the family. Just for whatever reason her name came out the hat.

Hopefully they'll just glue themselves to something again. 

Change of plans, 2 nights in Chester, 2 nights in Wales on the beach and then back to Derby for 2 nights for the Leicester game and raise havoc with my cousins again.

Not sure, thinking we might go to Chester for 3 nights, then maybe 3 nights in the Wye River area. We’ve got 9 nights spare before the hire car has to be back in Southhampton 

Same for me, (but Stansted instead of Manchester) . Twice in the last three weeks. No delays of any kind . Security queues, yes busy, but no more than it normally is.

My view?
World events of the past few years have demonstrated how much hatred and disrespect for others there is.
Football events from the past couple of years has shown how devastating it can be when the club you love is in danger.
Now that things have settled a little at least on the footballing front, it’s time to reflect on what’s really important.
Surely that’s enjoying our team not hating teams that play against us?
I don’t mind ‘Is this a library?’ and similar taunts to prompt a response but sheer hatred has no place in a football ground or anywhere else.
Football is entertainment. Be entertained, not hateful.

Prioritising chants about the misfortune of others, over ones that support to revival of the club just doesn’t sit right for me.
Chants at Bradford about Birmingham City’s struggles that we’ve literally just come out of , & Collimore. Boring.
Chants today about German Bombers, Collimore and turning what should’ve been a friendly atmosphere into all but that. Boring.
Just a mini rant I guess, but every single time these chants occur I can’t help but cringe inside. I get we want to create hostile environments but can we focus on doing that by supporting our own team with incredible volume before we sing these pointless songs that aren’t going to motivate anyone.
On a positive note, we’re looking good already.

A wee jaunt over to Ilson Friday morning, pick up 91 year old Father-in-Law... and his bloody mobility scooter... and off to bloody well Mable-sur-La-Thorpe for 3 nights in a bloody well static caravan on one of them there bloody well holiday parks!  
Hey... I know... Sounds horrendous at first light yeah? 
But the fact of the matter is the old man spent 90% of December-April in either hospital or care home.  We almost gave up on him surviving at one point, and he almost lost a big bag of marbles at another, but he got through it... not sure how... and he's been home since May, with a few little niggles, the odd fall, and a one off flat out refusal to accept the wonderful paramedics' invitation to take him back in to get him checked over yet again, despite his breathing being very iffy at the time!
We cancelled a similar jaunt in May as he simply wasn't up to it.
But the past 3 weeks or so have seen him as near to being "back to his normal self" as he's ever likely to get, so now is as good a time as any.  Hey, he'll never be the fit and sprightly 85 year old of days gone by, but he's certainly perkier than he has been since before Christmas, so why not make hay while the sun shines.  Grab the opportunity with both hands.  There's no time like the present.  etc, etc...
This may... or may not, I hasten to add... be his last chance to see the sea, and smell that wonderfu... well, you get the picture!
If that proves to be the case, then I for one will be proud to have played my part in it.  He's a good guy.  He deserves it. 
So, wish us luck... I'm going in...
 
 

Sorry Mr Stagtime, but for such a well organized and lengthy trip, that last sentence looks like a right Shambles ?

You say that, as though men's football isn't. 

They don't write 'em like this anymore.
Pure genius.
 

Sorry Mr Stagtime, but for such a well organized and lengthy trip, that last sentence looks like a right Shambles ?

Sorry Mr Stagtime, but for such a well organized and lengthy trip, that last sentence looks like a right Shambles ?

Sorry Mr Stagtime, but for such a well organized and lengthy trip, that last sentence looks like a right Shambles ?

You say that, as though men's football isn't. 

You say that, as though men's football isn't. 

Mr ploppy will be loving the turn this thread has taken.

Yip - making up for the Covid years! The majority are short 4 day breaks.

Duck that I don’t want Billy back

Well she is a Pretender.

It's nice that they invited a female onto the bill. Chrissie Hynde must feel special
 

Saw Top Gun Maverick last night. I'd meant to get to it earlier, on the local IMAX screen, but had left it too late , as it's been replaced by the latest Jurassic thingy.
So instead, I saw it on a screen X , where the picture is also on the side walls as well as the screen. That was a waste of time, and added nothing. Though possibly it would be better if viewed from the back row. 
Was pretty bored through the film . It's a while since I saw the original, and this seemed nowhere near as good. Maybe that's just rose tinted specs . I need to re watch the first one.
I don't mind suspending belief at the door sometimes, but this was nuts.
Loved the flying scenes though ! As good, if not better than I was expecting.

Can't stand this "I don't tip because the owners should pay their staff more". You know the gig when you go into the restaurant, if you want to make a stand about it then refuse to eat there unless the owners give you the discount needed to pay the staff what you think they are worth. Otherwise, you're basically just saying you want to penalise the very people you claim to be concerned for and the only benefactor is yourself, who get a cheaper dining experience.
In conclusion, in these times if you can afford to eat out you can afford 10% for decent service, a little bit more if they've made an effort.
Oh, and they have name tags for a reason - look at it and use their name, be nice, be courteous. And remember that most times when something goes wrong it is very rarely the waiter / resses fault, they just happen to be the people carrying your food.
And yes, I do work in the catering / service industry ?

Now remastered and brought up to date. This has been mentioned many times, usually in reference to the old cassettes it came on, but here it is, available for all.