A few years ago, I was watching England hammer the Aussies at cricket when a picture of a beleaguered Shane Watson came up on my TV screen. Momentarily, I felt for him as the barracking echoed from the stands and his lip quivered to the sporting misery that was unfolding around him.
I have a terrible trait for taking pity on people who have previously inflicted misery on others and the feeling I had for Watson a few years ago emerged once ...
It was quite bizarre watching the Labour Party conference this week as it had an air of euphoria about which, considering the election was lost against Theresa May, the worst political leader in the entire history of world political leaders, was I thought, a touch over the top.
Of course, the euphoria comes from Labour's renewed vigour as a socialist political force and the assumption that it is only a matter of sitting backing and ...
I was happily walking along the River Test at Houghton on Friday when out of nowhere, I became involved in an extraordinary incident.
It began as I walked past a lady in her sixties who was picking blackberries. I gave her the good old English nod accompanied by a hearty 'what a lovely morning' greeting that was a reflection of a fine and crisp autumn day. Standard stuff, I am sure you will agree.
The lady stopped picking and stared at me ...
About 20 years ago, when I was a fervent supporter of Reading FC, the then manager Mark McGhee, was up to some naughty business behind the backs of his employers, flirting with Leicester City and their vacant managerial post.
It was the first time I took interest in the word machiavellian and it has kind of remained one of my favourites ever since, often competing in my list that features words such as omnishambles and buffoon.
Remar...
When I am forced into Andover town centre to pay cheques in to the bank, I get free parking by popping into Lidl's to buy basics like bread, milk and so on.
Some of you probably don't set foot in such a place but it is handy and really cheap for getting everyday bits and bobs at probably two thirds of the price of the more 'upmarket' stores. A bottle of semi-skimmed milk is a bottle of semi-skimmed milked wherever you go.
The other thing ...
