Tag Archives: horse racing
Say What You See
Taste of The High Life
My mum recently went on a week’s holiday in Scotland. She had a great time seeing lots of famous and historic landmarks that she has always wanted to see. She very kindly got me a couple of gifts to give me on her return. Obviously she knows me very well as she bought me a box of gluten free shortbread biscuits and a corkscrew shaped like a wine bottle with my name on it which I absolutely love. It is the simple things and little gestures which will always be the best things in life and that will always mean the most.
A couple of weekend’s ago Lynda and I went to visit our good friends Steve and Louise. They live in a lovely little town right on the English and Welsh border. I always really enjoying going there to see them as it is such a relaxing and picturesque place. We left on the Friday evening straight from work. Not only did Lynda pick me up from the train station and drive but she also supplied me with a snack for the journey which was very much appreciated. Happily the traffic was kind to us and we made it in good time arriving at our destination at around quarter to ten.
Steve and Louise being the perfect hosts had a gluten free pizza in the oven ready for our arrival and the kettle already on. We had a nice relaxing evening drinking tea and chatting as I have said before I have known Steve since we were four after meeting at our first day at school. He has asked that I now refer to him as the longest friend I have rather than the oldest which is both correct and fair. We were a bit tired after the week and the travelling plus Steve had organised an activity for us in the morning so we had a reasonably early night.
He is a member of a local gun club and has his own rifle so he had offered to take Lynda and me clay pigeon shooting which we were both looking forward to. I had done it once before on a stag do about ten years ago and she had also had one go at it through a work thing around fifteen years ago. We got up and had breakfast then set off for the club which was situated on a huge site at the top of a hill. It was owned by a former Olympic Champion so as you can imagine it was all very professionally organised and run.
Steve went and signed us all in and got some bullets for us to use. He then led us to one of the several different areas that you can shoot from. We had to wait our turn for the course we wanted to be free. When it was he very carefully explained to us all the safety aspects and rules and how everything worked. There were six different positions that the clays could be propelled in from all controlled by a box with assigned buttons on. He showed us how to use the box and then went first to show us how it was done. He had an air rifle as a child and has always done a bit of shooting so needless to say he is pretty good so he hit a fair few on his first go.
Then it was my turn to take centre stage. He coached me and made sure I was holding the gun in the correct position and knew what I needed to do. I had about six attempts and did not hit a thing so then it was Lynda’s go. We are both very competitive and wanted to beat the other one. On her third try she hit one and took the lead in our mini competition. Then the three of us all took it in turns. During my next attempt I hit one to level things up and celebrated like I had just won an Olympic Gold Medal. A bit later Lynda just catches the side of a clay and nicks a bit off which apparently counts as a success much to my disgust.
We spent about an hour taking it in turns firing at the clay pigeons. Lynda did win in the end by one, which was the one she barely got anything on, so I tried to suggest it was a hollow victory but the other two told me I was wrong and to gracefully accept defeat which I did in the end. After the shooting was done we went and had a cup of tea in the lodge they have there. It was a good experience and I enjoyed having a go at it. I mean obviously the overall winner was Steve he hit way more clays than we did.
During the afternoon they took us for a lovely walk across the fields to a pub on the canal where we had a couple of drinks in the sun. On the way back to their place we walked along the canal and over the viaduct that they have locally. It was a really nice chilled and relaxed afternoon. It is so beautiful around that area, despite having to be wary of about a ton of sheep pooh on the way to the pub. Lord knows what those animals were eating. When we got back to their house Louise then cooked us a fantastic dinner.
After that we watched the film Sing 2 at the request of their daughter Eleanor after Lynda and I had both played Jenga against her and after I had channelled Paul Zerdin to try to bring to life her bird puppet. If you think that you could see Roger De Courcey’s lips move you should have seen my efforts. The movie by the way was surprising good with a great cast that actually included Bono. We finished the night with a few drinks listening to country music as Steve and Louise like me are big fans of the genre.
The next day we got up and had breakfast in the garden followed by a relaxing morning until we discovered the minion toy game. It is a small replica of one of the characters from the film. It gives you three instructions to bop it, pull it and twist it. When you start it off it calls out one of those things and you have to do it within a certain time. You have a go and at first think it is just a bit of fun, but then all of a sudden you find yourself concentrating so intensely to try to beat it. Steve held the high score at 63 I got up to 54 and was waiting to have my next go, when Lynda got to 100 which is seemingly the end of the game, so we stopped playing after that. She seemed to win everything that weekend.
Once we had all had lunch Lynda and I headed off home. We had a fantastic weekend mostly just talking, playing and laughing. I always have a great time in their company and hopefully we will be able to see them again in a couple of months. The other highlight of the trip for me was as a Duke’s of Hazzard fan to see for the first time the Dodge Challenger that they bought and got shipped over from America. They are still repairing it but when it is finished it will be some beast. I got to sit in it and it is some machine.
I have been going to Royal Ascot for the last five years now it is such a good day out. I took Lynda there for the first time last Friday. As we had a London based busy weekend we booked a hotel in Euston for a few nights and arrived there on the Thursday. There was a pub right next door so we had a couple of drinks in there before getting an early night ready for our trip to Berkshire the next day. We got up and got dressed into our outfits. On the way to the tube station we stopped off at a Leon for breakfast. They do a very good selection of gluten free food so since I have been coeliac I have been a regular customer there. I had their Full English Breakfast Pot which was very tasty and surprisingly filling.
We arrived at Waterloo station in plenty of time to catch the train that we had booked tickets for stopping for a bottle of water on the way. We were one of the first people waiting on the platform for it to arrive. This meant we were able to get a seat on what we knew would be a very busy journey. It takes about an hour to get there and about ten minutes so get out of the station as there are just so many people using the service. Once you get out though it is only about a ten minute walk to the world famous racecourse. It always looks so spectacular when it is set up for the royal meeting I think. Once we were inside we had a couple of pictures of us taken in front of the parade ring. It was a very hot day so we then headed inside to get some shade and a drink.
We were meeting a couple of great friends of mine Adam and Nicki to spend the day with it is now a bit of a tradition that we attend this event together. While we were ordering the drinks I got a call from them, saying they had arrived. I went off to find them while Lynda got the drinks which as it happened did get me out of buying the first round. They then got some drinks as well and we had a nice catch up while enjoying the sun and the views. I like to watch the Royal Party arrive into the parade ring, so about five minutes before they were due to appear we made our way down there to get a good spot to see them.
They always arrive at the far end of the course at two o’clock but it takes them around ten minutes to get to where we are. The lead Royals were The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. We were in a great position to see them arrive and Prince William waved at us as he went past. Once we had seen them all get out of the carriages and shake hands with the welcoming party it was time to head to the stands and get a place to enjoy the racing from. Then there was just enough time to nip down to the bookmakers to get our bets on for the first race before the action started.
The standard of races is as you would expect exceptionally high for all five days of this huge occasion. We followed the same pattern all afternoon, a combination of betting before and watching each race with more drinks purchased as required through the afternoon. I had a couple of placed horses so got some money back that way and everybody else had at least the same. Nicki had the winner in the last race which she really did enjoy. We kept meaning to go and get some food during the afternoon but we were having such a laugh chatting and watching the races that we never quite got round to it.
Once all the racing has finished for the day and all the horses have been returned to the stables in the Queen Ann Enclosure where we go there is a massive sing-song around the bandstand. It lasts for about forty minutes and is brilliant fun with seemingly the whole of Ascot joining in singing and dancing together. There is a really good atmosphere to the place and the whole thing does feel very British. They run through all of the favourites from war time songs to Oasis and Neil Diamond. Once we had sung our hearts out we went to one of the pubs on the High Street for a couple more drinks stopping off for some emergency gluten free crisps on the way.
We said goodbye to Adam and Nicki and got the train back to London at half past nine, once again it was packed and as a result it was quite a slow journey back. We did not get back to the hotel until nearly eleven o’clock. As we had not really eaten we decided to get a take away pizza delivered. It worked a treat I met the driver outside and after a lot of security questions to make sure it was us who had placed the order I took it back to our room. Start the day hanging out with the future King and end it eating pizza in a hotel room, that my friends is how you keep yourself grounded. It was another great day at Royal Ascot and I am already looking forward to doing it all again next year.
The next day we were going to Taste of London with a group of friends. It is an annual event that takes place at Regents Park. Happily due to our sensible planning skills it was only a twenty minute walk from where we were staying. We met everybody there at half eleven and waited for the gates to open at midday. We had opted for VIP tickets which meant that we got fast track entry, a glass of champagne on arrival and some dishes included with our ticket. There are loads of pop up restaurants who offer a selection of three sample dishes for you to try. On top of that it is a trade fair for food and drinks companies to promote their own products.
Once we were let in, we of course headed straight for the VIP area to collect our champagne and plan how we were going to attack the four hour session that we had there. Annoyingly despite the forecast saying it would be warm and sunny it was a little drizzly, however that did not dampen our spirits. A lot of the companies there are handing out samples for you to try, while I was there I tried a tea infused Bellini, some non-alcoholic gin and barely flavoured fizzy water. We each set off in different directions to hunt down the food that we wanted to sample.
The only way I could discover what I could eat was to go from door to door to see the menu in each place so I could discover any dishes that were gluten free. It did seem like there were fewer options for me to try than last year but I still found three things to sample using my vouchers and even got an extra one on top. The stand out two for me, were a peanut satay lamb dish and a barbequed pork belly little number. The food is well presented and there is the odd celebrity chef floating about doing a bit of cooking to. I even managed to find some pudding. I found a stall where there were selling gluten free dough balls with ice-cream inside. They came in lots of different flavours I tried the mint chocolate chip, strawberry Eaton Mess and the cinnamon all of which were great.
The time does fly by and basically you spend the whole time there either eating or drinking so it is a mini festival that I would definitely recommend. It seemed to be quite popular with Radio 2 presenters as I saw Sara Cox there and Lynda spotted Vanessa Feltz. Before we knew it the time was four o’clock and we had to leave as our session was over. I had a brilliant time there once again I always seem to discover something new there that I really like. We said goodbye to everyone and went back to the hotel for a few hours to let the huge amount of food we had consumed digest.
We had somewhere lined up to go that evening. The friends we went to see in Manchester a few weeks ago were at Taste of London with us so we wanted to take them to a great wine bar that Lynda and I accidentally discovered towards the end of last year. We have been a few times since and always enjoyed it so we wanted to introduce them to it. It is called the Cork and Bottle and it is right on the corner of Leicester Square. We had booked a table there for a couple of hours that night.
The staff are excellent in there friendly and very knowledgeable about the food and drink they serve plus they are coeliac aware and can make most of the items they do gluten free. We ordered a lovely bottle of a Rioja Reserva which was right in my sweet spot for the type of wine that I like. As we had all been at Taste of London and eaten quite a lot we all opted for a cheese selection. We had three cheeses each which in my case came with gluten free crackers and bread. The atmosphere in there is very cool and relaxed so it is easy to eat, drink and have a brilliant time. Thankfully our friends seemed to like the place as much as we do; we will be visiting there again soon that is for sure. It wrapped up what was a fantastic couple of days.
Last Sunday was Father’s Day not being a dad myself I am always slightly worried about suddenly receiving a card as that is not the way you want to find out. Joking aside I did obviously get mine a card and without knowing as we did not talk about it my sister and I managed to independently get my dad exactly the same one. We only realised after we had given them to him. I was pleased with my present though he loves his sweets and I got him a huge box of jelly babies that contained fifty different flavours. That should keep him amused for a while I hope.
I am going to see The Rolling Stone in Hyde Park tomorrow which should be great; I will tell you what it was like next time we speak.
A quick reminder that you can listen to me every Saturday afternoon between 2pm – 4pm on Radio Ninesprings https://www.radioninesprings.co.uk/
Have fun and we will catch up again soon. Stay safe! Cheers Neil.
Grand Weekend Away
I first went to Ladies Day at Aintree in 2010 and had such a good time within three years it had basically become a tradition. I would go up every year on the Thursday afternoon and come back on the Sunday staying with my mate Jeff. A group of us would then go to the races on the Friday, then watch The Grand National in a pub around Liverpool on the Saturday. Then of course Covid happened meaning I had not been able to go on this pilgrimage since 2019.
Fortunately the world has now reopened so the festival was back and welcoming spectators once again. Last weekend Lynda and I got the train from London to Liverpool Lime Street on the Thursday and set off on another fun adventure. Before we left we had a big meal at Leon who are a fast food chain that caters for gluten free people like me, so they have become a bit of a regular option for me.
When we got to Liverpool we then took another train to the station nearest Jeff, where he picked us up and took us back to his place. We had a cup of tea and a chat to him and his fiance plus I got to meet his son for the first time. Then Jeff, Lynda and I went out for a few drinks at a lovely local bar he knew. The plan was to ease ourselves gently in to things but failing slightly, we had a few more drinks back at his place before we took ourselves off to bed. We managed to have a bit of a lie in before it was time to get a late breakfast and get our suits on and head to Aintree. A big breakfast is very important as you can never be totally sure when you will eat again.
We were joined at the house by Jeff’s sister for a pre racing glass of fizz. The girls got a lift with Jeff’s girlfriend’s dad while we jumped on the train. We met up with them at the entrance before all heading in together. We had got tickets in the festival zone which is basically a huge marquee with bars, big screens, bookies and a stage where a band plays in between races. It is great in there as you get to have a drink, place your bets, watch the races and sing along to the band without moving too far. The racing was first class. Lynda had a couple of winners early on but I had no success on that front whatsoever. We always leave before the last race so we can get the train in to the city centre a bit ahead of the rest of the crowd. I did manage to get a quick picture with the Grand National Trophy before we left.
We arrived in the city centre and on the way to the first pub we decided to get some food. They all found a pizza place for a quick snack, while I found a subway where I managed to get a chicken salad box, not the ideal mid drinking session food but often as a coeliac you have to be a little creative in these situations. After a few different random bars including a quick dance in a place called Flares we ended up in a cocktail bar that we seem to every year now. It just so happened to be two for one happy hour so we had a few cocktails, me of course with the sweet rum and pineapple ones.
Next door there was an Only Fools and Horses themed bar. Jeff had told me about it ages ago and I really wanted to see it. Nobody else fancied it so Jeff and I literally popped in there for five minutes just so I could get some pictures of the place. We were straight in and out with the photos. I have no idea what the staff or the other customers thought we were up to. I liked it in there and the pictures are great. We then went to Eric’s on Matthew Street for more drinks and a bit of live music.
By this point we had been out for ten hours so we decided to call it a night and head back to Jeff’s for another drink and some takeaway pizza. This was my first experience of Domino’s gluten free offering and although it only comes in a small size it was very tasty. It was fantastic to get dressed up again and spend the day at the races. The atmosphere is brilliant and I always have a good time when I am out in Liverpool. My granddad grew up there and for that reason I have always felt an association with the place.
I woke up the next day feeling a lot better that I possibly deserved to, which from previous years’ experience was a bit of a result. Jeff is a huge Everton fan and they had a lunchtime kick off so he went to the game, while Lynda and I went for a nice walk round Crosby near where he lives to find some food. We tried the Moroccan restaurant that Jeff and his girlfriend recommended to us. The food was really good in there and once again we had a big meal to set us up for the day. We then went to a great bar called Inside Number 4 where we found a table near the bar to watch the day’s racing from Aintree including of course the main event The Grand National.
Jeff joined us after the match and we had some drinks while seeing the races. In the second race of the day one of the horses that I have shares in Stage Star was running. He led pretty much from the start but then tired quickly as they came to the home straight and sadly never troubled the winner. That was a bit of a shame as we thought he might run well and with a bit of luck he could win it, but sadly that was not meant to be. The Grand National is such a tough race to find the winner of, there are forty horses and thirty of the hardest fences there are, so a lot can happen over the course of the race.
I did manage to back the horse that finished fifth each way Fiddler on the Roof so I did get a little money back but there was no way I would have picked out the winner. Although with hindsight as it was Sam Waley-Cohen’s last ever race I guess it was one I should have done just in case, as it would make an amazing story as indeed it did in the end. Big congratulations to him that is one way to finish your career off on a high by winning one of the biggest occasions in the world. Fair play if you picked Noble Yeats and had a few pounds on him, you did very well there.
Last Season in the FA Cup my team Tottenham were drawn away to Marine. It was during lockdown so no fans were allowed to go to the game. That meant the club would have missed out on some vital extra ticket money, so they decided to sell virtual tickets to raise some funds. Lots of Spurs fans bought them and with the money they have been able to build a few new things at their ground including a brand new bar. The club’s base is near where Jeff lives so on the way back to his we stopped in there for a few drinks and if I am honest to see the Tottenham game which they had on the TV’s there. It was a nice bar and as Spurs won it was a lovely experience all round.
When we got back to the house we again ordered a Domino’s pizza delivery and I had exactly the same one as the previous night. Jeff is a massive Beatles fan and I had not got round to watching the Peter Jackson documentary Get Back. Therefore we watched the final part of that which culminates with that iconic rooftop concert on top of the Apple Building in London. I really enjoyed it but it is quite long so that meant we all had another late night, but having fun and being a bit rock and roll was the whole point of the weekend.
We had another leisurely start to the day on the Sunday, which did mainly involve drinking tea and chatting. Lynda and I had to get the train home so Jeff and Fiona took us into Liverpool City Centre and we had a walk round the Albert Dock with them before we left them to have a very nice steak meal at Miller and Carter. Afterwards we just about managed to get ourselves to Lime Street Station to get on our train back to London. It was as ever a fantastic weekend, it was great to see all my mates up there and I am already looking forward to Ladies Day at Aintree 2023.
Although it was not meant to be for Stage Star at Aintree another one of my horses Proclaimer just won his eighth race the other night at Kempton. He has been successful there several times this season so it is turning into his favourite place. Obviously he cannot keep winning and eventually the handicappers will catch up with him or he will have an off day, but he has been magnificent this year. He is being entered for his biggest ever race this week, so it will be very interesting to see how he does in more high class company.
My football team Tottenham have been doing a little better again recently they have managed to string a few wins together with good performances while scoring a lot of goals. I was happy when Antonio Conte got the job and he has finally got the team playing in a certain pattern and style of play that seems to suit the players we have and is making us seem a lot more stable and competitive. Admittedly if you have two world class players like Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son up front that also helps quite a bit. It could well be an interesting and entertaining end to the season now, I hope.
I went for my annual dentist check up in the week. I am sure when I was at school we had a special assembly one day demonstrating that we should really scrub our teeth clean, well either I imagined that or they were wrong. Although my teeth are perfectly healthy the gums are receding at a rate that could cause me real problems in the future. I need to adapt the way I clean my teeth. I already have an electric toothbrush but now need to just place it on each tooth and let it go between them for a few seconds. Hopefully I can master this new skill and keep my teeth and gums in good order.
Have a great Easter Weekend whatever you decide to do. I will be hunting down some gluten free chocolate eggs and possibly some Hot Cross Buns to as my way of marking the occasion. I may have a glass or two of red wine across the long weekend but as that was drank at the last supper I think that is perfectly acceptable and dare I say what he would have wanted.
A quick reminder that you can listen to me every Saturday afternoon between 2pm – 4pm on Radio Ninesprings https://www.radioninesprings.co.uk/
Have fun and we will catch up again soon. Stay safe! Cheers Neil.
A Quick Scan
This year seems to be going very quickly maybe that is because we can actually go out and do things again unlike this time last year. Next week the clocks go forward meaning the evenings get lighter and we can pack even more in to our days. It will be summer before we know it at least I hope it will as my Jamaican sun tan is now just starting to fade a little.
I am massively clumsy and always catching my arm on things or quite often knocking my knee somewhere. I also seem to hit my head more often than you would think. Personally I feel that may be due to my lack of hair as I have no early warning system when I am getting a bit too close to something. Anyway I managed to hit my head on holiday on the door frame of a minibus as I was getting out of it. The reason I did it was because I was too busy thanking the driver and not paying attention to where I was going.
At the time it hurt a little on impact but I just about managed to style it out and carry on as normal. A month or so later I was still getting a headache from time to time, so just to be on the safe side my doctor sent me for a MRI Scan. If you have never had one before they feel like the kind of thing that a “Bond Villain” would use to torture 007. They are very small and compact, your head gets fed into it on some kind of moving board. Then for the next ten minutes it makes some of the weirdest noises you have ever heard. They do give you ear plugs and play music to try to mask it but it is still very strange.
The medical Staff were great and made it very simple and straight forward explaining exactly what was going to happen. It takes about a week for the results to come through. I am just hoping that they do find at least a trace of a brain in there somewhere. Joking aside it will be nice to know that everything is fine in that department and the headaches are not being caused by anything sinister or concerning.
My girlfriend Lynda is a great cook who enjoys experimenting with meals that she has not made before, which I benefit from hugely. She has recently got a new cook book and it has loads of recipes in it that she is very keen to try. At the moment she is basically working her way through it. In the week doing fully gluten containing dishes, but at the weekend trying anything that is or can be made gluten free for me to enjoy, due to my special dietary requirements with me being Coeliac.
The other weekend she made us some Malaysian Sticky Spicy Ribs which I must say were amazing. The meat just fell off the bone they were really sweet and came with a nice hot kick from the spices and the chilli. That was just the starter. For the main she produced these chicken satay burgers which she had made from scratch again from this new book. These were spectacular and so tasty she has already promised me that she will do them again for us.
The division of labour when it comes to meals is such that we both play to our strengths. She prepared and cooked all of the food. While I supplied the shop bought gluten free desert and on this occasion at least did the washing up. By which I mean I loaded the dish washer and turned it on. She does enjoy creating new meals and I very much enjoy eating them so as an arrangement it works perfectly as far as I am concerned. I do cook occasionally but the menu I tend to offer is a little simpler to say the least.
After we had eaten we decided to settle down and watch a film. This is rarely my suggestion and anything we do end up seeing is usually as a result of a Dragon’s Den style pitch by Lynda pointing out why we should spend the time doing this. To be fair to her nearly all but one of the films we have watched together have at the very least kept my attention. She suggested we watch the latest Ghostbusters film called Afterlife. I had seen and enjoyed both of the original films as a child so agreed to give it a go.
I really liked it as it kept very true to the originals in fact it even had the same style and character to it. There are some very clever links to the first and second instalments from the eighties. Yet at the same time they have made it more modern and up to date. I do not want to say much more about it in case I give anything away. But if you did like the originals and want to hear a bit of the Ray Parker Jnr theme song then I would recommend you see it. The cast are great and it is just an easy to watch fun film.
I went to the Cheltenham Festival on Wednesday. I like to go every year but I ended up having a couple of years off for obvious reasons. It is a brilliant day out for the horse racing enthusiast where you get to see the best horses from the UK and Ireland go head to head at one of the most challenging courses. The atmosphere is always great at the event and the standard of the racing is unbelievably high.
It was even more special this year as one of the horses I have a few shares in Stage Star was running in a big hurdles race on the day that I was there. It was fantastic to be there and watch him run in person for the first time. I had previously been to visit him before he started his career at the Equiprep Facility that the Owners Group have. I got to see him in the parade ring and then chilling out in his stable. I have of course followed his journey very closely ever since and this was the biggest moment for him so far.
I managed to pick the one day this week when it rained all day at the Cheltenham Festival. But it did not matter we still had a great time there. The racing was exceptional despite the challenging conditions. The occasion and weather got to Stage Star a little bit I think and he set off a bit too quickly and was not really enjoying the conditions so very sensible the jockey Harry Cobden pulled him up before the end. The important thing is that he is fine and will learn from it. I do think that if it was a drier day he could have fared a bit better but that is horse racing for you. The well being of the horse is of course the most important thing.
Stage Star set the tone for my day as I did not have any winners while at the track which is quite unusual. We did however see the racing journalist legend that is Brough Scott and the maverick that is Matt Chapman. I did also manage to wear a coat that was more like a sponge than a shower curtain so had that nice damp feeling for a bit. It was as ever a fantastic day out we met lots of nice and interesting people. I am already looking forward to going back next year and hopefully seeing Stage Star or another one of my horses run there.
I did apply for the London Marathon Ballot for this year’s race. I am not totally sure why if I am honest. I entered it when I turned forty as I thought it might be a nice thing to do while I could still run a bit. I did not get in then and as a result stopped trying. But I guess after the lockdowns of the last couple of years I thought it might be good to give myself a new challenge and see if I could test myself and my glass ankles and knees to the maximum. However I was sadly not successful this time either, so I have now decided to accept that I will never do it and I am totally at ease with that decision.
I have been enjoying the current series of Saturday Night Takeaway. Ant and Dec are still brilliant at what they do. That show is shaped around them perfectly. You can tell that they are heavily involved with every aspect of it. They have been doing live television for so long now I honestly believe there is nothing that can trip them up. I think they have had some very strong end of the show, shows’ once again this year. They just seem to highlight how annoyingly talented they are, whatever they are doing in that segment they seem to pull it off perfectly even if that means they are being Drag Queens!
I have lots of good friends who support Everton and I have been to Goodison Park on many occasions. I always enjoy it when Spurs play them normally they are close and often exciting games. I seem to remember us winning more times than not but I always have a good time up there with my mates. I went to the match at the Tottenham Stadium the other week. It does of course give me bragging rights when we win, which we did by five goals to nil.
I did not think it was a good game and I personally did not think that we were that brilliant. However it was a very easy victory and it was possibly the worse Everton team I have seen for a very long time. I have a soft spot for them and would not like to see them relegated. The best bit about the night was giving Frank Lampard some stick. When he was at Chelsea they beat us I think two-nil at our place and he celebrated with their fans after like they had won the Champions League so we gave him both barrels while we were thrashing his new team!
Not that Tottenham’s current form is much better. We seem to have fallen into a routine where we win one game and then lose the next one, so they give a little hope that a corner has been turned and then remove it straight away. Something Spurs have been doing on a fairly regular basis since I started supporting them as a four year old, who at that time it is fair to say did not know any better. That said they are my team and I support them no matter what. The thing with football is you cannot win every game so celebrate the victories and accept the defeats it is all part of the charm. Enjoy the journey and the end destination for one season at least may hopefully make it all worthwhile.
A quick reminder that you can listen to me every Saturday afternoon between 2pm – 4pm on Radio Ninesprings https://www.radioninesprings.co.uk/
I have not been to see live comedy for quite a while but I am happily going to put that right tonight as I am off to see a gig in Covent Garden. I will of course let you know what it was like next time we speak. Have fun and we will catch up again soon. Stay safe! Cheers Neil.