Midland Track League 2014 _ result final match

Photograph Quiz:

Photo no 219.

Question:-  Read the letters I recently sent you …… what is the name of this Godiva Harrier who is depicted in the recently unveiled statute of him … and where was it unveiled???

Dear Blog,

                What a sad day for Godiva, down the proverbial plug hole as we are relegated to Division 3 of the Midland Track League. Lack of any sort of commitment from the female members of the club (with half a dozen excerptions) meant that there were far too many unfilled places in events. Of course, it isn’t the athletes to blame it is the coaches who perpetuate this silly idea that the athletes train for super duper championship performance at some time in the future which, iof course never comes!!! And the coaches don’t seem to realise that without racing experience, without using races as stepping stones, substantial improvements will never ever happen. Still the coaches will still have plenty of athletes to train on club nights and most important of all, it means they will have plenty of information to fill their little record books. And of course that is what is important, isn’t it???

During the athletics meeting we had an unbelievable downpour of storm rain with thunder and lightning. Incredible. For 30 minutes the rain came down in sheets. We were at the running track in Cheltenham. One of my daughters had finished her events and left just after the rain started. She text her mum after 20 minutes to say that the family had just gone through Evesham where the whole place was covered with snow!!! Two hours later, as we travelled the same way on the coach back home, there were still plenty of patches of snow, couple of inches deep around Evesham, despite the sunshine since the storm ended! Flooding, snow, 22^o of sun in August in England and whoever wakes unaware ….

                                                         Colin

Yorkshire Day today.

Dear Blog,

                   So sorry … obviously not recovered from the National Day Celebrations this morning. Happy Yorkshire Day Blog, to you and your family.

                                Colin

 …. And now stand with your hand on your wallet for the National Anthem …

See all,

Hear All,

Say nowt.

Sup all,

Eat all,

Pay nowt.

Do nowt, but if tha does owt, mek sure the does it for the sen.

God's Own Country file

Dear Blog,

       What a treat for you Blog, what a laugh …. A couple more scarecrows to tell your friends about. Note that these didn’t come first in the Allesley Village Fete three weeks ago. They didn’t come second nor did they come third. AND they didn’t even get an honourable mention in the village parish newsletter. This despite the yokels from the village standing outside my mansion day and night making a helluva racket with their laughing.

                                             Colin

Commonwealth Games Bolt out of the blue 2014

Photograph Quiz:

Photo no 216. 217, 118.

Question:-  No question really, but the first three shots of my wonderful scarecrows which came neither first, nor second nor third in the Allesley Festival three weeks ago. Lots more pikies to to come, Blog. Can’t send them all at once with this new fangled charging for letters … is it a big packet or a small letter? Is the Queen looking the right way on the stamp or has she got bored and gone to feed the corgis? Will Charlie have to face left when Camilla gets her mits on the throne???

Dear Blog,

                   Now that I am back home from one of the colonies, I will try to catch you up on all the unexciting things that haven’t happened to me during the last three weeks or so. So, as Paul once said, here is the first epistle …   Tell me Blog, why is it so bloody hot in the swimming Baths for the spectators at the swimming events at all the major Games???

                              Colin

p.s Remember Blog ... the subject was 'Countries of the World', so I chose God's Own Country!!!!

Northbrook 10 Kilometre Race, july 13th 1024. Result.

The Photographic Quiz: …. And did you remember which was the crow from my scarecrows of 2012, Bolg? Well done … it is always useful to save all these wonderful letters which I send you at a great cost of many quids.

Photo no 215.

WATCH THIS SPACE FOR THIS YEAR’S SCARECROWS

Question:- Which will be the first one you may wonder, Blog ……

Dear Blog,

              Today, 13^th July 2014, was the Northbrook 10 kilometre race which finishes just passed the gates of my Mansion House. And it was so special this year as all the runners were able to enjoy my display. As I said in my last letter to you, I am like the brilliant Brazilian football team …. We didn’t come first, nor were we second and we never made third spot. But, I, like the Brazilian football team, know that we are the best …. We are simply the best. Better than all the rest. Better than the other crows, Everyone knows that, knows. We are the best. Period!

                                              Colin

Allesley Festival 2014 Scarecrow Display Result

The Photographic Quiz:

Photo no 214.

Question:- A dead easy one for the Blog. Look back two years an decide which crow from 2012 was this!!!!

Na then Blog,

                     If the can remember, sum two years to t’date, I wrote the abart the Allesley Scarecrow Festival. Tha mun have sin me Olympic display in yon 2012, tha must a kept sum pictures like? Any rowds, I reckon it were fixed as there were no way that a culdn’t not win. Last year I niver entered as a were still sulkin. Nay but, as am generous wi it, I enetered thisear year. Sublect were ‘Countries o World’ A did abart ten crows and t’country a did a bit abart were God’s Own Country, o course. An do ye know wot, Blog, a ad the explain t villages that a were talkin abart Yorkshire. Thee knows that, a knows that but these ear southerners know nowt. Well Blog, cutting in, it were fixed agen this year as I nobbut got a sniff of an award. Am a fed up or am a fed up???? Am reet set off al tell thee no nowt. Wen me film cums back from t’chemist wi me pictures of me crows al send the sum.

                             Seethe,

                                             Colin

le Tour dans Keighley

The Photographic Quiz:

Photo no 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213 :

Question:- Was this the crowd in Keighley we didn’t see? Was this Ingrow Bridge which the cyclists crossed but we didn’t see? Was this Halifax Road which the cyclist went up but we didn’t see? Was this part of Ingrow and Woodhouse we didn’t see? Was this my junior school le Tour passed but we didn’t see? Yes Blog, there are lots of yeses for you!!!

Dear Blog,

                The Tour de France has come to Yorkshire and now gone to France. I have to confess that I am not particularly interested in sport, including athletics. I would not bother to attend any sports meeting unless my family was involved. I do not watch sport, including athletics, on the television. BUT…. As the TOUR was passing within 50 yards (45 metres to you Blog) of where I spent the first dozen years of my life and passed directly in front of my primary school and passed directly in front of my grammar school, and passed the front of the pub where Ingrow Harriers were founded, and passed in front of the pub where Keighley Harriers were founded, and passed directly in the shadow of the block of flats where my parents lived and went along very many of the roads I used to train along including those in Skipton and Haworth, I thought it would be interesting to tune into the television channel to watch the riders pass along all the familiar roads and streets. SO I DID. Very many mentions were made by the commentators about the huge crowds in Keighley. The sprint stage in Keighley was mentioned repeatedly. Keighley was almost THE word used in the first hour or so of coverage, it was the town of choice ….. But …. Coming over the climb from Addingham down into Silsden, I should have picked up the portents; I should have felt the dark vibes …. The commentators were getting local facts wrong, they were misidentifying where the cyclists were, they were mispronouncing local names (How can you get Haworth wrong for goodness sake … but the ITV managed it successfully). As the peloton approach Keighley I phoned my sister, then I phoned my nephew and family to find out if they were going down town to watch the race live or staying in front of the box to watch the race live. The breakaway group of seven riders were getting closer to the outskirts of the town on the bypass where the sprint section was. The crowds were mega. Keighley was getting many mentions and the commentators talked of the decorations in the town and the effort the town had made, and the size of the crowd in the centre of the town … I was on the edge of my seat in front of the television. The riders turned off the by-pass at the roundabout, going uphill for a hundred yards (97 metres to you Blog) and took a left at the next roundabout in front of Cliffe Castle to ride along Skipton Road into the centre of the town. It then happened. A COMMERCIAL BREAK. A BLEEDING COMMERCIAL which included a competition the viewers could enter for some crappy bike or other …. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… And when the live coverage came back on the screen, the race was going up New Road Side on the outer skirts of Ingrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not a single micro shot of Keighley. If I was spitting blood and yelling at the box, the Keighley Town Worthies must have been apoplectic with rage. After all the time, money, effort spent on preparing to greet le TOUR, to receive not a single nano second of view time was unbelievable with a capital ‘U’. The town had been passed by.

And within a minute or two, the commentators were obviously lost as to where the riders were, inventing some village I had never heard of!!! 25 years in the town and some village built God knows where that the riders were not passing through, gets more coverage than Keighley.

Today I got the broken television screen repaired and sent the bill to ITV.

                                       Colin