Post 509 - A flush gramble

 

Welcome to The Grambler, the most ill-informed blog you are ever likely to see.

Stewart was an amazing person - A wonderful husband, a fantastic brother, a loving son and an adored uncle. He was also a brilliant friend and colleague and is missed by so many people. His family are determined that his death will never be in vain and are doing their part to beat bowel cancer for good. We are fundraising for the Bobby Moore Fund which is part of Cancer Research UK and specialises in research into bowel cancer. If you wish to donate to the fund, you can via The Grambler’s Kick Cancer’s Backside (cancerresearchuk.org).

If you haven’t already done so, please read the article which appeared in the Daily Record and learn from Stewart’s story that you must never be complacent. It makes grim reading for us, his family, even though we were beside him throughout his ordeal, or battle; call it what you will. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/heartbroken-widow-geraldine-smith-raises-3452997

Stewart began writing The Grambler when he was between procedures and hoping for some form of recovery. He loved all aspects of football and was a lifelong Motherwell supporter. His wish was that The Grambler should continue after his death and I have been happy to oblige. Read on and enjoy…

 

Story Time

Once again, I must apologise for the lack of grambling activity over the past couple of weeks. The reason is all to do with the fact that Mrs G. and I were away for a few days. More of that later but, first, I would like you to come with me... to the bathroom. [Steady on. - Ed.]

Sorry pardon excuse me? Yes, today’s story time concerns bathrooms and how they have changed over the years (and not always for the better).

I am not old enough to remember the days of living in a house that had no bathroom. I was, no doubt, a fortunate kid because there are many people still alive who can remember when, if you wanted a really good wash, you had to visit a public bath-house. It was either that, or a tin bath in front of the fire, shared by the whole family. Last in got the dirty water left by the previous users. Yeuch!

So, the first bathroom I can recall had an enameled cast iron bath, a porcelain toilet pedestal and sink, also on a pedestal. This suite of bathroom furniture was a glorious shade of... white.

So far, so boring. I recall visiting an old aunt who had moved into brand new bungalow and it had... wait for it... a lemon-coloured bathroom suite. Wow! That seemed the height of luxury to this six year-old child. It didn’t dawn on me at the time that, apart from the colour, it was exactly the same as our white furniture.

Nothing much happened to bathrooms for those of us living in a cooncil hoose, until Mrs Thatcher came up with an absolutely spiffing wheeze to save money... Flog all the cooncil hooses to the occupiers at a knock-down price. Result? Money to the treasury and the chance to cut down on cooncil... sorry, council staffing levels because all future repairs were the responsibility of the now owner-occupiers who would either do a bit of dodgy diy or pay the exorbitant fees demanded by artisans (quality or otherwise). Ha ha! Kerching!

I have to admit, I fell for it hook, line and sinker. What was the first job that needed doing in my newly purchased abode? The bathroom. Sadly, this all coincided with possibly the most bizarre trend ever to hit bathroom furniture... the coloured bathroom suite. Hang on, I hear you ask, didn’t you just mention a lemon-coloured bathroom suite? I did. However, this new trend was not for delicate pastel shades. Oh no. Who can forget the avocado-coloured bathroom suite? Or dirty green colour, as I prefered to call it. That colour seemed to epitomise the era when bathrooms were anything but white and, certainly, anything but light.

There were some truly awful colour choices available... even worse than avocado. My own redecorated bathroom featured a suite in a fairly subtle (for the time) shade of blue. Other people went a bit mad with their colour choices. The darker the shade, the better, it seemed. How about maroon? Or something between royal and navy blue? Don’t forget the many shades of grey, ranging from dark grey to almost black. Various green shades (other than the previously mentioned pear) were available. There were purples, cerises, mustards and more. The worst of the lot, to my eyes at least, was chocolate brown. So, let me get this straight... you sh** into a toilet that is the same colour as sh**. How do know if you’ve cleaned the thing properly?

After a time, darker shades disappeared from bathroom suppliers showrooms and lighter hues returned. So light, in fact, that such suppliers now stock one shade and only one shade... white.

There is something else that has changed. I am referring specifically to the bowl, pan, john, bog or whatever you like to call it.

For years a toilet bowl was the same shape that all such bathroom furniture had been made. It was of a sensible height to allow a person to sit on it comfortably. The hole on which you sat was an ovoid or egg shape. Keeping that shape on mind, you are all aware that the 'big end' of the egg was at the rear and the 'little end' was at the front... Thanks to Jonathan Swift for that analogy.

It is the perfect shape because it allows water to flush the inside of the bowl efficiently and it allows gentlemen to sit comfortably. You know what I mean. You do. Any other shape and there might be some serious bruising.

So why oh why oh why (Anyone else remember the standard intro of letters to Points of View?) has some 'genius' decided it is necessary to alter this perfect shape?

Several public toilets now feature a circular bowl. Yes, it is the perfect shape to flush but it's a horrible thing to sit on. Why? Well, for us gentlemen, there is a certain amount of crushing taking place even though the diameter of the bowl is greater than a bog standard ovoid. [A bog standard bog! Ha! - Ed.] That leads to other problems. Unless you are obese, you run the risk of falling in. Not designed for comfort, that's for sure. I reckon it is designed to discourage anyone from sitting too long.

My own bathroom toilet has an even dafter shape. Rectangular. How ridiculous is that? Why? Nobody's got a square bum. It isn't as uncomfortable as you might imagine. However, there are serious shortcomings in such a design. Cleaning. When you flush a standard toilet the water circulates around the rim. The word around is important here. The problem with the rectangular bowl is that water is not very good at turning corners. Thus, the sides seem to get cleaned, but the corners? Not too sure.

I tend to attack the bowl with a skoosh of Harpic and a toilet brush on a daily basis. It would appear to be the only sensible option.

Any road up, as I mentioned earlier, Mrs G and I recently went for a short hotel break. Before we left our house, the toilet got its usual pummelling and was liberally squirted with Harpic. When we returned home, the first few flushes of the toilet produced some rather grotty-looking black flakes of gunge. This stuff must have been present under the rim of the loo and had dried out over the few days we had been away. Nasty.

It brought home the message that perfection should not be tampered with. I have now taken to occasionally cleaning the toilet's awkward rim using good old-fashioned pipe cleaners. I have no idea if I am making a difference, but it makes me feel better.

The hotel break? The bathroom furniture was all quite new and, guess what, the bowl was of a sensible ovoid shape. Does this mean that toilet manufacturers have realised that the Victorians had got it right all along? I do hope so. Perhaps they could have a word with builders that think a flat roof is all right in a cold, wet climate.

You may be wondering what prompted this rant about... well, about things that shouldn't be changed. I spotted something else in that hotel bathroom that had never changed in all the years I have been staying in hotels. Ooh, whatever can it be, I hear you ask. This...*

 

*See ‘And Finally’

[You rotten so-and-so. - Ed.]

 

 

.....oooOooo.....

 

Birthday honours...

Let’s move on to the birthday honours, shall we? Were any famous or not so well-known individuals born on the 6th of July? Of course there were. Here are some that even I have heard of.

John Paul Jones 1747 - Naval officer and not the bass player in Led Zeppelin.

Sebastian Cabot 1918 - Actor. Most famous to us Brits as a voice artist in a few of the old Disney classics. He was Bagheera in The Jungle Book and the narrator of the Winnie the Pooh films made between 1966 and 1977.

Alan Freeman 1927 - DJ and soap powder salesman.

Tony Lewis 1938 - Cricedwr.

Mary Peters 1939 - Pentathleticky bloke.

Terence ‘Jet’ Harris 1939 - Musician. Original bassist with The Shadows but he and drummer, Tony Meehan left to work as a duo. He also had a bit of success as a solo act. Let’s have a clip? Here’s Man with the Golden Arm.

Richard Beckinsale 1947 - Actor. Lenny Godber in Porridge.

Jonathon Porritt 1950 - Environmentalist and writer.

Graham Oliver 1952 - Musician. Founder member of Saxon. A clip? Of course. Let’s Rawwwk!

Hilary Mantel 1952 - Writer.

Meg Ritchie 1952 - Discus chuckery bloke.

Jennifer Saunders 1958 - Comedienne, writer and actress.

Mark Benson 1958 - Crickety (umpiry) bloke.

John Keeble 1959 - Musician. Drummer with Spandau Ballet. I think another clip is called for. [Can we have another clip?! - Ed.] Here’s Instinction.

Paul Banks 1973 - Musician. Lead guitarist with Shed Seven. A clip? Yes indeedy. Here’s Getting Better.

Rory Delap 1976 - Footy bloke.

Kenny Deuchar 1980 - Footy bloke and doctor.

Kate Nash 1987 - Singer-songwriter and actress. Have a clip. This reached number two, Foundations.   Ye gods and little fishes! One can only hope she is a better actress than songwriter.

Right, what about famous folk born on the 13th of July?

Francis Drake 1540 - Licensed pirate.

William Hedley 1779 - Engineer. He devised the first practical steam engine to rely solely on iron wheels and iron rails for adhesion.

George Gilbert Scott 1811 - Architect.

Eric Portman 1901 - Actor. Colonel Richmond in The Colditz Story... The 1955 film, not the BBC series.

Kenneth Clark 1903 - Historian and broadcaster.

Alec Rose 1908 - Sailor.

David Storey 1933 - Author. This Sporting Life, that was one of his.

Patsy Byrne 1933 - Actress. Nursie in Blackadder II.

Gordon Lee 1934 - Footy bloke.

Jack Purvis 1937 - Actor. Wally in Time Bandits.

Patrick Stewart 1940 - Actor. Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Steve Gibbons 1941 - Musician. Would you like a clip. Here’s his biggest hit, Tulane.

Chris Serle 1943 - TV presenter.

Cyril Knowles 1944 - Footy bloke. I've got to include this. Nice One Cyril.

Cheryl Murray 1952 - Actress. Susie Burchill in Coronation Street.

Ian Hislop 1960 - Editor, TV and radio presenter.

Neil Foulds 1963 - Snookery bloke.

Craig Bellamy 1979 - Pêl-droediwr.

Samia Ghadie 1982 - Actress. Maria Connor in Coronation Street.

Tulisa 1988 - Singer-songwriter. A clip? But of course. Here’s Young

Che Adams 1996 - Footy bloke/fitba guy.

 

And, how about those famous individuals born on the 20th July?

Joshua Tetley 1778 - Brewer. Hic!

Richard Owen 1804 - Paleontologist. He invented the word dinosaur, which means terrible reptile. So now you know.

John Reith 1889 - First Director-General of the British Broadcorping Casteration.  His mantra was 'Inform. Educate. Entertain.' 

John Reith, currently spinning in his grave

Dilys Powell 1901 - Writer.

Jerry Desmonde 1908 - Actor. He was foil or stooge to Sid Field and later Norman Wisdom.

John Phillips 1914 - Actor. General Leighton in Village of The Damned.

Bob Block 1921 - Comedy scriptwriter. Life with the Lyons, that was one of his.

Patricia Cutts 1926 - Actress. Although much of her career was spent working in the good ol’ U. S. of A., her last role was as Blanche Hunt in Coronation Street. After her death, Maggie Jones took over the role.

Heather Chasen 1927 - Actress. Famous as Ramona Povey among others in The Navy Lark.

Sally Ann Howes 1930 - Actress. Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Roy Skelton 1931 - Who? He was an actor whose voice was very familiar to Brits of a certain age. He voiced Zippy and George in Rainbow.

Rex Williams 1933 - Snookery bloke.

Ted Rodgers 1935 - Comedian, it says here.

Diana Davies 1936 - Actress. Caroline Bates in Emmerdale Farm.

Diana Rigg 1938 - Actress. Emma Peel in The Avengers.

Roger Hunt 1938 - Footy bloke.

John Robson 1942 - Footy bloke.

Bob McNab 1943 - Footy bloke.

Willie Matheson 1943 - Fitba guy.

Wendy Richard 1943 - Actress. Miss Brahms in Are You Being Served?

Elizabeth Bennett 1944 - Actress. W. I. Judge in Calendar Girls.

John Lodge 1945 - Musician. Bassist and vocalist with the Moody Blues. Would you like a clip? Of course you would. Here’s House of Four Doors.

Malcolm Stoddard 1948 - Actor. Dr. James Campbell in The Campbells.

Jeff Rawle 1950 - Actor. George Dent in Drop the Dead Donkey.

Desmond Douglas 1955 - Table tennisy bloke.

Paul Cook 1956 - Musician. Drummer with The Sex Pistols. A clip? Of course.  Let's have Anarchy in the UK.

Charlie Magri 1956 - Boxery bloke.

Mick MacNeil 1958 - Musician. One-time keyboardist with Simple Minds. What? You’d like a clip? Happy to oblige. Here’s Life in a Day.  Jim Kerr going through his Black Adder hairstyle phase.

Jonathon Morris 1960 - Actor. Adrian Boswell in Bread.

Lee Harris 1962 - Musician. He was the drummer for Talk Talk. Let’s have another clip. Here’s the band’s first single, Mirror Man.

Anthony Beke aka Anton du Beke 1966 - Dancer.

Julian Rhind-Tutt 1968 - Actor. Dr. ‘Mac’ Macartney in Green Wing.

Nigel Quashie 1978 - Footy bloke/fitba guy.

Niall McGinn 1987 - Foody blook, so he is.

 

 

 

 

I’ve received a letter...

Dear Paul Grambanks,

I enjoyed listening to a song from your Shed Seven band. I know they had a few songs in the charts and was wondering what was your last song to make the top 20 of the UK charts?

D. Scodown.

 

 

.....oooOooo.....

 

Gramble time...

How did our last bet with Lorkdeabs fare? Oh dear. Do you really want to know? You don’t? Good, because their computers are acting up so I can’t actually check how much little we won.

 

Blast! They’re up and running again. We won 78 pees. I say won; we actually lost £1.42.

What has The Grambler come up with this week? Swedish leagues again? No, not Swedish. Yay! Finnish. What? Yep, Finnish Kakkonen Groups A, B and C.

Game - Result - Odds

Futura vs PPJ - Away win - 7/10

Honka vs SexyPoxyt [Ooer, missus. - Ed.] - Away win - 4/9

EBK vs P-lirot - Away win - 8/15

VJS vs HJS Akatemia - Home win - Evens

Jakobstads Bollklub vs JPS - Home win - 4/9

The bets have been placed - Ten 20 pee doubles plus a single 20 pee accumulator. If the results go as predicted by The Grambler, the Bobby Moore Fund will be richer to the tune of a far from whopping (thanks to rubbish odds)

£7.44

 

.....oooOooo.....

Teaser time...

Yay! How did you get on with the five teasers set last time? Here are the answers.

1. Who am I?

I was born in Essen, Germany in 1969. A goalkeeper, I was part of Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ team that won the Premier League title unbeaten in 2003-04, playing every game. I was capped for Germany 61 times. I hold the record for being the oldest player to appear in a UEFA European Championship final (against Spain in 2008).

Answer - Jens Lehmann

2. Speaking of oldies; who holds the record for being the oldest player to appear in the UEFA European Championships?

Answer - Pepe

3. Sticking with the Euros; which player has scored the most goals in a single tournament?

Answer - Michel Platini (9)

4. How about a question regarding discipline? The 2024 tournament has featured one match which saw more players cautioned than in any previous game. Which teams were playing and how many cards were shown?

Answer - Chechia (7) vs Turkiye (11) = 18

5. Which country has qualified for the most tournaments without ever winning the title?

Answer - Engerland (11)

Some more for this week? Aye, go on then.

1. Who am I?

I was born in Emerich am Rhine, Germany in 1952. A midfielder, I played most of my senior career games with Borussia Mönchengladbach [That’s easy for you to say. - Ed.] of which I am now vice-president. Between 1972 and 1981 I was capped 53 times for (then) West Germany. I remain the most decorated player in the history of the European Championships having won two gold medals and one silver medal.

2. Two questions in one... Several records were broken at the recent European Championship. Who became the youngest ever scorer at the age of 16 years and 362 days and who became the oldest ever scorer at the age of 38 years and 289 days?

3. Cristiano Ronaldo holds all kinds of records relating to the Euros, including scoring more goals than any other player. In five tournaments, how many goals has he scored?

4. Sticking with the Euros, most winning teams are coached by somebody of the same nationality; which was the only winning nation to be coached by an ‘outsider’?

5. I thought an own goal question might be a good one to finish with. Again, we are talking Euros. Which country has benefitted from five opposition own goals over several tournaments without ever conceding an own goal?

There you have it. Have fun trying to work that lot out. As always, try and answer them before shouting out Hey Googly, Syria or Alexis. Please feel free to pass on the link to your pals so that they can enjoy The Grambler’s footy teasers too.

 

.....oooOooo.....

 

Remember the serious message...

As usual (at the risk of repeating myself), I remind you of the main reason for continuing to publish this blog – to raise awareness about bowel cancer. If you have any bowel problems, don’t be fobbed off with the line that you are too young for bowel cancer to be a consideration. Just point your doctor in the direction of (the already mentioned) Never Too Young | Bowel Cancer UK

.....oooOooo.....

 

Please, take a few minutes to watch an informative little video from Mersh (a great friend of Stewart’s).  Click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26HWQXMalX4. The amount quoted is miles out of date. The total raised for the Bobby Moore Fund now stands at...

£79,314

 

…..oooOooo…..

 

And Finally...

And finally, Cyril? And finally, Esther, that teaser from Story Time...

A bag featuring an apparently armless woman who makes Barbie look positively obese.

[Do you really think that was worth waiting for? - Ed.]

Well, it made me smile.

 

 

 

That’s all for this week folks, but remember you can read the musings of The Grambler every week (well, most weeks) by going to the blog at www.thegrambler.com where you can also catch up on any previous editions you may have missed.

 

Happy grambling.

 

Post 508 - A grand gramble x 3

Welcome to The Grambler, the most ill-informed blog you are ever likely to see.

Stewart was an amazing person - A wonderful husband, a fantastic brother, a loving son and an adored uncle. He was also a brilliant friend and colleague and is missed by so many people. His family are determined that his death will never be in vain and are doing their part to beat bowel cancer for good. We are fundraising for the Bobby Moore Fund which is part of Cancer Research UK and specialises in research into bowel cancer. If you wish to donate to the fund, you can via The Grambler’s Kick Cancer’s Backside (cancerresearchuk.org).

If you haven’t already done so, please read the article which appeared in the Daily Record and learn from Stewart’s story that you must never be complacent. It makes grim reading for us, his family, even though we were beside him throughout his ordeal, or battle; call it what you will. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/heartbroken-widow-geraldine-smith-raises-3452997

Stewart began writing The Grambler when he was between procedures and hoping for some form of recovery. He loved all aspects of football and was a lifelong Motherwell supporter. His wish was that The Grambler should continue after his death and I have been happy to oblige. Read on and enjoy…

 

Story Time

You may have wondered why there was no edition of your favourite ill-informed blog last week. What do you mean, you never noticed? Well, there was a reason for it not being published. [You couldn’t be bothered? - Ed.] No, that’s not the reason. I wanted to wait until this week so that I could tell you what happened at an event. What event is this, I hear you ask. Pull up a chair and Oi’ll tell ee...

Regular readers of this esteemed blog will be aware that, at this time of year, Mrs G hosts an afternoon tea to raise money for the Bobby Moore Fund. The event is held in memory of the founder of the blog, Stewart. Indeed, it is called a Tea for Stewart.

Now, usually, I can relate tales of things that can and do go wrong. Unfortunately, for this writer, there were no spillages, shortages or organisational cockups. Everything went swimmingly. Over 160 people were fed and entertained.

Entertained? At an afternoon tea? Indeed. After the food and drink had been consumed, Mrs G and I asked those gathered to participate in a little game of heads and tails. Sorry pardon excuse me? It’s a simple enough idea. A coin is tossed and everyone tries to predict whether it lands heads up or tails up. If they think heads, they place their hands on their head. For tails, it is hands on bottoms. Anyone who predicts wrongly, is out of the game. The winner, obviously, is the last man/woman standing. Simple.

We thought it a bit too simple, so we came up with our own little twist. You may recall that we ran an event called Singalongabingo. Well, we devised a game which combines elements of that with the heads and tails game. Instead of a die, we played popular tunes. For each tune played, the revellers had to decide whether it was a number one hit or not. So hands on head for number one; hands on bottom for not quite number one.

I mentioned Singalongabingo (I ought to patent that name.) and you may be wondering how that fits into the mix. Well, if anyone fancied singing along to anything being played, they were encouraged to do so. All great fun. We rounded off the game with a few choruses of Sweet Caroline; that always gets everyone singing along.

We had two sittings, 80ish at each and it was strange that those at the earlier sitting all sang along, whereas those at the later one were less inclined to join in. Hmm. Discuss.

As I stated, it all went without a hitch... or did it?

Most of the consumables and raffle prizes for these events are donated by individuals or businesses, and so it was for this year’s tea. Bread is given by a local bakery. A certain well-known maker of chocolate biscuits and the like, gave us a box of their world-famous teacakes. Hmm... Who could that be? Cakes and scones were baked by friends. Sausage rolls and sandwich fillings were Mrs G’s donation... as well as organising the whole event, of course.

However, one donor was unable to give on this occasion. Oh dear. The missing donation was prosecco. Oh dear, oh dear. You see, one of the highlights of Mrs G’s afternoon tea is a glass of prosecco (or pink lemonade for non-drinkers) on arrival. Mrs. G was worried that this part of the event might not happen, so she asked other people if they might donate a bottle or two. She really did begin to panic that we wouldn’t be given any so we bought a few bottles ourselves.

For the event, Mrs G estimated that a dozen bottles would be the minimum quantity needed for the tea. The final amount donated was nowhere near a dozen. No, it was, wait for it, 47. Seriously. Four times the amount required. Luckily, booze doesn’t have a ‘best before’ date, so all the extra bottles have been put away for next year’s event.

And how much did the event make for charity? £3,133. Wowee! I’ll drink to that... oh, I can’t; it’s all away for next year.

.....oooOooo.....

 

Birthday honours...

Let’s move on to the birthday honours, shall we? Were any famous or not so well-known individuals born on the 22nd of June? Of course there were. Here are some that even I have heard of.

H. Rider Haggard 1856 - Writer of adventure novels. King Solomon’s Mines was one of his. He has been disparagingly described as a ‘genius of racism’.

Arthur Wynne 1862 - Inventor of the angry term conundrum.

James Maxton 1885 - Left-wing politician. The man who put the red in Clydeside.

Julian Huxley 1887 - Biologist. Sadly, also a eugenicist.

Vincent Korda 1897 - Art director. Alec’s bruv.

Naunton Wayne 1901 - Actor. Jim in Going Gay. Stop sniggering at the back.

Joe Loss 1909 - Musician and bandleader. Let’s have a clip. There’s not a lot of original material out there; even his signature tune was someone else’s - Edgar Hayes’ In The Mood. Here’s his take on the early 1960s hit, Sucu Sucu.

Peter Pears 1910 - Opera singer. Very good friend of Benjamin Britten.

Anne Zeigler 1910 - Singer. She and her singer husband, Webster Booth, were known as the ‘Sweethearts in Song’. Let’s have a clip. Here is So Deep is the Night.

Cicely Saunders 1918 - Nurse, social worker, physician and writer. Noteworthy because it was she who founded the hospice movement and emphasised the need for palliative care.

Colin Crompton 1931 - Comedian, it says here.

Colin Crompton: Comb-over king

Prunella Scales 1932 - Actress. Sybil Fawlty in Flowery Tw*ts.

Chris Blackwell 1937 - Record producer and founder of Island Records.

Esther Rantzen 1940 - Journalist and TV presenter.

Lachie Stewart 1943 - Athleticky guy.

Judith Barker 1943 - Actress. Janet Barlow in Coronation Street.

Peter Asher 1944 - Guitarist, singer, producer and (James Taylor’s) manager. Let’s find a clip for you. Here he is with Gordon singing Woman.

Douglas Rae 1947 - Producer and presenter of Magpie.

Sharon Maughan 1950 - Actress. Tricia Williams in Holby City, though better remembered for a coffee advert.

Alastair Stewart 1952 - Newsreader.

Paul Stromeyer aka Green Gartside 1955 - Musician. Scritti Politti frontman. Here’s the original version of The Sweetest Girl.

Ron Haslam 1956 - Motor-bike racery bloke.

Derek Forbes 1956 - Musician. One-time bassist with Simple Minds, he featured on the band’s earlier work. Including this track, Promised You a Miracle.

Danny Baker 1957 - Broadcaster. Here’s a neat coincidence: Baker loathes the sound of Simple Minds’ vocalist Jim Kerr, suggesting that the noise he makes is not singing. He has a point.

Kevin Bond 1957 - Footy bloke.

Ruby Turner 1958 - Singer. Have a clip. Here’s I'm In Love. Factoid: She has appeared on every edition of Jools’ Annual Hootenanny since 2007.

Eddie Kidd 1959 - Stunt rider.

Jimmy Somerville 1961 - Singer, songwriter, producer and actor. Let’s have a clip. Here’s Hurt So Good.

Bobby Gillespie 1962 - Musician. Primal Scream main man. Have a clip. Here’s the band’s best-performing single, Country Girl.

Anne-Marie Ruddock 1963 - Singer. Best-known as the lead vocalist with Amazulu. Have a clip. Here’s Moonlight Romance.

Paterson Joseph 1964 - Actor. Slugworth in Wonka.

Tommy Cunningham 1964 - Musician. Drummer with Wet Wet Wet. Would you like a clip? Of course you would. Here’s Cold Cold Heart.

Gordon Moakes 1976 - Musician. A former member of Bloc Party. Have another clip. Here’s Talons.

Stephen Crainey 1981 - Fitba guy.

Joe Dempsie 1987 - Actor. Gendry in Game of Thrones.

Katie Jarvis 1991 - Actress. Hayley Slater in Eastenders you slaaag!

Harry Reid 1992 - Actor. Ben Mitchell in Eastenders you slaaaaag!

 

Righty ho, that’s last week dealt with; what about famous folk born on the 29th of June?

Gerald Nabarro 1913 - Politician famous for his moustache and his love of cars or, at least, car number plates. He owned several cars sporting the numberplates ‘NAB 1’ right up to ‘NAB 10’.

Lynne Carol 1914 - Actress. Martha Longhurst in Coronation Street.

Jean Kent 1921 - Actress. Trottie True in Trottie True, a film also known as The Gay Lady. Stop sniggering, you boys. As it was made in 1949, I’m guessing Trottie was quite a jolly person.

Ronnie Ronalde 1923 - Singer and siffleur... That’s whistler to plebs like you and me. Here’s an example of his art, Tritsch Tratsch Polka.

Denys Graham 1926 - Actor. Hoskins in Rumpole of the Bailey.

Maurice Kaufmann 1927 - Jobbing actor. Pierre in A Shot in the Dark.

Tom Fleming 1927 - Actor. Best known as the Beeb Beeb Ceeb’s go to voice for state occasions.

Ian Bannen 1928 - Actor. Dr. Cameron in Doctor Finlay.

Charlotte Bingham 1942 - Novelist and scriptwriter.

Tony Vogel 1942 - Actor. Andrew in Jesus of Nazareth.

Roger Ruskin Spear 1943 - Sculptor, multimedia artist and multi-instrumentalist. He was a member of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band for which he played tenor sax and various contraptions. Shall we have a clip? Yes, let’s. Here’s By a Waterfall.

Michael Carter 1947 - Actor. Bib Fortuna in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. There’s nothing like a catchy title for a film... and that’s nothing like a catchy etc.

Ian Paice 1948 - Drummy bloke with Deep Purple. A clip? Why, soitenly. Here’s Strange Kind of Woman. Factoid: In a career spanning over five decades the band has released over 20 studio albums and a staggering 44 live albums. And let’s not forget their 26 compilation albums.

Mark Radcliffe 1958 - Broadcaster.

Richard Vranch 1959 - Musician and comedian.

Amanda Donahoe 1962 - Actress. Natasha Wylde in Emmerdale. Factoid: She appeared in the Adam and the Ants videos for Antmusic and Stand and Deliver.

Stedman Pearson 1964 - Singer. He was one fifth of Five Star, a singing group comprising five Pearson siblings. Here’s another clip, their first single which didn’t actually trouble the charts, Problematic.

Paul Collins aka Paul Zenon 1964 - Magician.

Marcus Wareing 1970 - TV chef.

Anthony Hamilton 1971 - Snookery bloke.

Jack Deam 1972 - Actor. Inspector Mallory in Father Brown.

Daisy Beaumont 1973 - Actress. Nina in The World Is Not Enough.

Karen Taylor 1976 - Comedienne. Star of Touch Me, I’m Karen Taylor. [Well, that was a fortuitous coincidence. - Ed.]

Kelli Hollis 1976 - Actress. Yvonne in Shameless.

Sam Bailey 1977 - Singer. Winner of The X Factor. Here is her obigatory follow-up number one single - Skyscraper.

Katherine Jenkins 1980 - Singer. Have a clip. Here’s Bring Me to Life.

Troy Deeney 1988 - Footy bloke.

Kim Little 1990 - Fitba guy-ess.

Jude Bellingham 2003 - Footy bloke.

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve received a letter...

Dear Jimmy Gramblerville,

I enjoyed your solo song, Hurt So Good but I recall that prior to going solo you were in a couple of groups, Bronski Beat and The Communards. I always enjoyed your work with the Reverand Cole and wondered if you could answer a question for me. What was the first Communards single to chart?

Yours earnestly,

Hugh R. Mye-Wurled.

*Yes, I know I’ve used that clip before, but it is such a brilliant performance, I thought it deserved a second airing.

 

.....oooOooo.....

 

Gramble time...

How did our last bet with Kordleabs fare? We won... yet again. This can’t last, surely. Don’t call me Shirley. Four out of five of The Grambler’s predictions came trumps...  Ever had a feeling of deja vu? [I never touched her, your honour. - Ed.] Any road up, from our £2.20 stake we won £4.34. Wow! Two pees more than last time.

What has The Grambler come up with this week? Oh no, not the Swedish leagues again...

Game - Result - Odds

Onsala vs Trollhattan - Away win - 19/20

Olympic vs Oskarhamns - Home win - Evens

Tvaakers vs Falkenbergs - Away win - 3/5

Degerfors vs Sandvikens - Home win - 10/11

Jonkopings Sodra vs Ariana - Away win - 21/20

The bets have been placed - Ten 20 pee doubles plus a single 20 pee accumulator. If the results go as predicted by The Grambler, the Bobby Moore Fund will be richer to the tune of a whopping

£12.10

Even more whopping than last time.

.....oooOooo.....

Teaser time...

Yay! How did you get on with the five teasers set last time? Here are the answers.

1. Who am I?

I was born in Mâcon, France in 1991. An attacking midfielder, I began my senior career at Real Sociedad before moving to Athletico Madrid. I then moved to Barcelona before returning to Athletico Madrid. I have been capped 129 times for France and I was the top scorer at Euro 2016 as well as being named player of the tournament.

Answer - Antoine Griezmann

2. Scotland have played in three tournaments over the years but have never progressed from the group stage. Which is the only country to have progressed from the group on every occasion it has played in the tournament?

Answer - Portugal

3. Who is the only English player to have been the highest goalscorer of a tournament?

Answer - Alan Shearer

4. Which country has failed to qualify for the tournament despite making 16 attempts?

Answer - Luxembourg

5. Of the countries that have made only one appearance in the tournament, which was the most successful, reaching the quarterfinal?

Answer - Iceland

Do you fancy five this week? Of course you do.

1. Who am I?

I was born in Essen, Germany in 1969. A goalkeeper, I was part of Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ team that won the Premier League title unbeaten in 2003-04, playing every game. I was capped for Germany 61 times. I hold the record for being the oldest player to appear in a UEFA European Championship final (against Spain in 2008).

2. Speaking of oldies; who holds the record for being the oldest player to appear in the UEFA European Championships?

3. Sticking with the Euros; which player has scored the most goals in a single tournament?

4. How about a question regarding discipline? The 2024 tournament has featured one match which saw more players cautioned than in any previous game. Which teams were playing and how many cards were shown?

5. Which country has qualified for the most tournaments without ever winning the title?

There you have it. Have fun trying to work that lot out. As always, try and answer them before shouting out Hey Googly, Syria or Alexis. Please feel free to pass on the link to your pals so that they can enjoy The Grambler’s footy teasers too.

 

.....oooOooo.....

 

Remember the serious message...

As usual (at the risk of repeating myself), I remind you of the main reason for continuing to publish this blog – to raise awareness about bowel cancer. If you have any bowel problems, don’t be fobbed off with the line that you are too young for bowel cancer to be a consideration. Just point your doctor in the direction of (the already mentioned) Never Too Young | Bowel Cancer UK

.....oooOooo.....

 

Please, take a few minutes to watch an informative little video from Mersh (a great friend of Stewart’s).  Click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26HWQXMalX4. The amount quoted is miles out of date. The total raised for the Bobby Moore Fund now stands at...

£79,294

 

…..oooOooo…..

 

And Finally...

And finally, Cyril? And finally, Esther, a saddish one this week. An anniversary.  On the 29th of June 2020 Carl Reiner shuffled off this mortal coil. [What? - Ed.] He died. [Probably from too much shuffling. - Ed.] What? Any road up, Mr Reiner was an actor, comedian, director, screenwriter and author... A right old smarty boots. He was responsible for making stars out of Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. How so, I hear you ask. In the late 1950s Reiner wrote 13 episodes of a show called ‘Head of the Family’. Never heard of it? That’s because it never aired. Or did it? Reiner had written the series as a starring vehicle for himself, however, the network bosses didn’t like the idea of him in the title role. Unmiffed, (I think I have just made that word up) he allowed the recasting of Dick Van Dyke and the renaming of the show to The Dick Van Dyke Show. The rest, as they say, is history. [So it’s his fault we have to suffer that annoying Irish/Cockney/Aussie chimney sweep in Mary Poppins. - Ed.]

Although he was a comedian, Reiner first came to prominance as the ‘straight man’ to comedians Sid Caesar and Mel Brooks. One of the most famous routines he performed with Mel Brooks was called ‘The 2000 Year Old Man’ and, hopefully, it is available online for use as our finishing clip. Yep, here it is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s all for this week folks, but remember you can read the musings of The Grambler every week (well, most weeks) by going to the blog at www.thegrambler.com where you can also catch up on any previous editions you may have missed.

 

Happy grambling.

 

Post 507 - A foodie gramble

Welcome to The Grambler, the most ill-informed blog you are ever likely to see.

Stewart was an amazing person - A wonderful husband, a fantastic brother, a loving son and an adored uncle. He was also a brilliant friend and colleague and is missed by so many people. His family are determined that his death will never be in vain and are doing their part to beat bowel cancer for good. We are fundraising for the Bobby Moore Fund which is part of Cancer Research UK and specialises in research into bowel cancer. If you wish to donate to the fund, you can via The Grambler’s Kick Cancer’s Backside (cancerresearchuk.org).

If you haven’t already done so, please read the article which appeared in the Daily Record and learn from Stewart’s story that you must never be complacent. It makes grim reading for us, his family, even though we were beside him throughout his ordeal, or battle; call it what you will. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/heartbroken-widow-geraldine-smith-raises-3452997

Stewart began writing The Grambler when he was between procedures and hoping for some form of recovery. He loved all aspects of football and was a lifelong Motherwell supporter. His wish was that The Grambler should continue after his death and I have been happy to oblige. Read on and enjoy…

 

Story Time

Have you ever watched Dragons Den? No? Neither have I. That's a lie. I've seen snippets of it, but have never consciously sat down to watch it. I know the format though. It goes a bit like this...

WOULD-BE ENTREPRENEUR: I'd like some money please.

DRAGON'S DEN PERSON: You can't have any.

The end.

Okay, it doesn't quite go like that. More like this...

WBE: I have a business proposition that might interest you.

DDP: And what is that, young fellow-me-lad?

WBE: It's a restaurant.

DDP: Boring...

WBE: No, seriously. It's a very special restaurant. It doesn't have a menu.

DDP: No menu? What kind of a restaurant has no menu?

WBE: I say no menu; it does have a menu of sorts. Only the customer doesn't get to choose from it.

DDP: Sorry, not with you.

WBE: No, because he or she gets everything on the menu.

DDP: No. You've lost me there.

WBE: You see, it's a taste menu. There are six courses, but only a little bit of each item gets served.

DDP: And no choice?

WBE: Well, there is a vegan option.

DDP: Ah, so that's different, is it?

WBE: In a way. It's the same dish with the meat taken out.

DDP: I don't much like the sound of this. What about drinks?

WBE: Oh yes, there's a drinks menu.

DDP: Good. Now we're getting somewhere.

WBE: But we would discourage people from selecting from it.

DDP: Why?

WBE: Because we have specific wine for each course.

DDP: No actual choice, then.

WBE: No.

DDP: So let me get this straight... You want to run a restaurant where everybody gets the same food and the same drink?

WBE: Yes.

DDP: With no exceptions?

WBE: None. Apart from the veggie option, of course.

DDP: Of course.

WBE: Are you interested?

DDP: What do you think? Get out!

It does sound like a crazy idea. It'd never work, surely. Ahh, but it does and don't call me Shirley.

There is a very popular restaurant chain called Fleeced by Enrico, or something, that has that very business model.

I recently went to it with Mrs G. What can I say? It was... erm... different.
I enjoyed the experience, certainly but, for me, there were too many negatives to counter the positives.

Firstly, the cost. This was not a cheap meal out. It cost over 40 quids for the food before you had even thought about the wine part of the meal. If that was included, the price went up to a whopping 75 smackeroonies. Oh, and a 12 per cent service charge was also to be added. Gulp!

For two people to eat and drink in the restaurant, it would cost (wait for it) 168 quids. Blibbing flip!

That would feed four families in Wetherspoons!

My next gripe was the food itself. It was, as I have said, a tasting menu. You are really only getting a small sample of each item. But the quantity wasn't the issue. The problem, for me, was that there was no alternative to what you were given. It was a case of like it or starve. If you prefer fish and chips to cordon bleu, don't go.

The flavours were interesting, but some just weren't pleasant. If I'm spending so much money on something, I at least want to enjoy it. Luckily, there were only two out of the six that I wasn't sure of.

Mrs G and I didn't bother with the wine part of the deal because there were wines in there that we just didn't fancy.

My biggest gripe, though, had nothing to do with the food or the drink; it was time or lack of it. Pardon sorry excuse me? Each course arrived at the table and the waitress spent a bit of time explaining what it was... That's a bad sign if they've got to tell you what is on your plate.

We ate said course and, without giving us time to even belch, the next course was plonked down in front of us.

The reason for this became clear towards the end of our meal when we asked for a coffee as a finisher. We were then told that we could have a coffee but we would only have 10 minutes to drink it as they needed the table for the next 'sitting'.

That part of the deal really annoyed me. We had just spent a lot of money in the establishment and we weren't even allowed any time to relax after our meal. This was more like going to a cafeteria than an expensive restaurant.

Even big Arnie would agree with my sentiments when I say, I'll not be back.

Talking of restaurants, particularly those less high-end types that specialise in the aforementioned fish and chips, let's finish with five 'interesting' names for such establishments [I don't like the sound of this. - Ed.]

Fishcoteque [Oh dear. - Ed.]

New Cod on the Block [These are awful. - Ed.]

Frying Nemo [Please stop. - Ed.]

Cod Almighty [No more, I beg of you. - Ed.]

Fishician.

[Are you finished? - Ed.]

Yes.

[Thank... heh heh... cod for that... heh heh. Do you get it? Thank cod for that. Good eh? - Ed.]

I think I'll do the birthday honours.

 

 

.....oooOooo.....

 

Birthday honours...

Let’s move on to the birthday honours, shall we? Were any famous or not so well-known individuals born on the 8th of June? Of course there were. Here are some that even I have heard of.

John Smeaton 1724 - Civil engineer. Not to be confused with an ex-baggage handler from Glasgow airport.

Robert Stevenson 1772 - Another civil engineer. Famous for his lighthouses. Not to be confused with a film director.

John Everett Millais 1829 - Painter. Painted Ophelia... on a canvas... not on a woman called Ophelia... I’ll get me coat.

Ronald Shiner 1903 - Comedian and actor. Doc Knott in My Wife’s Family. Exactly 100 credits on IMDb.

Francis Crick 1916 - Molecular biologist, biophysicist, and neuroscientist. He really was a right old smarty boots.

Tony Mottram 1920 - Tennisy bloke. Linda and Buster’s dad.

Frank Costin 1920 - Automotive engineer. Co-founder of Marcos.

Ray Illingworth 1932 - Crickety bloke.

Derek Newark 1933 - Actor and well-known anagram. Det. Insp. Tucker in Barlow.

Millicent Martin 1934 - Actress and singer. Had her own TV show back in the 60s. What was it called, again? Oh, I know... Millicent or was it Mainly Millicent?

Fred Dinenage 1942 - Author, journalist and TV presenter.

Doug Mountjoy 1942 - Snookery bloke.

Colin Baker 1943 - Actor. One of the many Dr Whos.

Derek Underwood 1945 - Crickety bloke.

Annie Haslam 1947 - Singer and songwriter. Here’s a track from 1977, I Never Believed in Love.  In case you were wondering the other voice you hear is none other than her then boyfriend Roy Wood.

Bonnie Tyler 1951 - Singer. Here’s her first ever single, My! My! Honeycomb. [Sounds like an advert for Crunchie. - Ed.]

Tim Berners-Lee 1955 - Computer scientist credited with the invention of the World Wide Web.

Harriet Thorpe 1957 - Actress. Fleur in Absolutely Fabulous.

Mick Hucknall 1960 - Musician. The man is simply Simply Red. A clip? Why, of course. Here’s Simp’s only number one single, Fairground.

Nick Rhodes 1962 - Musician. Keyboard wizard with Duran Duran. You want another clip? No problem. Here’s the band’s last single to chart, Black Moonlight.

Neil Mitchell 1965 - Musician. Keyboard wizard with Wet Wet Wet. [A lot of wizards about. - Ed.] How about a clip? Here’s If I Never See You Again.

Doris Pearson 1966 - [Sounds like a medium from the 1970s. There’s a thing; why were they all called Doris? - Ed.] Ahem. Singer. She was in Five Star. [She was in petrol? - Ed.] Will you pack it in? Let’s have another clip. Here’s System Addict.

Will Smith 1971 - Comedian, screenwriter, novellist, actor and producer. In fact, a right old etc..

Colin McCredie 1972 - Actor. D.C. Stuart Fraser in Taggart. There’s been a mud-dah!

Ian Bond 1973 - Booler.

Graeme Smith 1983 - Fitba guy. Ex-Motherwell, you know.

Joel Dommett 1985 - Comedian and TV presenter.

Richard Fleeshman 1989 - Actor and singer/songwriter. Craig Harris in Coronation Street.

Qasim Akhtar 1991 - Akhtar. Do you see what I did there? Zeedan Nazir in Coronation Street.

 

Now, let’s move on to those famous folk born on the 15th of June.

James Robertson Justice 1907 - Actor. Sir Lancelot Spratt in Doctor in the House and its spinoffs.

Wilbert Awdry 1911 - Author. Wrote the stories about talking trains with faces. Must have been on the whacky when he up with that idea.

Billy Burden 1914 - Comedian and actor. Maurice Moulterd in Grace & Favour.

Richard Baker 1925 - Newsreader.

Ann Morrish 1928 - Actress. Jo Hardy in The Expert.

Tony Ellingham aka Dorian Gray 1942 - Singer. One hit wonder with this, I've Got You On My Mind [That would go down well in Wales or Aberdeen. - Ed.]

Helen Fraser 1942 - Actress. Sylvia Hollamby in Bad Girls.

Mervyn ‘Muff’ Winwood 1943 - Musician and record producer. He played bass guitar in the Spencer Davis Group. I think it’s time for another clip. Here’s I'm a Man.

Johnny Hallyday 1943 - Chanteur. Voici une vieille chanson, Hold the Night.

Nicola Pagett 1945 - Actress. Liz Rodenhurst in A Bit of a Do.

Demis Roussos 1946 - τραγουδιστής. Εδώ είναι ένα παλιό τραγούδι, My Only Fascination.

Neville ‘Noddy’ Holder 1946 - Musician, songwriter and actor. Frontman of Slade. Here’s an early song that failed to trouble the charts, Shape of Things to Come.

Roy Holder 1946 - Actor. Jackie in Whistle Down the Wind. Hey up, Jackie. Want to buy a kitten?

Angela Down 1946 - Actress. She seemed be in just about every TV drama at one time but all but disappeared from view after a few short years. Played Avril in Take Three Girls.

Henry McLeish 1948 - Politician. Scotland’s second First Minister [? - Ed.] whose political career ended when he resigned following a ‘irregularities’ in his expenses. Who’d have thought it? Wouldn’t happen today.

Simon Callow 1949 - Ectaw, dear leddie. Tom Chance in Chance in a Million. There’s an oldie for you.

John Redwood 1951 - Politician who tried to mime to the Welsh national anthem. Impossible, boyo!

Kim Fuller 1951 - Writer for film, radio and TV. He wrote Spice World which was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for worst screenplay.

Alan Brazil 1959 - Fitba guy.

Samira Ahmed 1968 - Radio and TV presenter.

Mel Giedroyc 1968 - Comedienne.

Jim Weir 1969 - Fitba guy.

Justin Fletcher 1970 - Comedian and TV presenter. Oh... and he provides the voice for Shawn the Sheep.

Jason Dair 1974 - Fitba guy. Ex-Motherwell, you know.

Kallum Higginbotham 1989 - Footy bloke. He had a loan-spell at Motherwell, you know.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve received a letter...

Dear Noddy Grambler,

We have always been fans of your work. We can both recall you first had a number one single with Coz I Luv You but neither of us can remember the name of the follow-up. Can u help?

Yours with luv,

Luke Watt, Hugh Dunn.

 

.....oooOooo.....

 

Gramble time...

How did our last bet with Dorkleabs fare? We won... yet again. This can’t last, surely. Don’t call me Shirley. Four out of five of The Grambler’s predictions came trumps. Yay! From our £2.20 stake we won £4.32. Brill!

What has The Grambler come up with this week? Euro 2024 is just getting underway, maybe he/she/it thinks we should have a little flutter on that. No, apparently he/she/it is sticking with the Swedish leagues.

Game - Result - Odds

Gefle vs Landskrona - Away win - 21/20

Skovde vs Degerfors - Away win - 8/11

Utsiktens vs Varbergs - Home win - 4/5

Helsingborgs vs Orebro - Home win - 5/6

Sandvikens vs Oddevold - Home win - Evens

The bets have been placed - Ten 20 pee doubles plus a single 20 pee accumulator. If the results go as predicted by The Grambler, the Bobby Moore Fund will be richer to the tune of a whopping

£11.76

Ooh, more whopping than last time.

.....oooOooo.....

Teaser time...

Yay! How did you get on with the five teasers set last time? Here are the answers.

1. Who am I?

I was born in 1997 in Wandsworth. A winger, I began my senior career at Charlton Athletic before moving to Everton. I was loaned out to, and eventually signed for, Leipzig. During my time there I was loaned out to Fulham and Leicester City. I moved to my present club, Atalanta, in 2022. Although capped for England under 19, 20 and 21 games, at senior level, I play for Nigeria. The giveaway clue? I scored a hat-trick in the 2024 Europa League final.

Answer - Ademola Lookman

2. Let’s talk promotions. How many times have Southampton been promoted to the Premier League?

Answer - 6

3. As expected, Erling Haaland scored the most Premier League goals (27) in season 2023-4, but who came second with 22?

Answer - Cole Palmer

4. How many times has the Champions League final been contested between two English clubs and which clubs were involved?

Answer - Three times - Manchester United vs Chelsea (2008), Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur (2019), Chelsea vs Manchester City (2021)

5. Which club has just been promoted to the Football League from the National League for the first time in its history?

Answer - Bromley

Shall we have five for this week? Why not. Euro 2024 is about to begin, so let’s have some questions relating to earlier UEFA European Championships.

1. Who am I?

I was born in Mâcon, France in 1991. An attacking midfielder, I began my senior career at Real Sociedad before moving to Athletico Madrid. I then moved to Barcelona before returning to Athletico Madrid. I have been capped 129 times for France and I was the top scorer at Euro 2016 as well as being named player of the tournament.

2. Scotland have played in three tournaments over the years but have never progressed from the group stage. Which is the only country to have progressed from the group on every occasion it has played in the tournament?

3. Who is the only English player to have been the highest goalscorer of a tournament?

4. Which country has failed to qualify for the tournament despite making 16 attempts?

5. Of the countries that have made only one appearance in the tournament, which was the most successful, reaching the quarterfinal?

 

There you have it. Have fun trying to work that lot out. As always, try and answer them before shouting out Hey Googly, Syria or Alexis. Please feel free to pass on the link to your pals so that they can enjoy The Grambler’s footy teasers too.

 

.....oooOooo.....

 

Remember the serious message...

As usual (at the risk of repeating myself), I remind you of the main reason for continuing to publish this blog – to raise awareness about bowel cancer. If you have any bowel problems, don’t be fobbed off with the line that you are too young for bowel cancer to be a consideration. Just point your doctor in the direction of (the already mentioned) Never Too Young | Bowel Cancer UK

.....oooOooo.....

 

Please, take a few minutes to watch an informative little video from Mersh (a great friend of Stewart’s).  Click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26HWQXMalX4. The amount quoted is miles out of date. The total raised for the Bobby Moore Fund now stands at...

£76,131

 

…..oooOooo…..

 

And Finally...

And finally, Cyril? And finally, Esther, I am indebted to a Mr. R. Baker who features in this week’s final clip. Yes, Richard Baker, the man known for reading the news. Here’s a did you know. Did you know that he presented the Beeb Beeb Ceeb’s very first television news broadcast on the 5th of July 1954? You didn’t? Well, you do now. But, he did more than just read off a teleprompter. Apart from appearing on, and presenting, a few classical music-related programmes, he also narrated children’s TV programmes such as Mary, Mungo and Midge and Teddy Edward. This makes him sound like quite a serious person, but he must have had a sense of humour, because he made three cameo appearances on Monty Python’s Flying Circus and he appeared in this famous song and dance routine. See if you can spot him.

 

And now for something completely different...

 

That’s all for this week folks, but remember you can read the musings of The Grambler every week (well, most weeks) by going to the blog at www.thegrambler.com where you can also catch up on any previous editions you may have missed.

 

Happy grambling.