Friday 25 March 2016

Week 34 - The Grambler salutes the Prefab Four


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 https://www.justgiving.com/Geraldine-Smith3 .

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

Similarly, if you haven’t heard it, please listen to Geraldine’s moving radio interview which was on Radio Scotland recently.


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

 

I am indebted to a Mr Todd McGrumble of Blantyre for this week’s (g)ramble. You see, Mr McGrumble reminded me last week that another band of renown can claim to have been ‘helped’ by the subject of week 32’s topic - Sir George of Martin.

Were you a fan of the spoof documentary (mockumentary?), 1984’s This is Spinal Tap? [Is this relevant? - Ed.] Yes it is. Ahem... It is a film which has become something of a cult (I said cult). A lot of its fans believe it to be quite an original concept; a mock-serious documentary about a made-up rock band. Those fans obviously weren’t aware that The comic Strip Presents came up with the idea a year earlier. Bad News was the name of the ‘spoof’ band and a documentary of their nationwide tour was shown on Channel 4.

Evidence that Adrian Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Peter Richardson and Nigel Planer came up with the idea first. Didn’t they? Not necessarily. It is likely that both ‘documentaries’ were in production at the same time, so it isn’t really possible for either camp to claim responsibility for the concept. Whatever. One of the creative forces behind one of these productions can claim to have come up with a really original idea. Yes? Well, no, they can’t.

Time for a little history lesson. Are you sitting comfortably? Then, I’ll begin.

Way way back in the dim and distant past, 1967 [1967? Where is this leading? - Ed.], there was a children’s television programme called Do Not Adjust Your Set. It starred jobbing actors David Jason and Denise Coffey together with three young guys who had never really done any TV work other than writing scripts for programmes like The Frost Report. Who were these three amateurs? Michael Palin, Terry Jones and Eric Idle. The programme consisted of sketches, mainly, and there were some animated sections provided by a chap going by the name of Terry Gilliam. Whatever became of him? Some of the material was pretty surreal and probably lost on kids. There was also a musical section in the show provided by The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band.

As we all know, Messrs. Palin, Jones, Idle and Gilliam progressed to a similar programme aimed at adults when they were joined by Graham Chapman and John Cleese in Monty Python’s Flying Circus. The Bonzos had a number one hit with I’m the Urban Spaceman. Denise Coffey continued in comedy as did David Jason.

After Python closed up shop, the six members of the team went their separate ways, reforming occasionally to make the odd film such as Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The British Broadcorping Casteration knew it was on to a winner with these guys and promptly commissioned some (but not all) of them to come up with their own Post-Python programmes. Michael Palin came up with Ripping Yarns. John Cleese gave us the classic (it says here) Fawlty Towers, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones saw their futures in films. The last of the group, Eric Idle, came up with Rutland Weekend Television, a series ostensibly (That’s a good word; I must look it up.) produced by a small TV company with an equally small budget. It is that programme which brings us to the nub of this week’s (g)ramble. [At last. Thank goodness. - Ed.]

There were just two series of RWT programmes made. There was no specific format to the show, each was just a selection of sketches. One of the more memorable sketches featured a spoof version of the Beatles [Ah, so that’s the George Martin link. - Ed.], renamed the Rutles, who performed songs which were eerily close to the originals (Though not so close as to infringe copyright). This was not so much down to Idle; he was the wordsmith, not the songwriter. The songs were the work of Neil Innes... the same man that penned and sang the number one hit I’m the Urban Spaceman (Remember the Bonzos?)... and he did a mean John Lennon impression.

Idle and Innes realised that there was more to be made of this idea and the two of them set about producing a documentary on the story of the Rutles which ever-so-slightly echoed the story of the Beatles. No, that’s wrong. It completely mirrored the story of the Beatles. All You Need is Cash was the brilliant result. Click here to watch the story of the Prefab Four. Apologies for only being able to find it with German subtitles. I hope it doesn’t spoil your enjoyment.

 

.....oooOooo.....

 

Before we move on to the birthday honours, I was saddened to hear of the death this week of possibly the greatest footballer to ever wear the orange shirt of the Netherlands, Johan Cruyff. He was famous for his ‘total football’ approach to the game. He maintained that the head was the most important part of any footballer’s make-up, the feet were there to carry out instructions from it. Basically, he was a player who thought about what he was doing whenever he was playing - not always the case with other players of that era. He was a very heavy smoker until 1991 when open-heart surgery gave him a ‘wake up call’. He gave up smoking immediately and argued vehemently against the habit thereafter. Sadly, it seems, the damage was done and it was lung cancer that took his life.

So what is my memory of Cruyff? Typically for thegrambler.com it is a bit off the wall. You see, my abiding memory is not of his marvellous playing ability; it does not even feature him per se (Don’t call me Percy.). It relates to Jack Charlton. Sorry pardon excuse me? After his playing career, Charlton became a pundit on ITV’s football programmes. He was a Northumbrian (They can’t touch you for it) and Big Jack had his own way. When commenting after a game featuring Cruyff, the other speakers on the panel knew exactly how to pronounce the various Dutch names. Not Jack. He just said them in his own odd way and this is where my Cruyff memory comes in. Big Jack could never pronounce his name correctly. No matter how often he heard the others say it correctly, he insisted that somehow Johan had changed sex, because he always called him Joanne Cruff.

 

.....oooOooo.....

 

Any birthdays to celebrate this Saturday, the 26th March. As the ‘Oo once said, you better you bet [Were they Italian, then? - Ed.]. Tennessee Williams 1911 (Had a hit with Sixteen Tons [Ernie Ford, surely. - Ed.] Don’t call me Shirley.), Bill Edrich 1916 (Crickety bloke.), Sterling Hayden 1916 (As Jack D. Ripper - geddit? - in Dr. Strangelove, ‘My boys will give you the best kind of start, 1400 megatons worth, and you sure as hell won't stop them now. So let's get going. There's no other choice. God willing, we will prevail in peace and freedom from fear and in true health through the purity and essence of our natural fluids. God bless you all.’ Hm... Not much changed in the past 50 odd years.), Rufus Thomas 1917 (The world’s oldest teenager.), Pierre Boulez 1925 (‘For me, curiosity is life. If you are not curious, you are in your coffin.’), Leonard Nimoy 1931 (Famous as Paul ‘Monk’ Baroni.), Alan Arkin 1934 (A baby sitter.), James Caan 1940 (‘There’s nothing more boring than actors talking about acting.’), Erica Jong 1942 (Shylock’s daughter.), Diana Ross 1944 (A Supreme... A supreme what? Pain in the ar... backside? Backstage staff must not make eye contact with her. Her own staff must call her Miss Ross or Lady Diana. She is said to have sacked her entire entourage after a bad press article about her. Definitely a P.I.T.A.), Steven Tyler 1948 (Singer who can fit a whole baguette in his gob... sideways.), Teddy Pendergrass 1950 (A bluenote.), Didier Pironi 1952 (Racey car bloke.), William Hague 1961 (‘Most of you will be dead in thirty years.’), The Reverand Richard Coles 1962 (A Communard.), Nacho Novo 1979 (Crunchy footy bloke.) and Keira Knightley 1985 (If you’re not careful she’ll bend it like Beckham. Ooh! Nasty!)

 

.....oooOooo.....

 

Let’s move on to grambling matters. How good was last week’s bet? Not very. What happened? We won. Yeah. Pull the other one. No, really. We won. A whole £1.70. Profit. Woo hoo! All is revealed below, fair reader...

 

Barnet vs Oxford Utd - Prediction Away win

Result - Barnet 0 Oxford Utd 3

Yay!

In a goalless first half, Barnet goalkeeper Jamie Stephens was made to work hard to keep Oxford at bay.

But Callum O'Dowda broke through in the second half, slotting in after a defensive error before running through from the half-way line to double the lead.

Barnet's Andy Yiadom had a shot saved by Oxford's Benjamin Buchel before Danny Hylton smashed in the third.

 

Dag & Redbridge vs Accrington - Prediction Away win

Result - Dag & Redbridge 0 Accrington 1

Yay!

Sean McConville nearly gave the visitors a half-time lead, but his firm header cannoned off the crossbar.

With just seven minutes to play, Billy Kee fired home from close range after his first effort was blocked by Dom Hyam to put Stanley ahead.

All together now...

Everybody Stanley

Keep it in the family

They can do the Stanley too...

They’ll like it

 

Stevenage vs Northampton - Prediction Away win

Result - Stevenage 2 Northampton 3

Yay!

Luke Wilkinson met two Dean ‘Pretty Boy’ Parrett corners to score his first two goals for Stevenage, putting them 2-0 up.

A James Collins header and John-Joe O'Toole's stabbed finish either side of half-time brought the Cobblers level.

Fraser Franks was sent off for pulling down Sam Hoskins before Ricky Holmes' sensational 95th-minute strike from the edge of the box won it for Northampton.

 

Forfar vs Ayr Utd - Prediction Away win

Result - Forfar 3 Ayr 1

Boo!

Andy Ryan fired into the top corner to give Forfar the lead but Ayr were level through Ryan Stevenson's strike.

Another Ryan shot gave the hosts the advantage again in the second half.

And Steven Craig finished with his left foot to seal all three points for the home side.

 

Stranraer vs Stenhousemuir - Prediction Home win

Result - Stranraer 3 Stenhousemuir 1

Yay!

Mark McGuigan's calm finish gave Stranraer the lead and Scott Robertson fired home the hosts' second.

McGuigan notched his second from Kyle Turner's assist before the break.

Stenny pulled one back in the second half from the penalty spot, Jason Scotland converting after Craig Pettigrew had fouled Mark Gilhaney.

 

What about this week? It is Easter weekend. And? We mourn the passing of the originator of a religion by mucking about with the football schedules and eating chocolate. Weird. Any road up, in England there are just two senior league games taking place at 3pm on Saturday the 26th of March; most matches take place either on Good Friday or Easter Monday. Luckily, there is a few more taking place in Scotland; fourteen. So, which five has The Grambler randomly selected?

Game - Result - Odds

Alloa vs St. Mirren - Prediction Away win - 8/15

Falkirk vs Livingston - Predication Home win - 4/9

Ayr vs Stranraer - Prediction Home win - 4/5

Clyde vs Arbroath - Prediction Home win - 4/7

East Fife vs Queen’s Park - Prediction Home win - 4/5

If the bets (10 x 20 pee doubles plus 1 x 20 pee accumulator) all go as predicted by The Grambler, the Bobby Moore Fund will benefit to the tune of fanfare please…

£7.55

Not a lot, is it?

.....oooOooo.....

 

Teaser time. Yay! Last week I asked you why Sheffield Wednesday are called the Owls. The answer is simply that the club is based at Owlerton in Sheffield.

One for this week. An easy, but apt, teaser for you this week. How old was Johan Cruyff when he first joined AFC Ajax?

 

…..oooOooo…..

 

Once again, let’s finish with a mention 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 http://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/campaigns-policy/latest-campaigns/never-too-young-campaign

 

…..oooOooo…..

 

And finally, Cyril? And finally Esther, I thought it has been a long time since we finished with a dodgy album cover. This week, I think a bit of spot the difference might be a good idea...

 


The Fab Four

 


The Prefab Four

Or is it the other way round?

Happy Grambling.

 

Saturday 19 March 2016

Week 33 - The Grambler escalating out of control


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 https://www.justgiving.com/Geraldine-Smith3 .

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

Similarly, if you haven’t heard it, please listen to Geraldine’s moving radio interview which was on Radio Scotland recently.


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

 

I hate escalators. I do. I never feel safe on them. It doesn’t help when people put scary films on Farcebook. You know the sort of thing; a child on the escalator traps his welly-clad foot in the gap between the moving steps and the side panel. Luckily, his mum manages to yank the child free by sacrificing the welly boot. I say luckily, because the footage ends with the mum showing the shredded welly to the camera. Of course, this is all staged to highlight such dangers, although, I am sure there are many times the situation actually occurs.

Another film is currently being posted and it is a very scary incident, indeed. This time, it is not being staged; this is real cctv footage. Two small boys (brothers, perhaps?) head for the escalator to take them to a lower level in a shopping mall. The older boy (5ish) jumps on and begins to descend. The younger boy (2 maybe) decides to climb onto the moving handrail which drags him. We see him fall. The film now cuts to the lower level and we see the boy hit the ground and his older brother (and several adults) run to his aid. The film stops at this point, so we don’t see whether the child survives. Given that he had just fallen over 20 feet and landed like a sack of potatoes, you would think it unlikely.

Amazingly enough, the child did survive - I searched to find out the origin of this post. There was more footage showing the ‘action’ from various cameras about the mall. The one thing not shown was an adult looking after these kids. Why on earth was a two year old allowed to run about in a shopping mall?

My own experiences with escalators are not so brutal, but one in particular could have turned out so very differently. It happened at the end of a holiday. Us holidaymakers had been bussed from our holiday hotels to the airport. This particular airport had all its departure gates one floor above ground level and this floor was reached by escalator. With me so far? Good. So fifty would-be passengers pulling their cases behind them all began to go up this escalator. So far, so good. Unfortunately, some dopey old sod, having reached the top of the escalator stood stock still on the top plate while he looked about him to work out which direction he should be going. Meanwhile, anyone who was on the escalator was having to move downwards to avoid a crush. Except, it wasn’t avoiding a crush, as the escalator was pretty full. For what seemed like minutes (but was probably no more than fifteen seconds) all hell was breaking out on the escalator. Those near the bottom were shouting to people not to get on. Those at the top were imploring the old codger at the top to move. Now you know me; I never swear. Well, almost never. I did on this occasion. I was one of the sods near the top trying to back-peddle. My advice to the dithering old fool who was causing this snarl-up on the moving stairs was a succinct (That’s a good word; I must look it up.) ‘F***ing move!!!’

He did move, but the look on his face suggested that he knew nothing about the mayhem behind him. Totally blank. Indeed, he looked at the scene of chaos on the escalator with a look that said - what are they all screaming at? Fn eejit!

It could have been a real disaster. If just one person had fallen, there could have been a very full hospital at that holiday resort (and a busy mortuary too, no doubt). All because some daft old geezer didn’t think to walk away from the escalator before considering his next move.

Ah, you say, why didn’t somebody hit the emergency stop button. The answer is simple; nobody could reach it because of that dopey old tw*t standing in the way!

Apart from the scarier aspects, there are other things I don’t like about escalators. I don’t like that sensation you get when you first step on and your brain and feet are not quite synchronised. It really is a disconcerting moment. My advice is to never step on to a moving stair without gripping at least one of the moving handrails. I also don’t like the step-off moment. Once you are on the move, the brain and limbs are now talking to each other and are operating as a unit, again. Sadly, it is only shortlived, because the end is getting near and meaningful relations between head and feet begin to deteriorate. You start that little preparation dance in readiness for getting off. Your object is clear; you don’t want to trip or otherwise make an a*** of leaving the thing. It never works, though. Admit it. You can never leave an escalator without either breaking into a slight run or tripping over your toes. Either way, your hoped-for ‘cool’ exit doesn’t quite come off.

Another thing that bugs me is this - Why does the handrail move at a different speed to the actual steps? I can get on an escalator and place my hand on the handrail in a comfortable position beside me, but, by the time I reach the top, my hand (still attached to the same spot) is so far ahead of me, I look like Superman in flight. That isn’t so bad going up, but going down it can look really odd.

Perhaps you are thinking that it only happens to clumsy old me. Oh no it doesn’t. I shouldn’t admit to this, but I really enjoy ‘people-watching’ where there is an escalator in view. You should try it. Great fun.

 

 

.....oooOooo.....

 

Any birthdays to celebrate this Saturday, the 19th of March? As Take That once said, sure. David Livingstone 1813 (I won’t mention the fact he was found by Stanley. Instead I will mention how Lake Malawi was originally named by Livingstone Lake Nyasa - Nyasaland being the former name of Malawi. Apparently, he pointed to the lake and asked a local its name. He was told it was Nyasa, so Livingstone called the vast body of water Lake Nyasa. No doubt, when the locals began to get an understanding of English, they would have wondered why Livingstone named the water Lake Lake, because Nyasa is the local word for lake.), Richard Burton 1821 (Not the Welsh actor, although he quite often disguised himself as others such as Mirza Abdullah the Bushri and Haji Abdullah.), Wyatt Earp 1848 (Policeman, county sheriff, deputy US marshall, teamster, buffalo hunter, bouncer, saloon keeper, gambler, brothel owner, pimp, miner and boxing referee. Interesting CV Mr Earp.), Sergei Diaghilev 1872 (Bally good chap.), Albert Speer 1905 and Adolf Eichmann 1906 (Not bally good chaps.), Louis Hayward 1909 (The man in the iron mask.), Tommy Cooper 1921 (Just like that.), Patrick McGoohan 1928 (Be seeing you.), Philip Roth 1933 (He had a complaint with his portnoy.), Ursula Andress 1936 (Dr. No. Bikini. Say no more.), Ruth Pointer 1946 (A sister.), Glenn Close 1947 (Bunny boiler.), Derek Longmuir 1952 (Bay City Roller.), Bruce Willis 1955 (... I won't spoil the ending for you, but he’s a ghost as well.), Terry Hall 1959 (A Special.) and Gary Jules 1969 (Trivia: His cover of Mad World was the only number one for a Tears for Fears song.).

 

.....oooOooo.....

 

Let’s move on to grambling matters. How good was last week’s bet? Not very. What happened? We won 73 pees. Not much, eh? All is revealed below, fair reader...

 

 

Bradford vs Doncaster - Prediction Home win

Result - Bradford 2 Doncaster 1

Yay!

Jamie Proctor headed in Billy Clarke's cross from six yards out to open the scoring.

It was 2-0 when left-back James Meredith got on the overlap and delivered for Proctor to glance in his second header from the near post.

 

Colchester vs Wigan - Prediction Away win

Result - Colchester 3 Wigan 3

Ooh! ‘It the bar!

Yanic Wildschut put the Latics in front but the U's levelled shortly after through Alex Gilbey's 25-yard strike.

Wigan swiftly restored their lead with Ryan Colclough's calm finish, but Colchester negated the winger's effort with Elliot Lee's curling shot.

George Moncur converted a penalty after he was fouled to make it 3-2, but Will Grigg's injury-time goal earned a draw.

 

Bristol Rovers vs Mansfield - Prediction Home win

Result - Bristol Rovers 1 Mansfield 0

Yay!

Matt Taylor shot home at the far post from Cristian Montano's cross just after the hour mark.

But, it took an outstanding Steve Mildenhall save from a late Lee Collins shot to ensure a win.

 

Luton vs Crawley - Prediction Home win

Result - Luton 0 Crawley 1

Boo!

Matt Harrold grabbed the match-winner on 12 minutes with an instinctive finish into the bottom corner.

The hosts could have broken the deadlock early on but midfielder Jonathan Smith's 20-yard effort struck the outside of the post.

Luton missed further chances as Stephen O'Donnell had efforts blocked and saved, while Paul Benson hit the bar.

 

Alloa vs Raith Rovers - Prediction Away win

Result - Alloa 1 Raith Rovers 1

Ooh! ‘It the bar!

Steven Hetherington made the visitors pay by drilling one past Gallacher into the bottom left corner.

But Kyle Benedictus levelled at the death.

 

Oh well, not a great week for The Grambler. Can he/she/it improve this week? [Doubt it. - Ed.]. There are exactly 50 games in the senior leagues kicking off at 3pm this Saturday, the 19th of March, so what five has The Grambler randomly chosen?

 

Game - Result - Odds

Barnet vs Oxford Utd - Prediction Away win - 3/4

Dag & Redbridge vs Accrington - Prediction Away win - 4/5

Stevenage vs Northampton - Prediction Away win - Evens

Forfar vs Ayr Utd - Prediction Away win - 17/20

Stranraer vs Stenhousemuir - Prediction Home win - 4/6

 

If the bets (10 x 20 pee doubles plus 1 x 20 pee accumulator) all go as predicted by The Grambler, the Bobby Moore Fund will benefit to the tune of fanfare please…

£10.45

Hmm... 20 pees less than we didn’t win last week. Is there anything interesting about the number 1045? Well, yes, there is. Did you know that the number 1045 is composed of three prime numbers multiplied together? [Really? How interesting. Yawn. - Ed.] If you multiply 5 x 11 x 19 you get 1045. Isn’t that interesting? [Nope. - Ed.]

.....oooOooo.....

 

Teaser time. Yay! Last week I asked you how many times have Crystal Palace been promoted to the Premiershit since its inception in 1992. The answer is four times. They have actually been in the Premiershit five times having been in the division in its inaugural year. And they still haven’t won a game in 2016.

How about one for this week? We look at a particular club’s nickname for this one. Why are Sheffield Wednesday called the Owls? Try that one down the pub.

 

…..oooOooo…..

 

Once again, let’s finish with a mention 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 http://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/campaigns-policy/latest-campaigns/never-too-young-campaign

 

…..oooOooo…..

 

And finally, Cyril? And finally Esther, I am indebted to a Mr. P. McGoohan for pointing us in the direction of this week’s link to finish. Bear with me here; it’s a bit tenuous [A tenuous link! Ha! - Ed.] Patrick McGoohan, who is on our birthday list, starred in the early sixties in a spy type show called Danger Man. [Is this relevant? - Ed.] He then went on to create a follow-up show featuring (possibly) the same character. This was the cult classic (I said cult.) The Prisoner. It was all a bit weird and surreal...

A high-ranking agent in the British government (McGoohan) resigns from his job and tries to leave for a holiday. While packing he is gassed and is taken to a beautiful ‘prison’ known only as ‘the village’ where people are taken, given a number (McGoohan is Number 6) and are kept there for the rest of their lives if they don't tell Number 2 (the deputy head of the village) the information they have been captured to give.

Each week McGoohan tries to escape and fails. Escape is nearly impossible and there are some rather odd weapons used if anybody does try to escape. Ten foot diameter balloons? Erm, okay. Told you it was a bit weird. The series tells of his attempts to resist the methods used by each Number 2 (I say each, because every week Number 2 is replaced with another if an attempt on No. 6 fails) to get information from him. Each Number 2 tries and fails to crack Number 6 by attempting to get the answer to why he resigned from his job. As time goes on, Number 6, as well as trying to escape, tries to find who is the real leader of this idyllic prison; the myterious Number 1.

It was all filmed in the beautiful ‘village’ of Portmeirion in Wales. It was probably chosen as the location for The Prisoner because, like the village in the series, Portmeirion is not an actual village. Instead it was an expensive ‘folly’ built in the style of an Italian fishing village by designer Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between the years 1925 and 1975. It was never intended as a place to live, but is more a sprawling hotel which just happens to a rather attractive place for tourists to visit.

Now, the band XTC must have been huge fans of the programme, because they recorded many promotional videos for their songs at Portmeirion. Often they dressed in the same kind of outfit worn by McGoohan. So it is with great pleasure I give you this week’s link to one of my own particular XTC favourites - The Meeting Place. Click here and enjoy.

Be seeing you.

 

Friday 11 March 2016

Week 32 - The Grambler salutes the fifth Beatle


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 https://www.justgiving.com/Geraldine-Smith3 .

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

Similarly, if you haven’t heard it, please listen to Geraldine’s moving radio interview which was on Radio Scotland recently.


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

 

Let’s be topical for once. George Martin, who produced much of the output of the Beatles (Whatever happened to them?), has popped his clogs. There have been all sorts of tributes paid to Martin. Hailed as a genius producer, he has even been dubbed the fifth Beatle. It is understandable, I suppose. Without him, would those wunnerful tunes of the Fab Four have been worse or better. I always thought much of their material was ‘overproduced’ (if there is such a word). Much of it was, to my sensitive ears, a cacophany. All You Need is Love? Awful. A dirge that turned into an absolute rabble at the end. Yeah, well done, George. Ditto, Strawberry Fields. A horrible song. Magical Mystery Tour? I am the Walrus? Dreadful. Good production? Pull the other one. However, it was different enough to get noticed. Granted, I didn’t much like the work of the Beatles, but millions did; old George must have had something.

Martin didn’t just produce the work of the Fab Four. Oh no, he was a very busy jobbing producer up to that point. He produced some real classics. There was Jimmy Shand’s 1955 hit Bluebell Polka, Eve Boswell’s Pickin’ a Chicken from the same year, Mandy Miller’s 1956 hit Nellie the Elephant, Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren’s Goodness Gracious Me from 1960, various things by Bernard Cribbens, Charlie Drake, Flanders and Swann, R*lf H*rr*s... The list goes on. Most of what he produced could be classed as ‘novelty’ (aka sh*te). He was certainly not a record producer that had much of a pedigree as a producer of quality music. Why did the Beatles get saddled with him?

I have a theory. Martin was a producer of fluff. The Beatles came along in 1962 and obviously ‘had’ something. I reckon the big wigs at Parlophone took them on but maybe saw them as just another novelty act...

‘Who should we get to produce their work?’

‘Oh, give ‘em to old George; he’ll produce any old rubbish we throw at him. They won’t last. Get him to produce a single for them and that’ll be the end of it. Then he can concentrate on what he does best... Lance Percival is looking for a producer.’

As history attests, the Beatles were no flash in the pan; they had staying power. And George Martin’s production work may have had much to do with that. Suddenly, after years of being given fairly mediocre jobs to do, Martin had a half-decent act to work with. He could actually use his producing skills properly and make something sound very special indeed. As the success of the Beatles grew, other acts came knocking at his door to tap in to his expertise. He became the producer of choice for many. It helped that the Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, had quite a ‘stable’ of other acts, because every one of them would work with Martin. He worked with other acts too, but only occasionally; acts such as Shirley Bassey, Matt Monro, Jeff Beck, Larry Adler, Jimmy Webb, Tom Jones, Neil Sedaka and Ultravox.

I deliberately missed one act out of that list. One of my favourite albums from way back (1973 to be precise) was The Man in the Bowler Hat by a band called Stackridge. It was produced by your man, Martin. Only when reading of Sir George of Martin’s demise, did I realise the fact; obviously I had never thought to read the sleeve notes too carefully. Actually, in a way, it was a return to his roots; Stackridge, though perhaps not a novelty act, were difficult to label; ‘quirky’ sums them up, I suppose. Any road up, no doubt we will be inundated with invitations to hear all the stuff he did with the Beatles. But, hey, this is thegrambler.com. You won’t get any Beatles here. Instead, as an alternative - Ladeez and genullum, I give you Stackridge and The Man in the Bowler Hat. Click here and enjoy an entire album from a much underrated act.

 

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Any birthdays to celebrate this Saturday, the 12th of March? As the Stylistics once told us, bet ya by golly wow. Thomas Arne 1710 (Jingoistic composer responsible for Rule, Brittania and the dirge that is God Save the King/Queen... not that we’ve ever had a king/queen; although Charles the second’s wig was a bit suspect.), Clement Studebaker 1831 (Co-founder of H & C Studebaker Company which built wagons and carriages. After his death the company moved on to building cars. [Yawn. - Ed.]), Charles Boycott 1832 (I’m going to refer to Wikipedia here for the story of how the word boycott entered the English language...After retiring from the army, Boycott worked as a land agent for Lord Erne, a landowner in the Lough Mask area of County Mayo. In 1880, as part of its campaign for the ‘Three Fs’ (fair rent, fixity of tenure, and free sale) and specifically in resistance to proposed evictions on the estate, local activists of the Irish Land League encouraged Boycott's employees (including the seasonal workers required to harvest the crops on Lord Erne's estate) to withdraw their labour, and began a campaign of isolation against Boycott in the local community. This campaign included shops in nearby Ballintrobe refusing to serve him, and the withdrawal of services. Some were threatened with violence to ensure compliance. The campaign against Boycott became a cause celebre in the British press after he wrote a letter to The Times. Newspapers sent correspondents to the West of Ireland to highlight what they viewed as the victimisation of a servant of a peer of the realm by Irish nationalists. Fifty Orangemen from County Cavan and County Monaghan travelled to Lord Erne's estate to harvest the crops, while a regiment of the 19th Royal Hussars and more than 1,000 men of the Royal Irish Constabulary were deployed to protect the harvesters. The episode was estimated to have cost the British government and others at least £10,000 to harvest about £500 worth of crops. So that was a great success, then.), Vaslav Nijinsky 1889 or 1890 (Ballet dancer who seemed to hang in mid air when jumping. When asked how he did it, he replied, ‘Not difficult. You have just to go up and then pause a little up there.’ Erm...), Googie Withers 1917 (Actress with silly name. Cue schoolboy joke. How does a man turn himself into a famous actress? He stands in front of the fire until he’s (his) Googie Withers. See also Rabbie Burns.), Giovanni Agnelli 1921 (Head of FIAT.), Gordon MacRae 1921 (There’s a bright golden haze on the medder.), Jack Kerouac 1922 (King of the Beats.), Gudrun Ure 1926 (Supergran.), Al Jarreau 1940 (Moonlighting.), Liza Minnelli 1946 (That’s Liza with a z.), James Taylor 1948 (One time herion addict. A slaphead, smackhead.), Virginia Bottomley 1948 (Good word to describe Kim Kardashian... ‘I say, you’re looking rather bottomley.'), David Mellor 1949 (Don’t mention Antonia de Sancha or Chelsea football strip.), Jon Provost 1950 (Who? A child actor, he played Timmy in the CBS series Lassie from 1957 to 1964. It seemed to be a TV era made for animals - Champion, Fury, Rin Tin Tin, The Hobo, Flipper, Skippy, Mr Ed - humans barely got a look in.), Ian Holloway 1963 (Footy bloke.), Graham Coxon 1969 (Love travels at illegal speeds. Has worked with...) Pete Doherty 1979 (A libertine.).

 

 

 

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Let’s move on to grambling matters. How good was last week’s bet? Don’t ask. What happened? All is revealed below, fair reader...

 

Reading vs Fulham - Prediction Home win

Result - Reading 2 Fulham 2

Ooh! ‘It the bar!

Moussa Dembele guided in Michael Madl's header to give Fulham the lead but Hal Robson-Kanu levelled from the spot when he was fouled by Fernando Amorebieta.

Just before the break, Reading went in front when Robson-Kanu latched on to Ola John's precise cross to head home.

But Fulham restored parity when Jake Cooper felled Ryan Fredericks and Ross McCormack scored the spot-kick.

 

Crewe vs Burton Albion - Prediction Away win

Result - Crewe 1 Burton Albion 1

Ooh! ‘It the bar! Again!

Crewe seized the lead when Marcus Haber tapped in a rebound in the first significant opening of the game.

Brad ‘I’m free’ Inman then fired at goal from 20 yards, stinging the palms of Jon McLaughlin as Crewe sought a second.

But Lucas Akins grabbed the equaliser for the Brewers when, from Mark Duffy's cross, he turned three Crewe defenders and slotted past Ben Garratt.

 

Wigan vs Peterborough - Prediction Home win

Result - Wigan 1 Peterborough 1

Ooh! ‘It the bar! Blimey, not again!!

Posh's ex-Wigan loan striker Shaq Coulthirst found the net early on, but had his effort ruled out for offside.

Wigan grew into the game, and took the lead when top scorer Will Grigg fired past Stuart Moore for his 16th goal of the season.

Posh levelled with a 30-yard Marcus Maddison free-kick, which went in off the near post to deny Wigan victory.

 

Stevenage vs Portsmouth - Prediction Away win

Result - Stevenage 0 Portsmouth 2

Yay!

Gary Roberts slid a ball through to Marc McNulty, who calmly slotted for his 10th goal of the season as the visitors took the lead.

Tom Conlon went close for Boro, thumping an effort off the crossbar late on.

But it was Kai Naismith who found the crucial goal, firing in after being on the pitch for only 11 minutes.

 

Brechin vs Ayr - Prediction Away win

Result - Brechin 1 Ayr 0

Boo!

The hosts started brightly in a half of few chances, Liam Watt shooting over and player-manager Darren Dods heading straight at goalkeeper Greg Fleming.

Brechin keeper Graeme Smith fumbled an effort from Jamie Adams before tipping away Jordan Preston's strike.

They proved crucial interventions as Robert Thomson headed home Watt's cross for the winner.

 

So not a bean back this week. Rubbish or what? Oh well, let’s see if The Grambler can make amends this week? There are 49 senior games kicking off on Saturday the 12th of March at 3pm; what five has he/she/it randomly selected for us?

Game - Result - Odds

Bradford vs Doncaster - Prediction Home win - 10/11

Colchester vs Wigan - Prediction Away win - 3/4

Bristol Rovers vs Mansfield - Prediction Home win - 10/11

Luton vs Crawley - Prediction Home win - 3/4

Alloa vs Raith Rovers - Prediction Away win - 4/5

 

If the bets (10 x 20 pee doubles plus 1 x 20 pee accumulator) all go as predicted by The Grambler, the Bobby Moore Fund will benefit to the tune of fanfare please…

£10.65

Did anything interesting happen in 1065? Apart from the consecration of Westminster Abbey, not a lot has been recorded. That wasn’t the current abbey building; it wasn’t started until 1245 and was finished in... Can you hazard a guess? 1517! Flippin’ cowboy builders...

‘Sorry mate. Can’t get the delivery we were promised for thursday.’

‘Oh dear. When do you think it will be finished?’

‘Ooh... You’re looking at 272 years, mate.’

 

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Teaser time. Yay! Last week I asked you who was the first manager to win the League Cup twice. The answer is Joe Mercer. As manager of Aston Villa, he won the inaugural League Cup competition in 1961. Despite suffering a stroke in 1964 (and subsequently being sacked by Aston Villa’s board of directors on his recovery; b******s!) he went on to great success managing Manchester City and won the league cup for the second time in 1970.

One for this week? How many times have Crystal Palace, a Premiershit side who have yet to win a league game in 2016, been promoted to the Premiershit since its inception in 1992?

 

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Once again, let’s finish with a mention 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 http://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/campaigns-policy/latest-campaigns/never-too-young-campaign

 

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And finally, Cyril? And finally Esther, I am indebted to a Mr. P. Sellers for this week’s final links. Plural. I said I wasn’t going to give you any Beatles’ links, but I finish this week’s edition of thegrambler.com with some unusual takes on their work. In 1965, he released a single of the Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night backed by Help!. Both were spoken rather than sung. Help! was read in the style of an old vicar reading a sermon. A Hard Day’s Night was delivered as Laurence Olivier at his most hammy. I thought them both hilarious at the time. Not sure if they have stood the test of time, but that won’t stop me giving you the links. For A Hard Day’s Night click here and for Help! click here. Hope you enjoy them.

Happy Grambling.

 

Friday 4 March 2016

Week 31 - The Grambler asks the questions


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 https://www.justgiving.com/Geraldine-Smith3 .

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

Similarly, if you haven’t heard it, please listen to Geraldine’s moving radio interview which was on Radio Scotland recently.


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

 

What can I say? People’s generosity astounds me sometimes. Last weekend saw the third annual Grambler’s Kick Cancer’s Backside Fund quiz. It was organised by Stewart’s friends and raised £2815 for the Bobby Moore Fund. Brilliant or what? [For once I agree; definitely brilliant. - Ed.] That means that our fundraising since Stewart’s death has raised over £30,000 for the Bobby Moore Fund - a charity which Stewart used to say was close to his heart; and his bowels.

His mates did a great job of organising the evening. MC Mersh (Please take the time to read his own terrific blog meatfilledpastries.com) was excellent at holding it all together. Mrs G provided a sumptuous buffet. Geraldine worked hard to keep the scores in order. The quizmaster... Aye, well, mm.

You see, I made a bit of a boo boo. At some point before the quiz took place, I foolishly said that I would be happy to be the quizmaster if they couldn’t get anyone else. Big mistake. You know who the quizmaster was, don’t you?

I have run quizzes before and it didn’t seem that difficult. The difference was that the quizzes I had previously been involved with, had about 20 people at them split into five or six teams. 150 people people split into almost 40 teams was a little bit different. When it comes to marking, five or six teams is easy peasy; tick tick tickety tick - done. 40 teams? A wee bit harder. Between rounds of the quiz there were lots of fun fundraising activities going on. I missed them all, as did Geraldine, because we were feverishly marking all the quiz forms from the previous round. At the end of the evening, we were utterly drained.

Next time (if, indeed, there is a next time) we will know to organise ourselves a bit differently to give us less work. Ah, you are saying, of course there will be a next time; it’s an annual quiz. that may be so, but it doesn’t follow that I will be approached to be quizmaster. I foresee the response the next time I volunteer as being, ‘Thanks, but no thanks.’

I wasn’t absolutely terrible [Just a bit terrible, then. - Ed.]. However, there were some moments when I wished that somebody was in my place. Other times, I thought it went fairly well, especially if I elicited a laugh or two...

One of the questions in the TV round was - What did contestants have to hold if they got a question wrong on Crackerjack (All together now - CRACKERJACK!)? The answer was a cabbage. However, as soon as I asked the question, I realised that if someone had a particularly filthy sense of humour [Nearly everyone, surely. - Ed.], there could be some rude answers to that one. And don’t call me Shirley. A team of ladies near me began to giggle uncontrollably and I knew that they had, indeed, spotted the possibility of a filthy answer. I was rather chuffed with my own response... ‘As far as I’m aware, Jimmy Saville was never on Crackerjack.’

Maybe you had to have been there to appreciate that one, but it got a laugh.

One thing I did dread though, was the curse of quizmasters the world over - the possibility that an answer you gave was actually wrong. I’ve seen it happen many times and it is a wee bit embarrassing for the question setter. I recall one years ago where the quizmaster had a whole round dedicated to converting decimal coinage into pounds, shillings and pence. Shouldn’t be a problem for most people, as long as they knew that one new penny (as they were called in the seventies) was equivalent to 2.4 old pennies. Thus, sixpence equalled two and a half new pence, a shilling was five new pence. The problem was that the quizmaster who had set the questions thought that one new penny was one point two of the old variety. Oh dear. Egg on face. A whole round wasted.

Obviously, I checked and rechecked my answers and was sure I had them correct. You know what is coming, don’t you? So, for any Doctor Who fans out there, remember this: Paul McGann played the good doctor; not his brother, Mark. As a certain Mr. H. Simpson might say, Doh!

 

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Any birthdays to celebrate this Saturday, the 5th of March? As Doris once said perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. William Beveridge 1879 (Nothing to do with any form of drink. He was a social reformer whose report of 1942 Social Insurance and Allied Services served as the basis for Britain’s post-war welfare state. There you go. Educational this blog is.) [You’re getting ‘educational’ confused with ‘boring’ - Ed.], Rex Harrison 1908 (Misogynist.), Momofuku Ando 1910 (Who? He was a Japanese inventor. He invented possibly the greatest product in the whole of the 20th century. Wow, that must be something ultra special, you may be saying. It is indeed. He invented the pot noodle. Take that Jems Vacuum-Cleaner! Known for their amusing ads, the current one is worth a watch - Click here), Pier Paulo Pasolini 1922 (I may be an unbeliever, but I am an unbeliever who has a nostalgia for a belief.), Jack Cassidy 1927 (David Cassidy’s dad... Erm... That’s it.), Erik Carlsson 1929 (Car racey bloke. Stirling Moss’s brother in law.), Dean Stockwell 1936 (Child ectaw. His dad provided the voice of Prince Charming in Disney’s Snow White.), Canaan Banana 1936 (President of Zimbabwe before Robert Rhubarbi.), Samantha Eggar 1939 (Easter bunny), Hugh Scully 1943 (Dog belonging to someone called Hugh.), Murray Head 1946 (Hangover.), Clodagh Rodgers 1947 (Come back and shake her.), Eddie Grant 1948 (He doesn’t want to dance.), Richard Hickox 1948 (Wild Bill’s lad.), Elaine Paige 1948 (Trivia: Received £260 for her role in the comedy/porn film Confessions of a Plumber’s Mate in 1978.), Penn Jillette 1955 (New product from the razor blade firm.), Mark E. Smith 1957 (Hip priest.), Andy Gibb 1958 (Not a Bee Gee.), Charlie and Craig Reid 1962 (Superfan David Tennant describes their work as ‘the most spectacular, big-hearted, uncynical, passionate songs.’ Can’t disagree with that. Enjoy their most famous song by clicking here) and Matt Lucas 1974 (I mean yeah but no but yeah but no.),

 

 

.....oooOooo.....

 

Let’s move on to grambling matters. How good was last week’s bet? We won. And made a profit. Two weeks running. Woo hoo! £1.49. Even better than last week. What happened? All is revealed below, fair reader...

 

 

Leicester vs Norwich - Prediction Home win

Result - Leicester 1 Norwich 0

Yay!

Substitute Leonardo Ulloa slid in at the far post to convert Marc Albrighton's cross at the end of an otherwise limp Foxes display.

Norwich earlier had the better chances, Cameron Jerome heading wide and Nathan Redmond off target from distance.

 

Bolton vs Burnley - Prediction Away win

Result - Bolton 1 Burnley 2

Yay!

After a dour first hour David Jones was caught in possession and substitute Gary Madine's low cross was slotted home from close range by Liam Feeney.

Andre Gray tapped in a leveller after goalkeeper Paul Rachubka had done well to keep out his initial effort.

And the former Brentford man grabbed his 20th of the season with a tremendous strike in the 85th minute, racing on to Fredrik Ulvestad's pass before hitting an unstoppable shot.

It looked like the Clarets were going to leave the Macron empty-handed after Feeney tapped home, but Gray's double in 11 minutes gave them an 18th league win of the season.

 

Charlton vs Reading - Prediction Away win

Result - Charlton 3 Reading 4

Yay!

Yann Kermorgant put Reading ahead after heading in Ola John's cross but Sanogo levelled after Marco Motta teed him up.

The Royals led again when Hal Robson-Kanu cut back for Kermorgant to curl in, before John slipped home for 3-1.

Sanogo, on loan from Arsenal, then headed his second before tapping in for his hat-trick, only for Deniss Rakels to win it for Reading in stoppage time.

 

Crewe vs Barnsley - Prediction Away win

Result - Crewe 1 Barnsley 2

Yay!

Crewe went in front when defender Jon Guthrie deflected in Marcus Haber's effort.

Barnsley levelled after Sam Winnall fired in from Conor Hourihane's corner.

Alfie Mawson won the game for the Tykes with a 20-yard free-kick after the hour, finding the top corner beyond Crewe goalkeeper Ben Garratt.

 

Hartlepool vs Northampton - Prediction Away win

Result - Hartlepool 0 Northampton 0

Ooh! ‘It the bar!

Hartlepool's Luke James fired the game's first chance wide, as they took the fight to the League Two leaders.

Northampton had to rely on committed defending to keep the hosts at bay, with James and Billy Paynter having efforts blocked.

Paynter went close to winning the game when his effort deflected wide but Northampton held on for a point.

 

So close to a full house there. Can The Grambler do it for a third week on the trot? Make a profit, that is. In the words of Doris, perh... Oh, I’ve done that one. All right then. In the words of a Mr K. Dalgleish... mibbees aye, mibbees naw. There are 51 senior league games kicking off around the country on Saturday, the 5th of November, at 3pm. Which five have been randomly selected by The Grambler?

Game - Result - Odds

Reading vs Fulham - Prediction Home win - 19/20

Crewe vs Burton Albion - Prediction Away win - 13/20

Wigan vs Peterborough - Prediction Home win - 7/10

Stevenage vs Portsmouth - Prediction Away win - 4/5

Brechin vs Ayr - Prediction Away win - 4/6

If the bets (10 x 20 pee doubles plus 1 x 20 pee accumulator) all go as predicted by The Grambler, the Bobby Moore Fund will benefit to the tune of fanfare please…

£9.42

9.42. An interesting or boring number? Interesting. Yes, it is. Think of time. 18 minutes to 10. Why is it interesting? Every advert used for the iPhone has the gadget set at 9.42. Honestly. The reason given is that this is the very time the device was first launched. Well, whadder you know!

 

.....oooOooo.....

 

Teaser time. Yay! Last week I asked you who was the last English manager to win the UEFA Cup/Europa League. The answer is Keith Burkinshaw, the manager of Tottenham Hotspur in their 1984 UEFA Cup-winning season.

One for this week? In the week that saw Man City win the Capital One Cup (formerly known as the League Cup), here is an apt question for you. Who was the first manager to win the League Cup twice? Try that one down the pub without resorting to Googlie.

 

…..oooOooo…..

 

Once again, let’s finish with a mention 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 http://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/campaigns-policy/latest-campaigns/never-too-young-campaign

 

…..oooOooo…..

 

And finally, Cyril? And finally Esther, I am indebted to Messrs. R. Corbett and R. barker for this week’s finishing item. Many people cite the ‘four candles’ as being the funniest thing the Two Ronnies ever performed. I, however, disagree [You would. - Ed.]. The item I have selected is quite apt given that we had our annual fundraiser quiz this week. Ladeez and genullum, please click here for the Mastermind sketch.

Happy Grambling.