Bert Trautmann..what a fella....

Just watched an amazing documentary on the goalkeeper Bert Trautmann. He was a German goalkeeper who played for Man City in the 50's and 60's. He fought in the war until he was captured by the English and made a POW. Then he turned his hand to football and ended up playing in goal at Wembley. A match in which he subsequently broke his neck during a vigorous tackle without knowing it!! He carried on playing even making more brilliant saves and they won the cup. He was patted on the back by the fans after the match unaware that one hard pat could've killed him.

About 2 weeks later he had Xrays and they discovered this injury and he underwent the available procedures etc and mada full recovery and even went on in the future to play again. What an amazing story and a great goalie. Whats even more amazing is that loads of English supporters absolutely loved this German, bearing in mind that this was a time when we were at war with Germany. Incredible.

The horror, of parents evening....

                                                                             

Ok, so it's that evening that many a parent fears...parents evening. Ok, maybe I'm being a tad melodramatic but it's not the most comfortable of situations. Our last one involved the head teacher and our son's y6 form teacher too. Our 10 year old had to present to us a powerpoint presentation about his work and we have to sit there looking impressed while we are really sitting there getting  really embarrassed and trying to not let my grumbling  tummy noises disrupt the merriment. We want to complain that he doesn't do his homework well enough, doesn't write neatly enough, doesn't get enough homework, doesn't focus enough but no, we sit there and gush and say how positive we feel about it all. Reminds me of story about two parents about to go into a parent consultation with the head,
Mum-'Well, what do we ask ?'
Dad- 'We just ask if they feel our son is coping well with academia'
Mum-' I think he copes better with cashews'' Enuf said......

An inflatable bowel....

Today at the Harlequin centre, Watford, I had the unenviable option to actually walk through a gigantic inflatable bowel to highlight the dangers of bowel diseases. I decided against venturing through this pit of doom...unsurprisingly.

Red Nose Day Again....

Here we go again...minor comedic personalities and K list celebrities?Nobodies doing such humorous antics for Comic Relief day. Must admit I did quite enjoy the Let's Dnce competition which James and Charlie won with their tap routine, quite good really rather than funny. Very entertained by Russell Kane as Beyonce and Noel Fielding as Kate Bush,both were frighteningly good,a bit too good in fact,they both looked very much at ease in the guise of these women.Wasn't overly amused by the slightly too portly looking Ade Edmondson recreating the dying swan (seems that the swan should've swam a few more circuits of the river before he carked it)
My kids school wanted us to dress up the kids in something funny today, I suggested they consulted my other half's alarming wardrobe, that contains many a funny item....instead we chose the easier route of Tiger with an expertly marvellous looking face painting job by myself and a Red Cross on the head of my 10 year old..not bad eh??

I miss my tennis....

Having played the great sport of tennis since the age of 9, I come to the conclusion that I miss it terribly due to a very annoying back muscle problem that seems to keep afflicting me.

lets just go to the bar.....

I'm no Ivana Kopalotover or whatever the name is or the brilliantly named Elena Smashnova! but i could darn well hit a ball well when I wanted to and have won many a trophy and tournament over the years.
So, back to the back, it hurts. Thats about it basically, because I don't want to get all ailmenty on you because I'm sure there are far more interesting things you'd like to hear. Have to admit though, these inter club matches that I have played over the years are sometimes a very big chore and personally not very enjoyable. Some of the old Grotbags,nutcases,menopausal maniacs and stroppy 16year old madams that I have come across make me feel like running for the hills in terror but alot of the time the women are ok,,they sneer and spout poison on the court, but when the match is over they can't do enough for you. 'Can I buy you a drink?' they'll lovingly enquire, my response, 'yes, I'll have a quadruple vodka and orange and ten bags of cheese n onion please'...oh, was I meant to just have a diet coke? Well, it takes that amount of alcohol just to obliterate the fact that you just pummelled me on the court and laughed while you did it, but hey, all's fair in love, war and tennis, just make it Smirnoff not some cheap rubbish!!

The Clock Stopped..

Oops, so the Olympic clock gave up did it?? Not the biggest tragedy in the world if you compare recent events but even so, a bit of a blooper  for Seb and Boris. What would we say to Usain Bolt say if the timer on his 100m dash decided to not work? ..'oh sorry old boy, can we just do that one again?' don't think so sunshine. So Boris's response was, 'we don't need a clock to tell us how long it is until the Olympics' if that's the case then why have we got one in the first place?? Funny really, just remember people..Keep Calm and Carry On...

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