Posted on by bereavedandbeingasingleparent · 21 Comments

Well that was close….

Finally had a trip to see the local Rugby League team. Perennial game underdogs and lower league residents, but this year, they are in The Super League. We chose an ‘easy game’ against a truly massive club, a team who have won the world club challenge cup 5 times. In contrast the local club has basically never won anything apart from maybe a couple of best half time pie contests.

Can you guess from the big screen, which team is the perennial underdogs and which one are the 5 times world champions.

Yep, the local team got properly hammered…. At one stage it was going to be a record breaking loss. One hopeful local supporter kept shouting ‘BELIEVE, we can still win this….”

Whisper it, York must have listened to him, they had a mini late fight back. Given another 3 days, they might have even won. 😂😂😂

Posted on by bereavedandbeingasingleparent · 19 Comments

Dress Up

That was a bit of a downpour….

Several decades ago, it was similarly wet when the University Rugby Team I was playing for travelled to Oxford for a cup game. What a mud bath. Damp must have got into my system as our huge shed of a Prop and the normally mild mannered ME decided to have a fight with the Opposition Front Row. The end result 5 SENT OFF including ME.

Our team operated a FORFEIT system for disciplinary breaches. The Coach had acquired a huge pack of adult party cards listing various odd punishments. My punishment was to ‘Taste Perfume’. Talk about Eye Watering. Trust me with some of these forfeits, I got off lightly.

On this occasion, my fellow miscreant was forced with his Forfeit Card to dress up for a day. He walked about the campus and city centre dressed as a GIANT PARROT. Biggest Bird you have ever seen. Very impressive and yet a nightmare for him. The costume cost him a fortune to buy, it was heavy, uncomfortable and almost impossible to do anything in. At one stage he even got stuck in some revolving doors and caused a bit of a scene in the local supermarket. He had a truly miserable day.

But here’s the thing. He misheard the challenge. He was supposed to dress up for the day as a PIRATE. No one had the heart to tell him. I guess it was his way of Expressing Himself.

The EXPRESS YOURSELF Great Bloggers Bake-off is THIS WEEKEND….

If you fancy having a culinary go either wonderfully well or worryingly woefully, you can send photos of your creations or monstrosities to

crushedcaramel@gmail.com

Check out Mel’s wonderful site for more information and the latest baking creations. 

Express Yourself In Baking Form

YOU KNOW IT MAKES SENSE

Posted on by bereavedandbeingasingleparent · 64 Comments

Cold

It’s cold. Bracing on the hairy knees.

I remember my old grizzly rugby coach during those freezing cold evening midweek training sessions. Shouts of

“It’s like summer”

“Stop whinging, a bit of frost bite is good for the soul”

“Your not a southerner GET THOSE #£###%%@@@ GLOVES OFF…”

If you were found wearing gloves, hats or even a training top it meant trouble.

“Take them #@@@%%#### OFF and do 20 press-ups, then sprint round the pitch twice”

Today looking over the fence at the ice I definitely won’t be running round the pitch or doing press-ups. Will just grasp my hot drink just a little tighter. Think of memories. Many good ones. Some sad ones. It’s no surprise that the sad ones make me feel just a little bit colder.

I can remember walking across a field just after I had lost my partner. Wandering aimlessly across a snow covered field having just dropped our son off at school. Looking back and only seeing one set of tracks.

Yep grasp that hot cup just a little bit tighter.