A mixed bag

I'm travelling back to newcastle today. I'm standing at reading station as I write this.

So who travels on a Sunday morning?!

From today's results it seems like superheros (no joke- two guys dressed up, fighting on platform 4), families (lots of luggage, quite a few glum faces), and people going to newcastle (or maybe that's just me...)

Adios. :-)

Smiles- the longest word in the dictionary.

Have you ever tried smiling at the people you pass in the street?

I often find as we walk around places, people look gloomy or sometimes even angry.

And it's easy to join in with the frowns and the furrowed brows.

But sometimes as I walk along the street I choose to smile at people as they pass me.

And the effect is amazing- they look surprised and then joyful.

It's like they remember- 'oh yes I HAVE got something to smile about'!

And it fills me with a large amount of joy too!

Why don't you try it?

[The smiles title? There's a mile between the two s'! Thanks to my work mate for this... :-) ]

Adios.

Sometimes

Sometimes a piece of news just grabs you. For me, today, it's the story of the miners trapped in Wales.

As I sit in my warm home, eating some tasty food and listening to classical music on the radio, the closest I feel to the conditions in that mine is the dark, grey, wet weather outside.

But the emotion of that story still makes an impact.

Tragically as the day has gone on the headlines have changed from 'search continues for miners' to 'one miner known to be dead', to two dead, to three. As I write this that is the latest.

Awful.

What it must be like for those men to go to work as normal one day and then face such a terrible series of events, I do not know.

I pray for those men's families and for the remaining miner stuck there and for the people working on the search and rescue operation.

And, although I am sure there are differences, it makes me think about how amazing the rescue of the Chilean miners was.

Well, adios.

'It's back', he said. 'What's back?' she inquired. But when she saw his smile, she knew.

The pitch is set. The stick is shiny. The competitive spirit is eager.

Which means only one thing: the mixed hockey season has officially started!

I usually feel really great on Monday nights. I used to think it was because I was still rested from the weekend- a kind of positive hangover.

Then the hockey season ended and I wasn't so buzzing on a Monday night...

So I was left with the conclusion that it must be the hockey that makes me feel so well.

I think its all those en-dolphins flying around my body...

We won tonight (I think) which was good. I played in what is fast becoming my favourite position of right sided winger.
Zooming up the flank, and then flicking it in to the D for a striker to score.

That is, most of the time I pass it in. Sometimes I try and shoot- seeing the headlines: WYLIE WONDER GOAL SEALS VICTORY, STAR WINGER IN STUNNING HAT TRICK...

:-)

Adios.

It's Longbarn time again!

Ah Longbarn! What a great week- new friends, happy memories, and the smell of wood smoke on my clothes!

I've just arrived back to newcastle now and my head is full of Longbarn moments.

Cooking on a fire, laughing with really cool leaders, managing part of a concert, and throwing myself into some great games (sadly the leaders lost at handball- again).

So many great times- making lush pancakes on a fire near the woods, hilarious one liners from the campers and joking about random things till my cheeks ached!

True a shower will be nice, and eating in a quiet place instead of with 50 kids will be a good rest for my ears but it is sad to have left Longbarn again.

Maybe I'll keep a wood-smoked shirt around just to remind me of it all...

Adios.

Mother's day

I'm going to start this short post about mother's day by talking about fathers.

Strange I know.

But it struck me that our greatest ally on this day to celebrate our mothers are our fathers!

A quick ring- what would she like? A text- is now a good time to call her? An email from him, reminding me about today! Or even an elaborate plot hatched to make sure she will be in the house when a son comes to visit unexpectedly. (Not me this time mum I'm afraid.)

So on this great day for mums let's say a thank you for dads too!

When I was small mother's day involved making breakfast in bed, doing a homemade card, and saying whenever she tried to do some work- oh no let me do that, it's MOTHER'S DAY!

Now I'm away in newcastle many miles from home so even if I wanted to do house work for her it would be a struggle!

Thank you to mums for loving, caring, ploughing (into our lives, not fields), supporting, mentoring and guiding us.

And thank you to my mum for all that and more!

Adios.

Missing a spring? It must be Spring, sprung

As I sit here tired, slightly bloodied and with sand in my feet (from hockey) my thoughts turn to Spring.

Have you noticed the tiny buds on the ends of the branches on the trees? Little teardrops of potential which will burst into colourful brilliance in just a few days.

One tree I saw today had already bloomed. Pink flowers flowed over into the road, a sure sign that Spring is here.


The other thing that shows we're into the second season of the year is the lighter evenings. This was particularly noticeable tonight as we started hockey in the daylight. Lovely.

On another weather related note, have you ever looked straight up into the sky when its raining?

If the rain droplets are coming straight down it looks beautiful. In particular if you look up under a streetlight the light creates a beautiful effect. Something worth doing next time you think of it.

Health warning- your face does end up getting pretty wet however!

Well, I'm not far from home now on the metro but just have time to tell you that this is my 60th post- my diamond post!

So, until next time, the slightly less momentous 61st post, adios.

Malta: truly Mediterranean. Pretty good for defecting Libyan fighter pilots too.

The title refers to an advert I saw on the train...

Ahh the south. Warm, sunny, comfortable. Or maybe that's just what being at home is like.

I have been there for only a short time this weekend after a family party in London, but it was lovely.

Yes it is a Monday, and i'm writing this 'live', so I am indeed on holiday. Which is as pleasant and relaxing as it sounds.

I've been thinking recently about all the goings-on in north africa and the middle east. Here I am, in comfort, writing on my blog and posting things on facebook, but some people in libya or iran or egypt are posting messages covertly about their situation, probably risking their lives in the process.

I've heard it said that the time we should really be concerned is if a revolution starts in saudi arabia. We "have to worry" because it would send oil prices through the roof and we'd pay loads more for petrol.

I'm sorry?

If such a revolution took place people, who are most likely heavily repressed, would be taking an extremely brave stand and saying they have had enough. They may be facing beatings, imprisonment, even death. But the concern here is about how much it costs to fill up our cars?!

Surely we've got something wrong there.

Adios.

It's Monday, so it's hockey.

4-3 to us. I'm clocking up the wins! That's two (or three, the press association doesn't keep a record of Monday night newcastle matches) wins on the spin.

England will soon be calling. :-)

My Monday night adventure

It's a bitter night here temperature wise. I'm waiting to go to hockey.

Birmingham was so good. (See previous post) It was great to see Jono in his 'natural habitat' - at least his natural habitat for half the year.

On the metro train now. Yesterday I was on a metro that would more accurately be described as a sauna on wheels. The heat was intense!

I'm going to be late for hockey which may mean I miss the 'run round the pitch jumping up and down' section.

This is followed by the 'dynamic stretching' section and then drills and then THE GAME. :-)

THE GAME is generally my favourite bit. If you've ever played a game - of any type- with me you'll know I'm very competitive.

And so in THE GAME I put all of my effort in to haring up and down the pitch doing my best to tackle/pass/shoot/block.

----

It's now two hours later.

THE GAME's result? 3-2 to us. :-) With me on the score sheet!

I did miss the run around and stretches but did plenty of drills followed by THE you-know-what. Started off in defence and made a couple of goal line blocks.

Later I switched and went into midfield, collected a cracking pass and whipped the ball into the goal!! :-)

Very pleased.

Off home now to iron some shirts...

Adios

Brum brum brum

Don't get the title of my post? Ah, it's all to do with where I have been for the weekend... England's second city, home to Aston Villa, a large university and, currently at least, home to my brother!

Yes he's there at uni and has hosted me in his great flat for the last 48 hours or so.

It was nice being back in the uni life- relaxing, friends everywhere who can pop in at a moment's notice, or even no notice at all, and brain-bending conversations possible at any point.

And then I remembered the other side of university life- that small matter of the course- when we walked along the corridor of my brother's law department.

Jono (for that is my brother's name) was showing me around his department and the law library.

Just outside is the largest free standing clock tower in Europe! What about big ben I hear you cry?! Ah but big ben is attatched the houses of parliament. The tower in Birmingham stands all on its own - built to remember... oh I'm not going to tell you everything about it, you'll just have to go!

Well it is now late and I am back in the cold north (ha i used to think Brum was pretty north!) and i want to eat something and head to bed.

So thanks Jono for a lush stay in Birmingham- see you there again soon... :-)

Adios