the one where I wave bye to my friend (again)

I have a bit of a 'thumpy' head this morning as I had a tad too much champers last night ( yes on a school night too).

BKOTF ( black knight of the Ferrari) tipped up with the most amazing vegan food ( which he had his former chef of the bar/bistro he used to own, whip up). It was amazing and washed down with a bottle of Perrier Jouet ( non vintage!!! skinflint!!).
In case you are interested we had,

Mixed hors d'oeuvres ( olives, marinated artichokes, stuffed vine leaves and mini veg kebabs)

Gilled Mediterranean with bean mash and harissa cous cous

Coconut cashew rice  pudding

I have to say that it was flipping lovely and a very thoughtful idea.

And today he is packing the remainder of his necessities as he heads off to the Caribbean for......................well for as long as he wants really.

He still won't leave me the car though!!!

But back to yesterday, rain played havoc all over the place

The match at Headingley, between Yorks and Pakistan A was called off, the match at Marton was called off and there was rain at the  ODI , it had jolly well better stop before the weekend or I could be chuffing cross!

And talking ODI this is what happened.
Sri lanka hit 305-5 in 42 overs
rain affected play and the D/L ( you know the equation by now) came into force.

England took to the crease with Jason Roy hitting  162 the second highest score by an English batsman in an ODI.
Joe Root found his form and hit 65 and Jonny B was on an unbeaten  29 when they won the match and the series.
Well done those boys.

Tonight I am boarding the 'Funky bus' as Mr Funky the chauffeur and I head off to Chester le Street to see Durham take on the Worcestershire Wonder Boys  in a T20 match.

I know that the chances of seeing Commndo boy  are as slim as the chances of him wearing any undies,but he might be 'water boy' so worth a look out.

My Yorkshire boys are not in action until tomorrow when it is 'The Roses' match. Oh to be on the  Western Terrace!

Right off to the office and do some work...........................yes I am actually doing something other than shouting at boys, filing my nails and looking pretty!

Midweek and lots to do .

Well it is Wednesday and I have a list as long as my legs to do before I head off on my holibobs to Scarbados on Saturday.

I have now sort of recovered from having my eyebrows 'threaded' although I do have a bald patch from sneezing mid 'thread' and the girl ripping out a chunk of eyebrow, ah well a bit of pencil should fill that in and I don't mean an 8B either, although looking at some of the woman walking round at the moment it looks as if they have  used this instead  of something from Rimmel!


News came through yesterday morning that TLJL had injured his ankle the previous day and was being assessed!
What is going on with my  boys? at this rate I will be packing my kit bag for the weekend and padding up  on Sunday!
Hope Middx don't lose a bowler and call in El Presidenti, I have faced him in the nets before! the bruise on my thigh looked as if the ball was embedded under the skin, having taken on a dark red/ purple hue, complete with seam marks!!!

I have now nearly bitten my nails to the quick and waiting on  news from HQ.

I tell you, I am applying for the job of Yorkshire Nurse/Matron.

A few dabs of the 'magic sponge' would get those boys back on the field.
Yep I am sending off my CV as we speak!
Since the disappointment of waking up to realise that the job I was starting as 'Supporter Liaison was just a dream, I am hoping that the needs of a 'matron; on board with the team will be taken up very quickly with Yorkshire. Well it kept 'public schoolboy' in check for years so I am sure that it is a viable position.

I am sure that you realise that all this waffling means that I cannot find a shred of interesting cricket news  i.e Yorkshire, and I am just trying to fill the page!


There is the ODI today which will start after lunch so I can tune in  on't wireless and drown out the wails of the office boys singing.

News on my friends, friend who is in the about to be released  'Ab Fab film, all outfits sorted but not without drama, as he turned up distraught that his partner would not allow him to buy a kitten (one of those bald things and not your average moggy). It proved hard to get the whole ensembles put together, due to tears and tantrums, because in those immortal  words, ' his heart wasn't in his feather'

Ahh if only my life was that complicated!


Until tomorrow

Weekend plans now set in stone

So the weekend plans are now set in stone as it gets nearer to meeting up  with El Presidenti and First Lady of Middlesex ( POM & FLOM).  thoughts are now turning to getting the  suitcase packed. Oh my  goodness I may have to take a days holiday to sort that out!

There are however a few days before I have to think about that and I also have some other plans afoot! Hopefully there will be some good news for me in a day  or two. It's all going on.

And was it all going on at Headingley yesterday?

Well  Azeem Rafiq seemed to be showing why he had signed a new contract with Yorkshire as he took 3 wickets, Pakistan A were 95 runs ahead at close of play.

However the' big boys' outing to Sheffield for a T20 friendly has been cancelled due to the  weather conditions making the pitch not really good enough to play. The match has been rescheduled for next season.

Tomorrow evening they are at Marton Cricket Club, former recipient of my cricket teas.
Good luck over there.

Last night saw some very busy knitting  activity here at the chateau as I was finishing off a couple of orders that needed to be dispatched this week.

And then I watched the final episode for this season  of  Game of Thrones.....................well now 10 month wait to see how that all pans out!

Yesterday was a mahooosively busy day in the office and a slow day in all other parts.

Today I am awaiting two phone calls and also need to do some shopping in advance of the weekend.

Sorry its a short and boring one today, I tell you if there is no significant crickety news soon I will have to resort to making it up!


Thought for the day,


' You can;t please all the people, all the time.

So just please yourself'

Monday again!!! Where did the weekend go?

well I was woken this morning at around 3.30am by the Blackbirds having a karaoke outside my bedroom window! I am not sure what they were singing but it was some noise!.
What the flip were they doing up at that time, for the love of dogs, I need every minute of beauty sleep I can get!.

It was however not what I needed for the start of my week at Super Swanky Lady lainey office and all that will entail.

Back to yesterday.

Yorkshire put out a young side in their match against Pakistan A at Headingley, with only TLJL and Will Rhodes being regular troopers. However a name to remember emerged with opener Eliot Callis  hitting 87. Great knocks by T:LJL and  Azeem Rafiq helped to steady the ship and at stumps they were 248-3.

Good to see the youngsters getting a look out and some upcoming talent shining through.

The ODI against Sri Lanka started well, I was in the kitchen bottling 'elderflower champagne' whipping up a batch of chickpea patties and generally making a lot of mess, as I was listening on TMS.
Current media favourite Liam Plunkett took  3-46 and Jonny B took some great catches seeing the visitors on  248-9 in their 50 overs.

However only 4 overs were bowled for England before rain stopped play and eventually forced the match to be abandoned.
I ,by this time had to turn off TMS as I could not bear any more of Graham Swans overly inflated views of himself as well as, what he thought were witty remarks about his fellow commentators, laughing at your his 'jokes' and generally coming over as a complete buffoon.

Dame Didi tipped up for a cup of tea before going to see besty friend Francesca for some 'alternative therapies'.

All the washing got done, some little jobs that had been put on hold were finished and by bedtime I felt that I had accomplished something.


And today, well no doubt the office will be full of love and laughter..........................and in the real world, there will be frayed tempers and lots of swearing ( not by me you understand)


Have a great Monday, remeber its one day closer to the weekend!

What time is it???

Look at the time!!!!!

And I have just crawled out of 'mon lit'!!!! ( well not actually 'just' as I have stripped the beds, put bedding in washing machine and made a coffee).
Why am I so late????


Well it all began at 8pm last night.....................

My besty friend Sharron  had said she would call me, and she did on the chimes of 8, and we settled down to put the cricket world to rights ( and the knitting, sewing, food preserving world, too). Yes by 8.00.30pm we were in full girly flow........................and continued to be so until well after 1 am!!!!!!

We go some on the chatter front, us Yorkshire girls!!!
Highlights of the call were

1. The need to rush off to Bradford to purchase shot silk offcuts!

2. deciding to marry off my cousins 3rd son to the daughter of the England captain ( Archie & Elsie Robinson!, believe me it was hysterical at 11.30pm and 3/4 bottle of fizz)

3. Her having to be the PA this afternoon for her chum who is going to the 'Ab Fab' premier as he is in the film, as his 'alter ego'. So she is doing the choosing of 'nude heels', lipstick how many feathers he should have, and which sequined dress would be appropriate for the 'after' party. As you can tell he is not going dressed in anything from 'Top Man'

4. Having a jolly good chat about our beloved Yorkshire.

And so now I am trying to get back to the world of Sunday and getting 'stuff' done until it is time for the ODI to start, and it's not long.

I also have to bottle the elderflower 'champers' which is now good to go into the bottle and I am hoping that I can get another batch under way pretty quickly.

Yesterdays T20 between Hampshire and  Gloucestershire which was due to be televised, was abandoned without a ball being bowled.


Today and most nights this week,  my boys are involved in 'friendlies' so lets hope that these go well for them, in the build up to next weekend.
Yes this time next week I will be trundling over the Moors to Scarbados.

And so without further ado, I bid you all farewell for today as I have to get everything sorted  ready to settle down in a couple of hours for a day of cricket.

I know how to spoil myself.

Thought for the day.

'Don't be bitter

Spread some glitter'

keeping busy

And Saturday begins with the sound of the washing machine, the dishwasher and me banging away on the keyboard.

I  have managed to get  a bit done and very shortly I am off to the tip to get rid of garden waste, before I drop off bags at the charity shop. Yes it's all go here and I  intend to get as many jobs done as possible, including getting rid of 'stuff' by putting it on ebay ( again).


so how much did I get done last night.................................

chuffing none of it because I headed to Chester le street with my trusty sidekick 'Dynamo  Dom' yes we were sitting on different sides of the fence but had a flipping good chortle along  the way!

The weather was looking OK apart from some tiny drops of rain that were falling, we were on the look out for 'Chester the Lion' who always makes me laugh, he appeared to have taken a shine to a lady sitting near us he was after her phone number judging by the signs he was making.

We settled down to watch 'my boys' go into bat................................the children sitting behind  us with the 'bangy things' became more annoying by the minute.

Lyth went very quickly, closely followed by teeny tiny kiwi Kane, and it took Alex Lees and then TLJL to steady the ship.
TLJL was heading towards his half century, I was  biting my nails, and then on 48 he was gone! The sound of my sobs echoing around the ground!

Short of their 20 overs my boys were all out for 134.

Jane popped over for a quick chat and that cheeky monkey, Alan ( besty sushi pal) was telling everyone on twitter that 'momma Bairstow' was in the ground, with a hazy shot of moi!

The sky was taking on a strange colour , dark blue/black  and it was not looking too promising. Durham went into bat and were 68-3 when we all got pelted by hail stones!!
We ran for cover and then met up with Dan and Rick, who had come up from Leeming and Leeds respectively.

Much chatter ensued and the rain came and went but the match was eventually called off.

And yes, the  'Jack and Vera' came into action. being a Friday night the equation to find the winner of the match was, how many pints Jack had in the Rovers at lunch and up to 7pm, divided by how many rollers Vera had put in her hair over at the salon. added to the square root of  how many 'barm cakes' were sold in  'Roys Rolls' between 12 & 1pm.

Sadly the result was that Durham won by 6 runs using the D/L method

A big thank you to Dom for keeping me company, to Dan for giving me a stern 'talking to' the other day and pulling me out of my 'Yorkshire grump', and to Rick who despite being on a stag do, came down to meet up with us.

A great evening even if the result was not the one I wanted.

And no one can say that the boys didn't try.

Welcome to F(ryan)day

and finally its the end of the week, and I have only 7 hours until I go home and  get on with the  chores,

1.Mowing the extensive grounds of the Chateau

2. Getting at least 2 loads of washing done

3. possibly making a start painting the railings around the Deer Park.

4. Fill the car with things for the charity shop and the tip in the morning.


Yes its time to knuckle down and get some real work done.

I am hoping that by Sunday I will have made an impression on the railings, start on   hundreds of jobs that have been on hold, and now I have all the summer to do them in.

Yesterday Britain voted whether to stay in the EU or get out. The high spot of my voting was going back to my infant school and standing in the dining hall/gym/assembly hall to put my cross in the box. ah yes the afternoons of being the 'flickering flame' and the bitter disappointment of not being Mary in the School nativity play all came flooding back.
 The sand pit in the yard is now a very healthy display of shrubs, are you not allowed to play in sand now????
I remember when they banned 'clackers' as they could fracture young wrists.
I remember breaking my wrist one lunchtime on an ice slide and being made to stay in class all afternoon in agony as it was 'only a bruise'. Yes no 'where there's blame there's a claim' then!!!
What a trip down memory lane that was. I could even see the classrooms that I was taught in .

And we are now leaving the EU...............the last time anything to do with politics will appear in my blog!!!!!

 In cricket

Well The Yorkshire boys finally got a chance to bat after Durham declared on 507 with 'Bambi Boy' hitting a double hundred.

I was willing them ( silently) from my desk to play out a draw as they needed 357 from 81 overs. It was 4.5 ( ish ) runs an over and was doable, but  I didn't want anyone taking unnecessary risks.

The boys obviously knew that I wasn't there so they played brilliantly, except for the teeny tiny Kiwi Kane who went for a golden duck!.
TLJL and Little Timmy Bresnan  saw us through to the end and 11 points in the bag.

match drawn


COME ON YORKSHIRE


Now you know that I am not  a huge fan of Nick Compton, a good player but in my opinion not of international standard. Well it was announced that he is to take a break from cricket.
If he is a a loose end I have some lawns that need mowing, and the bathroom is ready to be decorated so feel free to  nip up and develop some new talents Nick.

Good luck to him and I hope that he returns to cricket refreshed.

Well last day of the week in the office, so off I go.

And it's Thursday

Well yesterday I went into the office and sorted out the problems that needed sorting and then hurried down to Chester le street.

The Yorkies had managed to take a wicket in the morning and I was hoping for more after lunch.
I mentioned to The Chair that I hoped Patto could wait until I go there to 'clean up'. Sadly it wasn't to be although Tim Bresnan managed to take one.

The chair jokingly said that I had jinxed Patto...................and you know what, I think he was right, after tea I headed home and hoped that they would have better luck as Durham seemed to be clocking up the runs.

by the time I got home wickets had tumbled. so I was right.

I looked at  all the evidence and realised that  the team win when I am not there!

Well it looks as if next weekend will be my last trip out and only because I have arranged to see El Presidenti and First lady of Middlesex at Scarbados. I am supposed to be there for 2 days but think that for the teams sake I will stay for one and then hopefully they can make up any losses when I have gone.

So back to yesterday.

Despite wickets falling when I went home Yorkshire were unable to dismiss the hosts before stumps, where the score was  452-8.
I think ( and as I won't be there) that first ball this morning they need to take out Jennings who put in a marathon innings yesterday and saw out every over bowled..
#justsaying.

we will have to wait and see.


Well back to a full day in the office and I suppose I should be getting through the O & M manuals now,  so best get a proper start on them I think.

However I have a few phone calls to make and emails to answer regarding new offers that have been filtering through.

Who knows, I may not be seeing Yorkshire play again this season  but I may be venturing to pastures new.............................unless I jinx that too!!!



off to cast my vote

Well, Well, Well

You know things are on the turn when you are followed on Twitter by Gordon the Gopher, yes tis true, I am!!! and I have to say it made me laugh out loud at The Riverside ground yesterday.

Not to be outdone the pink monster that is Pink Hippo Robinson was so aggrieved, that he begged Gordon to follow him, and he did. So everyone was happy.


And in cricket, things were looking good for Yorkshire. I tipped up at the ground and positioned myself  not in my usual spot but in a sunbathing spot ( and boy did I catch some rays!).
So  after  starting the day 4 wickets down the boys put  on a great old show, I was gutted for TLJL, as he fell with only 9 runs. I have to say his form is a bit hit and miss at the moment and he needs to get his head  in gear.
Little Timmy Bresnan hit a half century and I was whooping in the 'cheap seats' ( that would be the ones that had previously been used for beach volleyball at the 2012 olympics).

And then my worst nightmare occurred ( no not news that Sean Bean was getting married again!). A cricket 'anorak' came and sat in front of me, resplendent in his Durham (anorak) fleece ( I, by this time  was stripped as bare a legally possible), clutching his pen and his scorecard.  he was muttering under his breath, as in his change of  seat he had missed the last wicket and was 'furious'.
OMG!! after 35 seconds I was about ready to move, he was chuntering to himself and talking to anyone  within 25 rows and being a total pain........................................and then he got his camera out and every over took a picture of the Scoreboard!
For the love of dogs!!! I love cricket and do think of myself as a bit of a 'badger' but this was taking the biscuit.

I had decided that if he hadn't moved by tea, sun or no sun I was off.

Luckily someone told him he could get a better view ( at Chester le street CC????)  over in another stand and he picked up his flask, his egg sandwiches in foil ( I know this because I could smell them, well I think it was the sandwiches!!), his pen, pencil and eraser ( yes, I kid you not), his mangy backpack and off he trotted.

I let out a huge sigh of relief.

Yorkshire were all out for 323.

Durham came into bat , and when Timmy took a wicket I was tempted to run around the stand with my Yorkshire shirt over my head, (not that I was wearing a Yorkshire shirt by this time) well that's one way to no longer have a Durham membership!, I have to say Gary was egging me on from afar to do it!!!

.and by stumps Durham  were 98-3....................slightly better than England ODI team who as we were trundling home were 17-3 against Sri Lanka, some shocking batting and honestly I think I could have done better poorly coccyx and all!

However by the time I got home and settled they had rallied as Jos Butler hit 93 ( will there be an inquest now about getting another wicket keeper or will Jonny be put back behind the stumps????), Chris Woakes hit an unbeaten 95, but it took Laim Plunkett with a do or die slog of the last ball, which went for 6, to tie the match.

oh yes Liam is now the darling of the media, so no pressure on him now!!!

Brilliant game, brilliant and daring cricket from Liam as England battled back.

Just in case you don;t know what Liam looks like

well I am back to The Riverside at lunchtime today so lets see the Champions doing there stuff!

Until tomorrow

When you have to admit you made a HUGE mistake

So BKOTF ( Black Knight of the Ferrari) tipped up again last night as he had spent all day sleeping and  still not been shopping.

He had nut roast with assorted veg.

And then we sat down to a heart to heart.
We have both made some shocking mistakes in our lives and both been shattered by the outcome.
He said he has sworn off women  now and will just be happy to continue to expand his business and jolly around the globe.

I said that I truly did not understand men ( including him) and probably would be better suited to give them a wide berth, that way I would never again feel as if I had been  trampled on ( as I do at the moment).
And I too would  expand my company, OK Cricknits is not really a company but I can turn into a batty old spinster, churning out 'cable knit' things.

And I can jolly off home to France when Dame Didi goes back.
Not quite his standard but fine for me.

I also told him to go to Tesco on the way home as I wasn't feeding him for the rest of the week ( and then packed him off with cous cous salad and chick pea burgers)

He gave me a huge hug, and said  I was the best friend in the world.......................................no doubt this is so he can eat here for the rest of this week!!!

And in the crickety world,

Yorkshire were at The Riverside Ground for the start of their 4 day County Championship match against Durham.

Well the weather was not looking great early doors and after coming off for rain, they got through the rest of the day.
Yorkshire were looking more like champions as they saw Durham off for 172, with Steve Patterson's bowling figured of 6-56.
Steve seems to have come to the fore in the absence of his Royal Ryanness, and although dubbed 'boring', his bowling showed he is anything but.

Yorkshire went in to bat and at stumps were 129-4?????????????

They were not batting like champions!!!

Lets see what today holds!

I will leave you with my thought for the day.

'If you are looking for that one person to change your life,

Look in the mirror'

a tout a l'heure

Another week begins

Ah yes another working week and today being the first day of summer sees the weather  a tad grim, however this does not stop me from being very cheerful.

Besty friend, Black Knight of the Ferrari is back!!!!!!! He did however wait until I was all settled in my pj's waiting for rain to clear so that I could watch the gorgeous Abraham Benjamin, to tip up.
Yes the neighbours lives are once again disturbed ( as are their curtains as they twitch them), as he roars up in the 'beast'.

Well short story shorter, I was still tired from Friday nights antics, I declined getting my glad rags on and going out to eat, and 'threw' together nut cutlets with various salads and roast sweet potato.
Yes the only reason he called round was as he had nothing in his fridge!!!
What are friends for, if not to feed you when you have just arrived back from way too long on the other side of the world.


Now back to other things from yesterday

Yorkshire were holding a family fun day as well as hosting Derbyshire in T20 Blast action

Derbyshire posted 153 in their 20 overs, however rain stopped play early in Yorkshires innings and they won the match by 1 run   via the Jack and Vera ( as explained last week). This D/L is becoming more and more prevalent this season.

they then trundled to Durham were they will begin their 4 day county championship match .

Over in Barbados, the match between South Africa and Australia was abandoned due to rain.................well they had been having a draught so I guess in some ways they were happy about that.


And that is about it for today, short I know bur hey I can't be living it up all the time.........................or can I???????

Finally, Happy Birthday to Adam Morris, I remember so well the day he was born, and have to say he has grown up into a wonderful young man, a credit to his parents Rob & Pauline. ( as are the girls I hasten to add).

have a great day today what ever you are doing.

Nearly back to normal

Well after a nap late yesterday afternoon and a decent nights sleep, normal service is resumed here at The Chateau. Yes the washing machine is doing it's thing and I am preparing to go out and collect some elderflowers  to make some 'champagne' for Christmas.

A few years ago I had a production line of this going in the kitchen at former home, Toner Towers I, by the end of that July I had nearly 100 bottles stashed in the garage. The worry was that they might explode ( as some of Dame Didi's  had), they would have taken the flipping roof off.
I am not making 100 bottles this year as I don't have the space to store them!

Anyhooo back to yesterday

After posting a very late blog yesterday I then settled down to watch the T20 match between Notts and Worcs.
It was a very sad day for Sophie and I as neither of our favourite bowlers were playing. However I did get the chance of seeing Commando Boy as he tipped up in the Sky pod to have a chat.

Well it was a bit of a game and  a great result for Soph and the Outlaws as Andre Russell hit some amazing 6's .
The Worcestershire Wonder Boys lost but are still showing that they are a force to be reckoned with.

I then fell asleep and woke up at 7.45pm feeling worse than I had when I nodded off.

Today Yorkshire are in action at Headingley, I cant go due to having washing to do, I am sue that they will do fine without me .

So its a short one for today but I will be back tomorrow with my batteries fully charged.

Having had a 'lightbulb' moment on Friday evening in the  middle of my drinking session I leave you with my thought for the day,


If you are vocal about your principals, stick to them in all parts of your life!

 have a super Sunday

The afternoon after.......................................

Afternoon all, I would like to say that I look as glamorous as this sleeping beauty........................sadly not.

If you think about Ronald Mcdonald ,thats' what I look like.


Well first things first,

Yesterday afternoon, I set off to Headingley closely followed by Sophie. I arrived,nipped to the shops and then waited for her arrival.

we were staying in the David Bairstow room ( which brought tears to our eyes)

You know when something odd happens and you just know that this will be the  way things are going to pan out for the rest of your stay.......well yes, it started in the Stadium car park.

I went down to meet Sophie and we were hugging and chattering  50 to the dozen, when out of the corner of my eye I spot a man with an ECB  pass wandering towards me.

We both stop talking as the man asks me

'Hi are you Janet?'

Sophie looks perplexed I have alarm bells ringing  in my head.

'No' I say

'what is the surname of  the person you are looking for?'

'Bairstow' says the ECB man

Sophie now has eyes as big as saucers and I am lost for words.

The ECB man is by this time waffling  away about hair etc

We fall about into fits of laughter!

I know Mummy Bairstow and have to say that I am at least 12 foot taller than her.

And being only 21 how on earth did he think that I had a son  of 26!

Sophie and I had to have a bottle of fizz to calm down!

And so it began, as did the rain.
Which called a halt to all things cricket  but did mean that Sopie, Susan , Jim and his American friend and I  ( and PH and LL who were stashed in their Mummies handbags) headed from the Long Room to the pub and then eventually Soph & I got back to the lodge..........after a lot of wine, laughter and selfies ( which got fuzzier as the wine took hold)

Sophie, I have just checked my feet, yes you were right I did walk home barefoot and not a cut on them, they are black though.

Thank you all for a great evening, we must do it again in about 4 seasons when I recover!!!!

bye now, from the other Mummy Bairstow.

It's Fun Sophe and F(ryan)day

Thank flip it is F(ryan)day and last day of the working week..................................hahahah mine is already done and dusted as I have decided that  I am not going in to the office this morning.............let the boys run amok, let them steal the toilet rolls and the very expensive retractable pencils from the stationary cupboard ( I will be checking ebay later). I DO NOT CARE!!

I am off to Headingley later and  meeting Fun Sophe, and hopefully Susan will be able to get over, Gary is going to be there and we may even get the chance to be on hospital radio.

Actually lets scrap that idea completely, we will probably be making very little sense later.


However before that there was a 'cricnic' to prepare and bags to be sorted and washing to be hung on the line last night.

See the Yorky boys may have had a rest day yesterday but there was no such thing in The Chateau.
So last night  I was in full on 'busy' mode.

Now I am trying to get the last things prepared and then get in the shower. lots to do.

Yorkshire have been doing a bit of signing, and I don't mean autographs (that's later if I can drag Sophie over), they have re-signed  Azeem Rafiq and brought young Josh Shaw back from his loan to Gloucestershire.
Whilst Josh was there on loan he has taken 19 FC wickets and with the loss of Rashid & Plunkett to England and His Royal Ryanness still being on sick leave, we need to bolster the bowling. ( check me out I sound like PR guru!).


It appears that Ashley Giles gave the Lancashire boys a bit of a tongue lashing on Wednesday evening, seriously Ashley if you can find your own 'Narnia' it will work a treat, bung them under the stairs for a few hours they will be much more enthused when they come out.

Anyhow he  questioned the attitude of the team as they struggle against my boys. It was their heaviest defeat in A list cricket..

I however can only say
WELL DONE YOU YORKSHIRE BOYS!!!


I never write anything political in this blog as it is really about cricket (and me), however yesterday morning a young mum set off to go about her daily work. sadly she never went home. Two children went to bed without their mum and a family was destroyed.

RIP Jo Cox

What a difference a week makes!!

OMG!!!!!!! This time last week I was typing the blog in full waterworks mode with a bucket next to me as I was convinced that I would, at some point be sick, as I went into full spleen venting mode about the horror that  I had witnessed at Headingley.

today I would like to say that I am calmer..........................................NOT A CHUFFING CHANCE MATE!!!!!

What a bunch of beauties!!!!

What a fantastic two days of cricket

What a way to show her Ladyship not to lose hope

What amazing wins

What the devil has Adam Lyth been eating? two days, two centuries!?!?!

Well if you didn't know, Yorkshire won,  they beat the enemy and actually  Lancashire failed to even get close to Adam Lyth's score. yes the whole team!!

All out for 84!!!!

Karl  Carver put on a brilliant bowling display, 3-5!!!!!!! brilliant day for the youngster.

and Yorkshire had their highest ever recorded victory!

I did not dare to run round the kitchen with my Yorkshire shirt over my head when the news came through for fear of doing myself a serious injury............................................


I could not have been prouder/happier/louder than I was!

Every Yorkshire fan who doubted and slated the team and the support staff should be having humble pie for breakfast again today,
I am having it with a side order of oats and linseeds.
I have been put firmly in my place by the team that I love..................................and I love it!

Now to Notts news.

they had been playing 'cricket hokey cokey' over at Chester le Street  due to the rain, but posted a  a score of 275.

However due to the 'Jack and Vera' coming into action ( D/L to the uninitiated). You know the one, rain affects play so you calculate how many runs the other team need by multiplying  how many years Jack and Vera were married by how many pints Jack had in the Rovers at lunchtime and subtract the square root of how many times Terry has been in prison, SIMPLES!!!!


 Durham managed to pull off a win.

There was some cricket played yesterday!


Today is wet but do I care!!!! Of course not I am off on my mini holibobs tomorrow for fun, food and cricket.

Roll on F(ryan)day

Well now.................

.

What a day at Scarbados yesterday!!!!

Now that 5 of the lads are heading off to the England One day side, just to let Gillespie the Gallant know that I am available to pad up if needed and will give it my out and out best to score runs. I may need a runner as my very poorly coccyx is still not fully mended,  but hey anything for Yorkshire!.

Will they need me????

Well after a fabulous run chase yesterday, I don't think so!

Here's what happened.

the clouds were not too promising early doors, but Yorkshire took to the field against Northamptonshire and had two wickets before 9 overs were bowled.

However  no more fell  until Northants had racked up 201 runs. 

End of their innings they were 310-7.

Yorkshire went into bat and  they looked like a very different opening bat to last week, as Lythy hit a century and another 25 runs before heading back to the pavilion. sadly the form of captain Lees (20) and TLJL (0) is not improving and  and even the hope of the Yorkshire faithful, Kane Williamson went for 10.

An inspired knock by the much knocked Gary Ballance (80) help the runs clock up.

By the time I was home and making dinner, nerves were jangling and I decided to make an attempt at mowing the Deer Park.  

By the time I had tackled half of it ( and had quite enough)  we were down to 6 overs.

Ballance and Plunkett both fell on 303 and I was nearly sick with fear/excitement/stuffing myself full of twiglets. 

Willey and Hodd saw us home and I was racing round the kitchen with my Yorkshire shirt over my head.

314-8 final score.

Dinner was overcooked, but did I care..................not a chance.

What a difference a week makes.

Had the boys read the blog last week?

Had the thought of being sent to Narnia ( under my stairs) spurred them on?

Who knows and to be honest I don't care, they won, they put on runs and Lythy was in great form.

Well after that, there was nothing else to do but have a very large lemonade ( well it was a school night).

I know that this will sound like I am an 'only sing when we're winning' supporter.

Well those of you who know me, know that this is the farthest from the truth.

Well done to my boys and now to Friday and T20.

Ab Fab!!!!!



Tired old Tuesday

So after the total let down yesterday morning, realising that I have to go to Super Swanky Lady Lainey office and was not heading off to Headingley for a new job, well my day  was destined to be   'not good'.

At 10am I popped to the little ladies room only to discover that I had my dress on back to front!!!
OMG!!!! I decided not to tempt fate  and switch it round, so that was my day down the fashion pan!

And the Test was a wash out too, they could have been swimming in some of the puddles on the outfield.

So that was the cricket over and done with!.
However it did not stop the persistent mumblings about Jonny B, for goodness sake he batted better than any one else in the team and then is slated for his wicketkeeping, the media and especially the old duffers on TMS, know how to destroy an England career.

the news of the team for the ODI series has been announced and Root, Bairstow, Rashid, Willey and Plunkett have been named in the squad. Ah yes Liam, lets hope he is not just a seat warmer for them AGAIN!

My boys also have Root and Bairstow back for the clash on Friday when the combined and every growing  Yorks/Notts gang will be together again.............

My Boys are today at the lovely ground at North Marine Road,Scarbados where they are taking on Norhamptonshire.

COME ON YOU TYKES!!!!

I read with interest the piece on Jonny Bairstow' in 'All out cricket'. It was great to hear what his Royal Ryanness had to say ( at least he has been busy during his 'sick leave' and not spending his time watching 'Bargain Hunt' and 'Murder she wrote')

I loved that he admitted that as both were 'a bit red' they could be moody.

hahaha I realised how much I have been missing His Royal Ryanness on the field, with his little foot stamp when the Umpire does not give out to one of his deliveries. Always make me chuckle!

What doesn't make me chuckle though is the prospect of another day in Super Swanky Lady Lainey office, too many chiefs and some not even given the title!!!

Too much work and not enough administrators. Thats the problem.

oh well it pays for tiaras and the likes............................could be a new handbag day today!


Have a good one!

What a morning, and I've only been up half an hour!

I shot out of bed this morning sooooooooo super excited, it was the first day in my new job! I raced into the dressing room threw open the wardrobe doors and started hunting for my new blue suit and pale blue blouse, that I know I had put away last night before I went to bed.

The dressing room floor now resembles a jumble sale and I am in despair.

Why????

Well it took me a little while to realise that the 'dream job' that I was so excited about starting today was in fact that!, a dream!!!!.

and a flipping vivid one too. I remember the interview, can see the letter offering me the job and can feel the pen in my hand as I signed  my contract.  I even know the fabric of the suit and the blouse.

yes I was totally convinced that this morning I was starting work as 'Supporter liaison' for my beloved Yorkshire ( although in reality the chuffing commute would be a nightmare all that 50 mph nonsense on the A1). I don't even think that there is such a position at the club!

I am now on my 4th cup of french ground coffee, trying to calm myself/cheer my self up.

Worse than the fact it was a dream, is that I have to go to Super Swanky Lady Lainey office instead

  *heads off back to kitchen for more coffee*

The last time I had such a vivid dream was when I married Sean Bean  and that was some party, I could even feel the hangover when I woke up!

Ah well, I will have to make the best of the job of 'Official office boy wrangler/mess sorter outer/prettiest in office'.

Not fair *stamps 3in heel, heads off for more coffee*

Right back in the real world and back to yesterday.


Rain, rain and more rain!

I headed up to Chester le Street where it was 'drizzling' both teams were 'warming up' and then went back to the dressing rooms as it started to rain a little heavier.

I ate my lunch....................................and then my tea...........................and then  biscuits....................and all the chewing gum in my bag, and still no play. By this time  the direction of the rain was causing me to have a soggy bottom so I decided to head home.
yes you've guessed it, no sooner had I set foot in the  front door, then the players came out.
And Worcestershire made short work of Durham dismissing them all for 90


despite some heroic bowling from Chris Rushworth, Durham didn't seem to be in the game and couldn't get close to bowling Worcestershire out.
The Worcestershire Wonder Boys march on to their next game.

Over in Chesterfield  I  was being kept  briefed on the weather by Clare and Olivia, and things were not much better there.
however my boys did get out to   bowl an over and Little Timmy Bresnan made it a maiden so that was a result, as was the point that we picked up when the match was rained off!!!

YEAY!!!!! the boys are off the mark in the One Day games too.

To say that I was smiling was an understatement.

And now........................well sadly I am off to Super Swanky Lady Lainey office and all the joy that it fills me with!

Sunny Sunday..........................NOT!!

Well it's a cricket Sunday and it's wet, here at the château, the outfield is sodden but the wicket is fine thanks to 'Uncle rob' who made it.  However it's not the Chateau grounds that I am worried about but those at Chester le street.

Yes I am heading up to see 'Commando boy' in action for the second time in a week.......................I hope.
I am organised but not sure what will happen in the next few hours.

Francesca and I had a bit of a drinking session yesterday and  it didn't end well, We both were both in our respective homes and in bed before 8pm, after being out since 2.30pm. I had straightened my hair for the occasion...........................and do you think that it was straight when I got home.................was it my Aunt Nellie!!!!

This morning my hair looks like I have  been steamrollered on one side whilst I have corkscrew curls sticking out  at all angles on the other, very fetching is not a phrase I would use to describe myself.

I did manage to keep abreast of all this England as poor Jonny B has gone from hero to zero in the media, after dropping a catch. obviously an England wicket keeper in the whole history of the game has never,ever, ever done this before.

Comptons run of bad luck continued as he opened the batting, only to go for 19. Once again I ask how he got a place!

Joey Root is not having the test of his life as he fell for 4 and JB made 32.
England closed over night on 109-4.

Today my 'besty boys' are in action against Derbyshire, at Chesterfield, a ground that I love.

come on boys and  make me proud!

News that Samit Patel had not given up hope of returning to the England team, has been circulating. The tiny chubster has his eyes on a place in the team, and believe me he could open instead of Compton for me.
Having watched the T20 final from 10 years ago, the other night I have to say far play to Patel his figure has not altered in the last 10 years!!!

I fear I am starting to model myself on him!!

 Super dooper short today as I have things to do before I head out of the door at 10.00am to go off to Chester le Street.

Weather permitting!

Oh and more news on the 'where you read the blog', Fab friend Susan reads it whilst having her breakfast..............very civilised!

how do you read yours?

 Welcome to the weekend!!!

All is well here at The Chateau and by well, I mean the washing is on and the dishwasher is doing it's thing, Normal service has resumed!

Now yesterday I was made aware of something that I hadn't taken into account, how, where and when my blog is read.

well the lovely Dan, who I wave to every time I pass his gaff on the A1 ( RAF boy so top boy in my books as we have RAF in our family, and Dan if you are interested scroll down and find the blog for 5th & 6th of July last year it will explain all).

 Dan reads the blog everyday when he is having his weetabix. I have to say it is better than watching Piers Moron ( no not a typo!)on the TV!

Dave reads the blog on his walk from the car park to the office and gets jolly cross if its not posted by 6.55am ( no pressure then). I have to say that obviously it is the weekend so it is slightly late this morning

Dame Didi, my sister reads it in the lounge laughing loudly and scaring the postman.

Anthony reads it whilst waiting for his ( usually) delayed Easy Jet flights and also likes them to be posted early

This week Sophie is reading it in Spain, I know this as it show me on a map.

So how do you read the blog?

I am hoping that Mark,The chauffeur of my .Yorkshire boys does not read it whilst driving ( of course he doesn't).

You see you learn something new everyday

And now for some chuffing good news, My boys got a point in the T20 last night, they are off the mark................however they didn't play as it was chucking it down at Birmingham!
Not that I care, we are up and running, Teeny Weeny Kiwi, Kane Williamson is back and I am smiling again.

Notts suffered the same fate as  rain lashed down at Trent Bridge, so Sky showed the 2006  T20 final between Notts and Leics. Ah yes there was ' me old mate' AA Jones ( Jonah) umpiring. Paul Nixon being vocal behind the stumps for Leicestershire and some very dodgy hairstyles!!!
Great viewing though.


And then there was England v Sri lanka.........................

My boy Jonny B failed to get his double century as he ran out of partners. England finished 416 all out.
Sri Lanka were motoring away and were 162-1 at stumps.

All going off at 11am today.

and now it is time to throw myself in the shower and get myself sorted.

Bon weekend.

Fabulous F(ryan)day

Well it's that day of the week again, a double whammy!! Last working day of the week and the day that I get to post a picture of his Royal Ryanness.

Seeing him in the flesh at the moment is like catching a glimpse of a unicorn, so I have to make do with my 'stock' of pictures!

My wonderful alternative therapist  ( and besty friend Francesca)  & I were having a chat last night about all the things that are playing on my mind ( apart from Yorkshire) and probably stopping me from sleeping to boot.
She suddenly  told me that she often wished that she was me.............................................WTF!!!!!!
Why did she want this?

Well it turns out that Francesca, who  is 5ft 4in tall and a teeny tiny size 8, would love to be me who is  6ft 3in  and nowhere near or ever having  a hope in hell of being a size 8.

She said that I carry off any outfit well............................well to be honest a tent from  Milletts is not usually considered an outfit, and she would need a 2berth to my 8 berth!

However I am off to Millets today to buy a new tent as I am off out on the razz tonight, luckily they now do them in other shades than 'sludge green'!

Now to  more serious stuff,

 I would like to say thank you to all who messaged me regarding yesterdays blog.

I managed to break my own heart writing that piece and it did not sit well with  me after I had published it. ( resulting in me driving down the A1 with tears and mascara pouring down my cheeks).
A very strong reaction to vocalising how I felt.

I love my Club, I am Yorkshire through and through, It was a tough call to open my heart as I did.

 I thought that the same feeling may have been familiar to other....................and it was!

What's done is done, we cannot change the past few weeks, we have to 'gird our loins' and move into the middle part of the season now.

'COME ON YORKSHIRE!!!

Yesterday also saw day one of the England V Sri Lanka

I went out for lunch and when I came back we had lost Compton ( well that was no surprise, not sure how he got back in the team in the first place). And Little Joey Root had gone ( the Yorkshire curse?).

however it took another redhead and Yorkshire too, to make it right, as Jonny B came to the crease.And just before close of play had hit his first century at Lords and brought England to   279 at stumps. With my boy on 107*

I had fumed at Henry Blowfeld chuntering on about Jonny's missed catches in the last matches, he was not vocal about Compton which would have been more interesting.
However by close of play Jonny was his new best friend #fickle

Day 2 begins at 11.am

Very sad news came through yesterday that up and coming bowler Hamza Ali who passed away on Wednesday. Ali had got into difficulties swimming in the river Avon and  died in hospital.
Thoughts are with is family and the cricketers who had played with him.

And so I wish you all a safe and fabulous F(ryan)day.

It's becoming a worry

I have spent the last day trying  to get my head around  certain things that have been going awry.

1. Missing loo roll ( on-going and now under lock and key)

2. Not sleeping well (if at all)

3. Getting my besty sister in the whole world, Dame Didi back home to France.

4. How many goats it will take to sort out the Deer Park and the Vineyard

5. Figuring out what is happening to my beloved Yorkshire

Hmmmmm what a to-do, and that does not include how many pennies a new tiara will cost ( having thrown my second  besty one at the wall in a fit of 'Tykes' temper............well I am a redhead!).

Number 1 on the list is now very low on my priorities as  I struggle  to understand number 5.

Will we see my boys lift   the above trophy again  at the end of this season?

Judging by the way the team are playing  the white ball game  at the moment and the apparent lack of team morale which is more than evident on the field, I am beginning to worry.

On Tuesday  at the game, you could have heard a pin drop in Headingley, there was no atmosphere, something that I am not used to at all.

Jack Brooks  & Matt Fisher have joined the injured His Royal Ryanness.

 Jack does  seem to be warming up a seat on Sky Sports ready for when he retires. To be honest there are too many pundits as there is, his talents  could be used elsewhere, and  maybe he should be thinking about getting fit and getting back out on the field.

All of this is leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

I LOVE YORKSHIRE, I  HAVE NEVER DOUBTED THEM................................ at the moment I feel that I am out in the wilderness and no idea which way to turn.

Which way is the way forward???...........................


Well I am a great fan of Alex Lees but is he really 'short form' Captain material?

Controversial??????

Possibly, but we need a strong character, a motivator,and  personally  I think Lees  lacks the  inspiration needed of a Captain

Who is that person???????????

I don't know???

I personally cannot single out one person!

Adil Rashid has the experience of the game but maybe is not the man.

Liam?? Timmy???

I just don't know.

Do we rely on an overseas player?

Do we get Galey back?

All I do know is that we need  to do something and quickly!

I really am trying to come to terms with the fact that the 'wheels ' appear to  have fallen off the Yorkshire wagon and that is breaking my heart.

I know this sounds harsh.....................but we all know its true!

I have read and re read this blog, I feel sick with the thought of publishing my inner most thoughts on the team I love.

To be honest I am wiping away tears  writing this. This is how strongly I feel about both the club and feeling  that I am not supporting them.

I promised never to slate them and feel that I have done just that, and for that I am not proud.

However I needed to get it off my chest.

COME ON YOU TYKES!!!!


PROVE ME WRONG!!!!!

And I thought the loo rolls were a problem!

And I thought that life was tough when all I had to worry about was who nicked the bog roll!!!

That was my main concern until yesterday afternoon!

Hmmmmmm never one to kick a man when he is down, but to be honest I think a swift kick would not  go amiss with the Yorkshire one day team.

Lets recap, My boys were in action against Worcestershire and it started to go wrong very quickly as 'Commando Boy' hit the mark and dismisssed Lyth for 9.  True Yorky, I was gutted even though it was  'CB' who took the wicket.
well I would like to say it got better, but sadly it didn't
All out for  170 in 45.2 overs.

In between this  the lovely Susan arrived and then Adam came over for a quick chat. The two little old dears on the end of our row thought all there Christmas's had come at once when Adam hopped over the seats and sat next to them!
We  settled down for the Yorkies response.

Well then something happened which took Susan and I completely by surprise.
The ball came flying over in our direction and running to get it was none other than TLJL!

We both sat bolt upright  and as he got to us he had that 'rabbit in the headlights' look!

You could see what was going through his head
'OMG!!! WIMMMEN!!!!'

Luckily no one knew what was going through our heads!!!

AND THEN WE REALISED THAT THIS MATCH WAS TELEVISED!!!!

Oh yes!!!!!, I dare not play back the recorded match for fear of what I might see!


Needless to say TLJL did not come near us again!

poor boy!

 All of this was a distraction for the awfulness that was the game, a game that was scheduled to end at 9.45pm and finished at 7pm.

We even sat and watched the presentations, just to kill some time!

Well then I drove home and hit the sack.

I hoped when I woke up this morning it would be Tuesday and I had dreamt the game...............sadly  not.
it's Wednesday so let the fun and frolics begin at Super Swanky Lady Lainey office!

However plans are afoot for us all to meet up again and  sooon!!!

Thoughts today are with James Taylor who has his op to hopefully make life easier for him.
Go well.

Going home (sort of)

So I have 2.5 hours of listening to the holiday dramas of one of the office boys and then I am free, they however are not! And hopefully no one is 'caught short' when I have left, as I have hidden the toilet rolls!!!

yes, the case of the 'disappearing loo paper' continues.

After yesterdays investigation, I the great 'Hercule' Robinson, was getting my little grey cells around the information that I had gleaned.

I asked all four boys what they knew about the 'mystery of the papier toilette'.
Three were looking totally stunned that some one could steal 5.5 rolls of the stuff and the other one accused the other three giving good reason why they would do it.....................................

I think that this case is 'wrapped' up  n'est-ce pas?

Up side of this is that I am no longer paying for Andrex and they are getting the '100 rolls for  £1' stuff that is also useful for sanding down your woodwork. Lets see them steal that!


And so at 11am I am getting into the Lady Lainey limo and heading  down the A1 back home for the RLOD match against Worcestershire

The team  has been announced and TLJL is playing, so I will have lots of reasons to smile!


it is being televised so I  have washed the birdsnest and twirled my curls.

And the sun is shining!

Flipping heck you would have wanted to be at  Trent bridge yesterday as Notts and Northants set records for the most runs scored in a one Day match.
Chuffing heck!!! 445 for Notts and  425 for Northants.
 That had to have been a most thrilling match.


I have a whole heap of things to do before I leave the chateau so I will bid you farewell.
And those of you reading this who are going to the match.....................I will see you there!

the sun is shining and I have to go to work?

It is a beautiful morning and I am getting ready to head to Super Swanky Lady Lainey office..................not a great thought.

I think I need to work for myself, when I can work my socks off from October to March and then just watch cricket over the remaining months, with some work days thrown in when there is no cricket. It's a plan that I have been working on for a while but just does not seem to be getting any further forward.

Never mind I will just have to suffer the fools a little longer!

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day too and washing was blowing on the 'whirlygig' ,windows and doors where thrown open at The chateau and  there was even a surprise visit from besty friend Francesca and Lucky.

I then settled down with knitting to watch the  Somerset v Surrey 50 over match. And what a match that turned out to be.

A thriller does not even come close to describing it.

Chris Dents century made the innings for Gloucestershire and  who were 260 all out.

Somerset looked at the midway  that they may not make it to 50 overs, but a last wicket stand between  Jamie Overton and Tim Groenewald was a great show of determination and great cricket and Somerset pulled off a great win.

Elsewhere Durham managed a narrow win against Lecestershire, and all those who had slated Durham on Twitter on Saturday in there T20  shambles, were patting them on the back yesterday and lauding them great players.
 How fickle!!!


Worcestershire started one day cup action with a win over Derbyshire, to go with their amazing form in T20. I will be watching tomorrow at Headingley with great interest.

Lancashire beat Warwickshire not much else to say about those two!


Nottinghamshire are in action against Northampton shire today so I will be cheering them on.


And now I need to cheer myself, as I have managed to get up, get dressed and am now going to push myself out of the door.
I am back to a full contingent of Office boys today  ( lucky me!!!) and my first job  this morning will be to interrogate them all to find out who is the 'toilet roll thief'!!

Oh yes its a great life!

Until tomorrow which is a cricket day!!!

( and my chuffing Sky  broadband is not playing fair either!)

Sunday lie in

well I had a lie in this morning due to that fact that besty chum Sharron and I had a four hour phone conversation last night and I crawled into bed at 12.20am!

We put the world to rights as only girls can, and this morning things are ticking over nicely at the chateau as the beds are stripped and the washing machine is on, I am on my first cup of french ground coffee (  which does not look to appealing as the almond milk  has curdled in the cup, tastes fine though), and I am about to make a start mowing the Deer Park, the sooner I get a goat ( or herd of goats) the better.

I am also going to give the wicket some attention and then deal with the vines!
yes its all going to be happening today.............................. until nap time!


Yesterday I went to Ladylaineyville and wandered around the shops which killed about 5 minutes.
Then spent a couple of hours in the extensive grounds sorting out the hydrangeas.

I think that they will all be a very deep purple colour this year ( except for the white ones obviously). I also have 'Lilly of the valley' and although only a few, hopefully next year they will be in abundance.

Proper little Percy Thrower  I am!! ( sadly autocorrect changed this to 'Pervy' Thrower!!!! caught it before I published this!).

I retired to the chaise longue to watch the cricket, well that didn't last long, Durham collapsed before the first over was over and although rallied towards the end  of their innings, were unable to see of Leicestershire.

Durham's Barry Mccarthy  ( has the same kind of ring as Paddy McGinty) has been called up for Ireland as Andrew Poynter retires.


My Boys are not in action until Tuesday when they are taking on Worcestershire. Yes I will be there on the boundary to see this clash.
I will also have my camera on the off chance that 'Commando boy' is playing. I have decided that this is the season that I finely get the last pictures for my yet to be published book ' Cricketers Posteriors'
Its been an on going project for the last 4 seasons so about time it was put into print.

Right my Wifi is playing silly beggers and I am worried that I am not going to get this published and lose every bit of nonsense I have typed..

So I bid you all farewell and have a peaceful Sunday

AARRRGGGHHHHH chuffing WiFi has gone down again, I hope you all manage to read this!

More sad news

And so this morning I wake up to the sad news that Mohamed Ali has sadly passed away.

A great man and a great loss to the world of sport.

Sport?

What is sport?

Well there are several definitions and believe me the one that means ' a good sort' does not apply to some of the so called Yorkshire supporters.

My boys suffered another T20 loss last night at the hands of arch rivals Lancashire.
After the events of Thursday night when Twitter was ablaze with comments on the youth side of the team. Last night we fielded some top flight in the shape of Little Joey Root and Jonny 'give it 'ere" Bairstow.

A match winning squad it wasn't. Jonny was given out unfairly but left the field smiling. Joey tried in vain to catch up runs and fell sort of both  a win and a century.

However I now believe that these boys  were made for  endurence and  the circus that is T20 is not for them.
And yes I know they should be able to play all forms but sadly they are not the masters of it.

I personally think with bigger fish to fry and the need to get the bowling sidd back to strength, that being scathing of them is not the way forward.

They need full support not being torn to shreds on social media.

Give them a chance. We are the County Champions not T20.

Ok sorry if this is full of typos but my wifi has 'fallen off' and I am trying to do this on my phone!!!!

Not easy!!!!!

And weekend plans for I, Lady Lainey?

Well the washing is in.
Carpets are going to be steamed
Digging is going to get done
And napping will be taking place.
Then tonight its telephone catch up time with Dame Didi and besty chum Shazzer.
And there may be some wine involved!!!!

F(ryan)day

Ah yes the best day of the working week, the last one!

I am trying to sort out my desk so that on Monday I have a clean slate, however that is easier said than done.

Boys!!! Who'd work with them?


So we had T20 action last night as 'my boys' were down in Worcester.........................David Willey might have been back but only batting and sadly that was not up to scratch. Captain Lees hit 46, but it took a spirited partnership by  Plunkett and Bresnan to get the runs racking up.

Worcestershire were without the lovely Jack Shantry who tipped up in the commentary box on Sky, which caused a bit of 'Twitter snap' between Sophie and I as we were firing tweets back and forth  to each other!.

sadly for us 'loyal' Yorkshire supporters the boys were out played.

ah and then Twitter lit up with the 'armchair cricketers' and 'keyboard warriors.'

yes everyone had  the answer to Yorkshires T20 woes........

from not playing youngsters ( how the chuffing hell are they ever to get experience) to club finances being the reason for the loss.

so

1. There was a mix up of youth and experience in the team
2. We have not done well in T20 since Gillepie the gallant was in his first season, FACT!
3. In the last 4 seasons we have gone from Div 2 to County Champions ........TWICE!
4. We are not too great at T20 but we are a great team.


And when people say that the club will 'sit up and think' when the numbers on the gates at T20's fall, well you have to wonder about their devotion to the club and also how that is going to make the team win??????!!!!

I would go to every home T20 if it was feasible..............whether they won or not.

T20 is a money spinner for clubs , short time in the ground maximum spend by spectators,especially on Friday evenings when it is  a great night out. It is not however my preferred form of the game. but win or lose I would still cheer my boys on!

Support the club!!!!!, there is no need for a public post mortem on Twitter, do you not think that this is going on in the dressing room????

The vast majority ( if not all) of the moaners do not have the wealth of experience that the support staff have, regardless of how many years of club cricket they have played. It's not the same!!!

well so much for taking myself out of stressful situations...............................

I am sure my blood pressure has not returned to normal.

So I am off to have a lie down before heading down the A1 to Super Swanky Lady Lainey office ............you can be sure that my blood pressure will be sky high by the time I get there!

Oh yes and we are in action against Lancashire tonight when it is rumoured that we have Joe Root & Jonny Bairstow back.

well that should keep the moaners happy.

Happy F(ryan)day!

Taking a step back for a while

Well I think I have reached maximum burnout, I am tired, ( more tired than normal), I cannot face the office ( more than normal) and I am not sure what to do with myself next ( sell house and disappear home to France seems like a good idea at the moment).

So I am taking myself out of all situations that are stressing me.

Sadly I cannot take myself out the office situation ( need pennies for new tiaras which are very spendy) but all else will get along fine without me.

Its like I paid the money for the carousel  and  as it started I found I had got on the Big Dipper!!!.

I just need some time to sit in the corner and lick my wounds, recharge my batteries and give my flipping head a shake!

Right enough of that !!!

Back to the important things!

Like cricket
So what happened on the last day of the 'War of the Roses'?

Well the weather was looking to play havoc for my boys, but hey bringing on the spinners was a good plan and Lancs were not fairing too well before lunch.

Amazing bowling from Adil Rahid too, taking 7 wickets in the match. and runs galore 88 & 34

Good old Little Timmy Bresnan, first proper match back and making his presence felt. with a 4 wicket haul and knocks of  69 & 29

Lancs all out for 173 and Yorks seeing the first Roses home win since 2001
also joint top of the table!

now that was cause to break a smile!

The boys then got on the bus and Mark drove them down to Worcestershire. Commando boy country!

Middlesex won against Hampshire in the wonderful grounds of Merchant Taylors school. I have yet to speak to El Presidenti, but know that a lot of our former colleagues had tipped up to see him and the team.

Last night saw Notts at Chester le Street against Durham, I was going to go along and do some 'proxy' stalking cheering for 'Big' Lukey Fletcher but it was cold and I was not feeling up to par so stayed home and watched Sussex stuff Somerset. ( technical cricket term)

Tonight 'my boys' are in T20 action  and its on Sky so that will mean only one thing, DO NOT phone me, I will not be taking calls.

And now I am off to get myself into some kind of mood to go to work.......................... the thought of diving back under the duvet and putting the electric blanket on is far too appealing!

back to the real world

Well this morning I am waking up to the sound of the radio, not the same as waking up to the sound of the lawn mower. I will be watching the traffic on the A1 rather than watching the groundsmen doing their thing!
oh and the joy of being back in Super swanky Lady Lainey office with the office boys!

But before that lets get back to yesterday.


I had met up with my pals from Dame Didi's side of Yorkshire and we were very excited that 'carparkgate' had been resolved,  we checked diaries and saw that we would be able to meet up again soon. And I found out that I have a new reader of the blog!

We were discussing the form of the team and also 'Gillespiegate'!!!

Well that has all been put to bed and Gillespie the Gallant will not need to be locked in Narnia as he confirmed ( again) that he will be  staying. with Yorkshire
*Smiley Lady lainey*

I just need His Royal Ryanness to get fit and quick and I will be a very 'jolie lapin'

so to the cricket, on a day that can only be described as chuffing cold. I was wrapped up in blanky and watching from my usual spot on the boundary.
However all my clapping and cheering was to no avail as Lythy went quickly and wickets tumbled. it took Liam and Adil to pull; together and wrack up some runs. Bressy helped out along the way and is showing how important he is to both the batting and bowing side.
The boys were all out for 236.

I sent off home and had still not thawed out by the time I got back to the Chateau and saw that Lancs were one man down already.
However bad light stopped play and today we are hoping for 9 (8) wickets to go depending on whether  Tom bailey is fit it play.
This could be Yorkshire's first Roses home win since 2001

Come on you Tykes!!!!!


I sadly will be knee deep in drawings and having to listen to the woes of office boys home lives.

I know where I would rather be.