back to work

Well its Monday and it rained all night, so its best to be prepared as I head off to work.

Rain was not the scourge of my Yorkshire boys yesterday, they were in Nottingham for T20.
after posting 223-5 in their innings, Notts were on the chase. and chase they did, with Alex Hales hitting a fine century and Notts won with 5 balls to spare.

The boys need to get their act together, I know they have been rained off, but we have a finals day to get to.

England were still at the crease at start of play at The Oval, finally declaring on 318-8.

South Africa are going to have to bat some today to chase down the runs.I think that we know that short of a miracle it will be an England win.

This should make the next test more exciting this week.


There is T20  every night from tomorrow with Yorkshire in action on Thursday and Friday.

I am trekking off to see the Friday game, when hopefully I will will be joined by 'James Bond' if he is not on covert operations.

I have a busy week at work ahead of two days off next week.

I have to say ( touch wood) that I am feeling better than I did this time last week and hope to stay this way.
I am hearing that lots of people are coming down with summer colds and fluy type things.
if you are one of them I wish you well.


This is super short as I need to get out the door and on the road pretty sharp.

there are roadworks at the Aycliffe village interchange, ( if you head that way you know the carnage it is).
And then just to add insult to injury they have set up roadworks at Beaumont/Harrogate Hill.
To most of you this means nothing, to me it means a miserable drive to the office.

Oh well, off I go.

another late post!

I'm late again today a I have been lying in bed chattering on the phone to a cricket chum and setting the world to rights.

I love a bit of early morning cricket chatter.

However that was not getting the blog written, so lets see what has been occurring.

Well in T20 , rain has once again washed out the match that was due to be played last night. Its not getting any better. Today my boys are in Nottingham. I dare not look at the forecast  as I do not want to be disappointed!

At the test..................well it rained! but not before England took to the field and lost Cooky.

How's this match going to pan out?
Your guess is as good as mine.


What I did love was the Sky series on South Africa.
 I still get tearful when I see Hansie, I know what he was involved in but no one ever foresaw how short his life would be.
I have had a great deal of time for South Africa after seeing them on their first tour back in the UK in the 90's.
At Ropery Lane cricket club, playing Durham, this was before the days of the new ground.
Ah a great team they had then too.


I have washing in, and am about to strip the beds, the sun is shining here in the North East of Blighty as it was yesterday.

I went to town and bumped into Mr Funky the chauffeur who told me off for buying rhubarb when he has a garden full.
I then took delivery of freshly  dug up spuds and some rhubarb that would have  'Sir' Geoffrey in a frenzy!

Needless to say there is Gin  on the make.

I had an early night to try to shake off the last of the lurgy and hopefully set myself up for a good and productive week at work.

And now I am of to Argos to buy a new toilet seat ( don't ask)

Have a super Sunday

Sleepy Saturday

Well I am out of bed but I am still very sleepy, It is going to be a sofa day today I think, after I go to the town for a walk ( no chance of 10,000 steps ) and put washing in, but according to my  schedule, I can do this and be ready for the cricket at 11.00am.

now then cricket,

Firstly last nights T20 shambles!

One game came to fruition and it was 7th time lucky for Durham Jets as they won!

Not much more you can say about that, except well done.

The rest were either abandoned without a ball being bowled or decided by the 'Jack and Vera' which at the moment is calculated by how many inches of rain fell on Jack's  pigeon cree, divided by how many loads of washing Vera did but couldn't hang out, multiplied by the square root of the rollers Vera had in her hair when she had her last perm.  See its an easy and obvious solution to rain affected play!

There was one game that had no result at all and that was 'Sussex Sharks' v Middx. The Sharks never got to bat at all.



And then there was the test match.

I had been listening at work, and then had finished  work at 2pm, gone to the Post Office, had my hair cut and did a spot of shopping, by the time I switched the TV on.........................South Africa were 5 wickets down!


WTH!!!!!

It was a great day for T Roley Poley who  took 4 wickets ( and I swear if I ever hear Shane Warne rabbiting about a 'michelle' again I will be forced to inflict great pain on him).

as we approached stumps it was down to Bavuma and Morkel to hold the fort, all 2ft 10in  and 12ft 3in of them.

Score was 126-8

Looks like an interesting day ahead.

Had a video call with my big sis who had spent yesterday buying a car, and drinking wine and eating charcouterie in a bar.

 Ah that's the life ( well without the plate of meat)

In the meantime I am off to for my walk

Enjoy your Saturday

Ahhhh Friday my best friend!

I am not sure where the weeks are going but one thing I do know is that they fly by in the cricket season and drag in the winter.

So its a case of making hay while the sun shines although in truth we have not seen much of the sun!

And the same could be said yesterday as rain affected  both the Test  and the televised T20.

the Test.....well I was tuned in at 11.00am and by 11.15am was tearing my hair out.
Keaton Jennings out for a duck. I have nothing against the lad, but he is taking a place in the team and not performing.
South Africa must be looking and thinking that they had a lucky escape.

I think that he should go back to Durham, and bat and bat. At the moment he is disappointing in the England squad.
Malan was also a disappointment with 1, although former Captain, Cook is on 82 not out.

Rain cut the day short and so it was onto T20.

So here is my version of the game, according to the Sky pundits.

SP    'Welcome to Canterbury for tonight's T20 match between Kent and Somerset, we have a whole host of hitters here tonight '

LL  'HITTERS!!!'

SP ' yes we will be seeing these batters doing their stuff this evening'

LL ' non merde Sherlock! that's usually what they are paid to do'

SP ' and Somerset are playing Roelof van de Merwe, what kind of spelling is that for a name?'

LL ' the kind his parents chose you ignoramous'

SP ' well the fieldsmen are out on the field'

LL 'Fieldsmen?'

SP It's going to be a great game'

LL 'its going to be the longest game of my life'

mutes the sound.

rain stopped play and Kent won on the Jack and Vera

Now I know I am a bit picky with all things cricket but this is how it is.

Batsmen  not batters ( Aussie slang creeping in) or hitters

Fielders not fieldsmen

I have had to mute the sound on Sky more and more, the commentary is frankly 'common' and the 'banter' is banal to say the least.

Oh dear its Friday and I am on a rant........I must be feeling better.

Have a cracking day.

week is flying by

The week is flying by and today I have woken up to Sundanese! maybe this is a change in the weather.
How very British to open the blog talking about the weather!


Lets talk about something that is very British, lets talk about Cricket....
today is the start of the test at the Oval and things are on equal footing at the moment
Toby Roley Poley make his debut and its all to play for, I have my radio ready to listen  to it at 11am.

Last night I got myself settled to watch my boys in action.
I was gutted not to be there but Clare sent me some pictures of Vinny the Viking so that made me feel a lot better.

Yorkshire went into bat and after a terrible start losing lyth and kohler- Cadnore everyone had their hopes pinned on David Willey.putting on a show as he had previously.
With 44 off 27 balls it looked good but not to be and he was gone.
The boys held their nerve and with another good performance by TLJL (17) the Vikings finished 152-8.
Was this enough against what had been described as an out of form Jets side?


Durham went into bat  and Bressy and Willey saw the  openiers back in the hutch pretty sharpish. A great catch also by TLJL out on the boundary ( the only place to be!)
An amazing bowling spell by Adil Rashid 4-19 saw the Jets slump to their 6th loss  and the crowd went wild.

A terrific catch by a young supporter in the crowd had to be one of  the highlights  of the night and the look on his face said it all!

Yorkshire still on top and I am thinking about a trip to Birmingham..............however anything could happen before then!

Notts lost to Worcestershire.

There is more T20 after the test tonight, I can see that noting will be getting done in the Chateau.

Ah I spoke too soon, the 'current bun' has now disappeared and grey clouds appear to be forming,
Well I guess a waterproof may be a wide choice of outerwear today.

Time to hit the road, which is what the dame will be doing soon as she goes to look for a new car today, sadly not a 2CV. Some people have no taste!

Well it's Wednesday

and I am feeling slightly less ropey than ;last night when I went to get checked out due to the signs that the temperature spiking , heart palpitating lurgy was on its way back.

Its been nearly two years since I last was troubled with this. However I was seen very quickly, and allowed to come home.
there isn't much that I can do to avoid being around people with colds and chest infections. it is sadly part of modern day working that we all try to go to work no matter how ill we are.
I am taking it easy and will be right as rain in a few days. ( well about a week) so lots of snoozing may be the order of the next few days.


I am thinking that  Durham have been snoozing through the last 5 T20 matches as they were beaten again last night, this time by Notts
The man who is rumoured to be getting a 5 year contract ( what is with this club and stupid contracts) went for a duck and to be honest do Durham think that they will get more out of him when he is 47? or is he going to use up the years on the supposed contract to take over as coach?

Sometimes you can understand how they got into their financial predicament , over the years money has been wasted at OAP   ( over age player) level. It makes no sense what so ever.

Tonight they are in action against my boys at HQ.

Yorkshire are currently top of the T20 north table ( although anything could happen), does this mean that I break my word and consider a T20 finals day? well the way I feel at the moment I would say its a no and we do have a way to go before we get to that stage.

I am keeping this short as I need to get something to eat so that I can down some tablets.

I hope that you all have a great Wednesday.

Come on you Vikings!!!

Grey days......

Ah July, you have been a cold wet and at times, a miserable month, today has dawned grey and cloudy too, when will we get some sunshine.
I am waiting for all the weather forecasters to predict an 'Indian summer' they seem to do it every year when July does not live up to expectations.

It would be good I guess as we have cricket right to the end of that month!.

Well now ahead of the Test starting this week, it has been announced that South Africa have release  J P Dumminy  and he is now gone!
What on earth?

There appears to be no further news on that.


I had heard rumblings of residential developments at Lords  however  it appears that the MCC Committee have rejected these plans.
They have  recommended a redevelopment of the ground ( in line with the plans already in place)
The 18000 members will be asked to approve plans to work on the Compton and Eldrich stand, to begin in late 2019. ( of approved).

I vote for heating in the lower Compton!

I am normally freezing my whatnots off in there even when it is tarmac lifting weather !


I am still struggling with a summer cold and back ache, but I am sure that after a visit to the chiropractor I will be bouncing around  ( hopefully) and then I just need to hope that the cold clears up pronto

Tonight see those Notts boys in action up the A1 from my house, I would have headed up to cheer them on, but do not think that my back will be up to  sitting on plastic seats at the moment.

Tomorrrow sees my boys back in action at HQ and another missed opportunity , no worries though I will be willing them to win from the comfort of the sofa.

Now I am heading off to work , the summer holidays have had a massive impact on my 30minute drive, which yesterday took 12 minutes...............................just how much school traffic is on the roads?

Until tomorrow

new week

And it is Monday again and time to put my work head on and knuckle down.

it may be a painful week as yesterday after a full on sneezing fit I managed to put my back out.
To say that I have had an uncomfortable night is an understatement
I am now sure  the sneezing is a  head cold and not  hayfever, my nose is running like a tap and my eyes are streaming, and I have the worst headache ever!,however it will have to be put on a back burner ( something that I am feeling at the moment) and onwards I go.

I decided not to go to Headingley which turned out to be the wrong decision as they had some rain, but got a game and to say that it was a good one is an understatement.
David Willey continued his run of good form hitting 118 off 55 balls, TLJL hit 14 which was up there with the rest of the team, as they posted 233-6.

I also missed 'Commando Boy' take a wicket which is probably for the best as I may have cheered!

Worcestershire in reply made 196-7 but not before Ross Whiely hit 6,6's before being caught by TLJL

It was some game.

Over in the final of the Women's World Cup England pulled off a blinder to beat India, with Anya Shrubsole taking 6-46.

the women seem to be showing the men how its done.

many congratulations to the girls.

Did I manage to get anything done at the Chateau before my back went?

Well yes I got some cooking done, cleaned out the fridge, and tidied the sitting room.

And then I set about knitting.

It was all go until it ground to a halt ( if you get my drift)

Washing was all done and dried which is a huge relief in light of the torrential rain that we  had for most of the afternoon and evening.

And this week, well back permitting there will be stripping and painting and lawn mowing and strimming.

Lots to do and only 2 weeks to do it in, this time in 2 weeks I will be in Scarbados...................I cannot wait.

time to head out into the coldest and windiest summer day i have seen in a while.

Sunny Sunday

well it is suny(ish) here in the North East of blighty but the weather forecast for HQ is not great so I have had to take the decision not to go to the game ( if it is on that is). I am gutted!!!

I set off home yesterday thinking about all the things that I had to do once  I got there, and 3 HOURS later I finally arrived, hot and angry!
Why did it take 3 hours?

Well the Highways agency have thought that having another set of roadworks in both directions of the A1 would be a super fun idea, combine that with the 13 mile stretch that have been there forever ( due to finish Spring this year, now due to complete in WINTER, there has been some tea brewing on this job I can see).
Add to this roadworks on the bridge over the A1 at Scotch Corner which causes tailbacks on the slip road ( and onto the carriageway which is down to 2 not 3 lanes)  you can see that it is total chaos.

The school holidays have not helped either.
So I got home in the worst temper ever!

There was cricket on which was a relief........until it rained and put a halt to that! However Notts won on the Jack and Vera!

yes it was a great day!

and the evening turned out to be an absolute belter, blistering sunshine. What is going on?

However my jaunt around the charity shops before coming home was not in vain, as I managed to get my hands on a Le Creuset salt pig for the princely sum of £1, well that was a result!

so today I have to rejig what I was going to do and I may find myself painting in the 'throne room' and bathroom and if I have time repainting the boot room ceiling.
Washing is to do and beds to strip so  I will not be idle that's for sure.

I now have nearly 2 weeks without cricket as my next game is the T20 at Chester le Street before the Lady Lainey roadshow set off on holibobs to Scarbados.

I might finally get to tick some jobs off my list in the next 2 weeks........................then again.


well lets see how the weather pans out this morning I may reverse my decision.

R & R ( Rest and Rain )

Good morning from a very rainy Saturday morning, I have been having a sneaky lie in and have been listening to the rain falling ( actually absolutely tanking it down) not so relaxing really as I am now thinking about all the washing that is to be done!

However lets talk about last night and the cricket.

I finished work and headed down the A1, and have to say a huge thanks to the Highways Agency for now adding another  set of road works on the 55 mile stretch of road that I cover to get to the  Leeds turnoff. Yes not content with a 13 mile stretch from Barton to Leeming, they threw in a stretch slightly further down. Ah the joy of the road travel.

Anyhoo, I got to Headingley and messaged Jimbo and Clare who both said that they would be there,Gary was already insitu!
I chatted to John about his new grandson George ( top name ) and Ray popped over for a chat too before resuming his duties on the football stand gate.
Then Dave and Molly ( and Timmy the bear) came over and we said that weather permitting we would  be at the game on Sunday.

Yorkshire batted and  after losing Lyth, David Willey came in and actually played a fantastic game, smashing the ball for 6 &4 and nearly hitting Clare and I at one time.

I was being kept entertained by 'Vinny the Viking' who has likes the fact that my hair and his beard match. Hilarious to say the least.

Willey hit 70 which gave us a good chance and with Marsh hitting 30 our total of 179-5 was  hopefully going to be good.

Bears went into bat and Hain was bowled by 'Timmy' before the 2nd over was over!
Bell gone in less than 4 and the Western Terrace was in good voice ( and making the best beer snake ever).
it did at one time look  as if the runs were starting to rack up, but at 9 wickets down, Clare said 'it could all be over in one ball'........and it was thanks to Timmy.

The crowd went wild ( well Clare and I did!).
Top night.........


........which is not what Aaron Finch had, after being run out by 'HWMNBNITB', as he walked off I am certain that he was not saying that he would be getting the drinks in later!!!!

And then there was Notts who have have a terrible couple of weeks with  injury and retirement.
Well they won their match and Riki Wessels score the first T20 century by any player at Notts. And halted Derbyshire in their tracks as they have been  running amok recently with wins over Yorkshire and Worcestershire.

Well done Notts, total fighters!


Well this is late and the rains appears to have stopped so I am off to have a wander to the shops

Have a great day 

Its FRIDAY!!!!

IT'S FRIDAY!!!!

Time to don your cricket tops and head off to T20......................well if you have a T20 match tonight it is.

We have a T20 weekend going on as my boys take on Birmingham Bears tonight and Worcestershire on Sunday.
Its going to be a busy weekend.

I am feeling for all my Notts friends who are still reeling after the news that there will be no 'Big Lukey' for the rest of the season, and that Michael Lumb has retired, they have now lost Greg Smith who has taken the decision to retire from cricket.

I am willing them to have some good luck in the next few weeks. a great team with great supporters and one of the most lovely grounds.

The run of sleep disturbance continues, as the 'man' across the road is back in full engine running mode when he comes home.
He goes in and out of his house frequently between the hours of 10pm and3am, and when he parks up outside the house he leaves the engine running  ( and has  now has added 'Nutty and Bonkers' music just to add to the insult), usually for about 5 minutes but sometimes as long as 20 mins.
I know this as when he wakes me up I then do nothing but clock watch!

I fear that the curse of the red hair may soon take over as I am not good when deprived of sleep.

Everyone is on holibobs but me,Dame Didi is staying with her friend in another part of France and Kiki is packing to go on a cruise ( not sure where,)

 However another couple of weeks and I will be packing my case, putting my bucket and spade in the boot of the car and knotting my hankie ready for Scarbados.
I have a full time of it, as I am meeting eldest monster nephew for a coffee, and then spending Sunday at cricket with Jimbo, heading off out to the quiz on Sunday evening, then more cricket.

I'll need a holiday when I get back!

Well it is nearly time to head off on the A167 and work, its a short day today as I finish early.

HAPPY FRIDAY


Come on you VIKINGS!!!!

Another day dawns

Another day, another morning listening to the blackbirds singing happily, Pete the pigeon cooing and the magpies chattering to each other, apart form that all is silent. I have not one car has passed the chateau and I and not even seen a dog walker, All very strange, but very peaceful.
I'll give it another half hour before the peace is shattered.

last night was a full on cricket evening and Worcestershire were taking on Derbyshire

It was good to see Commando Boy back in action he managed to take one wicket but Derbyshre walked all over them and had an easy win.

This was all overshadowed by the return at Surrey of 'HWMNBNITB'!
Oh yes 'Biltong Boy' is back and  hit 52 so got top billing on all the sports pages today, as well as speculating that he may play for South Africa?

OH PLEASE!!!!!

If this was serious I would be worried but as he is nearly 127, I doubt that SA would even look at him, they have young talent and need a showpony like I need a new pair of shoes!

Yes he  has made sure that everyone knew that he is back. however he was unable to field as he is far too good for that*

* he had a reported calf injury

the only calf I could think of was the fatted one that the loyal Surrey supporters had prepared for the prodigal son

enough already!

I am off on a rant

Nottinghamshire are not having a good time of it at the moment as Michael Lumb announced that he is retiring with  an ankle injury.
Lumb is a great player and it is sad end to his career.

I wish him well in retirement.

I however am now 47 years away from retiring or getting a state pension and to be honest I don't see that I will ever get one.
So i guess that I will just have to keep going to work.

Have a great day and its so close to the weekend I can almost taste it.

wooohoo Midweek

This is what Wednesday looks like in the chateau, yes I am struggling to get out of bed and to open my eyes, I am not sure why, but think that is is lack of routine. Like a baby I need a set routine, and am going to have to start to get my act together.

The warm nights are not helping although today has dawned grey and overcast, it is unbearably warm, I think that there is a storm on the way!


I have been reading quite a lot that is being written about Joe Root as Captain, what I am about to say has nothing to do with being a Yorkshire supporter ( we've barely seen him inn the last 4 seasons).

Joe is new to the job, and lets face it we have all been there.

Joe is young and just what we need.

Joe is facing an uphill task at the moment with injuries to the squad and poor performances

Joe is the right person for the job with his great cricket (usually) and his very affable nature.

Joe probably doesn't give a hoot what the press say about him.

cricket is cricket, it is not football ( thankfully) where you are sacked within 5 minutes of losing a game.

Joe will be fine, he is finding his feet, and setting down roots ( pun intended)

If we have not improved by this time next year, then yes lets talk about his position.

Other England team news, is that Gary Ballance does have broken finger and will miss the next text.

well it was a busy old evening, when I got home, back lawns cut ( well hacked as I didn't put the new blade on).
Then I sorted out lunches for the remainder of the week, before catching up on a couple of things that I had recorded and headed off to bed.

this week is going way too fast for me, it'll be the weekend before I know it!

Hope that you all have a great Wednesday

The working week begins again

So back to the office today after the long cricket weekend.

yesterday I rushed around after a very lazy lie in, getting sorted ready for 11am.

the sun was shining here in the North East of Blighty and also at Nottingham. Surely that was a good sign?
Even with a mammoth  run chase ahead of them, surely the boys could 'dig in'.

So they came out to bat and before I had even had time to make a cuppa, and hang my smalls on the line, Jennings was back in the pavilion.
its not been a great outing for this boy. I fear that if they hang onto him he may become the 'Roy' of the team.

It didn't get any better, Ballance took a knock on his finger ( which was scanned last night) and then was out 4. The Captain managed to double that and we were well and truly in the poo ( technical cricket term).
Could it get any worse?

Well yes!
With Cook, Bairstow Stokes and Moeen  being the only ones to get into double figures.


South Africa won by 340 runs

It was a sad say for England cricket however by all accounts it will be a grand day for the golf course today!

Time to move onto the Oval and learn some hard lessons from the weekend.

T20 tonight but not for my boys, who are not in action until Friday against Birmingham Bears.

I am going to try to get organised this evening when I get home from work and get the lawns cuts and the edges strimmed, however this will depend on how hot the day has been, there are a lot of lawns!

I also need to hack down the bushes at the side of the garage, these are not technically mine, but regardless of how many times I phone and email, the owners still do not deal with them. Some harsh hacking will be involved!


well that's all for this morning

have a great day and I hope that the sun is shining with you.

Very Very late this morning

I am very late posting this morning a I have had a super long  lie in and have just stripped the beds and sorted out a load of washing, I am on holibobs today to get myself over the weekend.

So to yesterday, I headed home and got back just before the lunch break, South Africa were holding firm at the crease.

After lunch  they continued to put on runs and when they eventually declared at 349-9, they set England 475 to win!

Can England do it?

well if the bowling is as aggressive today as it was yesterday evening I would say that they have a mountain to climb!

It all kicks off at 11am and I will be watching!
However at some point I may be watching through eyelids as I am still a little bit sleepy.

Good news from France that the box of goodies has arrived safely,although the new specs do not seem to be working and it seems it has nothing to do with Gin and tonic!!!

I also sampled  a fabulous bottle of real ale yesterday, it was a beer that had been brewed for the Cricket Writers club, I have to say that I enjoyed it very much.

well this is super short as I have lots to do before before 11am


have a great day

What a day

Well  now,  what a day we had yesterday.

And despite grey skies we got through without rain!

So let's start at the beginning.
Up,showered, food packed. Out the door, on the bus, Trent Bridge!

We found our seats and game began.
England took an early wicket and it spurred them all on.

Clare and Christine arrived and were sitting opposite us. Much waving went on.

Meanwhile England went into bat and were 3-2  in the blink of an eye , then 'Gaz' and  Joe were at the crease.
They needed to get us out of the mire we seemed to in.
Joe hit  50 and was on his way to 3 figures...........not to be, he was on his way to the pavilion and that set the tone.
Even my lad Jonny B couldn't rustle up a ton.


Very poor batting!

All out 205!

South Africa back in lost early wicket and then motored on until close.
In between this we met up with Clare and Christine  (twice).  Had our own private drinks waiter (Terry) and got spotted from the press box!!. (Hilarious messages going back and forth and much waving)

Yes my friend Will was reporting on the test and saw us so we met him after the game for a quick catch up.
Then back to Sophie and Terry's where we spent the rest of the evening in  fits of laughter.
Ah it's a great tonic!!! And just what Sophie and I both needed I think.
What a day!


And now I need to haul my bulk out of bed get showered give Jess another tennis ball and  and get on the road back home.
Don't want to as I've had so much fun.

Have a great Sunday.

South Africa Saturday

Good morning from Nottingham, it's a tad windy but that's fine as long as it doesn't rain,because I'm off to the test match!!

Should be a good day,South Africa batted all day yesterday and even though Faf is already out I'm looking forward to some great cricket.

I left work and had a leisurely drive down yesterday and found my way to Sophie easily enough.

I met the very lovely Jess who is now fully aware that I have a large number of tennis balls in my handbag.

We watched the Yorkshire T20 game, Sky were showing TNSLJL a lot as he was fielding on the boundary.

As Yorkshire went into bat the heavens opened  the umpires kept them on for longer than usual but to no avail.
We are not having such a good  time at the moment.

However a good time is what I intend to have today.

I am currently  listening to the chatter of magpies and cooing of pigeons,whilst debating whether or not to get up.

If there are any typos I apologise in advance. I am doing this on my phone without my specs on.

Well time and South Africa wait for no lady.

Have  a great day, I know I will

It's 'FUN' Friday

YEAY!!!!! it's Friday and its not a normal Friday either, I am at work and then heading off to Nottingham!!!

However it has been all stations go here at the chateau as I got prepared for the jaunt.

the new electric cool box is full and I think that I have everything that I need.

As I head off to Trent Bridge, the sad news from the club is that 'Big' Luke Fletcher has been ruled out of playing for the rest of the rest of the season. This is a result of the horrendous events of Saturday night. It's a  a blow for the Notts and Fletch fans, but its best to make sure that he is fit and well.

Speedy recovery Luke, we all wish you well.

In T20 last night there was a London derby and an exciting one it was too.
more members of the crowd had damage done, this time a phone screen was smashed.

Middlesex won by 1 wicket and I expect the former President to have been jumping up and down with glee.

Tonight my boys are in action, lets hope that the weather is kind to them and that they win.

Former coach of my boys, Jason Gillespie has been announced as the interim coach of Papua New Guinea.
A strange post to take up was my first thought.
However with the Australia A team tour cancelled I am guessing that work is work.
Lets hope he works his magic on the team.

It's always good to broaden your horizons.


Meanwhile back at the chateau, I need to get a wriggle on and pack the car.

I am not sure what time, or if I will get to post a blog tomorrow,  you will just have to wait and see.

It's Friday, its Test match and its a road trip,

hope your day is a good one!

Where has the week gone?

This time last week I was in a tizzy over getting sorted to go to Headingley to meet Sophie, now I am in a tizzy getting sorted to head to Nottingham to go to the test with Sophie and Terry.

Its all go for this Lady!

last night inbetween taking phone calls I managed to catch  some of the Susses v Hampshire match, although Sussex lost by 19 runs it didn't go without incident as David Wiese managed to smash a six which also smashed someones pint!


All the fun of the game.

news form Notts and not about Lukey Fletcher......they have signed Mark Footit from Surrey until the end of 2019. He moved to Surrey form Derbyshire but was unable to settle and asked to be released from his contract.

Lets hope that he settles in at Notts.


At home, things are still the same, the house clear out has ground to a halt due to cricket and I am very tired at the moment with long days in the office, whilst trying to get my head around all things electrical, chemical and water related.
Luckily yesterday I managed to find out about ground water , dosing tanks and Fluorosilicic Acid.
Well its good to learn something new isn't it!

I managed to also make a quick run to the post office in my lunch break and Dame Didi will have her new specs as quickly as air mail will allow.

Another job ticked off my list!

I know that the blogs have been short of late, but time is not on my side in the mornings, another couple of weeks will see me into a proper routine so bear with me.

And its nearly the weekend , early the test and nearly time to meet Jess the dog.

I have tennis balls packed to get her on side!

Until tomorrow when no doubt I will be  in a complete whirl.

have a great day where ever you are.

Midweek

It's mid week and strange things are afoot here at the chateau,......the washing machine is on already!!

well I need to be prepared for the weekend and my trip to Trent Bridge. The bag is waiting to be packed and I have sorted out the food that I need to take wit me, so i am a little bit prepared.

The  early morning washing is a must, and tonight..........well lets see what happens when I get home


Now to last night, I set off home in glorious looking forward to a quick dinner and then cricket........and how disappointed was I when the rain at Northampton put paid to any chance of men in blue heading out onto the field.

I can only keep my fingers crossed that  things get better  for Friday.


Still no news on the Australia pay talks, I find that as we are now in the middle of July and no deal is in place it must be  beginning to get a little worrying down under.

My twitter feed was full of HRR last night,  he had only been  doing a spot of modelling!
yes indeed, the curly haired on had been following in my footsteps and was looking very dapper i have to say.

New career?

Well he needs a few lessons in deportment before then, I am available for a small fee!

The sun is shining and the sky is blue here in Ladylaineyvile and I need to keep this short as I am going to hang my 'smalls' on the line before I head off to the office

I have a to do list as long as my arm ( and thats long) and just can;t seem to get anything ticked off it.

Hopefully today........

Have a great Wednesday

Here we go.....

well it's Tuesday and the weekend is a distant memory, and the coming one is at the end of a long tunnel, however, we march on.

Lets have some crickety news to see us through.

'Big' Like Fletcher  was chatting on radio 5 last night and talking about the horrific events of Saturday.
He is very down to earth and just spoke about the incident as it was. A horrible accident.
He said he didn't see the ball ( luckily) and just remembered thinking that he could be in a lot of. trouble after being hit

he is on the mend although initially the Doctors told him he could miss the rest of the season.
he won't be playing for a while, but I expect that he will be around Trent Bridge.


The 'stump mic saga' goes on. after Kagiso Rabada was banned after being  picked up swearing at Ben Stokes!
Are they going to ban players who 'f' there way off the field when they are out and being filmed by a camera man who is right in front of them ( and they know he is there)?

Michael Vaughan has gone on record as saying that stump mics should be scrapped if they are going to be used to ban players ( the only thing he has said in a while that I agree with).

it's a farce, and its the ICC bods way of having another jolly to the UAE to discuss what to do!

Tonight see my boys in action against the current T20 champions Northants. I have to say I have a soft spot for Steeler the dog, their mascot who kept us thoroughly entertained at Finals day.
I will however be cheering on the Vikings!


Apart from work today I have a bag full of things to post and also  food to prepare, the hoover may have an outing and then I can sit down for a spot of cricket.

All in all I am going to have a very busy day.

Until tomorrow

A new week begins

after a very full weekend, its time to get my head into work mode for the week until I head off again on  Friday for a cricket weekend in Nottingham. Lots to do before then though.

Yesterday was a beautiful day and I was up and about strimming in the garden, tidying up the borders  before heading off to run errands for Dame Didi, then back home to get on with jobs and listen/watch the test.

It was good news for me to see Faf on the balcony looks like I may not be too disappointed on Saturday.

and we weren't too disappointed either with the England team, as Moeen Ali took 10-112 to lead us to a win over the South African team.

it was some match, and some of it I missed due to closing my eyes for 2 seconds*


*half an hour!

News came through that Big Luke Fletcher had been released form hospital and was making a good recovery, which was the news that I think everyone wanted to hear.

And then there was Australia!

the pay talks rumble on and the Australia A teams tour to South Africa has been cancelled.
This is not boding too well for the team and also does not put cricket in a good light.
Its sad to see this play out.

Its a full on T20 week, with matches on TV every night.
Yorkshire are in action tomorrow and Friday.


its a wet morning here in the North East of Blighty and i need to get a wriggle on to get to the office, so I will bid you all farewell until tomorrow.

have a great day

Sunday

I am up but not functioning properly today and nothing to do with drink.

Firstly, the events of last nights T20  kept me up way past my bedtime.

Birmingham Bears v Notts.

Notts batted and we settled down to watch the second innings with them bowling.

less than 4 overs in the lovely Luke Fletcher took the full force of a ball on his head.
I'm not going to rehash it as it was too awful for words.

however he was off the fields and being treated in moments.
the shock of the players was evident to see.
the match was finished after a break in play.
Bears won, but that is real matter.

Luke is apparently fine, after suffering a concussion, he was tweeting at midnight, so that was a relief.

The tweets of well wishes from players, clubs and supporters was amazing.
Firstly it showed what a well thought of player Luke is.
It showed that where ever your allegiance lies in cricket at these times, cricket is one big family.

After all this I went off to bed at midnight.......................

just in time to hear my neighbours come in from an evening out.

Ah yes true to form within 10 minutes the peace was shattered and war had broken out.

This continued for well over 1.5 hours!

So this morning I am struggling to do anything.

I do know that I have washing and housework to do as well as running some errands for my 'french' sister.

I suppose I should get on.

and so I am wishing Luke a speedy recovery and hope to see the big fella back on the field soon.

Right off I go

The afternoon after the night before

Well I am home and I am a shadow of my former self. I think that once I have posted this blog I will be having myself a little nap.

And why  do I feel a little under the weather?

it was the annual get together for Sophie and I for the Yorkshire v Notts T20 match. And to  mark the occasion we had a little pre match cocktail party in our room at the lodge.

Sophie and I headed off over to the pavilion to see Cally and Dave Bracegirdle  then back to the room to get ready.

Our first guests were Clare and Christine, followed by Gary, and then Dave, Helen and the lovely Molly joined in, as did Jim, Tom and Steve, it was a room full I can tell you.

The rhubarb gin martinis went down a storm, and are now known as a 'Blast off'. Molly had 'mocktails' and Jim, Tom and Steve were on the lagers!
With nibbles and samosas ( courtesy of Clare and Christine) it was a cocktail party par excellence.

We headed off to get our seats, and the ground had the largest crowd outside of a roses match which was really impressive.

We were kept entertained by Vinny the Viking, who seemed very keen on the fact that MY hair matched HIS beard.

Yorkshire were batting and Adam Lyth hit a brilliant 82, before being bowled by Big Luke Fletcher, the new boy Shaun Marsh hit 60. with a score of 227-5 Notts went in.

They posted 179-8, giving the Tykes  their first win  and a record score.

We were all having way too much fun to go to bed so we headed over for the autograph signing where I was snubbed by a Yorkshire player......................yes its true!
I will not name and shame him, but I tell you this, that player has lost his most loyal supporter.!!!!!

We headed into town, which we knew was a mistake but did it anyway.

The photos seem to show that much fun was had by all.

I would like to thank Sophie for making the journey and to  everyone who called in for drinks.

What a night!!!!

And now I am totally flagging so I am heading off to bed for an hour

Ahhhhhh cricket day

It's Friday
Its's 6.30
AND IT'S T20!!!!!!

Well it will be later, and I am up with the larks, the sun is shining and I am getting myself organised!

I am meeting with the gang  and its a full on members evening out.With an 'Outlaw' thrown in for good measure.

I cannot wait!!!!

However lets have a peep through our fingers at what happened yesterday.

Well we lost,

and in  pretty spectacular fashion too,

by 179 runs.4 men down before 8 overs were bowled!

We didn't play well, and with the continued insistence of playing a sub standard opener who is obviously struggling, I think that they need to look long and hard before the next County Championship game.

The bowling is excellent but the batting is letting us down really badly!



England were in action yesterday and a certain Yorkshireman, now England captain  only went and scored 184 and will return this morning to the crease. My 'boy' Jonny B did not fair so well and went for 10.
It should be an interesting morning.

Over in 'La belle France' Dame Didi was out watching 'Le Tour' as it spend through her new home town, she had some fab photos which were evidence that she had not spent the morning at the local champagne house. She has been looking forward to this since they announced the route!


And so after torrential rain last night and thunder, today is looking calmer and much more like cricket weather, and so although this is short I am heading off to finish doing all my things before work.

Please be aware that the blog may not be posted until well into the after noon tomorrow.


Have a great Friday

And it doesn't get any better

As the injury list gets longer and the scores look awful!

My other spy at the ground messaged me to tell me that Liam Plunkett had joined HRR on the 'fizzio's' bench ( not much room on there now I think!). Groin injury was his take on it, and reports seem to prove him right.
What is going on?
Well Somerset are looking  strong as they built a healthy lead, closing on 234-3

We need to get through today without any injuries!!!!

Scarborough has not been kind to the lads this week, same as last year with Middlesex.

Lets see what today holds.


After Hampshire posting 648 the other day which included 3 centuries,  Surrey rallied when Rory Burns hit 174*.

There have been some runs down at the Kia Oval..

Today is the start of the  Test and I have my radio in my bag, ready  to take its place on my desk,  this is 'little' Joey Roots first outing as England captain so lets see what he is made of.

Faf du Plessis has not returned from South Africa but hopefully he will be winging his way back in time to entertain me at Trent Bridge.

 And tonight its time  to get myself sorted for the weekend.

I can hardly believe that it is Thursday already, the weeks are starting to fly by again.

News for France is that the beautiful apartment with the hardwood floors and courtyard garden will be the Dames home for the next few months whilst things get sorted.
She is off on her holibobs to see her chum soon and then will be moving into said apartment.
She doesn't appear to have hit the champagne houses in the last day!

And just a word about a fabulous series that has played out over the last few weeks on BBC1.
If you did not see 'Broken' with the wonderful Sean Bean, then download it immediately, close the curtains and binge watch it.

As you know I am a huuuumongous Sean Bean fan, and can only say that this has to be the best thing that I have ever seen him in.

YES!!! REALLY!!!

This series made me laugh, cry and think hard about life in general.

Well written by Jimmy McGovern.

Just watch it if you haven't already


Off to work.

A bientot

Where is the sun?

Today the order of footwaear is more Hunters than high heels and I no likey!

I have even taken my ankle bots back out of storage, I am now totally sick of rain.

how very British!

we all complain about the heat and then when it rains ( which is good for the garden) we moan about that too.

And boy do we talk about it!

And talking is something that I hope was in abundance in the dressing room at Scarbados last night. Rain was a big problem with no play after 3pm, but Craig Overton was an even bigger problem as he took  5-76!

 Yorkshire were 159-7, not even our beloved Hoddy could really bump the figures up.

Tom  K-C ( hope he can bring the Sunshine band with him soon)  hit 31 and our hopes are resting on Adil Rashid  and Liam Plunkett, who as we know can do amazing things 9 but now on the 3rd day, I fear that a miracle is what is needed.
Granted the weather has not been kind, ( there you go another weather mention).

Temperatures in the south of the Champagne region have been much better and the Dame was visiting the local champagne house to get her feet firmly under the table.

An hour and 4 glasses later she zig-zagged her way home.
I hasten to add that she is not ( I hope) going to be spending her days sampling champers, today the real business begins.

I am trying to get myself sorted for my trip next week, as I head down to Trent Bridge, my bag is sort of packed, I have tennis balls in it.

Why?

well I am going to meet the lovely Jess, besty dog of Sophie and Terry, and to get on her good side I have taken a stash of her favourite toy!.

Right off to the coal face, and sending huge 'run vibes' to my boys, we need  batting points if nothing else!

Keep dry!

Not good news

Well it was not good news that I got through at  my lunchtime yesterday as my 'other' spy at the ground, messaged me to say that His Royal Ryanness had left the field and was not looking too good!

The club tweeted that HRR had a muscle injury to his back and it was  a possibility that he may take no further part in the match.

Well that didn't help me digest my mushroom risotto.

Somerset were in to bat and Liam Plunkett proved to be the scourge of the batsmen with an impressive 4-73 but they managed to rack up 268 before they were all out.

Yorkshire into bat............................. Lees and Lyth both went early and so did my blood pressure, why oh why is Lees still being picked, especially with his run of terrible form, which is continuing.

Our Aussie went next and left the new boys Brook and Kohler-Cadmore  to hold onto stumps.
42-3

Pretty shabby, I have to say!

I am hoping that they were fed, watered and in bed at The Crown by 9.30pm last night after an ear bashing from the Captain.

And if all that wasn't bad enough for Her Ladyship, the news came through that Faf du Plessis is not fit for the first test at Lords this week!

Give a girl a break!!!!!

First Dale 'the stare' Steyn isn't fit to board the plane to England, then Abraham Benjamin rules himself out of test cricket, now Faf  with fitness problems. He had better get himself sorted for Trent Bridge or there is going to be hell to pay.

These boys and there fitness problems!!!

Well all I can say is that I hope today brings me better cricket news!

Right I am off to do my thing!

have a great Tuesday.

Oh and The Dame is off on 'The champagne Trail' today, how lucky she is to live in the most wonderful part of the world!

New week.......

Which for some will mean  a trip to Scarborough to see my boys in action against Somerset.

Lots of comments on the team list as Tom Kohler-Cadmore makes his debut for the first team, and Alex Lees appears to get another life!
Good news that TLJL is in the squad and our favourite wicket keeper 'Hoddy' is back.

This is a match that we need to win, not only for the points but I think to focus the team.

good luck lads I will be keeping an eye on the scores.

There seems to be a lot of reshuffling at Worcestershire , after the departure of Tom Kohler-Cadmore , they released Alexei Kerveeze, who had been  with the club for 11 seasons. No mention of where the 27 year old is off to though.
They had better not be looking to get rid of 'Commando Boy!' or I may be on the march to New Road!

Yesterday I managed to get some jobs done here at the Chateau although I have a 'to do ' list for when I get home tonight and am determined to get through it.

As I was sorting out the 'stuff' to go on ebay, I found lots more that I decided to clear out.. Next stop the garage as there is quite a lot of stuff in there that needs to either go to the tip ( job for next Sunday) or be found a new home.
I am sure that when I go to work someone comes in and leaves things in my house!

it is well documented on here, my loved of shoes, handbags and coats/jackets, well after delving into the drawers under the spare bed, I realised that dresses where also a bit of an obsession and some that I know where not worn last year, so with complete brutality they too are now on ebay.

The exciting news of the day ( well it is to me ) is that I have finally found a window cleaner!!!
yes!!!
No longer will I open the blinds and think it is foggy!!!
I want to be positive about this one, but as I have been let down so many times I will just wait to see if he turns up.


And now?

well time to head off up the A167 and get myself to work.


Happy Monday!

OMD!!! Late again

Well I have no excuse for being late this morning other than the fact that I kept turning over and going back to sleep, this is all new to me, its not something that I do, however I am just going with it, as I must need some sleep.

Especially after the excitement of yesterday.

So I got myself all settled down to watch the match and by 11.00.10am I was screaming so loud that the neighbours must have wondered what was going on, and what was going on was a dropped catch off the first ball of Luke fletcher!
Well that set the tone of the innings for Notts as there was some scrappy fielding and Mark Stoneman hit an unbeaten 144 to see Surrey on 279-9 at the end of their 50 overs.

I nipped to the local Co op in the break, this was my last ever visit as the store that has been there forever closed last night to be taken over by Macolls. End of an era at Neville Parade.

back home I settled down for the Notts innings,

Losing Lumb before the 4th over was not looking good, but Hales plodded on, and on and on and over took Geoff Boycotts record .
Players can in and went without really making a dent in the score, the soon to be retiring captain Chris Read came in and hit a great 58. the runs were clocking up.
James Pattinson came in, his last match for the team and now unemployed as the Australian pay talks still have not been resolved.
Hales and Pattinson saw the team through to an amazing win. Hales with an outstanding knock of 187.


Luke fletcher was so excited that I was worried the balcony would collapse!

What a well deserved win!

So the One Day cricket is done and we now move onto T20 with my first outing on Friday when Notts come to Headingley.

A big night out for all.

As for the Australia debacle, well it looks as if its not resolved the A team tour will be in jepoardy ( rather than South Africa!) and will mean that Jason Gillespie will be unemployed too.............


Right I am off to strim and trim the lawn edges and tackle the weeds, make up the beds and  probably hoover through the house.

Then its time to continue with the clearout and get things on ebay.

Never a dull moment here at the Chateau.

News from France, my sister has found me a bar to buy and has got her rail card, so there is no stopping her. She will be looking for a car as soon as she gets back form her 'mini holiday'.

Right you are up to date with all things so I am off to be productive!

Late today

I have just woken up!!!

I am not really being a lazy thing but I had gone to bed early last night as I was exhausted and then the eldest sister phones and wakes me up! after nit picking  for an hour and some she went off the phone to go to bed, leaving me  wide awake!

Ah family ????
the other bit of the family finally arrived in her new home village in France, and is getting her feet under the local bar table as we speak. Its sooo exciting for her.
I'm actually contemplating buying the village bar.

Now onto important things, my bestie mates Sophie and Terry  (and LL)  are on the way the way to Lords for the one day cup final, all my plans of things to do today have gone out the window as I know that I will be settling down at 10.30am to have a day of cricket.
I have to say that I am backing Notts and Pink Hippo is duly adorned in his Notts jumpy for the occasion.
I have champagne in the fridge ( any excuse).

talking about Pink Hippo, he is one lucky boy, as he always manages to get a 'like' from Big Luke Fletcher for his tweets!.

Champagne is not something that the Aussie team will be sampling at the moment as a lot of them are out of contract and the pay talks still rumble on. I find it hard to comprehend that they have got to this stage.
I have to say that I love the rivalry that is between our two countries, I hope that it is sorted soon.

After his amazing bowling display at Essex, Simon Harmer has been talking about how he will be bowling on a 'road' when he gets back to South Africa and being hit all over the place. I love that he is has just taken his achievement as a one off. How refreshing!

And cricket is heading back to terrestrial TV if the news is to be believed!

Ah yes just like the old days of watching with my Daddy and Great Uncle Jack ( without Great Uncle's  'colourful'vocals though). I may save myself a fortune on Sky payments!

And now to the sky, strangely, as I look out of the home office window I see a ball of yellow!
This is something that I cannot recall seeing for a while, I think that I had best head outdoors and top up my vitamin D levels

Have a great day and come on Nottinghamshire.