I think it was Mr R Geldof who once told us he didn’t like Mondays. Well to be honest the fox and the rat were as one on that point this week. Not sure why…I mean I have never been that anti-Monday, in fact I think I was born on a Monday (those who know me, now know that the “Monday’s child being full of grace” thing is officially baloney). It was just this particular Monday had me in a bit of a grump. The obvious source of the grump was the way my day had gone.
As I have never seen the attraction of queuing to get onto a station concourse, nevermind a train, I had a day of working from home, as flooding reduced the good old (I use the term loosely) FCC service into London to a “not-very-often-and-even-then-don’t-be-daft-you’ll-never-get-on-as-it-will-be-packed-by-St Albans” service. Now most people, including Hat Boy, laugh when I describe working from home as a source of grumpiness. And I do appreciate that WFH, does spell to some ‘wangled free holiday’, but to be honest I have a tedious conscience which means I really do eschew (BOOM!) the delights of the sofa and the all day viewing pleasures of Homes under the Hammer and Come Dine with Me for the reading/typing/thinking work thing.
Plus and maybe more importantly, there is no one to talk to ALL DAY, no distractions – worky chat, lunch options in the canteen to consider, quick trip out to Pret etc. Mr TLF maybe around but he has important male tasks to occupy him. So this grumpy sentiment slowly but surely pervades every element of the day, to the point where…..and I kid you not, I start to contemplate skipping the evening home game. I know. But seriously the brain goes down this, “It’s cold, it’s dark, I have got an early start tomorrow, and then an overnight in Cardiff for work. I really just want to sit and sulk, recognising my unimportance to the universe and eating worms” kind of a route.
Fortunately for me, Mr TLF provided the right motivation. Not him looking askance at this development, or him saying, “you’ll enjoy it when you get there.” No, it was more his ability to induce fear by pasta. While as regular followers will know I am a great believer in the power of the PoundLand/World/99p Shop to provide comestible happiness, there are limits. And a 99p frozen lasagne took that limit and showed it maximum disrespect (innit). One glimpse of it and I was off to the match as fast as my little legs would carry me…..in part just to share my incredulity at what I had just witnessed. The ladies behind the bar and ATB (Andy the burger man) were suitably horrified at the dinner decision, and they didn’t even see it.
And of course the magic of Clarence Park quickly reminds me why Mr TLF was right (about going to the game, not his unnerving dinner choice). Like early morning birdsong I am welcomed by that first cry of ‘golden goal’ or in real language, “Please part with some money in the foolish belief that THIS time you will win”. Quickly followed by the banter with people who point out that my usual “it’s a skool night” excuse for low level drinking doesn’t count tonight as it is technically half term, the perfect bacon cob and the first sip of a cold Stella. It’s the little things that make dragging myself out of the house a pleasure. Plus of course if I had missed out on a 1-0 win, an appearance in the programme, a minor telling off from the programme editor, Davie Mack with his TWENTY non winning golden goal tickets (for a goal scored ironically in the 20th minute), voting on man of the match and hearing how offsides are outsourced to Skits I would have really been VERY VERY grumpy, so maybe Mr TLF is not as daft as his dinner choice suggests.
Match stats
St Albans 1 Chippenham 0
Attendance 352
Losing raffle tickets 10
Golden Goal tickets purchased in a pointless fashion 2
Bacon Fries consumed 1 Packet
Additional Bacon Item bought from Andy’s snack van 1 (the eagle eyed stattos amongst you will know technically it is the turn of the bar’s cheese cob BUT there were none)
Lager consumed 2 pints Stella, in a modest, I don’t do half term kind of a way
Thing I Learnt Today
Mr TLF said it wouldn’t rain. Mr TLF has no future in weather forecasting.
Boomtown Fox
The EES know that the delightful ROLLS are only offered in the bar at weekends, thus leaving the midweek clear for our good friend ATB to dispense his delicious fare unopposed.
DOH! Hadn’t realised there were rules relating to COBS sales allocation. Another ‘Thing I Learnt Today’ to add to the list. Cheese and onion tomorrow then!