I started today with a happy daughter, two sons with ambitions on the football field, and a time-travel experience to my youth. Oh, and another contre-temps with the last matrimonial fiasco. Solomon Burke died today, his most obvious song being 'Everybody Needs Somebody To Love'. Guess I mucked up your thesis, Solly. Sorry.
Travelled with the OJs to meet the mob of clubs that play on the marshlands adjacent to Barleylands: the venue of choice for Essex primary schools. I presume that barley can be grown there, but I see a more regularly repeatable harvest of fun-farms, dwarf animals and educational retainers has been sown. Barleylands is also close to the most famous diddikoi encampment in the world: reminding me both of youthful football and the difficult relationship these people have with us 'normal' dwellers of the earth. Growing up with various shades of traveller was an agrarian norm, but why they should want to settle in the Essex marshes is beyond me. No crops, no scrap. No cash. Hmm......
Away from the pestilential Disneyworld that has invaded even farming, I tractored across the wetlands to watch Number One and Number Two in action. In-between lessons on rabbit-skinning and ditch-delving the lads had to watch for the morts in the 4x4s bringing in the kids playing football that day. That they survived, and that both teams won, was a delight.
Even the oppo seemed to be less from the vardo and more from the housing estate. Tell you what, at least you could take your bike down there and not find it missing a wheel within five minutes. Which is not true of rich old Bedford these days. Cost of new back wheel to be included in the latest subscription hike from your correspondent! Good pitches too, but grass was long. No scrap left there, boy, and so no mowers either!
Number Two scored in another rout for the early season pace-setters; Number One performed stolidly in defence as they overcame a two-goal first-half deficit to win by the odd goal in five. The wind from the marshes was behind them in the second half and helped considerably. The younger lads woke up in the second half, all having admitted to the coach at half-time that they had stayed up to watch the X-Factor. Six further goals proved that their sluggish first half was TV-induced! So Essex!!
I doubt the daughter of delight had risen from her chamber by the time we roared away from the barley fields. But then she has had a hectic couple of weeks celebrating her birthday...
...oh golly, oh gosh, I'm off to lie on the couch. With a nice bit of posh from Burnham-on-Crouch.
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