A Week that Seems to Mirror the Last!

Last week's blog ended with the result of the first match in this year's Six Nations rugby football tournament.  Rugby is a game I've often watched on TV, but don't really understand, have never played and have never watched live ... except here in Letchworth from the touchline of the nearby soccer pitch.  However, to restore the balance, this week's story begins with the round ball.

One of the ways in which I spend my leisure time is to support a nearby football team.  For many years I was a 'groundhopper', visiting many a ground solely for the experience of 'collecting' it; then, a few years ago, my former boss helped to found a new club based on a youth team that he had been running for a couple of years.  Last weekend, Biggleswade FC - in only the third year of their existence - found themselves playing in the fifth round of the FA Vase.

To reach, in the previous season, the fourth round of this national competition for clubs playing below the top eight levels in the football pyramid was something of a triumph.  On that occasion, they played away and were beaten by the eventual runners-up.  To repeat the feat this year, and find themselves playing at home against a more local side, was an even greater success.  The event attracted a record crowd, who saw them beat what many had seen as a stronger team ... certainly one from a more established base, the opposing club having been founded in the 1880s.

That record crowd was exceeded last Sunday as another competent opposition team were put to the sword (not, thankfully, in a literal sense!).  Honours were even with no score at half time, but a second-half goal-fest saw the home team run out 6-1 winners!  Excitement mounted over the next 24 hours waiting for the draw for the quarter-finals.  With the winners of the two northern ties that were postponed until tomorrow being drawn against each other, the other three matches are clearly defined, and we now know that on 24th of February we will be travelling to Kent to watch them play against Canterbury City.

Also last week, I mentioned an unfortunate accident that befell the jumper I wear for work; sadly today a parallel situation evolved as I came home to discover that I had managed to get grease on the arm of my flourescent jacket.  Although it's not an official requirement, I prefer to wear this on the van because it combines being lightweight and manoeuvrable with being wind- and waterproof.  There was nothing else for it but another Friday laundry!  Fortunately this proved totally successful and even as I write the bright and shining garment is drying across the room.

I spoke, too, about the way my weeks seem to have settled into a regular pattern; part of this is a Wednesday afternoon Bible study group, for which I am joined by a married couple from the other side of the town.  We had decided that we wouldn't meet this week, having a 'half-term' break.  They have the privilege of living in a small modern estate of retirement homes, and enjoy a number of useful common services with their neighbours.  One of these benefits is a communal TV aerial system, which has to undergo regular, if infrequent, maintenance.  The unfortunate timing of this event means that our meeting will now have to be cancelled next week as well!

One aspect of the week that is vastly different is yet to come.  Last Saturday I was almost completely at home; tomorrow will see me spending almost twelve hours away from my desk, but I'll report on that next weekend!