Sunday 29 January 2012

Romantic Cup

I hope this overcast Sunday is treating you all well? As is my usual tradition, welcome new follower Andy Hill who says of himself: "Lifetime career in IT, Had Stroke in November 2010, Now disabled." Read his blog here and I am interested that he's had a Reiki treatment and felt some benefit. Welcome sir.

Now for those of you that know nothing about football and there will be many, in England and Wales - the Football Association Cup (FA Cup) is a special time in sport. I'll explain why its special shortly but did you know (Michael Caine impression) that the FA Cup was first played for in 1871/72 season. The Wanderers beat the Royal Engineers 1 - 0. 

Now the FA Cup is a knock-out competition and pits the giants against the minnows - its an all in competition where all standards of footballing teams from minor leagues and the Premiership come together in sport to put a leather ball in a net. This means of course that like every American has the ability to become President, every club in the country has the ability to get to the cup final and over the years there have been spectacular upsets where giants have been well and truly toppled. 

Yesterday, Crawley Town in the second division and 45 places below their rivals, beat Hull City from the Championship 0-1. This is a great achievement for the Crawley Team when the statistics suggested this should never of happened. What this does is give the team and supporters hope and many will remember that great victory for many years and will be subject of much discussion over a pint. 

Crawley Town will now play in round five against Premiership team Stoke City with the opportunity for a bit of extra income and a chance to topple another giant in football.  

My son Ben is home from University this weekend, celebrating his 21st Birthday a couple of weeks late because on his birthday - he had exams! Lovely to see him and he's got a new pair of glasses and has a Johnny Depp look now. If only he was a few quid behind him.

I went to see the Iron Lady with Meryl Streep playing the eponymous former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher the other night and I'm not sure what I was going to make of it. Politically, I was neutral about it, after all this is a bio-pic about someones life. It was a stunning performance by Streep superbly supported by Jim Broadbent as her husband Dennis. 

This was a film done in flashback and was done sympathetically to someone who appears to have the early signs of dementia.  I have to say that this is highly recommended although it's leaving the cinemas this week, and a supporting cast to die for. Certificated at 12A, don't bring your kids to see this or buy them the DVD - they'll be bored to tears. This isn't the usual review I'd do I guess because it's not a populist film, but Streep is an Oscar contender for this performance.

It's a very grey day today despite some morning sun and a frost last night and it has a distinctly snowy feel about it. 

I hope you have a great week ahead.
Chat soon

Ta-ra.

7 comments:

  1. Thanks Rae for the review. I never seem to actually see amovie in the theatre but because of YOU I am going to make the hubs take me. I too love Meryl, sh'es not afraid to show her age which makes her that much more beautiful

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  2. That was suppossed to be "Rare" as we know I like to call you. Must've been thinking of my daughter Raven who I call "Rae"

    My own dementia creeping in

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  3. I met the lady during the Miners strike - I was a very young enthusiastic trade union chap at the time, and she caught me way off guard. She was honest, engaging and interested. Mrs Thatcher even waived away an aidé that wanted to remind her to move on.

    She was kind, considerate, and bluntly honest, not at all aloof or condensing. Despite the financial hardship she went on to cause me, the respect she showed me has always stuck with me, and I still believe she was genuinely interested.

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  4. Hi Donna
    I must confess not to liking the young Streep much but as she's got older - my goodness she has surprised me - hugely watchable.
    XX

    Hi Wheelie
    What an incredible insight - thank you for sharing. My young 27 year old colleage was talking to me about MT and all she knew about her was that at infant school they called her 'Thatcher the milk snatcher.' when i explained the breadth of her premiership and what had gone on - she was very interested in seeing the film to find out who Thatcher actually was/is.
    Thanks for sharing Wheelie.
    XX

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  5. Because my god daughter is marrying a Bolton Wanderers supporter shortly and I am giving her away at the wedding I find that against my better judgement I have started to look at the football results. What is my world coming to i ask.

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  6. Hi Weaver
    That is brilliant, thank you so much for the comment. I have to say Bolton are a team with much history, although they are not doing too well at the moment.
    XX

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