I’m watching the Strictly Come Dancing final live in the UK. This is what 21st Century family Christmas is all about.
Or so I’m told.
The Courvoisier is helping.
High Speed Train
Off back up North and currently doing 200+kph on East Coast Mainline.
Having left Kings Cross station and its amazing roof inside a roof behind, we’re belting through the Cambridgeshire countryside (it’s nicer than Leicestershire) and being amazed by the number of wind turbines. Yeah, we’re really easily amazed.
This train does London to Doncaster in about 90 minutes. The journey the other way took over three hours. That’s what stopping 11 times does for you. That said, on the way down we were on schedule. This one is running a few minutes late, which wouldn’t be too bad if we had more than a few minutes to change to our Sheffield train once we get there. Could be tight.
Tomorrow: Sheffield United v Walsall.
Tonight: Russell Howard at the Arena.
And yes, I need to upload some photos.
Grotto
If you happen to be Father Christmas, and you’re looking for a grotto to meet children in, you couldn’t do much better than this:
This is Painshill in Surrey; a most amazing but bizarre place which I need to research some more when I get chance.
Photos courtesy of Mrs 6000’s Samsung S5, because I broke my phone but now it’s mended. “Proper” pics to follow in due course.
The Selfie Stick
Having experienced Westminster Bridge a few times in the last few days, I can personally vouch for this phenomenon.
I have to say though, they didn’t make much difference to the already very heavy tourist traffic on the bridge, some (or more) of which may have included us. Maybe they need to move some of the landmarks to a quieter, less central bit of London.
Aww. Diddums.
As Sheffield United crashed unapologetically into the League Cup semi final yesterday evening, Southampton manager and mardy Dutch bastard Ronald Koeman refused to shake hands with the Blades’ bench after the match:
In response to what Koeman felt was an absence of reverence, the former Barcelona defender refused to shake the hand of opposing manager Nigel Clough at full-time.
He explained: “I shake hands with people who have respect for me as a coach, who have respect for the fourth referee. I think the behaviour of the bench of Sheffield United, I never saw that. That was the reason why I didn’t shake hands.”
Aww. Thanks for that, Officer Tosspot of the Respect Police. Nothing like a lack of respect to protest a lack of respect. Because it’s all about that lack of respect, isn’t it? Nothing to do with your side being comprehensively outplayed and dumped out of the competition. Nothing to do with a fifth straight defeat. Nothing to do with the fact that you might not have a job next Monday.
Compare and contrast classless Koeman with sporting Sammy Lee.
I’ll just leave this highlights package here for you, Ron:
Blades 1-0 Southampton