Everton 1 Chelsea 2

This was my first visit to Goodison Park this season and despite the score it was not a disappointment. The game was of the highest quality from start to finish. Everton went in front within a minute and they then missed countless chances to extend their advantage further. Chelsea are a team of multiple-million pound players and they earned some of their wages by gradually wearing Everton down. Frank Lampard scored twice for the visitors; but man of the match for me was Steven Piennar for a stunning display of skilful football. The financial gulf between the clubs probably decided the final result; when Chelsea made substitutions they could call upon international level footballers. As for Everton, they had to use players brought in from the youth teams.

The photograph shows the scene at the start of the game when the Park End stand held up cards to show EFC in memory of Evertonians that had died in 2012.

Dublin: a colonial and revolutionary city

The most interesting thing about Dublin is the way it manages to interweave its colonial and revolutionary past. Many of the more obvious symbols of British colonial rule have been removed, or blown up. Place names have been changed from say Queenstown or Kingstown to more Irish sounding ones. Even the old British post boxes have been painted green. All of this is completely understandable in a young nation seeking to assert a new and distinct identity. With all this in mind I was surprised - whilst walking in Phoenix Park yesterday - to come across an astonishing symbol of the old regime. It was a truly huge memorial to the biggest imperialist of them all, the Duke of Wellington. It is an impressive memorial to his military triumphs, but I am surprised it is still the major focal point in Phoenix Park.

My cycling year (#2): time trials.

It was also a year of my return to time trialling. For me it is easily the hardest form of cycling, although I've not tried road racing (yet). Nevertheless I have loved taking part in the races each Tuesday evening and the pint with Nic afterwards where we discussed the results and usually posted them on Facebook. Mind you, the first event - the hill-climb - took place in dreadful conditions; my hands were too cold to change gear.

I managed to at least match the times I did twelve years ago when I last raced. Only in the five mile event did I fail to get a personal best. My best ride was the mid-season hill-climb where I improved my best time by two and a half minutes. So with a new time-trial bike I am looking forward to the new season in April. I would like to further improve times in my last season as a Vet A, in addition I want to do the 37 mile mountain time trial at least once.

The final time trial league table puts me in equal 7th place, not because I am a better rider than those behind, but due to my perseverance in riding the vast majority of races. Thank you to all those that took part and to the organisers for making the events possible.

My cycling year.

With over 6300km on the road this has been my best ever cycling year. It will be quite a challenge to match the enjoyment of the last 12 months on the bike. It is difficult to pick out the highlights, but here is my attempt. The challenge of riding a 100km event in each calendar month was a good motivator, especially during the shorter days. The 100 mile ride from Manchester in January was tough in gale force winds and a long final section in the dark. The traditional Easter ride to Bala on Good Friday in partial snow was memorable. Two long rides stand out in my memory: the first was a Rhyl Cycling Club ride led by Alan Thompson which included the climb up to Llyn Aled. I felt very strong on that occasion; Alan's film of the ride captures the day well. The other ride to stand out in my mind was the Wild Wales event in August. Perfect weather and unbelievable climbs made it a ride I will never forget, even if I did walk on Bwlch y Groes. Add the weekend of audaxing in Radnorshire, and countless other challenging rides, and 2012 has been rather special.

Unusual signs.

This sign an be found at the end of a narrow lane near Waterville in South Kerry, Ireland. It is indeed a dangerous stretch of water. It does, though, look as if one could walk on the water.

More 11+ stuff.

  In my previous blog I noted the unfairness of the 11+ system. Out of interest here is the   mental arithmetic paper taken by eleven year olds in Flintshire in 1954.

Mind your grammar (school).

For those that nostalgically pine for the return of the grammar school this might make you think a little. I have a copy of the Flintshire Education Committee's annual report into the 11+ examination results for 1954 and it makes for a good read. It has the name of every child that passed the exam and were on their way to those 'broad sunlit uplands' of a grammar school education. The rest were consigned to the secondary moderns. The tests given to the pupils was included in the report, but these have been mention in a previous blog. However, what caught my eye this evening on re-reading the report was the numbers taking the examination and the numbers actually passing. As can be seen from the image above (taken directly from the report) in Flintshire as a whole 2,030 eleven years olds set their young brains to solve an eclectic range of questions. Only 543 were successful, which is a little under 27% of the total number of candidates. To the modern mind it seems remarkable that children at the age of 11 were selected and channelled into different life pathways. I would probably not passed the 11+ yet have benefited immeasurably from higher education; I went to what one Labour minister described as a 'bog-standard comp'. 

White whine

The title of this mini blog could also be 'first world problems'. Apparently there is something called a 'meme' on the internet that pokes fun at us in the prosperous first world worrying about utterly trivial matters. My daughter spots white whine within seconds. I  mused whether I should have a black or white iphone; 'white whine' she instantly pointed out. When one starts thinking about it there appears to be alot of white whine around. I will offer a few examples from my own world and that of close friends that shall remain anonymous. How about, 'what should I do with my Tesco vouchers?'; yep, a real first first world problem. Another, 'I'm tired at eating at the same restaurants'. Maybe, 'there isn't enough cheese in my salad'. Or, 'the printer has run out of ink'. Even, 'I have had to park too far from the gym'. My own piece of angst today was whether carbon rims would do the same job as aluminium ones on my bicycle wheels.

If you search the internet there is a lot more white whine. The whole point is that someone from the third world would be incredulous that we might worry over such trivia.  Perhaps all this may be a little unkind to people around me struggling to make the best of life; in fact, I am the worst at worrying over trivial matters. However a bit of perspective is not necessarily a bad thing.

Graffiti in Caerwys

  Every town and village suffers from mindless graffiti. It disfigures public spaces and contributes to the decline of neighbourhoods. However some of it can shed light on the history of the locality. I have already blogged about the 15th and 16th century graffiti on   the main church door in Llanynys, in the vale of Clwyd. I have now found some similar graffiti in Caerwys, again on a church door. This time it is relatively modern dating from the late 18th century. 

The graffiti can be found on a small side door on the northern side of St Michael's church.

The graffiti artist conveniently dated his work at 1780.

It is easily possible to identify the T P  RWC. I have no idea what they represent, but they offer a mysterious view of one aspect of Caerwys life from another age. In addition, it is sobering the reflect that this graffiti was written in the decade that saw the founding of the USA, and yet we don't particularly value this kind of evidence on our door-steps.

No Gods and Precious Few Heroes

No Gods and Precious Few Heroes is just about the best history book title I know. It is actually about 20th century Scottish history, but that's not important right now, as it is the title that matters. It was the title that came into my head when I first read the doping revelations surrounding Lance Armstrong. I, like most I suppose, like a good hero. It must come from our love of the heroic characters in literature - but we want them for real. Lance Armstrong was definitely someone I had put on a pedestal. I have followed his career with a sense of awe for many years; that moment in the Alps when he destroyed the German pretender to his TdF throne Jan Ullrich was, for me, one of the great episodes in modern sport. His book, About the Bike, merely confirmed his status in my eyes. However, it turns out to have been a sham. All drug induced and based upon cheating and bullying others to take the chemical enhancements. It seems almost everyone was at it; perhaps we should all have known better. The title of this blog sums it up perfectly.

We now only need to find out Neil Armstrong's 'great step' for mankind was filmed in Hollywood.

Man of Caerwys

In 1945, as the Second World War was coming to an end, a soldier from Caerwys wrote to the Parish Council setting out the desperate need for improved housing in the area. He was echoing the call from many that the suffering experienced by all classes before and during the war now must be addressed. He might have added a call made at the end of the first world war of 'homes fit for heroes'. This soldier when he returned to civilian life played a central role in the civic life of Caerwys for the rests of the 20th century, and indeed into the 21st. Yesterday he cut the ribbon that opened a new business venture in the town, namely Will's News, which has relocated to much larger premises on the town square. The building which now houses Will's News was the very building where our soldier was born some 102 years ago. The old soldier is Tom Anwyl: a remarkable Man of Caerwys.

Tom Anwyl - Man of Caerwys - opens Will's News.

Autosales

As far as I can recall my close family members only did two jobs: they either taught or sold cars. My first part-time job involved washing and then polishing countless second-hand cars.  My grandad established Autosales in the 60s, and then my uncle soon joined him when he left school. The garage was based in an old farm barn; there was even an ancient set of bellows to serve the blacksmith. Part of the building still stands today. I spent a good part of my youth working there or simply hanging around the garage pretending to be useful. Anyway, last week my uncle who ran the garage until it closed twenty years ago sadly died; my grandad had died many years ago. After the funeral I called into Tesco for some provisions. The car parked next to me had been bought from Autosales judging from the window sticker around 30 years ago. A strange coincidence?

Caerwys in old photographs.

I have over one hundred historic photographs of Caerwys, the earliest dating from the 1870s. As I have blogged before, dating them precisely can often be difficult. So here is a challenge, see if you can date these two images. The answer to within a decade will win the prize. 

Of course, this is a trick question. I took both of these photographs this morning. The absence of road-markings gives an impression of  South Street and the Institute from a different era. Add to that the photo-shop technology and the fake is complete.

Dramatic Caerwys sky

As if to reflect the drama taking place at the Olympics, the weather today around Caerwys has been suitably exciting. Some part of area stayed dry whereas others experienced   a biblical style deluge. I took these photos looking east around tea time:

These Olympic days

We have become what I sometimes call an 'atomised' society, meaning that we usually do our own things. Shared national experiences are not common, which makes us weaker for all that. A writer in today's Times wrote on similar lines when she said we are 90% primate and 10% bee. This week at the Olympics has proven that the bee side us needs preserving; the common experience of watching and celebrating the success of Team GB has been up-lifting, to say the least. In much the same way as we  look back (endlessly) to the shared experience of fear in the early 1940s, I hope that we will look back on these Olympic days and draw positive lessons for the future of the nation. It has felt good to be British, for once setting aside the petty difference that so often divide us on this small island. Of course there will be post-Olympic blues and we will get back to our default grumbling ways, but nevertheless, the Olympics has provided us with a remarkable shared experience and has even - perhaps - offered a new definition of being British: one that we can all feel good about.

Wiggo reflecting the Olympic spirit.

Stay-cation

In the 1940s - during the dark days of the war - it was considered unpatriotic to go on holiday. Towns and villages would organise concerts and sports to take people's attention from the desperate situation that faced the nation. Going away on holiday was not really an option. The present age of austerity has prompted more and more people to consider a stay-cation rather than packing the suitcases and forgetting to take out travel insurance. I have a four day break planned for the end of the holidays, but for the most part I'm on a stay-cation, and I rather like it. The weather has been very good, bucking the trend of this dire summer for a few days. Even if it does rain I don't get too upset, but rather head for the shops, or to the conservatory with my book. The cycling in North-East Wales matches anywhere in the UK; I can spend everyday discovering new routes. Within an hour there are countless museums, castles, and galleries to visit; public transport to reach these places is perfectly adequate, and even drive the car sometimes. There are outdoor shows, cinemas, and superb sport on TV, the Olympics being the highlight. Mountain and hill-walks add to the range of activities that I have enjoyed during the first week of my stay-cation. Oh, I even played crown green bowls, if all the rest was not exciting enough. I am sure that to travel is a wonderful thing, but so far I have not been in a traffic jam, or queued through passport control, or paid an outrageous amount for a glass of coke. There is a lot to be said for North Wales in the summer.

This monsoon summer.

It is only a slight exaggeration to say that it has hardly stopped raining since April. Yesterday In Mold was another of those unbelievably wet days. Non-stop rain for hours on end, and humid as well.  At lunchtime yesterday I took this depressing photo; I have added a 'grunge' eftect to make it even more gloomy. The building shown is known to locals as the 'box'. And as I stood thinking outside the box....

As I walked out one mid-winter morning.

Now it is mid-summer and the early morning walks with Pip the dog are usually pleasurable with the raw winter winds only a memory. Yet earlier I came across the photographs I took on a spectacular mid-winter morning.  The first is a view (enhanced using the snap seed app) looking down High Street from my garden.

The next is from the church-yard looking across to South Street. A Caerwys sky-line.

The final image is looking at the east facing aspect of the church.

About the bike.

I am presently reading 'It's All About The Bike:  The Pursuit of Happiness On Two Wheels' by Robert Penn. It tells the tale of his attempt to build the perfect bike by seeking out the best possible parts from around the world: to Italy for a Campagnolo made group-set, to England for a Brooks saddle, and so on. Anyway he ends the first chapter with a wonderful reflection on the positive forces that get unleashed when one cycles. Here it is:

Another 100 mile cycle ride.

This year of cycling continued with another 100 mile ride, this time from Waverton across Cheshire to the foothills of the Peak District. There were some hills but nothing serious, so the pace was reasonably quick. Nevertheless 100 miles is 100 miles and nearly 9 hours on the bike is demanding enough. This was a ride organised by the CTC and therefore involved cake. The company was first class throughout the day. Here are two images from the day. The first is a view of the certificate, the second the team photo.

Where Hyenas roamed.

Tonight in a cave not far from here we were shown some remarkable finds. A team of archaeologists are carrying out a week long excavation. The cave itself was first excavated in the late 19th century, but the records of that dig were inaccurate, to say the least. This dig is of national importance as it provides evidence of the late Neanderthal occupation of the Britain. It certainly shows that humans roamed these parts before that last major ice age of some 20000 years ago. The finds from the dig were significant and included remains of animals either extinct or long since departed from these islands. Lions were not unknown (bigger than the modern ones), woolly mammoths, rhinos, and, as the  photograph below shows, huge hyenas. The other remains were mainly chippings from flint tools that were clearly produced in the area. Archaeology is a complex subject that require multiple skills and all these were in evidence amongst the team carrying out the dig. 

 This photograph shows the huge jaw bone of a huge hyena:

The next, me in the depths of the cave:

A really useful engine.

This week I shall cease being a really useful engine. For many years my son and daughter have studied either history and politics, or both. We have had countless discussions on the latest political happenings and disagreed over historical interpretations. Yet this week they will both cease to study these subjects and I will cease to be a useful engine. You see, I'm not much good at anything else; aside from judging a decent essay, I have virtually no transferable skills. I was not educated to be of any real use to society, apart from teaching history. I now need to enrol in a night class to learn plumbing or something.

The other Caerwys jubilee.

Whilst walking by the church in Caerwys the other day I came across the stone memorial to another royal jubilee. The stone marks the 50th anniversary of Victoria's reign in 1887. It doesn't record what celebrations took place, although a little research would surely unearth whether or not there was a street party in the Oak car park. Or if hundreds of balloons were released. This stone merely records the names of the church wardens; also of note is the Welsh spelling 'jubili', which is rather surprising considering the popular view of  Church of England in Wales at the time. The royal symbol is rather roughly cut into the stone. I have tried to work out what BOC might stand for, but without any real success.

This monsoon summer.

Can anyone remember a cooler or wetter late spring and early summer? If my memory serves me right we have had below average temperatures and above average rainfall since early April. Apart that is from a few hot days a couple of weeks ago when we had a tantalising taste of a real summer. Even so there good things to be taken from this season; everywhere is so green, the water shortages are a thing of the the past, and we get some dramatic sky views when the rain eventually stops. Like this one taken from my front door yesterday when the rain briefly subsided: