(no subject)

I already wasn't in a good mood because of Hawks missing the play-offs. What a morning to get smacked with an elderly woman who greeted me with "I don't want to do it any more" and then, when I probed politely for a reason, flatly refused to give one. But she was merely the horses' doovers. The main course came just before 11.40 in the shape of a whole family of ignorant pigs. The phone was answered by a son who was conferring with his mother in between speaking to me. It didn't help that they initially misunderstood where I was calling from. Then when I was able to establish who we were, his mother, an apparent graduate of the Vicky Pollard charm school, grunted "I don't want to do it any more." When the son repeated this to me, I asked why not and he snapped "Do I look like a messenger?" He said a lot more stuff I couldn't make out and hung up.

Totally pissed off, when reporting it to Christine #3 I actually told her "A whole family of ignorant pigs." Alas, she just told me "Let it ride." Other interviews kept me on the phones until 12.30, when I was then overdue a health and safety break. I wandered off to an empty room in the Pay and Enquiry Unit to write a primitive rhyme to vent.

Later the lady opposite Tania told us of an interesting case she'd just had. We have to enter people's religion. She'd had a guy who claimed to follow Judaism, Christianity and Islam. When she said he went to mosque, I said "Put Muslim, then, since he doesn't go to church or synagogue."

"Oh, he said he goes to both of those as well."

She said he'd pointed out that those three religions all spring from the same root, so Tania asked us about the inter-relationships and the differences. When I said the Jewish people are still waiting for the Messiah, Tania said "I'm still waiting for something"...

A bit after that, on my last health and safety break, I went to the lounge to find some of the girls talking about Caroline Aherne. As a fan of hers I was able to join in, then when we'd been chatting a little while they jumped up and said "Here, we're late getting back." "We'll blame you," one of them smiled at me...

(no subject)

Went to Privett Park this evening to see Gosport Borough play Fareham Town in a friendly in aid of cancer charities, for the Newman Harper Memorial Cup. It was my first visit to Privett Park for over a year - funny how Boro are the nearest club to my home and yet I hardly ever visit them, though admittedly that has something to do with the conduct of Mark, who's on the committee at Boro, at the Gosport Festival last year.

The clubhouse served both Old Speckled Hen and London Pride; I chose the latter. Mark and Lin actually both said hello as they walked by my table on their way to the boardroom; I said hello back, and that was that. It's a pleasant enough bar with Sky Sports on big screen, and tonight they had non-stop late 70s/early 80s music playing in the background - including classics like Denis, Prince Charming and Swords Of A Thousand Men. Half an hour of that atmosphere and I was feeling a pang of regret that I'd chosen to follow Havant & Waterlooville instead of my hometown club (I had in fact been about to become a Gosport Borough fan at that time when, on a sudden impulse, I chose Hawks instead).

As kick-off time approached and I walked to the stand, I reminded myself of the great times I'd had following H&W, both male and female, but retained an overall feeling of goodwill towards Boro. As the teams were presented to Roy Newman's and Malcolm Harper's widows, I saw Malcolm's daughter Tiffany standing at pitchside. From the stand I smiled at her, but she just looked at me expressionlessly. She had a wee lassie in a Fareham Town tracksuit in tow, so maybe she's partnered anyway...

It was an entertaining game with Fareham running out 5-3 winners. The goals were all well-taken volleys and headers apart from Fareham's second, down to comedy defending, and their magnificent fourth, when Fareham striker Gavin Spurway slipped Gosport's offside trap and a team-mate passed to him, allowing him to streak into the box and score. Jock's Snack Bar still doesn't sell bacon rolls, but they do now have proper burger buns. Most of the sauces on offer were hot and spicy ones - no ordinary burger sauce or ordinary relish - but my burger, with good old tom sauce, was very tasty. I'll certainly visit Privett Park again some time next season.