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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 21:41 7 Jul 2024
It's been a difficult day.
I attended the funeral of Mr Peter Sakal today.
Peter was the owner of GFM in Colchester and we go back a long way.
In 1981 we met an extraordinary individual by the name of Robert Maxwell who owned BPCC and this paved the way for some interesting and innovative print projects that would eventually lead to the birth and development of UK Holidays in The Sun which has now been in existence for over 30 years.
For anyone who knew Peter l will add several cameo's from our association over the years in the next few days.
Peter was working for a holiday company in Wolverhampton called Holimarine in 1990, they would become shirt sponsors to Colchester United in our first season in The GM Vauxhall Conference when Ian Atkins captained the side and we finished runner's up to Barnet. [Post edited 7 Jul 21:47]
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Reply | M&T makeover
at 15:10 6 Jul 2024
M&T drawn away to Stanway Rovers in First Qualifying Round of F.A.Cup.....August 3.
There is already cup fever on Riverside Estate where the Stanway Rovers superfan wears their shirt with pride!
Rover's fans also include the Downing Street cat who was sporting their rosette behind the railings last night with Sky News in attendance and Mrs Starmer looking bemused. 😊😊😊😊 |
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 15:36 4 Jul 2024
I took my dog
To see the ducks
On the boating lake
In Castle Park
An hour ago
There were none
To be seen
My dog said
'Where are all the ducks?'
I told him
they must have gone
to vote
He said
'Who will they vote for?'
I told him
they would mostly
vote Green
and a few
might vote
Reform UK
When we were returning home
we saw about fifty ducks
walking in single file
on Riverside Estate
They had photo ID's
around their necks
and several appeared
to have passports
in their beaks
When we got back
Joe Biden was on TV
My dog said
'Why does Joe keep saying Pause?'
I said he is reading off the telepromt
My dog said
'But Pause has got the brackets
either side and it means
they indicate Mute'
I said, that's right and Joe
has been briefed
on numerous occasions
but he still has difficulty with it.
( This is not a poetic piece as such, just a reflection of events on polling day....😊😊 ). [Post edited 4 Jul 16:03]
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Reply | The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes
at 13:19 3 Jul 2024
I sometimes wonder if the owner of the club puts the Academy before the first team in terms of his priorities and vision. It has always appeared to me that there has been an imbalance at the club in this respect over the past ten years or so.
Having said that, it's Robbie Cowling's call and the scheme seems likely to continue.
I would be slimming down the Academy quite dramatically, and l would cut staffing levels too.
The Colchester United business model does appear to require an overview....just how huge will the eventual club debt become before Mr Cowling turns his attentions to something else?
As l expected the Colchester United side that represents the club at Wimbledon will be virtually a start up.
There are several decent signings, a shape and mode appear to have been considered, and l don't think we will struggle like we have done in recent seasons. |
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 21:26 2 Jul 2024
LAST DANCE IN A FUNERAL PARLOUR - Part Two
( Draft )
Then suddenly
Some spark of light
Lasered
From a distant sun
Penetrates the inner soul
Not only lowers the draw bridge
But destroys it
In an instant
The purple army marches in
Light bulb moment or what?
All the defence mechanisms
That you controlled from the inside
Shattered
Gone
Burnt out tanks
Line the horizon
Acrid smoke rising
You slump to the ground
Wailing
Writhing
Silent screams
They are always the loudest
Sound booms reverb
Down every corridor
Where you were sectioned
Care workers run for cover
In the slipstream
Your fake lover
Blade to his wrist
Is there one last twist?
The last dance in the funeral parlour
( The second part was written at break neck speed this afternoon....it's about a deep secret that was revealed to me from the conversation - 'I've seen you' ....piece ).
I send some pieces to contacts in the media and music industry by email and on occasion they are forwarded to a wider audience and it is interesting to receive feedback.
I realise email is not the chosen mode of communication for the masses these days but on occasion it travels the oceans.
[Post edited 2 Jul 22:14]
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 15:57 2 Jul 2024
LAST DANCE IN A FUNERAL PARLOUR - Part One
( Draft spin off from 'I've seen you' - written in the past hour ).
Your deepest darkest secrets
Locked away
In the labyrinths
Of your crazed mind
Month after month
And year after year
Hidden from mankind
And womankind
Hidden ...from the world
You are a death cult
Unto yourself
Ripping at your soul
But no one else
Lured
By motorway bridges
Cliff faces
Ravines
And railway lines
Such is your mind
Balconies
Ledges
Tower blocks
And pylons
Free falling through time
This could be
Your last dance
In a funeral parlour
( tbc ). |
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 18:33 1 Jul 2024
Writing....
I wonder if every life experience - however futile or seemingly insignificant it may seem at the time is recorded in some infinite memory bank in our systems....this is something l sometimes consider.
Using parts of 'SKYQUEEN' from 1978 has reminded me vividly of an answer machine in a house share in Crawley.
Memory triggers memory...acting like a prompt and taking you back to an experience that you would doubt could ever be recorded or revisited.
When human life is entering its final phase some form of electrical charge appears to stimulate the brain into a freeze flood of static and moving visions and images from the past. On occasion, as in my Mother's final days the system kicks back in to keep one alive for a few more hours or days and the individual is able to relate this experience to family or hospital staff.
I suppose the more vivid each experience in life is the deeper it is etched into our systems and that preserves it somehow.
I have used little cameos from 'SKYQUEEN' imagery over the years which may have come to the surface through suppressed memory? Not sure.
A few lines l wrote in 1999 could have been related to Julie C....observations from September '78.
'Shake your hair
Let it fall on your shoulders
Making you look
Lovelier than ever'
etc - this was the first time l saw 'SKYQUEEN' with her hair down as in flight the style was hair up ...
Our memory is a precious gift ...it is what we are to ourselves....each of our stories and life journeys are unique. |
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 10:32 1 Jul 2024
Sorry for adding to the 'SKYQUEEN' subject but it was the beginning of my writing journey - which somehow continues all these years on.
I was none too keen on poetry at school ....l have walked past North County Primary and St Helena this morning....going over most of the content l write - well, l'm not sure if it is poetry really and l would have given up with it many years ago had some people not have read it, and surprisingly to me, shown quite an interest in my random thoughts patterns.
In real terms, the only audience any of us has is ourselves ....if you create something that you are satisfied with on a personal level then l suppose it allows for delivering that to fellow humans in the hope that they may gain something from it.
A form of giving.
I eventually ( in 1999 ) decided to put the work to the test by putting out my first book.....the first recorded sale was at Waterstone's in Notting Hill. The poetry buyer actually phoned me at home to say she had sold a copy of 'THE EROTIC CAFE'....the purchaser was a member of ALL SAINTS....believe me, getting Waterstone's to put a poetry book on the shelves in '99 was quite a task....as the days and weeks unfolded the book was being ordered in Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Birmingham....in fact all over the country.
After Waterstone's it appeared in Borders, Books etc, Blackwell's, Ottakars....l am grateful to all of the bookshops who supported my early work which on reflection was a bit patchy and still is ...
So, had it not have been for my 13 hour fixation on an air stewardess on a flight in 1978 quite a few people around the globe could have had some respite from my perhaps all too quickly written works. [Post edited 1 Jul 13:39]
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 21:53 30 Jun 2024
Note re. previous post 'I'VE SEEN YOU'.
This seems to have created a bit of interest in other circles.
It's very rarely that l make any changes / additions to content with this kind of stuff.
As l revisit the conversation in Castle Park, Colchester l am considering adding some of the sensitive elements of that to the piece.
I have 'borrowed' a scene ( glistening / meadow etc ) from something l wrote for an air stewardess on a Laker Airlines flight many years ago....and having presented it to her at touch down at Gatwick Airport, and adding my phone number to the piece was amazed when she phoned my old landline in Colchester ( was 0206 78604 - remember them? ) about a week later.
As a result of a commute to Crawley to see her while she was grounded l wrote a very long poetic landscape that featured her journey from Northumberland, to Gatwick and backwards and forwards to Los Angeles....on a very frequent rota.
I never kept a copy of it so l am trying to remember parts to keep it alive in some way - so some of the imagery may have a rebirth ( of sorts ).
The young lady in question turned out to be quite a story as things unfolded.....😊😊.
And so did her parents and family members!
The piece l wrote for Julie C was called 'SKYQUEEN' and the opening lines included 'Glistening on a September Sunday'......'Listening to wheels hit the runway'?? ( something that that ) so after about 45 years l don't appear to have moved forward too much.....just remembered phone bills from 1978....think we used to communicate by a thing known as 'telex' too.....much more affordable, and a fixture of hotels in California....😳😳
A little more on the 'SKYQUEEN'.....l am trying to recall the duration of the flight from Los Angeles LAX to Gatwick which l think was around 6 hours across America, an hour's refuel on the Eastern seaboard and another six hours across the Atlantic etc.....so for around 13 hours l found myself watching this 'SKYQUEEN' individual who performed the safety and in-flight procedures in virtual dance like moves....and served meals, snacks and drinks in the most delightful manner.
I was unable to take my eyes off her ...this must be a regular occurrence for some but to write poetics on an aircraft and present them to the person of interest may be extreme. I suppose if there is a lesson to be learned it is to express one's thoughts and make communication should you feel inclined. 😊😊
[Post edited 1 Jul 9:57]
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Reply | The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes
at 08:02 30 Jun 2024
😊😊....yeah, an unusual and bloated offering at times and a far cry from the Coldplay who l saw in their first month's on the road at Colchester Arts Centre many years ago.
With Michael Eavis in his 90th year it was no surprise that he looked as remote as Joe Biden when the camera zoomed in.
The Idles, from their performance on Friday night, was more in my zone!
As for football finance, around club's in Essex and Suffolk l am hearing that quite a few budgets have been reduced for the new season.
Can't work out what some of the wages at Colchester United might be but a substantial reduction several steps down the pyramid....several examples that suggest a drop of around a quarter to a third. [Post edited 30 Jun 8:04]
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Reply | The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes
at 22:44 29 Jun 2024
While l watch Coldplay at Glastonbury on my television screen l would like to repeat a quote from a conversation l had yesterday with a much respected former player of Colchester United.
It is as follows -
'THEY ARE SHOPPING IN POUNDLAND'.
None of us are able to evaluate how the changes in the squad will pan out but there appears to be a slight hint of desperation. |
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 22:34 28 Jun 2024
I'VE SEEN YOU
I've seen you
Treading stardust
Arms raised
Theatrical
Magical
Elegant
Invincible
Weaving shapes
Making patterns
Moving particles and atoms
I sensed the power
You once felt
Across lay lines
On sacred lands
Barefoot
Connected
Reflected in ancient meadows
Glistening in a glade
You were clinging
To the wheel of fortune
Sometimes spinning
Uncontrollably
Should your grip
Have been loosened
Then it was likely
You would have been flung
By the wayside
Discarded
Then...
Helter
Skelter
On a one way journey
Unable to defy gravity
I saw you today
Sitting on a park bench
Transfixed
By the pigeons
Your pose
Once theatrical
Magical
But now
Downcast
Invisible
Your fourteen year journey
Relayed
In a two hundred word sentence
And you never looked up
Not once
Let's walk to the supermarket
Just talk
And l will listen
But l can't help you
Or play any part in a rescue
On a mercy mission
Not from this
Let's walk to a sunlit meadow
I will talk
And you will glisten.....again
Momentarily.... you will glisten
As the last petal falls
Softly to the ground
But l can't l help you
Or play any part in a rescue
On a mercy mission
As much as l'd like to
( Wrote this tonight at 22.00 - it's a combination of a conversation today in the Castle Park and watching PJ Harvey at Glastonbury ).
STOP PRESS - have made a few amends to this piece which serves me right for completing the first version too quickly. The 'Wheel of fortune' aspect gave it a bit more substance perhaps, and a few positive responses.
[Post edited 1 Jul 10:34]
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 18:29 27 Jun 2024
Have been in discussion with a journalist today from a national newspaper who is interested in the names on a phone hacking list and how certain segments may have originated.
Much of this relates to 2005 / 2006.
Another element we discussed was Suffolk Police being 'bugged' at Martlesham Heath HQ in December 2006 during the investigations relating to The Suffolk Serial Murders.
We have two particular organisations of interest. |
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Reply | Colchester Cricket & Beer Festival
at 15:56 24 Jun 2024
With Ben and Charlie Allison representing Essex last week l was looking back ( with the help of Wiki ) at brothers who had played together for Essex.
I was reminded that an Essex player holds a world record ( 163 ) for a batsmen coming in at No.11 - that being Peter Smith. Peter's brother Ray also played for the county but l'm not sure if they were both in the same side when this feat was achieved.
I recall the Pont brothers playing together for Essex in a Lords final.
I attended my first Essex match at Castle Park as an eight year old. My dad, who worked on a Saturday morning took me along for the afternoon and evening session.
It was a similar experience to watching my first football match at Layer Road at the same age - captivated by both visits and the beginning of a long journey.
Essex Cricket Week at Castle Park was always one of the highlights of the summer.
The first wages l ever earned were paid by The Pakistan Cricket Board for selling promotional brochures in 1967.
The greatest side l ever saw at Castle Park were South Africa in 1965.
A few of us did scoreboard duties for Colchester & East Essex for around five seasons and also Colchester Chamber of Commerce during the summer holidays on Thursday afternoons - some decent player's involved in those matches.
Crowds used to flock to these matches in the 1960's, benches were put out along the boundary on the Causton Road side and cars would flood in through both gates.
Very few benches are available these days and cars are no longer permitted to enter the ground for spectators.
The crowds were often boosted by patients and staff from Essex Hall and Turner Village - some of the patients had strange habits like taking sweets out to the umpires and assisting with the occasional fielding duty.
This was a golden era that will never be repeated.
STOP PRESS - Just checked out the line up for the South African match played at Castle Park, July 3rd, 5th and 6th, 1965 and can see that the Essex openers that day were Micky Bear and Graham Saville. I had thought that Gordon Barker opened that day - so here l am correcting my memory some 59 years later!
When Peter Pollock was bowling at that blistering pace, which included plenty of bouncers, the players were wearing just caps - seems inconceivable now.
I can still remember the entire South African squad signing autographs on the Saturday morning before play begun - we were also treated to an exhibition of fielding by Colin Bland throwing down a single stump on the run - l never saw the like of it again.
There was a very respectful atmosphere in the ground for our esteemed visitors.
😊😊🦮🦮 [Post edited 24 Jun 18:00]
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Reply | Colchester Cricket & Beer Festival
at 12:52 21 Jun 2024
Met up with former Club Chairman David Beales yesterday and mentioned the top four for Colchester & East Essex over the years - in his view the best ever One to Four was as follows -
Wright
Hands
Nolan
Green
That may just eclipse my former line up with Wright and Nolan figuring again.
Stuart Hands, an international cricketer from Zambia became our games master at Colchester Technical College around 1971 and was a superb organiser, mentor and sportsman.
Stuart ( R.I.P. ) was looking for a local club and l mentioned Colchester to him.
He was playing for the club about two weeks later.
We had a college cricket team back then that played in the twenty over cup and l recall a victory we achieved in near darkness over at Braintree one night. Stuart was a natural leader of our student team that included players from a range of different courses.
He placed a notice on the message board in reception and within 48 hours we had a net session on the college playing field - one of the batsman went on to play for Warwickshire Second X1.
Stuart also organised lunchtime 6 a side football league and cup tournaments that were very competitive and great fun to be involved in.
As a member of the Art School team we played in national competitions in London and Peterborough eventually losing to teams from Southampton and Liverpool.
After having too much fun at Art School l focused on concentrating on a career after leaving the Sheepen Road campus.
Just remembered an Art School v Staff cricket match at Spring Lane where l opened the batting with a sculpture student by the name of Dan Jones who l only met on the eve of the match at a practise session.
We put on 160 for the first wicket with Dan smashing about 130 with shots all over the ground!
All l had to do was push singles into the cover area and get Dan on strike.
I think we made about 250 for 7 dec and bowled out the staff for around 130.
[Post edited 21 Jun 13:07]
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Reply | Tigers at Layer Road
at 21:40 18 Jun 2024
Just been on a surreal dog walk ...didn't realise that Channel 4 News was beamed live tonight from Firstsite in Colchester.
I tend to look into the large windows around the back of the gallery to scan the latest exhibits and there was Daisy Cooper and Co. in The Green Room with plenty of 'riders'...possibly milkshakes for Richard Tice of Reform UK.
The Channel 4 lighting looked fab!
😊😊 [Post edited 18 Jun 21:46]
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Reply | Colchester Cricket & Beer Festival
at 18:31 16 Jun 2024
I only arrived for the last twenty minutes ...Charlie Allison is capable of shots that may never have been replicated at Castle Park.
I noticed that Guy Haynes was missing from the line up yesterday.
Guy, Joe, Charlie and Simon are close to the best top four Colchester & East Essex have had in my lifetime...the only line up to rival them is Wright, Scofield, Nolan and Moye - two of whom played for Essex ( Wright and Nolan ) and Trevor Moye played for Essex 2's.
Trevor Moye was an outstanding all rounder!
This could be Colchester's best opportunity to win the Hambro Premier title with Wanstead and Hornchurch less formidable than in previous seasons.
Chelmsford away next Saturday is a big match for the club.
Is it too much to ask for an Essex Premier title and a promotion season for Colchester United?
STOP PRESS - it was Ben Allison who was striking 6's today with Brentwood flying the flag for Essex clubs in the National Cup - five in his innings of 73 not out in a victory against Swardeston from Norfolk.
😊😊🦮🦮 [Post edited 16 Jun 19:46]
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