Rugby and The Mail on Sunday

Yesterday I went to watch the lads take on Newton Abbot at home, my first game for two months. While I had been away they had won most of the games they played and drawn one so I set out with some optimism that I would see a winning game. It was a game of two halves as they say but not in the content of the game. The first half was played in bright sun shine with a strong hint of warmth, quiet pleasant, nothing like the strong winds and blustery showers predicted. Half time came as it does and so did the wind and the rain and it was cold. God, will I ever get used to being cold again? The match started with Torquay all over Newton, a try and conversion came quickly and a couple of near misses suggested the game would be a bit of one way traffic. Then the Newton coach shouted very loudly at his team and the started playing instead of standing about in the sun. Two trys and conversions later Newton were in the lead. Newton attacked desperately but Torquay defended just that bit more so and neither side scored again. Still I enjoyed the game without the victory I was hoping for. I did spend a lot of time shouting, "Pass the ball." but to almost no avail. By the end I was muttering, very quietly, between clentched teech as it were, "Pass the ****** ball" and you can add almost any swear wold you like there. A rugby ball is shaped the way it is so it can be thrown about easily. It can also be tucked under an arm even more easily though.

On may way home I dropped in to the Cider Press, possibly the best pub in Torquay, and the way things are going in the pub trade, maybe the only pub in Torquay some time next week. It was busy but there was a spare seat which I gratefully occupied. On the table next to me there was a newspaper, one of several the landlord leaves for us to read. I picked it up and started to make my way through it. Now I entered to pub in a bright almost cheerful frame of mind, we hadn't won but we had only just lost, the wind and rain had gone and I don't have to go to work tomorrow. Now I don't read many newspapers, they tend only to print bad news which while interesting is still bad news. But a little bit of masochism now and then can't be a bad thing just don't over do it. By the time I had got to page 4, (of 102) I had seriously over done it. Alright I know the world holding a closing down sale, there are "Everything Must Go" signs every where not just in Torquay but I never realised how bad it was. Drugs, prostitution, guns on the street, politicians working to hidden agendas, politicians with the aptitude for the job a goldfish would show in a pool of piranhas, world leaders living on different planets, children out of control, welfare benefits the biggest growth industry in Britain, criminals living the life of Reilly (who ever he/she was) an article which suggested no one gave a s**t about global warming, savings worthless, pension funds about to collapse, football player transfers up to £20million, football players wages up to £20 million. OK, I know all this crap is going on out there but this paper seemed to delight in making manure while the world went down the tubes. Not one single note of optimism except for the story about NASA sending up a rocket to look for planets that might just be able to support human life. It then spoilt it by suggesting that those of us who could afford it book a flight on the first trip to this new world, to get away while they still could. I am of the belief that if this newspaper were to be banned the number of people entering doctors' surgeries and saying, "I feel a bit depressed doctor." would go down quicker than some one jumping out of a window in Wall Street.

Then I went home and watched a recorded TV program about Darwin and evolution and decided there may just be hope for humanity yet. It is just a guestion as to which is faster, global warming or natural selection.

Have a nice day. And I really mean that.