Arcticterntalk.org

The blog of a travelling psychiatrist and football lover. Who happens to be a halfway decent photographer. Takes a cynical view of the world

Archive for the category “Uncategorized”

23 Nov 2011

Walton 0 Whitehawk 1

A foggy tuesday evening in Surrey and a decent competitive Ryman League south game resulted in a deserved win for whitehawk. Walton battled but whitehawk were simply better, faster, more physical and scored a neat goal just after half time. No disgrace for Walton to lose here. not sure about the crowd but maybe 100. An evening of real football. A battle is emerging however with elmbridge council over the ground. The ground, called Stompond Lane has been their home for a long time, certainly more than 50 years. They now want the club to effectively merge with the other Ryman League South team in Walton, Walton Casuals, and extend their ground. Stompond Lane will then be the home for 50 houses. I suppose there are a few angles here. Two clubs in Walton in the same league each with average support of around 100 seems a bit of a luxury, but they do have different identities. Having said that, three clubs in Inverness merged maybe 15 years ago and now the merged item sits in the Scottish premier league. Maybe the premiership is a little too far for Walton but certainly Ryman premier or even Conference South might become feasible.

Posted in Uncategorized and tagged ryman league, ryman south, walton and hersham, walton and hersham football club, walton casuals, whitehawk | Leave a comment

21 Nov 2011

Isambard Kingdom Brunel

The very fact that someone could build a bridge across the Avon river has always impressed me, and the clifton suspension bridge is a truly amazing thing. the fact thay could build it 150 years ago defies even incredulity. Elena 11-yr old, trainee teenager, has a project to research a Victorian person and write about them. She has decided to do Brunel. Tonight she did a little research and what we found was amazing too. Not only did he build the bridge ( and others as well), but he built the first tunnel under the thames ( now used as part of the Tube line), built Paddington and Temple Meads station, then built the railway line to connect them, then built the docks at Bristol and finally built two massive boats, including SS Great Britain, that carried 4000 passengets to Australia. I am already looking forward to tomorrows history lesson.

Otherwise a very dull day today. Foggy and damp all day. The office building was almost empty with marketing folks all at some conference ( as usual) and the temperature was turned down a good few notches. Elena and I finished ” The Dragonfly Pool” by eva Ibbottson tonight, a great book.

Lovely Fruit

Posted in Uncategorized and tagged Australia, bristol, brunel, dragonfly pool, paddington | Leave a comment

20 Nov 2011

Brentford 0 Charlton 1

A very close game and considering Charlton are a decent side 5 points clear at the top of the league a decent enough performance. However this almost half way through the season and being honest we all know Brentford are not a promotion team. A decent mid-table team who on their day can beat anyone and indeed be beaten by anyone. somewhat unlucky with injuries though and one hopes that we can continue to build a side good enough to challenge next year.
I remain unconvinced that our strikers are playing 100%. I am totally convinced that a few are not good enough. but this was a good game, 8000 there and I am not complaining.

Posted in Uncategorized and tagged brentford, charlton, football | Leave a comment

20 Nov 2011

Edinburgh

A 2 day trip to edinburgh does not sound too terrible but the hassle associated with flying makes it not so desirable. Firstly we are mostly obliged to use Star Alliance carriers which means BMI, but BMI seem to have cancelled almost all of the routes that I used to use. So if i am travelling from london now I cannot travel to Glasgow, Teeside, Berlin, Leeds/Bradford, and there are vastly reduced numbers of flights to Dublin and Edinburgh. I return BMI fly to places where the human soul does not often contemplate going like Libya and Kazakstahn and Amritsar ( which is where?). So a flight at an inconvenient time means arriving mid-afternoon to a drizzly Edinburgh. The place seemed almost deserted, the bars and restaurants empty where I was, Hilton Grosvenor at Haymarket ( near Hearts football club, who are also in a financial mess and have not paid their players this month). I ate in the hotel, the food was actually fine but to eat in almost empty, atmosphere free restaurant is not so good. Edinburgh is also being dug up, mainly to build a tram system that no-one wants and which it seems will not go anywhere where people might like it to, like the airport. there are huge holes all over the city and roads closed making it like a complex game of Masquerade for a taxi driver to find a route to Haymarket.

My meetings however went very well and I learned a little more about Adult ADHD and learned also a new term ” creeping development”. a curious term, which i think means adopting something like a way of working or a clientele that has not been “approved”…..It is a term I already dislike. No camera with me but have added a few shots from a recent trip to North Berwick, a fine place.

Posted in Uncategorized and tagged ADHD, BMI, edinburgh, glasgow, Libya, north berwick, Star alliance | Leave a comment

17 Nov 2011

School choices. Nonsuch or Tiffin or not

One of the big changes since I was at school is the huge competition for secondary schools that are deemed the best. Fir example we are in the borough of Merton but have not selected any Merton schools. A few weeks ago Elena who is just 11 years and in year 6, sat the entrance exam for nonsuch school. Her chances come down to 180 places last year for around 1500 applicants . To have even a chance she had around 9 months tuition on exam technique which put simply means learning how to do mcq exams and practice in verbal, non verbal and maths. The real question when such tuition costs around 20-30£ a session for 90 minutes, is why schools are not teaching this anyway within the curriculum. Many able children will be denied a fair chance due to family finance. The other question is how much children are pushed into these exams when they don’t want to do them and are not emotionally onboard with going to what are colloquially called selective schools. One also hears of children being so stressed that they vomit or cry before or after the exam. There were rumors that may or not be true that this happened at tiffin boys school yesterday.
I was really proud of my 11 year old. She enjoyed the tuition but was lucky to be tutored in a group by a great last called mrs burgess. Recommended big time. She did well in the nonsuch exam and yesterday went to tiffin girls along with maybe 1200 others . I have to guess at numbers. We arrived 8 am to find huge queues down the Richmond road and there was a really impressive organization to get all the children in and out. This involved using coloured slips. Placards held by maybe 5-6 th formers, some very keen others totally unimpressed. Parents in lines in a tenniscourt and lots of walking up and down the road to Kingston. Big congratulations on the organization to Tiffin girls.
Clearly this is a debatable topic and in response to my twitter comments had some great discussion with pupils who both agreed and disagreed with the selective school system . Watch this space next April to see what school Elena arrives at in 2012

Posted in Uncategorized and tagged exams, kingston, nonsuch school, school, selective schools, tiffin school | Leave a comment

12 Nov 2011

Indianapolis 2

altogether a good visit there. The only real hassle is the lack of direct flights meaning that going through Chicago is often the route. One thing strikes you immediately about USA that they eate differently. Not only do they eat more, seemingly much more, but they eat different foods. Eating also seems to be the national occupation at airports. So many different types and shops. Hotels focus a lot however on heathy eating. Fruit is abundant. blueberries to die for. The one thing lacking though is bread. Too often there is only cakes, muffins and sweet types of bread available at breakfast. toast and rools do a vanishing act. hot tea is also difficult to obtain and they want you to make your own tea. So a kit arrives, cup, hot water, milk and tea bag. The tea bag is never the same as UK.
the temperature also changed by the hour. Really warm one hour and then suddenly snow on the way to the airport.
The congress was also well worth attending. Us folks get together annually for a 2 day meeting and yes the talks might be bit droll and even boring and some unneccessary but the social ability to put faces to e-mail names was priceless.

Posted in Uncategorized and tagged ADHD, blueberries, indianapolis, snow | Leave a comment

12 Nov 2011

FA cup Second round Team numbers. Brentford = 35

THE FA CUP
SECOND ROUND PROPER DRAW NUMBERS

1 HEREFORD UNITED OR YEOVIL TOWN
2 BURY OR CRAWLEY TOWN
3 LUTON TOWN OR NORTHAMPTON TOWN
4 CAMBRIDGE UNITED OR WREXHAM
5 MORECAMBE OR SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY
6 SWINDON TOWN OR HUDDERSFIELD TOWN
7 REDBRIDGE OR OXFORD CITY
8 BRISTOL ROVERS OR CORBY TOWN
9 OLDHAM ATHLETIC OR BURTON ALBION
10 PRESTON NORTH END OR SOUTHEND UNITED
11 DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE OR BATH CITY
12 HARTLEPOOL UNITED OR STEVENAGE
13 BLYTH SPARTANS OR GATESHEAD
14 ALFRETON TOWN OR CARLISLE UNITED
15 CHESTERFIELD OR TORQUAY UNITED
16 CREWE ALEXANDRA OR COLCHESTER UNITED
17 TRANMERE ROVERS OR CHELTENHAM TOWN
18 CHELMSFORD CITY OR AFC TELFORD UNITED
19 HINCKLEY UNITED OR TAMWORTH
20 EXETER CITY OR WALSALL
21 BRADFORD CITY OR ROCHDALE
22 NOTTS COUNTY OR ACCRINGTON STANLEY
23 PORT VALE OR GRIMSBY TOWN
24 SHEFFIELD UNITED OR OXFORD UNITED
25 FC HALIFAX TOWN OR CHARLTON ATHLETIC
26 SUTTON UNITED OR KETTERING TOWN
27 AFC BOURNEMOUTH OR GILLINGHAM
28 MILTON KEYNES OR NANTWICH TOWN
29 AFC TOTTON OR BRADFORD (PARK AVENUE)
30 NEWPORT COUNTY OR SHREWSBURY TOWN
31 LEYTON ORIENT OR BROMLEY
32 EAST THURROCK UNITED OR MACCLESFIELD TOWN
33 AFC WIMBLEDON OR SCUNTHORPE UNITED
34 SALISBURY CITY OR ARLESEY TOWN
35 BRENTFORD OR BASINGSTOKE TOWN
36 MAIDENHEAD UNITED OR ALDERSHOT TOWN
37 FLEETWOOD TOWN OR WYCOMBE WANDERERS
38 BARROW OR ROTHERHAM UNITED
39 SOUTHPORT OR BARNET
40 PLYMOUTH ARGYLE OR STOURBRIDGE
TIES TO BE PLAYED ON 2nd 3rd and 4th December

Posted in Uncategorized and tagged brentford, chelsea, FA Cup, football | Leave a comment

12 Nov 2011

Brentford 1 Basingstoke 0

There was little real evidence of the maigic of the FA cup today at Griffin Park. a slightly better crowd than expected due to the 1pm kick off and the mild reduction in admission prices to £15 of 3553. Brentford started well and fully deserved their opening goal from sam saunders, a free kick from 5 yards outside the box. but that then led to a decline in both effort and quality, and being honest Bees looked like they were shepherding a 1-0 victory for 80 minutes. good game? not really. Did basingstoke deserve a draw? yes. Only Diardouraga and saunders can really claim any credit. Grella failed to give a clue as to how he scored 4 goals midweek and was woeful at times. Still, Bees are in the second round of the FA cup and thats only a game away from Chelsea, Man utd etc……

finally, a third win on the trot for Walton and Hersham, away at Croydon Athletic 3-2. A great run.

Posted in Uncategorized and tagged brentford, chelsea, FA Cup, football, man utd, walton, walton and hersham | Leave a comment

08 Nov 2011

Indianapolis

A nice sunny morning in Indianapolis. The trip out here yesterday was painless really other than at Chicago where immigration did not like my passport. So had to sit in a room for 30 minutes with other folks and then they just said it was OK. So not sure what was wrong. Once before they said they did not like my fingerprints, but then said they were OK too.

The seats on United airlines were not exactly spacious and in fact Air Canada wins on that one but the service and staff were better on United. Travelling through Chicago though you do need 90-120 minutes to be sure to catch your connection. There are not so many signs either. What there are though are hundreds of places to eat. Indeed one can now order on your phone via an App to have food delivered to the gate!!

The bad news is that my moustache is growing for this Movember charity thing. I look ridiculous. I will add a link later so that you can all donate to the charity.

http://uk.movember.com/donate/find-member-results/

then add my name