Canada Bob

Sinking further into the mire, Sheffield United looked knackered, never had a serious attempt on goal. What does it take to turn the tide FFS... Bugger the horses and the soccer, I think I'll have a few quid on "sorry" tomorrow, and an EW on "boom & bust". C'mon "Sorry"... Be nice to know what he'd written down wouldn't it, Oh to be a Labour MP tonight hey, or better still his speech maker.

Similar to Stephen Hawking? Looks like his number is up now... Hawking seriously ill... All I know is that I would rather be losing my money and having an ale, then be stuck off coast of Angola drinking water on my birthday. Nae ******* cake either. Never been to Angola, closest was Namibia, and that was nowt to look at... I'm no one of those pirates (arrrrgggghhhh) I'm on the wrong side for all that. Though that are some attacks in Nigeria, Angola is actually pretty good. Yea, I know a couple of lads working in Nigeria, one up some river or other, the other offshore... By the way, what's the mosquito situation like out there ? I don't do fishing (officially we aren't allowed) but on the last ship I was on down here, in the same place, they were catching some decent sized Tuna. The problem is, they taste like **** because of all the crap that is put in the water by all the platforms and ships that are round here. Warm water don't make for fish that are worth eating, the colder the better for the most part, some decent stuff off Nova Scotia & Newfoundland, including Tuna, you'll bend yer rod out there on the rigs... Don't know if the money would match what yer getting in Angola, but there's still lots of work going on the rigs in and around Canada, and there'll be no end to it once they start tapping into that "Ice that Burns" weird stuff that is, ever come across it {Methane Hydrate}. Canada {alone} has enough of it to keep North America running for the next 3,000 years. A lad I used to work with was working on the Joides Resolution {built in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, some 30 years ago}, he brought a bit of the stuff into the Granite House {in Halifax}, rolled it out of a flask into an ash tray and set fire to it, great "party trick", amazing stuff. Odd how you feel that yer missing out being in Angola, I spent the afternoon in the pub in Wigin, and wanted to go to the Burnley v Sheffield United game, but they all wanted to go home to watch it on the telly, where's the fun in that. I'd have gone but it aint the same when yer on yer own, so I'll go watch the game in the Highlands pub next door... I'm on Sheffield United @ 7/4, for what it's worth...

I've done York Cathedral and Eden Camp, and was impressed by both of them. I also did a Ghost Walk around York that was brilliant. I was at nearby Linton on Ouse at time(incidentally, that same trip I also did Leeds War Museum that was fantastic). Yea, we did the Mad Alice ghost walk a few years ago, she was great, but looks like she's moved on the now, lots of others doing the same stuff now though, but Mad Alice was well worth the fiver... Shame to see that you are not getting your returns, now I'm not saying the following is true, but maybe life has decided that in return for you getting the all clear, it's gonna screw you on the bets? Similar to Stephen Hawking? Yea, I hear you, if you have to lose something better yer money than yer life, Dick Turpin had that figured out... Who knows eh? All I know is that I would rather be losing my money and having an ale, then be stuck off coast of Angola drinking water on my birthday. Nae ******* cake either. Not one of them Pirates are yer ? what's the fishing like then ?

If it carries on like it has done this last week my "blessings" will be the onlt thing I'll be able to count, I did a few quid in on Man Ure this afternoon, sigh...

Sorry to hear about your Dad, lung cancer is a tough one to battle, cancer thrives where there's a good blood/oxygen supply, so liver cancer and lung cancer are amongst the worst ones to take on, but... Do a Google for "Celebrex cancer" & "Noscapine cancer" both medications can be very effective against cancer, well worth reading up on. One size don't fit all with Celebrex, being a Cox-2 inhibitor some folks can have a bad reaction to it, maybe 1 in 10,000 might die from taking it, but the chances are that {at least} 1 in 100 folks who have cancer could kill the cancer or at least stave it off by taking Celebrex. It's like playing Russian Roulette with the cancer, 1 chance in 10,000 that the Celebrex will kill you, 1 chance in 100 {or better than that} it will kill the cancer, but if you do nothing the cancer will be almsot certain to kill. Keep yer Dad off sugar much as you can, cancer has a high metabolic rate, that's why it thrives on sugar and oxygen.

Maggie was the best thing that ever happened to me, if she hadn't got in we wouldn't have got out {emigrated}, odd how folks you can't stand can do you more good than those who are supposed to be looking after you... I was 35 by the time we headed to Canada, and by then I'd just about given up on "Politics", I figured it was a false god. When I was a younger man I wanted to change the world, for the better of those who weren't strangers to a clock card. They say in Wigan that... "if your not a socialist when your 20, you have no heart, but if you're still a socialist when your 40 you've no brains". After years of railing against a system so entrenched that it seems nothing can turn it, no matter what I did I couldn't change the world, but, I could change my world, so I did... PS: If Harold Wilson was alive today he'd be turning in his grave...

Well Bob, I for one will not be voting for the Westminster Wankers be they Labour or Tory. Pretty sad state of affairs aint it when you take into account the sacrifices that men and women have made to afford us a so called Democracy, only to find that we are told who we can vote for, where's the Democracy in that ? I can't complain about the Tory party, they never promised me anything so I never expected anything from them, but for Labour to disregard, disrespect and blatantly manipulate us {the workers} for their own ends really hisses me off. You just can't trust them anymore... To attempt to rig the ballot so that {a 22 year old kid}, one of their own, would be able to climb aboard the gravy train sickens me to the gut. Wouldn't she have done well out of it, all you need is 6 years in office and you're on full pension, wouldn't that be nice at age 28, with 6 years of MP's wages, and better still 6 years of "expenses" tucked away under her belt. She'd be looking at well over a Million quid stashed away, plus a pension of around 100,000 quid for the rest of her life, not to mention finding herself offered positions on the Board of a few companies here and there. What's going on is OBSCENE, how can NuLabour have the brass neck to attempt something like this when the Media and most of us are already hissed off with them, shows how much they care about that vs what lengths they will go to to line their pockets...

It began with the death of John Smith and the appointment of one Anthony Charles Lynton Blair as party leader. I think yer right Johnboy, odd how the loss of one man can change the destiny of the country and all who sail in her...

Bleedin' Hell Don, I was counting on your to turn the tide for me

Aye, I'll take what ever's going, {thanks 5th}... We had a ride to York, {280 miles round trip}, the wife an' her sister wanted to visit York Minster, and that Eden Camp place in Malton {WWII prisoner of war thing}, worth a visit if yer ever around that area, 'specially if yer an owd fogey like me that can rmember ration books etc. They have lots of wartime memorabilia there, including a Spitfire, a T34 Russian tanks, a doodle bug and all sorts of stuff. Eden Camp... I stayed well away from any Bettin' Shops today, I've done enough in in the last week or so, like the Italians who spent their time at Eden Camp I've had enough of the battle for now, I think I'll give betting a rest until we get back to Canada in May and I get Sid's System back up and running...

In an attempt to turn the tide of bad luck brought on by Man City and that horse that's still running, I was daft enough to throw a shed full of money at Bradford Bulls last night, I got 4/9 from Corals, everyone else had them 4/11 or even 1/3. Looked like a good thing, famous last words hey, so I lumped on them with the thought that being down Manchester last night with 3 of the Wigin Lads we'd watch the game in one of the pubs, that's where it all started to come unstuck. We were intended to park up near Victoria Station, but that "Dancing on Ice" was on at the MEN Centre, so you couldn't get a parking spot anywhere near there, so we drove around for a bit and found a back street and left the car there. Walked/ran into town to find a pub to watch the game, first pub dint even have a telly, so we turned on our heels and headed off down the street to find another pub, they had a telly, not switched on, so we bought some ale {by this time it's 10 past 8, the kick off was at 8, and we asks the landlord to put the telly on, only to find he don't have Sky, FFS. I should have known the night wouldn't get any better, by 8:30 we're in another pub, same story, so deciding to give up on the running around as the bet was a safe bet we stay there and have a few pints Jacky was the dedicated driver, so the rest of us can have a few. Once we figured that the match must be over we start making phone calls, only to find that we've all burned our money. "Inexplicably" they threw the ball, and the game... That took the edge off our "party" so we with our tales between our legs we decide we'll head for that chippy back in Wigan. Great idea, if only we can find the fekkin car, none of us could remember the street, we finished up walking round for over an hour trying to retrace our tracks, {it gets better}, we finally turn a corner and find the car, easy enough once we were on the right street, it stood out a mile, Jacky had left the fekkin lights on, for 4 *riggin hours. Car wouldn't start, but thankfully Jacky is in the AA, they arrived 40 minutes later, by the time we got back to Wigin even the Police Station was shut, let alone the chippy, what a fekkin night, next time they ask me out I'm staying home...

I hope that the Labour Party hasn't stooped this low, yet looking at the connections and the pedigree it's hard to see it any other way... We'll chose who you'll vote for... It's sad that Labour once the party for "the workers" has been hijacked by a bunch of elitist b*sards with such persistent, pervasive and arrogant assumptions of how they will run our world.

I'll have whatever CaleyD is having, the way my luck is the now I can't even win when I get a goal start C'mon Don, pick us a winner...

THANKS for yer comments, very much appreciated, it's a tough spot to be in going round after round with cancer. Like a Boxer who's been floored it makes a difference to know that your mates and lads you've got to know are cheering you on. Although I've never met the most of you I've enjoyed the craic that we've had in here over the years, that alone has helped get me through some of the darker days. If ever any of you guys are in need of any help and there's owt I can do about it, just let me know, you're a good bunch, and I've enjoyed yer company for the last 3 or 4 years...

Wish I'd not bothered, with the match and the bet {did me bollocks in again}... The seats we had were 3 rows from the pitch, trouble was there was a row of screamin' 14 year old right behind us, :018: the bleeders never stopped all night, me head were splittin by half time, but they carried on the full 90, :thumb04: thank gawd it dint go to extra time. If that wasn't bad enough, I could have made money on me bet when Hamburg went 1 up, but you can't do that from the ground, we'll not easily, but at that point City looked like shyte anyway, so I probably wouldn't have edged me bet anyway Have to say I've never been to a ground where the noise level was as bad as it was last night, not just the screechin' banshee's behind us, but the noise level all around the ground, that's me first and last time at the new City ground. The highlight of the game turned out to be a home made meat and potato plate pie that one of the lads had brought in a tupperware thing. Wiginers don't go anywhere without a pie ;) this one was at least a foot acrossand near 2" deep, cut into 4 pieces, great pie, steak not mince meat, but too much salt in it, I was bleedin' gaspin' by the end of the match, but when we came out we couldn't get in a pub so we had to drive back as far as Walkden on the A6 before we could get a pint. Odd how ale don't taste the same when yer team b*ggers yer bet up aint it... I was a Hamburg Fan for 15 minutes, but b*llocks to that, I'll go back to being a Rochdale Fan, at least you can count on Rochdale to beat a shyte team... What about that penalty though, I couldn't see it from where we were, but the Ref {what a pillock} was close enough to see it wasn't handball, that turned the tide of the game, the writing was on the wall when I looked who the Ref was, some bloke named W. Hill I lost count of how many free kicks the pillock gave City. What's with all them banana's anyway ? what's that all about ? PS: IF "Your Old Pal" don't win the 3:15 at Newbury today, look for me in the river...

Just got a phone call asking if I fancied watching City tonight... Hard to turn down a free night out hey the only trouble is... I wanted to be in there with the Hamburg Fans, I've taken a goal and 5/6 with Totesport, looks a value bet to me, when was the last time City could give the other team a goal !!!

Just got the results of the blood tests taken 3 months after the operation I had last December... The Dr told me "there's no detectable sign of cancer", what a relief that was to be told that, it was like getting the winning goal in the 93rd minute, it's hard to take it in, it really does blow your mind, sort of numbs you, everything seems surreal for hours after. It don't mean that I'm cancer free, but if there's any still hanging around it's in microscopic amounts, so I should be OK for a couple of years even if they are able to regroup. One thing this battle with cancer has learned me is that if you do your homework {Google searches} for the latest treatments and medications you give yourself a fighting chance. The beggar of it is, you can find out more from Google than from most GP's, and you'll certainly know more about the foe than you'll find out from speaking to Dr's who are stretched for the time they can give you. Rather than go down the same route that my GP {automatically} send most of his patients down, passed on like a baton from one Dr to the other being given a very limited choice of treatment options, most folks have no idea if it's the best option for them, often finding that what they are getting is simply what's offered locally. When your life is on the line as mine was {due to the aggressive type of cancer that I had, when I was first diagnosed I was originally given 6 months to live}, you don't want to be faced with "Hobsons Choice", or "any prize off the bottom shelf", you need to be in the know, and if you're up to it, you bet your life on a treatment plan that you feel is the best option for you. Aided by Google I chose my own path through this minefield, I listened to all the Dr's but I made my own mind up on what they said, if I was to lose my life I'd prefer it to be because I got it wrong, I just couldn't take it if I'd listened to some of them and then found that they'd put me on the wrong horse, Dr's bury their mistakes. I've seen a lot in the last 5 years, men like me diagnosed with Prostate cancer put through some cruel treatments, some of them finishing up with dual incontinence due to their intestines being burned by radiotherapy, or put through surgery that looked like a Butcher had done it, given Chemo that was way outdated, put on hormones that did more harm than good, or offered medications that were prescribed because they were the cheapest rather than the best. I've seen a lot of blokes die due to prostate cancer, many of them not even knowing they had cancer until they were too far gone. I found out that I had it was from a random blood test, and by that time they reckon I'd had it for 4 years, so... If you're 50 {or yer Dad is 50} get the PSA test done, it's just a simple blood test that could save your life. It's a tough battle when cancer comes after you, yet the odds of survival are improving year on year, even though the UK still fairs badly in the cancer survival league. If you're savvy you can improve your odds, if you're well connected you're in even better shape, if you can get yourself the best treatment plan rather than the one they dole out locally then your at least half way there. The bottom line is, "know your enemy" learn what you're up against, field your best team against it, and be wary of the life threatening idiots who wander the planet telling folks "you you can cure cancer by drinking green tea, or {believe it or not} drinking your own urine", I've seen men lose their lives by listening to gobshytes like that. If ever any of you face this foe, and you want any info, you know where to find me... Each and every hour a man dies from Prostate Cancer, make sure you aren't one of them...

For the most part I can accept much of what you say, who was it that said a few hundred years ago that people deserve the Government they get, or words along those lines, some Bishop or other I think... Anyway, here's where I can't accept... we can't just go around calling them criminals because we disagree with things, especially when no laws are being broken (in the vast majority of cases). It's not a matter of "if there's a Law against their behavoir or not", like the guards on the concentration camps who broke no laws, {in fact they got medals for doing what they did}, but they are still Criminals when they show such lack of integrity, such lack of regard and lack of respect for fellow men. When folks ask for your trust and then betray it, especially when they are in such high public office, they are worse than Criminals. There's no excusing betrayal, it's one of the most bitter pills to swallow, one that many of us have tasted at some point in our lives, a taste we never forget... How can we even think for a moment that stealing from the public purse is OK, especially when... according to 2006 data, almost a third of families are living in "non-decent homes" which fail to meet the statutory minimum requirements for housing. Is it tolerable to anyone in the Untidy Kingdom ! that one third of its citizens are living like paupers, whilst the b*stards who we have been conned into voting for are claiming for more houses than they can find time to live in ! Is that not Criminal !!! No, I suppose it's not while the Laws are made by these r soles for their own benefit...

Nah it's not Don, it's dishonest when the MP's et-al rig the system in such a way that they know it's nothing more than a way for them to dip endlessly into the taxpayers pocket, let's call it what it is, THEFT. They simply put the "rules" in place to hide behind, or to excuse their greed, selfish intent, disregard and disrespect towards the rest of the nation. Looking at what's gone on in Whitehall {and many Town Halls} there's no excusing the diabolical behaviour of those who with more regard for money than "conscience" have betrayed the nation and the publics trust.

Going back to the Tranmere game yesterday Bob, backing Hereford to lose at about 1/7 on Betfair might not be the most appealing move in the world, but by HT they wouldve need 3 goals to win the bet, your blood pressure wouldnt of gone awol at 2-1. Yea but, No but, I dint even see the goal, I was on me way to the car park, sure as hell that the game was over

Just been looking over the Naps Table, it's amazing that this late in the season almost half of the Napsters are still in pocket, seems to me that we have all learned how to bet better in an attempt to get into the prize money, pity that most of us don't take that strategy into the betting shop. For the most part picking teams to win brings meagre results, backing the draw seems to be the better way, trouble with that is, when yer at a match you've no one to shout for. Other than the above most of the folks who have been there abouts in the last few years are up there in contention again, but there's also some surprises in who is languishing down there in the relegation zone.

I think the difference is, the very favourable rules that MP's exploit are written by the very people who intend to exploit them, the rules that some of the rest of us might bend at times aren't written by us they are imposed on us... The result being MP's et-al are feigning rules with the full intent of abuse, not to mention a betrayal of the trust that the taxpayers and the nation have vested in them. If/when we exploit our expenses {by dishonesty} we let outselves down, when an MP or the like exploits the system they let the whole nation down, but does it look like they care about that ?

If William Wallace was alive today... he'd be turning in his grave, sigh...

Just back from the Highlands pub, a couple of doors down from where we are staying, great pub, the "Smooth" is a great pint, but I was on cider tonight, gerring fed up of Guinness... If ever yer down this way the digs round here are second to none, and the pub is one of the classier pubs in the area. The Highlands Pub, Bispham, Blackpool.

Had a great day out with the lads from Wigin, first time I've been to Tranmere Rovers ground. Have to say they went for it in the first half, scoring in the 7th minute, and as you say 2 bowt up at ht. The second half was as though they brought two other teams on, Tranmere wanting to hold on to the lead, you could see the intent was to run the last 45 minutes down, and they did, especially after they had a man sent off with 20 minutes still to go, but Hereford still showed nowt... We were heading out of the stand and on our way out when the crowd seemed to be jeering at something, next thing I know there's a weak cheer so I'm almost ot of the ground thinking that's 3-0, only to hear the Tranmere fans playing **** that it wasn't a penalty. Was I glad that the game was over by the time it went 2-1, but having said that Hereford could have played all night and never scored, a bit like the brother in law, come to think of it... I wolloped BetFred with a fair bit of money on at 8/15, best odds in the land, Hills had Tranmere @ 1/2 and others had them at 2/5 !!! Back in Blackpool the now, off to the Highlands Pub once I've had a quick swill...