David's blog

Saturday was supposed to be the day the local football club started using their new camera to stream games on Facebook. Since it was an away match, I assume they needed permission. At kickoff, after checking the game hadn’t been cancelled—a common issue this season—I saw it was still on, though some nearby matches had been called off. I waited for the stream, but nothing appeared; probably just teething problems. Hopefully, they’ll have it sorted by next week.   They still won five-nil, with four assists from a player who’d just returned. Despite not playing for weeks, they had the confidence to convincingly beat a decent team. They’re currently fourth in the league, quite far from the top, but with a strong push could grab the second promotion spot. The top place seems out of reach, but you never know—it’s a funny old game.   The wintry weather seems to have passed for now, and we’re back to the usual rain. I got a link to the game, which was a bit pointless since I...

I usually don’t leave the village on a Sunday, but even if I wanted to today, I couldn’t because of the weather. A lot of snow fell overnight, which someone had warned me about, but I dismissed it. I was wrong—it’s stuck, and it’s pretty thick out there, the thickest I’ve seen in years. Lately, it feels like something is keeping me in the village. On New Year’s Day, there was no public transport, which is silly in a rural area, and then the day after, there was a crash. Yesterday was fine—I managed to get some shopping done—but today we’re back to no bus service. If the sun doesn’t come out to melt it, things might be the same tomorrow. At least the snow looks quite pretty around here—this is a view of my back garden. I had planeed to get some lunch from the pub but they are not making any due to the weather, so will have to do my own...the sun has appeared the snow might get melted now...there is more snow on the way apparently, I went out for a walk its nice to see the kids out sledg...

 today is the first day after the wretched 'holiday'.  I was a bit late going out this morning and going down by they road the bus came to a stop , there had been a car crash up ahead. I was not sure what to do the bus was not going anywhere. I decided I would walk back to the village which involved walking up a bit hill. The weather was not too bad spot the walk wasok.   All the traffic coming towards used was going too have to turn around but no one o offered used a lift. Maybe they sulked as we did not warn them I don't know. I started up the hill but the chap I was with decided he was going to walk up the public footpath, oh AI went on my own up there hill and two minutes l later then bus came along and picked me up. The buses driver had initially said he'd was not going to reverse back to turn around, her head to in the end it would have been stuck in there for hours and it's an electric bus and might have running out of charge compounding the issue

Christmas is nearly over again, and thankfully so—it’s becoming quite a drag these days. Next year will be worse, with an extra bank holiday meaning it’ll drag on even longer than usual. I’ve ended up drinking a lot more beer than normal over the holiday period. At least the weather’s been okay, though it’s been cold.   This morning I came across an article about young footballers in the region—players the writer had enjoyed covering over the past year—and among them was a young man I know, a distant relative. He’s 17 and plays for Dolgellau , with an impressive record of 40 goals in 49 appearances. He’s been with the club for a while now, though he was in an academy at one point. I’ve tried convincing him to join the local team here, but that would mean dropping down a level, and it’s clear he wants to move up rather than down—or even sideways.   https://nwsport.co.uk/2025/12/29/10-shining-stars-of-2025-in-north-wales-mens-football/ His current team recently reache...

I grew up in a village about three miles from a small town where I went to school and had friends. Like most towns, it had its problems, such as crime, which I always assumed meant theft and other minor issues—nothing too serious. I never thought there was much violent crime, but it turns out I was wrong. One of the criminals from the town was actually involved in a mugging, along with someone else from there. He mugged a local man, and I never imagined such things happened in our small town. I must have had a very sheltered upbringing.   Last year, I visited Shrewsbury Prison, which is now a tourist attraction, and it turns out the two muggers served time there in the 1980s. I didn’t know this during my visit—if I had, it might have made the trip a bit more interesting.   I learned about the mugging from one of the men who committed it. He didn’t hide the fact and described what they did. I know it was a long time ago and they’ve served their sentence. I told him th...

It’s Christmas again, though it feels like the last one was only a few months ago. It’s dull how quickly it comes around, and it’s the same old stuff every year. My Christmas spirit is gone, probably killed off when the local council stopped the fair. Usually, the season kicks off with Halloween, then the fair, then Christmas, but not this year—it’s all different. I’m not having the best day either. I went to Tesco and nearly walked out without paying; the lady called me back since it was only five quid. I think I was in some kind of dream world, maybe distracted by the film I made on the way there with my smart glasses, which can do this hyperlapse thing that speeds up footage and lets you add music.  When I got home, I saw a parcel had been delivered. At first, I thought it had been taken next door and put in their shed, but it turned out to be in mine. I just hope there’s no CCTV catching me going into their garden. They’ve got a gate that needs fixing, and I thought the deliver...