Another major football body questions Infantino's leadership as pressure grows on FIFA boss

The man’s done something wrong. It’s offended a lot of people. It’s hard to be so neutral about the position when you look at ticket prices charged for the previous world cup. And it’s hard to see what else they do. It’s not as if they’re touring the world to play football in villages leaving merchandise behind and encouraging them to buy tickets for the next match. I could understand it if they would use the money to lower ticket prices but they haven’t stated openly what they would do with this extra investment apart from give it to the teams who take part. Instead, they just want to sell off their matches to companies who would charge people to view them. It could be a good deal for venues who could take out subscriptions just to show them to bring more people in; but that’s only if they’re not reaching capacity already.

Grocery Store

I spend a lot of time in grocery stores. You don’t tend to notice many conversations between people as they go about in their groups. They spend more time focusing on what’s in front of them; what’s on offer and what’s the most efficient purchase for them. Occasionally, they’ll remind each other of events coming up and whether or not they should purchase that particular item. Mothers might get stressed trying to keep their children in check. Others may make remarks about their fellow shoppers; their attitude and their attire. You might see some groups interact with each other if they bump into another party that they recognise; especially if they haven’t seen each other in a while, but even then it’s for a short period as they recognise that they want to finish the task at hand. You’ll see squabble and hesitations over the most minutest of decisions. After all, you’re not going to be able to return most of this stuff.

Around the back #sambourne 8

Heading east, we crossed the ford via the footbridge, then as it met the road we turned left to head north and follow the footpath on the other side. This footpath followed a wood on our left and over a stile into a field beyond. On our left was the back of the manor. There was a stile to access it via a footbridge, but this would put us back onto the property. I’m sure that’s someone walking the grounds like a tourist, but the property should have been closed. Maybe it was a ghost. It might have been a statue and it does look like it’s on a pedestal, but surely if it was it would be positioned directly in front of the entrance. Maybe it’s a dummy to deter passers by. It’s placed at just the right distance that you can’t make out if it’s real or not. It might even be a wooden mop with clothes on.

Revenge of the Postie

He’s a jolly old fellow. He’s got black hair that’s tall enough to  be a mop, and it turns to a grey whisp towards his sideburns. There’s big chubby cheeks which surround a large, classic moustache below wide glasses and a beard to match. He always wears shorts, even in the winter, on top of big thick socks and boots. He’s a big man with a big belly and makes the vehicle shakes when he climbs in. He’s happy to help shift big items to prove that he’s still got the stamina, but when it comes to paperwork, it’s not his strong point. He can be a bit late and lazy at times, and his personal hygiene isn’t the best but he does own up to his mistakes and admits his ignorance. He likes to drive at speed and get the job done quickly, but sometimes his eagerness makes him leave things behind.

The Crossing #sambourne 7

So here’s someone giving it a go, creating waves and making their mark on the local land. It’s a proper car prepared for the elements so it should make it. But the entertainment comes if it does get stuck. Will the driver risk getting out, or will they appeal to local witnesses to help come and push? I wonder if it set off only after watching the car in front. It’s worth wondering if this route is worth it or is there a safer one available. There’s even something on the green on the left which could be a tombstone or tribute to those who didn’t make it. Some wouldn’t attempt it and turn back. But it’s a dream come true for local mechanics who come to the rescue. That van could be one ready and waiting, or it could have been abandoned. It’s a shame that the bollard’s in the way, otherwise I could go online and check.

"Your smile will give a positive countenance that will make people feel comfortable around you."

-Les Brown.

Even if you don’t want to smile and end up putting on a fake grin like a maniac, people will be more willing to approach you. They’ll be inclined to smile back and trust you, and you’ll feel that things will go easier as well. It’s infectious, and it’s an essential skill of customer service. You have to do it even if you feel like something’s going to be long and complicated and they’re going to straight up miserable at you. You might be able to reverse their thinking by giving them a positive experience, so long as you can react with sympathy to any bad news that they care to impart. Be careful if you’ve got bad breath or wonky teeth though, unless you want to scare them away. Sometimes it’s the eye contact that has it. And sometimes you just want them to leave you alone and approach someone else.

The Search #vampress 27

These people would still need to be the crème of the crop to represent her. They may be more difficult to control, but would show how much power she would yield. She would have to attract them with money at first to encourage them to leave their home. Perhaps she could invent a situation to encourage a junior eager to make his mark upon the world to come and visit. Someone who could get her affairs in order in the legal way, making sure that her property was protected and within the confines of the law. She cast her mind for a soul who would be winning to undertake such a journey. And so, on a windy evening, she looked for a newspaper page that had been battered and blown across the land. She wasn’t necessarily looking at the words themselves; it would be the way that they displayed their words upon the page of the advertisement.

The Big Dip #sambourne 6

Heading east, we walked directly through the woods until the trail met up with a track. Turning right, we headed south until the track met up with the road by the ford. It’d be interesting to  see how deep this ford is in times of drought. There’s a footbridge to get pedestrians across, but for traffic you’ve got to take the risk and plunge through. Fortunately, you can see the bottom  today, so if you take it nice and slow, it won’t be a problem. Just keep your vehicle slow and steady so that water won’t come up through the engine and flood it. What you have to watch out for are the idiots who decide to rev their engines and floor their vehicle through, creating a huge splash as they enter the water. This makes it easier for water to enter the bonnet and create all sorts of problems for the engine.

Why should you put a bottle in a parked car tyre when travelling alone?

I’ve got no idea. Are we looking at plastic bottles, or glass bottles for defence? If it falls out, it could be considered littering as it rolls across the floor. It seems very strange and I can’t see what this achieves. Are you supposed to hear the bottle if the car approaches you if you’re on foot? Perhaps you’re supposed to leave money in it in the hope that the person who finds it is a shaman and will bless your journey. Or maybe the person who finds it will offer to accompany you on your journey so that you’re not travelling alone any more. It’s a very odd practice. Maybe the interviewer hasn’t thought the question  through properly. Perhaps you’re trying to confuse a thief as he’ll see that someone else is already trying the same scam that he is to lure you out of your car and it’s therefore being watched.

The Approach #sambourne 5

It’s a proper yellow brick road entrance. It’s as if we’ve come to the wizard’s home after a long journey. The bricks near the entrance. They seem distorted images that are about to fade in and out of a computer picture, leading to a true entrance. It might even slide away to reveal a garage or a passageway underground. After all, this was where the gunpowder plot was conceived. Even today, this still could be a communication monitoring station and headquarters. The flagpole could double as an aerial. It’s a building that could be easy to reinforce without being too suspicious. It’s in the countryside with flat open fields so it’s not a problem by air. There’s road and horse access through the countryside, and you can escape on foot through the fields if you need to. And there’s even a river that you can flood to prevent escape or create a distraction for another getaway.

We think about...picnics!

It’s not something you’d think that a video game company would typically think about. Spending time outdoors with other people away from computer games and screens is a distraction and totally discourages sales. Unless, of course, it’s a pitch to sell one of their mobile gaming units or encourage you to play a game on your phone. Or maybe the bright light will make them cower in fear and look forward to returning home to purchase more games. It’s hard to see a screen in broad daylight. The mind can’t focus on purchasing new games when you’re playing new games. Or maybe they’re not addicted and they’re happy that at work outside while you remain indoors enslaved to their products. They could be enslaved themselves. They’d love to go on a picnic; but they’re too busy creating more products for you to buy. Maybe they just want a lunch break.

Who lives in a house like this? #sambourne 4

The gardener’s come outside for a cheeky pose for her friends. She’s not doing a very good job though. She might be happy with the size, but I’m not happy with the sight. Some of the windows might have holes that need fixing. The grass is all scorched to match the stone. She’s certainly let it go. Maybe she’s leaving l=it like this for the new owners to take care of, or she’s quitting her job today. Her jacket nearly matches the grass. If she lay down facing the camera, there’s a chance that her torso could be disguised, and all she’d need to do is find a long patch to hide the jeans. Perhaps there’s an army hiding behind the bushes with rifles, or even on the ground covered in grass. The sergeant’s in the trees with a periscope spying on us both. We’re probably going to get shot just for being on the lawn.

Robin Wall Art

It’s a nice size that draws a crowd. It’s got a little button that looks like it’s dressed up for a formal event in a waistcoat. It’s a nice thin aluminium that hasn’t split, despite falling off its hook a few times. And being as it’s now over six years  old, the colour’s faded a little but it’s endured a lot of weather. The green might not match the surrounding real green, but the brown is beginning to match the fence paint. The yellow has faded to silver, but it still looks good, undamaged and chipped, and you can still tell what it is. The paint might have faded completely in another six, but the metal will still be there. And I might get creative then and do my own paint job or try to restore it. Or I’ll probably just try and buy another one if the manufacturer’s still trading.

Adaptive Camouflage #sambourne 3

Continuing east, we cross a stile to reach a small road. We turned right and found our next stile on our immediate left to continue east. This put us on a dusty track that passed a large farming structure on our right. The track slowly bore south-east and crossed a ditch before running alongside a brook. The brook carried on underneath the road, and we passed through two gates to join it. Crossing the road, we turned right and continued south passing the driveway on our left alongside a rail next to an open field. Passing a cluster of oak trees, we continued south to a second cluster and passed through a kissing gate on our right. This brought us out to an outside view of this stately home where the gunpowder plot was planned. It’s been one of those dry summers where the colour of the grass matches the building.

Good Morning

It might not be a good one, but with a little knowledge, you can hold onto it for the day and make it a talking point or a conversation starter for strangers and friends that you meet. Hopefully there’ll be  a new fact every day. Use it with caution though. You don’t want to sound like a bit of a know-it-all. I get an update about how difficult it might be to get up in the morning, and I’m compared to someone who has circumnavigated the globe fourteen years ago. That might inspire me to rise. I say it again and I get a brand-new fact which develops into a series of facts that might be hard to remember. I go for a third and it cycles back to the first one. I guess I’ll have to wait for tomorrow to get new content. At least it’s something to look forward to.

Under the Bridge #sambourne 2

It’s amazing what farmers use for a shelter. It saves them having to build anything themselves. I think it’s some kind of engine. It could be a cherry picker used to maintain the bridge itself. On closer inspection, it looks like a trailer carrying a trolley. I wonder if any liquid drips through, or is the bridge is sufficiently covered with ballast to prevent this06. It looks like there’s been an accident already, and that a fence has had to be built around one of the bridge supports to prevent the farmer from crashing into it again. The farmer might have took it upon himself to do that. It looks like he’s taped off the other side. It could be electrified, or he could just be marking the border of his land. There might be an embankment under the larger arches and that’s why the whole thing is fenced off.

Bagging and Dragging #dream 223

I’m in a shopping centre. I’m on a quest to retrieve our luggage. We’re about to board a plane, but our luggage is being brought in via bus. The only problem is that I can’t find the bus station. I was given directions but I can’t remember what they were. I pass escalators heading up, but I can’t find anywhere that heads down. All I can see are rows of designer stores and restaurants amongst paved slabs and foliage. Eventually, I find the right escalator. It’s dark and cold and I spot the bus straight away. There’s an instant drop in temperature as I descend. A few moments later, I recognise the driver, who’s a large jolly father-type man with a beard who waves me off with my luggage. We’re the last ones to collect our cases. Now to find the other half while wrestling three bags. I’m going to have to head off upstairs again.

Ghost Train #sambourne 1

We’ve left the car on a small road by the village. It’s not obstructing anyone’s drive and people can get by. And there’s less chance of people visiting each other at the moment because of the lockdown. Starting on the green, we headed east on a footpath past a small wooden bus shelter that led down a driveway to a gate. Just before the end of the driveway, we turned left and crossed a style, then turned right to continue east directly across the field. On the south side was this old railway bridge which was part of the line from Redditch to Evesham. There’s a great video  on YouTube which shows pictures of the area then and now as it tracks an old train making its journey. You’d think that the line would run vertically to connect the towns directly, but it’s possible that Sambourne used to have its own station. 

Ann Droid

This was a great little comedy that had me laughing at the deadpan situations. Morgan’s voice can be annoying at times, but it’s designed to be that way. Her comedic smile to reassure her human is brilliant. Johnstone does a fantastic performance playing Sue, and the series addresses real life issues like loneliness and bereavement. It’s quite realistic, and the plot focuses on incidents that are quite common. Linda’s full functions are unknown, but Sue can’t learn everything in one series. It’s good fun how Linda interferes with her life for the better though, even if Sue isn’t ready for it and her motives are exposed. I did feel that Ready’s character and associates were a bit plastic and unrealistic; though I’m sure that people can relate to him. I’m looking forward to a second series. I’d like to see more of the technician come round for repairs, upgrades and maintenance.

Clowning Around

It’s that time of year again. I had my red T-shirt and the famous red nose on my conk but that’s as far as I went. It might be more than others though. It did feel a bit misleading to see they were only available through Amazon. I guess the shops were fed up with collectors opening all the boxes and rifling through them all to try and find the ones that they needed. It did leave a bit of a mess. But the shops could have sold them behind the counter though. Instead, you’re now restricting sales to those who can access the internet. This year’s theme was garden animals and I managed to get hold of a robin. Though what I usually do is buy three and let my nieces choose what they want and I have the one that doesn’t cause any arguments. They got a ladybird and a fox.

World Cup favourites France knocked out as Spain reach final -follow latest

There’s kind of nothing left to follow. The news is broke. The only thing left to do is get the reactions from either side. You can catch up on the score and the match report, but I suppose every highlight will now be published as we learn it. And we’re assuming football but it could be anything. But rather than focusing on the latest result, we get speculation from everyone about tomorrow’s upcoming game. Let’s face it; it’s the one that we’re all interested in. We even get videos of former pundits reminiscing about the last game. We have to dig deep to learn more about the headline that we came to read, but there’s plenty of other headlines to distract us here. It’s just what we want with an ongoing event, which could change at any time. We also learn what we can to help us predict the future.

Out of the Box #bentley 8

Postmen stay the same, but what happens if a courier comes? Will he try to deliver a parcel through the door? Hopefully they’re smart enough to find a hiding place or the owner may have left instructions, but there could be an attempt. It looks like there’s a panel missing above the door, though that could be the wind. Perhaps it’s a home for the birds. It’s an odd place as it’s very close to the road. Are there curtains and an attic room? Is there a back door? Do they suffer from damp as water falls through the chimney? Do they pay rent? And what sort of mess do they leave? It’s obvious that someone’s spent a bit of time crafting this. It’s not something that you can just buy out of a shop. The base looks a bit rotten. I hope it ca withstand strong gusts of wind.

The Mall

I go in the back way. It’s a bit unusual, but it links up the place with nearby housing while allowing a local car park to be built with a ring road looping around the whole building. There’s also council flats with an exclusive lift; but that’s just for security purposes. The car park is now shut and its future is uncertain, but you can bet that they’ll probably look for someone to redevelop them into apartments. Once inside the mall; one of the first people that you’ll probably see are the security guards. Their uniform has evolved strangely over time from bluecoat blazers to yellow waistcoats. Their current set-up is modelled on riot gear; though with the amount of straps on the back of it it looks like a bigger version of a restraining suit. You’ll soon start seeing big-brand shops. Get there early to avoid the crowds otherwise you’ll face toddlers being let loose from  their pushchairs and stallholders trying to sign you up to things and unnecessary queues in the card shops.

Do the Charlton

He’s got one of those forgettable faces. You wouldn’t know him if you passed him in the street, and if you showed up on his turf again, it would take you a while to work out what his role is. He might be the man behind the scenes that makes the magic happen. He’d wear a black shirt and probably wore glasses. He could be the chef or he’s the one changing the barrels. And they had quite long lines which meant the beer quality wasn’t always the best. But for a while, it felt like a proper pub. They had events and festivals. It was somewhere that you could go for just a drink. Then the chains took over and made it restaurant only. You couldn’t sit in and enjoy the grounds without splashing out. And you can’t even see the original character of the building any more. You’re just shown straight to a table.

House of Brad #bentley 7

Nothing says that this your territory than putting a giant flag outside. After all, an Englishman’s home is his castle (or is it the other way around?)You could take it down when you’re not in (or pretend to), but that would be a big giveaway for the burglars. It’s just as well that it’s got its own camera system. But that’s only on the approach to the main gate. You might also have to take the flag down in bad weather or risk prosecution. Or you could change it for special occasions like sporting events or if someone from another nation should happen to visit. And I’m not sure if the miniature house outside is a bird box or a mailbox but it’s a great addition, though it’s a shame that it’s not a replica of the current building. Perhaps it’s a memory of a previous home. It’s a bit strange that they’ve named the whole house ‘Bradley’.

"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough."

What if you don’t? Will you want to start again. Will you be dealt a better hand? And how will you know if things are going better next time? It’s very hard to remember what you did in your previous life. Perhaps that’s what feelings of déjà vu are all about. If you feel that you’ve done everything right, would you want to go round and experience it again? Some people would, if only to cherish the times that they’ve reminisced upon. But they wouldn’t know they’d be reminiscing upon them as they relived them. It’s all very confusing. Some people argue that they do live more than once, especially if they’re trying to evade the law and have successfully faked their death. But how you do know if you’ve done everything right? Surely everyone’s said or done something that they regret and wish that they could take back. Maybe that’s why we go again every time.

On the Tracks of... #bentley 6

Is this the work of random soil erosion? Or something else passed by here? Something large and sinister has managed to pierce the grass to reveal soil? Perhaps it was a really bit of juicy grass that the sheep could just not resist. There’s even a chunk left if anyone else wants some. But before that, a giant chicken could have been squashed into the ground so hard that the ground’s been pierced and the soil has been compressed into rubble. You can even make out some skinny legs squashed into an outline underneath. It might have laid a little something before it perished. Or perhaps some weights fell at height, either from some farm machinery or from overhead, squashing the newly chewed patch instantly. This is all that remains to tell us that something was once here. It was its last mark upon this earth. A little worm has come up to investigate the surface. Or perhaps he is responsible…

Bric-a-Brac #titannabell 27

Finally, a breeze came through. The more she moved towards it; the smaller it was; until; suddenly, she burst through the brick and she was outside. Her next thought was where her small friend ended up. She quicky remembered where she was place and fished her out and placed her on top of the ramparts. She then realised how big she was in order to achieve this simple action. Her hair had also grown and some of it was still inside. Then she realised that she might have drawn a bit of attention to herself over the course of this interaction, and the best thing to do was to clean herself up. There was only one other way to ensure her safety. She wrapped her hair around herself as if it was a golden dress and headed off down the hill, still shaking the foundations of the castle as she walked.