On this day....1st May 1976!

Ask any Southampton supporter about their best moment and, if they are old enough, they will no doubt tell you that it was the F.A. Cup win in 1976. What will roll off their tongue is this...

‘Bobby Stokes in the 83rd minute...magic!’

And it was just that..magic! What made it even more so was that ‘The Saints’ were the underdogs and not expected to win as they were a second division club!

But when it’s the F.A.Cup, anything can happen. It’s often the stuff out of ‘Roy of the Rovers’ and everyone likes a ‘David’ to slaughter a ‘Goliath’, don’t they?!

I was living in Hampshire at the time so I adopted Southampton as a kind of substitute for my own club (Torquay). I went to many matches at The Dell. (Southampton’s former football ground before they moved to St. Mary’s.)

And I remember the ‘big day’ at Wembley, so well, as I was lucky enough to get a ticket! Yes! I was one of the 99,115, in Wembley Stadium all those years ago...45 years ago to be exact!

Interestingly, Saints played in yellow and blue..the colours of Torquay!

And even more interestingly...look at the team sheets! What do you notice?!

I notice lots of Englishmen, some Scotsmen, a Welsh man, three Irish men ( Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland). Just saying! 😁

( pic from Wikipedia)

It was certainly a day that I’ll never forget! And I was in good company too... as The Queen presented the trophy to the winning team! I hope she enjoyed the day as much as I did! 😁 

Flobadob!

This morning, I had a jolly good tidy in my lovely, potting place. It’s under cover, so even though I sensed rain was in the air, it didn’t matter, I knew I’d be as dry as a bone. And I busied myself, quite contentedly, until my eye was drawn to my newly acquired garden gnome! An impulse buy... but she made me hoot ! Mind you, many things do! And I looked at her again ...she didn’t seem quite right.

SOMEONE had stuck blue tape over her mouth!! No prizes for guessing who that might be.

I’d read that there was a shortage of garden gnomes, due to a shortage of raw materials...well, I’ve got one and very nice she is too! And she’s very happily installed.

I took my new pots outside ....another excuse to buy some plants to pop into them. 

After all, they can’t stay empty, can they?

 

I’ve not yet used my Sussex Trug; it’s standing there for all to admire, for the time being. All in good time! All in good time! Mind you, the Sneeboer trowel has had plenty of use. It’s superb! I thoroughly recommend one if you haven’t got one.

A couple of days ago, I found that I had some nasturtium seeds left over...so I’ve poked them into various containers...another case of ‘we shall see’. It’s been so cold here this April; everything is sooooo slow! 

That done, I repotted some trailing Geraniums and popped them into some holders on the wall.

And I planted these Nemesia, (called Tutti Frutti), with some Thyme, (called Ruby Glow) and an odd, trailing Geranium . This should make a nice display as well as a scent, on the patio table.

The last of the Tulips are now flowering, whilst the first to flower have finished. It’s been a grand time for Tulips, in spite of the cold. 

And what a grand time for apple blossom and indeed many other types of blossom!

In the greenhouse, there’s plenty happening and I’m gradually taking things to prick out as they present themselves as ‘ready’! You can almost hear them calling, ‘ Me, Sal!’ And me replying, ‘All in good time! Just a day or two longer!’

So that’s it for today.

Have a very happy weekend, everyone...or as Bill and Ben might say:

‘Flobabdob’

🤣😂🤣

🌻🌻🌻

The end of an era...

Yesterday, I was getting ready to teach the final English lesson to one of my GCSE lads who has been with me since he was 9 years old. Time was getting on and I had to make sure that I didn’t forget his lesson, which was earlier than usual. I teach my lessons online, at present.

The doorbell rang and out I went, thinking that it was a delivery; I opened the door, shouted, ‘Thank you’, without even looking up! When I did look up, to my surprise, there stood my pupil with his mum... and there on the doorstep was a bag of presents!

We had a long chat until they realised the time and they had to get back home ...for my two hour lesson!

Meanwhile...

On opening the beautifully wrapped gifts.....

         What a lovely gift...far too pretty to eat!

 

      

     But that’s not all! There were also two beautiful, garden pots....with saucers.

And finally, a written ‘thank you’ note...

        

And then...I burst into tears! 😂😂😂

I will now await the results....and hope and pray that I was worth those gifts! 😁

Something beginning with ‘Pr’ ....

There’s a beautiful flowering cherry in the churchyard in our village. I’m not sure of the variety as there are hundreds of flowering cherries...it might be Prunus Kanzan but I’m not certain.

 

And talking of beauty, I visited a place called ‘Plant World’ earlier today and these lovely banks of Primroses caught my eye...

Finally, to complete the ‘Pr’ trio, this lovely Primula is just coming into bloom in the garden.

Prunus, Primroses, Primula...and all so very.... Pretty.

....with my little eye!

I love these little books! 

As I mentioned, recently, usually one of these would be tucked into my back pocket when I was young and went out and about to play in the woods or on the common. So I’ve tried to collect the vintage versions of these books that I once owned in those days gone by. There are one or two that I’m missing

so I need to go in search of those to add to my collection.

As you can see, some were sixpence and others were one shilling.  

That’s U.K. ‘old money’ which is the equivalent of 2.5pence and 5pence in U.K. new money.

A bargain I reckon!

This is my favourite! It had to be, didn’t it?

So here’s what you got for your shilling...and of course you received so many points for the things that you managed to spy!

                                         

                Simple, yet oh so charming! 

Strike force...

 

This saves so much argument in our house! 

Alan Shearer spent many years on my wall! 😂🤣😂

An ‘out and out goal machine’, I have followed him for many years, 

from when he played for Southampton and then Blackburn and then Newcastle 

as well as playing for England. He was a truly superb footballer who knew 

exactly the aim of the game...as did..

Thierry Henry...his skill, playing for Arsenal, was a joy to watch; Arsenal being 

my other half’s chosen team. Such a shame he’s French but we will forgive

him for that! Such a shame they never played together, ‘ up front’ !

So, two very worthy recipients who deserve this accolade and they continue 

to represent the game of football in the way that it should be represented. 

Characters too! I miss watching them!