Lets start with a positive, because they are few and far between at the moment. Megabus are now operating a service Cardiff to Newcastle and its only £20 return. That makes Holty seem a lot closer! And it means a very good trip coming up in December even if I do have to now use leave for it. I'll go down on the Thursday afternoon, getting in at 22.15 (9 hours on a coach, yay). Then we'll do Carmathen on the Friday followed by Merthyr Tydfil the Saturday. And come back at 8am the Sunday arriving at 4pm, then up to Edinburgh for the racing (my annual december pre xmas jaunt) on the Monday. Mint. Makes that trip a LOT less expensive than I was prepared for - he's flying up when he comes to see me....

Only 2 weeks and we'll be in Ireland, thats really creeping up on me, but I'm worried as they seem to have changed the flight back. I'd rather do a Jane and pretend that problem didnt exist until Monday when it comes to online checkin. In fact, to be honest a big part of me regrets booking it at all - we're going to struggle to come by football tickets and the ice hockey will be a walkover the way we're haemmoraging players right now. I should be used to it with the caps but I was hoping for more halcyon days this season.

I did have one big ice hockey positive last week though - went to Whitley v Dundee on Sunday. Now I don't really have a problem with Whitley - just the 'Credit Crunch Vipers' section who don't pay the bus fares to their away games yet turn up at Whitley in Vipers shirts. I see this practice as very condescending - if they even took the trouble to read whitleys message board, they'd see a lot of fans despise it. However, as Whitley are also a north east team I take great delight in their demises, and this was a demise against a team with 9 less skaters on the ice than them. Almost brought out a chorus of 'flower of scotland' from me.

On another front, why do some people take everything so seriously? Sally, who I have the misfortune to work with just gets so het up over everything frankly, to the point of almost being ocd. Its not for 6 weeks this ruddy conference, and at the end of the day, who gives a monkeys if its crap? When I used to put bands on, I didnt feel the need to have everything so rigid, and woe betide telling them the setlist, but thats pretty well how far her directions go. Why bother getting a speaker in to script everything, may as well save the money and do it yourself!

I'm looking at a trip to football over in Holland next year, in January but they annoyingly have a membership card system, effectively what yuppie scum Thatcher tried to put in during the 80s over here, a way to rip the heart out of everything. Put it this way, if you wanted to cause trouble, would this really stop you? I've never believed for a second that id cards are another way for the government to justify their cronies making more money from the suckers who have to buy them. But its a major barrier to this trip, I'm far from amused. Only £75 return on the ferry too, albeit excluding food.

I've managed a few new grounds since I last updated this - Inverurie was a disappointment actually. The only pub serving decent ale in town was far too far geared towards diners, and frankly I'd rather get a haggis from a chippy. The wind did its best to totally ruin that game, and they lost 4-0 to a Cove side who adapted far better to the prevailing gales. On the way back, we saw a blown down tree and a roof off a building in Aberdeen.

But christ, did that day remind me of the sheer excellence of the Grill pub in Aberdeen. Ok, the food is very basic but its also very cheap (£2.40 for a haggis) and the staff are amongst the most welcoming in the country. It was the last pub in Britain to allow women in, and even then they didnt install womens toilets until 15 years after (though looking at the mens, a total absence of toilets wouldnt be much worse). Its the 700 odd whiskies that they have on offer that makes it worthwhile however, along with the local beers. And the fact 4 people commented on my beard.

Talking of beard, the last comment I got on it was if I added a bowler hat I could call myself an Amish and be unsackable on discriminatory grounds..... but I like it, I've always found beards quite sinister and thats what I thrive to be.

Formartine was a much better trip - the game ended 1-1 with Keith but I couldn't recommend the club more to be honest, its a cracking set up and more hospitable friendly people you couldnt wish to meet. Upon hearing where I'd come from, I got a badge for free and they seemed really interested in my groundhopping tales - in fact I've never been at a highland league game where we haven't finished engrossed in conversation with the locals, it thrashes the Northern League with its sad 'not from round here' interpretation of a large number of individuals. Thank christ I'm not to be honest.

Then, randomly at 1pm last Tuesday, a night out in Stalybridge appealed. So 3 hours later, armed with 6 cans of beer and a very large bottle of French xmas ale, we both set off on quite a jaunt, ready to load ourselves full of more poison at the train station. Stalybridge station is a funny set up, where the buffet bar is actually an award winning pub. As the real ale guide says, people don't mind if the trains are late here.... I just wish I'd had longer in there.... however a colleague at work stated it was the most horrible place she'd ever seen and that she just wanted a normal buffet with proper lighting. Theres no pleasing the new upper-proletariat, because this was a cracker of a pub. The game, although played in a lovely archetypical dilapidated west-pennines stadium was a little disappointing. Stalybridge never got to grips with FC Uniteds constant harrying every time they had the ball - and FC United won it with a wonder goal. They are a club I despise almost as much as tomorrows destination - Franchise Scum United (Livingston).

Frankly I'd rather go to Newtongrange Star v Camelon - if only I knew what souvenirs they did I could persuade Jane.

Jane always does my head in but lately is managing that more than ever - basically she thinks she has a divine right to everything without ever paying for or doing anything. Like Wednesday, I'm expected to get home, cook (in time not to clash with the E***and match) and to miss 2 programmes so she could see afforementioned game and the Simpsons. No give and take here.... she always has it so she always should..... and she should get to pick what game we go to on Saturday because Newtongrange Star, well thats just park football...... an attitude I'd love to stick where the sun doesnt shine.... so come on any Newtongrange people reading this, give me ammunition to persuade a poetic bearded groundhopper to visit your fine ground.