My August 2026 football round up

I decided I went to enough games in August for them to merit their own post. I saw three Cardiff Dracs games, Shrewsbury's first game of the new season, Barry maintain their table-topping winning streak, and my first Grange Albion game in a couple of years. I finished the month at a random game in Brecon. Because why not?

On the very first day of August I watched the Dracs lose 1-0 to a 97th minute goal away at Ynyshir Albions. I'd been to Ynyshir before but this time most of the pitch was parched due to the heatwaves.

The next weekend I was up on the Friday night at the multi-use pitch in Ystrad Mynach where Caerphilly Athletic play their "home" games. I've been there four times and seen three different teams at "home" plus a neutral play-off. 

There was some history on the wall on the way in. I love a good footie plaque.

A handy poster confirmed we were in the right place. All the details you need, except the date.

It's not a great place to watch football, but it's not the worst and at least the stand has some height to it.

The Dracs had a player sent off after about half an hour, defended like heroes and earned a point with a 0-0 draw that felt more like a win. It was my first 0-0 game in 370 days!

The next day I walked round to watch Grange Albion v Sully Sports. It was the first game I'd seen at Coronation Park for a couple of years. The grass was dangerously dry and players got grazed and bled if they fell over when tackled. 

This time the team I was supporting had a man advantage after a visiting player was red carded. Albion were 1-0 up soon after but couldn't add to their single goal. They even had a penalty but the kick bounced off the crossbar with a loud 'Booooiiinnnggg!!' and looped up and over the very high fence into the bus depot.

So far in August I'd been to three games and only seen two goals. I hoped my luck would change on the middle weekend when I went with my Mum on the Shrewsbury Town supporters coach to Tranmere.

It was a new ground for both of us. I quite liked the mismatched stands and old fashioned feel of the stadium. The stewards were friendly. We found a fabulous chip shop with wonderful potato scallops. The only thing that wasn't great was the result: a 2-0 defeat for Salop!

Still, I'd doubled my goal tally for the month and if I start to let the results determine my enjoyment of the football, I'm doomed, really.

Goal-wise, things picked up after that. The Dracs hit form, despite another first half sending off and beat Llanelli Town 4-2 back at Lydstep Park. A cracking win in their first ever competitive meeting with Llanelli.

There are some changes at the ground so I had to trog all the way round three sides of the pitch to get to where we miscreants prefer to stand.

It was another dry, dry pitch.

My next game also finished 4-2, with Barry Town comfortably beating Airbus UK Broughton in the Cymru Premier. It was Barry's fifth consecutive win since the start of the season and we sang 'We are top of the league' at the end of the game. Having said that, the two Airbus goals were absolute crackers and I can't see them having any problems staying up.

You get a handstamp on the way in these days.

Towards the end of the game we saw a spectacular moon, wreathed in cirrus wisps. My photo doesn't do it any justice.

And then my last game of the season surpassed even that goal tally. I had a discussion with my match-going buddy Paul (who I'd sat next to at Ynyshir, Ystrad, Tranmere, and Barry) about where we could go for a random open Saturday.

We settled on Brecon Corries - a new ground for both of us - and an Ardal Cup game against Morriston Town. I was very impressed by being served tea in a club branded mug and enjoyed a decent brew in the quality crockery 

I went for a wander to take some pics in the first half and ended up behind the goalposts for the first two goals - even though they were opposite ends of the pitch. 

Morriston were the stronger team and won 5-2. They could have scored more, but asking for more than seven goals feels greedy!

And that was the month - seven games and 23 goals, two new grounds and plenty of good football memories.

My June selfie photo dump

The monthly round up post was a bit too long to include all the selfies I took. So here is a special edition photo dump.

Very early on in the month I went to Shrewsbury as an overnight stop on a work trip. I stayed at Hotel Mum and went out for tea with the proprietor.

I also saw Dave on the same trip.

Here's my football four person selfie with Sara, Steve and Scott, when we went to watch Wales women versus Czechia.

Sara and Scott are former work colleagues and it was a bumper month for selfies with people I used to work with.

I met Matt and Jo at a big charity expo - which was also at Cardiff City Stadium, funnily enough.

Kate was at the same event.

I took a selfie with Justin at a Plaid Cymru gathering.

And I met Heather for lunch as we continued our tradition of marking the solstices. 

And a few solo selfies. Firstly, my double-sided sherbet ice cream at Tafwyl.

Here's a selfie from on my way in to my Cymraeg exam in Treforest. My confidence was unfounded and I suspect I have done terribly.

And a selfie from my canvassing session in Treorchy to finish off.

My April 2026 round-up (part 2)

This month has been so busy I've had to do two round ups. In part 1, I mentioned canvassing, litter-picking, going to a local history evening, football and loads of other stuff. I've also blogged a Book of the Month, an Album of the Month, and about my monthly Blood Bowl fixture with Bryan.

I spent the first and last weekends of April in Shropshire, celebrating my birthday at the beginning of the month by feeding rhinos at West Midlands Safari Park, and then celebrating my youngest niece's birthday with a family party on the final Saturday.

Since my interim round up post I have been in Liverpool for the Diabetes UK Professional Conference (DUKPC). 

The programme I work on had a bigger presence than ever before including involvement in some sessions. This meant I had my second bucket list moment of the month (after the rhinos).

Nine years ago, in 2017, when I was working in the NHS, I went to DUKPC as a punter with my friend Sara. It was being held in Manchester. I remember saying to her that one day we would be presenting together at the conference... and nine years later my prediction came true!

The whole conference went very well from our perspective. We had a great team of young people working with us. It was even sunny the full time we were there.

After the conference I went to Shrewsbury for the weekend. My niece's birthday party included a bouncy castle and a piñata. I took this photo of my Mum just before she delivered the killing blow that smashed the poor colourful donkey.

Everyone else had a go too. Some people were more dangerous flailing with a stick than others!

I went to Shrewsbury Town's final home game of the season in the afternoon. It closed out a nice symmetry as I was at their opening home game back in August. It's been a long old season and they looked in danger of a second successive relegation for much of it. But they were safe by the time this game came around. It finished 2-2 and Shrewsbury's equaliser was voted goal of the season a few days later!

Blue the Lion, the Shrewsbury mascot, got injured during the half time mascot race with Fleetwood's Captain Cod and had to be helped away. It's perhaps an indicator of what a poor season it's been that their mascot lost a foot race with a fish.

I got to see some bonus football watching Zac on the Sunday morning. His team were drubbed so we went to Greggs afterwards to drown our sorrows in sausage rolls.

My final game of April was Gloucester City v Poole Town in the play-off semi-final in the Southern League Premier Division South. I went with Steve. It was a great game but I'll mainly remember it for some terrace aggro that delayed the game when two scrappers fell over an advertising hoarding.

Gloucester won 3-2 after extra time. I think it was the first game I'd seen this season that went to extra time.

It was my 10th Poole Town game. I got a Futbology badge when I checked in.

And then on the last day of April I did my final station trip of the Senedd election campaign, with my friend Anna.  I have done 28 of these weekly sessions since October and I am weirdly going to miss them when the election is done.

May is going to be busy with the election and then some traveling. So next month's round up will likely be another full one.

My January 2026 round-up

A very busy opening month of 2026, including a big birthday party for my mum who turneed 80, a work trip to Glasgow and the restart of political campaigning after a brief break over Christmas.

I was busy on the blog too, with a Blood Bowl match report, a Book of the Month and, for the first time, an Album of the Month post. I did a review of 2025, a sports round up and listed my cinema trips. I also marked Appreciate a Dragon day with a drove of dragons.

My Mum's 80th birthday party was on the final weekend of the month.  We had a loose theme of '80 years around the world' with a cake shaped like a hot air balloon.

A wall of photos, including a banner of family members spelling out 'Happy Birthday'.

Fred the hound was immortalised in icing next to the main cake we cut and served. His obvious misdemeanour attracted a lot of comments.

Mum with kids and grandkids...

At Mum's request we ran a short quiz. I was quizmaster. The most successful rounds were the picture rounds and the round where people had to guess the song title containing a country name.

My work trip to Glasgow was a day trip with an early morning flight from Bristol airport and a late return. I set my schedule to see if there and back in a day was doable. Turns out that yes it is doable, but it isn't desirable. I'm not going to rush to repeat it. 

We are now about 3 months away from the Senedd election and canvassing has started in earnest. I've been out talking to commuters at stations and knocking on doors.

I also went to the first Keep Grangetown Tidy litter pick of the year (photos by Fiona from KGT).

My top find was a dumped huge 80s style boombox, so I held it over my head like the famous scene in Say Anything.

On another weekend I supported the Friends of Grange Gardens 'Big Garden Birdwatch' on a wet Sunday morning. Despite the drizzle I saw goldfinches high up in the trees.

And I went to four football matches - three Cardiff Dracs games and a trip out to Cefn Cribwr as a random game at a new ground. That was just after New Year and they still had mince pies available with the half time cups of tea.