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.

Pigeons and politics - September 2025 review of the month

I haven't blogged much this month because I've been too busy to blog! But I did post about Cathy and I celebrating our 27th wedding anniversary with some on-ice punch ups watching Cardiff Devils, as well as our visit to the new Lego Shop. Plus, you can catch up on my Book of the Month (about riotous protests in the 19th Century) and my Blood Bowl match report from my 10th game of the year with Bryan. 

I also had a trip to Glasgow with work. One thing I noticed on my fleeting overnight visit is Glasgow has some of the biggest pigeons ever! They're also honoured with street art. 

Also, it appears the Doctor has got lost.

Before my all day meeting started I made it to the local Celtic Shop to pick up a couple of pin badges for my growing sports badge collection.

My main focus this month has been canvassing. There is a by-election in Caerphilly and I've been up a couple of times to support the campaign efforts.

Sara was also canvassing so we got to work together, which was really lovely.

More locally, we have started canvassing at stations during the morning commuter rush. This has mainly been me and Anna, one of the candidates in our area for the Senedd elections next year. 

I find canvassing fun. I've had lots of friendly conversations with people and it's really good exercise! (I think it's really helped me lose weight as that was my goal since getting some negative health news in April - at my end of September weigh in I had lost 10kg, which is over a stone).

In other political news I went to the Yes Caerdydd AGM where I had agreed to run a quiz. Cathy helped me put together the questions, including a brilliant picture round of famous dragons! (Well it is for Yes Cymru!) 

Jack and Elin were the winning team and had prizes of Yes Cymru tea towels along with the trophy.

In other social news, I had a very late opportunity to see the lad Connor as he made a rapid-fire visit to the Diff. We went out for French toast brunch and caught up on life. It was lovely to see him. 

The football season continues. I went to four senior level games in the month. Cardiff Dracs beat Aberystwyth in their first home win in the Cymru South for the Dracs.

It was also my 25th match at the Dracs ground.

My friend Rhys was there and made a video all about his personal connection with Gabalfa and the Dracs. If you skip forward to about 9 minutes in you'll see my cameo. 

The win over Aberystwyth was part of an unbeaten September for the Dracs. I couldn't get to all their games but I did see them beat Cwmbran Celtic in the Welsh Cup and win away at Llantwit Major.

Here's the windmill that is the reason Llantwit Major play at a ground called Windmill Lane. 

My other game this month was a disappointing defeat for Shrewsbury against Salford City. However, my youngest niece came with us and was very excited to meet the mascots!

I also caught up with my friend Jim and his lad, Nic.

A new independence movement has started! 

My footballing highlight of the month was the day after the Shrewsbury game when I watched my eldest nephew Zac play for his juniors team. He scored 4 goals in a 6-2 rout and was Man of the Match.

We have some more travels planned for this month and I'm hoping that might include another opportunity to watch Zac play. Find out next month whether I make it!

Nostalgia is a weapon - football edition

One of the bon mots Douglas Coupland included in his book Generation X is "Nostalgia is a weapon". It's always stuck with me and I've got older it's become more obvious that 'nostalgia' is weaponised by marketing departments, politicians, and by social media. (How many "good old days" posts pop up on your algorithm? Mine is full of 'em.)

Naturally football clubs have got in on the action. Retro shirts have been popular for a while among fans because they are pure nostalgia fuel. Usually retro tops are just done for leisure wear. But this year, Shrewsbury Town's main kit is a throwback to their kit from 40 years ago. 

I feel I am in the nostalgia crosshairs. Because, this was my first ever kit. Here are some pictures of when I was a matchday mascot way back in 1986. It was a typically grey October day with a crowd of less than 3,000 paying supporters.

I was a lucky mascot. Shrewsbury won 4-1 against Grimsby Town. I wore that kit for the rest of the school year in 'games' every Wednesday afternoon in junior school. 

A few years later we discovered the shirt was an almost perfect fit for our beloved family dog, Celyn.

(She was a very patient dog, putting up with this.)

The shirt I wore as a mascot now has pride of place on my office wall, after Cathy got it framed as a surprise present.

I bought the new season's shirt ahead of Shrewsbury's first game of the season at the weekend. I hadn't bought a replica shirt for a few years - I just haven't liked the designs. But this was one I felt I had to buy. 

I went to the match with my two eldest nephews who patiently queued with me in the club shop before the game. They were less patient during the match itself because it was generally dire to watch and frustrating.

But I had a very funny feeling watching the game. For the first time in a long time it really felt like watching Shrewsbury play. It unlocked a primal memory of those first games I went to, when "Shrewsbury Town" was first imprinted on my brain. This is the colour scheme I knew first. 

Other colour combinations have come and gone. But none have stuck with me this strongly. 

One of my nephews has been to several Shrewsbury games, but for the other, this was his first. Maybe he will have the same imprinting experience and for him, this will always be the true colours of Shrewsbury Town. The circle would be complete. 

January 2025 monthly review

I've seen several social media posts about January being the longest month and people just wanting it to be over. Personally, the month seemed to fly by - helped by a hectic work schedule and a week of birthdays at the end of the month that meant spending a weekend with family. 

In work we are gearing up towards a big conference at the end of February with lots to do in readiness for that. We also said goodbye to two colleagues, one who left for a new job and one who started her maternity leave. So, lots of change to navigate. 

I also had a midweek overnight stay in London, which meant I was able to catch up with my friend Gawain before I got my train home. Because I was getting the late train, I managed to score a special offer on a first class ticket at cheaper than standard rate - a brilliant way to end a long couple of days in London.

I fitted in quite a bit outside of work too. Last year was the year of "quels" at the cinema, and Cathy and I are following a similar pattern so far this year, with a trip to the flicks to see Moana 2. I managed two evenings of Blood Bowl with Bryan - game 1 was a narrow win for my giant rats, game 2 was a hard-fought draw. I also helped out at the RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch event in Grange Gardens, organised by the Cardiff Park Rangers. 

A three day weekend in Shrewsbury celebrating three family birthdays included a successful trip to take my Mum sofa shopping. We found some nice new ones that will actually fit into her living room configuration. When we weren't sofa shopping, we were playing games of Scrabble. 

I won both games and Mum has already told me she wants a rematch. My best score was 104 for a word using all seven letters that hit a treble word score (anchore[d], top left). 

I also took my nephew, Zac, to his juniors football game, played in cold wind and icy rain. He was borderline hypothermic by the end, but he earned and scored a penalty and helped his team to a 2-0 victory. He's wearing number 7 in the team now, a bump up from number 14 last season.

I went to two other football matches besides Zac's game. Both games featured Cardiff Draconians - an 8-2 victory at home, and their first league defeat of the season away at Swansea University. Losing to a late goal was tempered by it being a new ground, and my friend Jon joining me and Scott at the game. I am gradually dragging Jon to lower and lower level games. We started at Newport County, then Barry Town and now the Ardal League, the Welsh third tier. Parks football next!