signs and wonders

The owner of the Peninsular restaurant may come to regret hiring the dyslexic sign-writer.

 One of the reasons I LOVE living in the country ...

... is that it's such a welcoming place!!

The shop that was so bad it had to be sold ...

Welcome to Britain's first Hobbit-themed leisure resort.

Really ...!!

And to finish ... it's always good to be reminded.

community matters - the chess players

Last week (which now seems but a distant memory) Brewood Chess Circle took part in a rapid-play tournament with Shrewsbury, Telepost and Wellington. Very kindly, they gave me permission to take some photos.

Rapid-play is a fascinating and exciting  game. Players compete against each other and against a time-limit of twenty minutes. This can lead to frenetic action toward the end as the clock ticks down.

The room was hushed and the atmosphere intense. Chess is a game of total absorption. 

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the tournament. My very grateful thanks to Roger, David and to all the ardent chess-players I spoke to during the evening.

community matters - the butchers

Great family butchers don't just look after their meat - they look after their customers too. Russell's is a perfect example.

Last week, Lee and Ray very kindly allowed me behind the counter to take some photos while they butchered two pigs. I also had the opportunity to speak to some of their customers, many of whom had been buying their meat at Russell's for several decades. 

It's clear why they do - Russell's is very much part of the community.

 

yours is no disgrace

And so to the game ...

Villa start brightly, putting Manchester City on the back foot and creating a half-chance for Anwar El Ghazi. But before long the pattern of play is established with City pressing forward relentlessly. Their opening goal comes from the boot of Sergio Aguero and a few minutes later Rodri doubles the score with a fine header.

Despite these setbacks Villa refuse to buckle. An equally fine header from new striker, Mbwana Samatta cuts the lead to one as the teams go in at half-time.

The second half sees constant pressure from City. Villa have little in the way of possession. On the rare occasions they do get the ball City's relentless harrying forces them either to go long or lose possession. Unbelievably, though, they do have one last opportunity to level the scores and take the game to extra-time. Bjorn Engels delivers an excellent header only to see it deflected onto the cross-bar by an even finer save by City's Claudio Bravo.

Villa fans remain resolute, cheering the team as the players fall to the ground when the final whistle blows.  There's no disgrace here. We've held City to just two goals, scored a fine one ourselves through Samatta and out-sung their fans throughout the game.

Here's hoping we can continue in good form for the remainder of the season.  Our survival in the Premiership depends on it.