Keen to avoid depressing analysis of my footballing amours Leeds United’s (LUFC) insipid start to the season, in the last couple of days BBC Radio 2’s breakfast show has been GJ Strachan’s reveille listen of choice instead of my usual morning listen of talkSport.
Presenter Zoe Ball’s affable brand of chat and hit music from various eras easing me into the day. A soundscape which places my early daytime spirits on an altogether higher plateau than listening to ex-footballers and presenters discuss the current Premier League scene.
To clarify, I’ve not fallen out of love with my football team. Ingrained tribalism and pride in my city of birth/roots forbid such treasonous behaviour. No, my temporary venture to Radio Two merely a strategy to avoid starting my day being reminded of LUFC’s poor form, which’s alway a catalyst to low mood. Irk I’m keen to dodge, especially at the start of day.
The way I see it, being accompanied by music from the 1980s up until current day is infinitely more preferable than listening to chatter related to a misfiring Patrick Bamford, Kalvin Phillips, Stuart Dallas et al.
Michael Buble, Nik Kershaw and Ed Sheeran, who’ve just serenaded me through breakfast, could never impart the esprit levels a Leeds United victory brings. However, for me, this easy listening fare usurps the aural downer of listening to punditry following an LUFC defeat.
That being said, Zoe Ball, whose dad Johnny eased me through young childhood as a Play School presenter, has just announced that tomorrow’s show features acclaimed Liverpudlian actors Jodi Comer and Stephen Graham. To celebrate this Wednesday’s Radio Two breakfast show will be celebrating ‘all things scouser’.
With Leeds’ latest defeat being a 3-0 hammering at the hands of Liverpool, even when listening to Ms Ball’s show, it appears I can’t avoid reminders of LUFC’s recent inept performances.
It could be argued the very fact I’ve just wrote five paragraphs about my footballing amours I’m clearly not making aa very good fist of avoiding the subject; consequently self-inducing depressive notions on the topic. Don’t blame talkSport when you’re equally as culpable at triggering Leeds United based disenchantment, Gary Strachan.
I’m commencing this paragraph after returning all the furniture, fixtures and fittings into my newly decorated office. My newly refreshed walls and woodwork undertaken by a cousin, Steve. Well, my late dad’s cousin, so I think that makes him my first cousin once removed…. That maybe the incorrect genealogical connection; however, I can say with certainty as his late dad was my grandfather’s younger brother, he’s family.
2021’s been a year of quite significant change at my mum’s home. Work which’s seen a wet room built in a garage conversion, a new upstairs bathroom renovation, a patio/pergola constructed, the conversion of a bedroom into an office, along with a raft of room decoration.
The good news, though, is that we’ve reached the middle of September and all chores and renovations are now completed ready for transition into autumn and winter. Consequently, all work undertaken during the rest of the year will be solely daily/weekly chores which’ve undertaken by all households….. Well, ones with a modicum of house pride, anyhownarr.
Hopefully autumn and winter will witness an upturn in Leeds United’s fortunes, which’ll see me once again tuning into the talkSport breakfast show, and it’s Drive (teatime) edition. No offence Zoe, it’s a great show but if I’m listening to you for the Fall and winter-tides duration my team’ll be having a torrid season….. A scenario I simply don’t want to contemplate.
