Great British Heatwave

Dryslwyn (pic by me)

Phew! How is everyone coping with this recent visit by the sun on British Isles? Had your fill of fans and ice cream yet? I must admit, im currently typing this right now whilst camped under a giant fan which is going like the clappers, keeping my inbuilt 'Weather Whinge-o-meter' in check (all Brits have this when too much rain or sun arrives.) Im certain complaining about the weather was written into the Magna Carta alongside tea breaks and fish & chips but you know what? I think we are changing our habits because I have not heard (or read rather) much of it on sites like Twitter and Facebook, indeed most folks are actually ENJOYING this run of fabulous weather! Shock! Horror!
Even with heatwave warnings approaching 'level 3' (whatever this means) the griping about "its too hot mun" or "the plants could do with some rain now" are being kept at minimum. Or at least it has amongst my friends and aquaintances. Its wonderful waking up to glorious sunshine piling in through the curtains like rays of butter, eager to settle on your morning toast. Spain has had nothing on Britain for this last week and I feel for those Brits who have paid for a Spanish holiday to escape our usual grey and miserable summer, only to discover that the grass was for once greener (and more frazzled) on the UK side of the fence.
And for any overseas readers who have yet to visit our shores, you really need to see Great Britain in the sun because it truly transforms into such a beautiful place. Cricket on lazy town greens. The wildly handsome Pembrokeshire coast, twinkling like mad diamonds. Riverside picnics as canal boats crawl past in idle fashion. The majesty of places like Lake Vyrnwy and the Lake District, still maps in God's mighty heart. Deckchairs on beaches while piers stretch out like bony fingers. Grand castles drenched in ancient history, offering damp shade within their walls to sweltering visitors. Carnivals, fishing fetes, happy Brits in eccentric poses, soaking up a much missed dose of summer.
I was only 5 years old in 1976 when we had that scorcher of a summer here in the UK but I do have specks of memories of it; I particularly recall the bone dry cricket pitch in Burry Port park and the burning pavements of Station Road, one of the main streets in the town. And I also remember the hungry queues in Barrie's Plaice waiting patiently for fish & chips, happily swapping local gossip. It was a wonderful time and this week, seeing photographs online of people taking a dip in the Serpentine Lido in Hyde Park and sun worshippers relaxing on various Welsh beaches has brought those memories back with a beautiful vengeance.
Now dear readers, you must excuse me, I have a date with a choc ice!

Britain Rules the Sport

What a fantastic weekend of sport it has been for us Brits! Dear God, I think the beer is flowing still! First the British & Irish Lions win the Test Series in Australia with a convincing display that showed we are streets ahead of the Aussies. Then (ad this was the biggie) Andy Murray became the first Brit in 77 years to win at Wimbledon, while on the same day Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell took the French Open at the tough Le Golf National.
Fantastic! And it was even more brilliant for the still dizzy Mr Jakes because rugby, tennis and golf are my favourite sports.
Was this one of the greatest days in British sport? Its got to be in with a shout. Heck Murray getting a slam at Wimbledon makes it special without the rugger and golf but the triple whammy made for a grand three course sporting feast. And who knows? The Ashes series (cricket) against our arch rivals the Aussies begins on Wednesday and we have a good chance of winning those too. Oh so sweet is victory after a few years in the sporting doldrums! I really do believe our success at last years Olympics kick started it all, there is definitely a bit of that spirit lingering in our athletes.
However to misquote Shakespeare, the course of true sporting highs never did run smooth, and it would seem the First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond upset a few people by waving the Saltire (Scottish flag) in the Royal Box at Wimbledon. I personally think it a hulabaloo over nothing, I mean Andy Murray is Scottish, what was Salmond supposed to wave? The flag of Japan? I can assure you dear reader that if Dai Jakes ever created sporting history (I can dream!) then I would be extremely angry/saddened if the Welsh dragon, y Ddraig Goch, wasn't flying.
Still I don't want to end on a sour note when people are still buzzing from such a fabulous weekend, long may it continue, long may Britain become great once more not by the hostilities of our history but through the camaraderie of sporting events.

Again The Likes We Never See

A great Briton

Charles Burgess Fry Born: April 25th, 1872 Died: September 7th, 1956
Even in his youth C.B was recogniesed as an all round exceptionally gifted person. A poster boy for the term 'clever clogs'. He excelled at a number of sports (seen above playing cricket) but not content with sport, C.B was also a brilliant teacher, politician, writer, editor and publisher. Like I said, clever clogs but a truly great Briton.
We'll never see the like of C.B. Fry again. The earth has moved, ambition shifted and all the people now are clowns. In our rush to step into the future, in our thirst to make evrything easier (mostly via internet, apps, Kindle, iTunes, etc), we have discarded real adventure and sold our soul to convenience.
It was all so different in Fry's time. You had to work and push both muscle and mind to a much greater level if you wanted to make an impact back then. Even hobbies required more spirit to pursue them. And it created character, a type on Man that could never exist today. Now its mostly copy and paste, and lily livered downloads. Convenient yes, but not very exciting.