It all Add(ers) up!

Constrictor, originally uploaded by http://andrewskelton.net.

Well, what an evening that was, and one we won’t forget in a good while. The team my son plays for were entered into a football tournament that was held on the local football teams pitch. The local team just happen to be Reading FC who were promoted to the premiership league this season, and the local pitch is a 26,000 seater stadium – not exactly small time! There were 16 teams playing, with 4 games being played simultaneously on pitches a quarter the size of a standard playing field. Needless to say, the tournament was very competitive… but this was mostly from the parents who were screaming and shouting from the stand almost as if they were watching a Premiership match! Our team got through to the playoffs which is highly commendable especially as a number of teams were a head taller and seemed at least two years older. Having arrived at around 5pm (and my son having played an hour of football at an after school club beforehand) it’s no wonder all the players were completely shattered by 9pm when they walked off the pitch. Of course I took plenty of photos, nearly 32Gb worth, none of which will find their way onto Flickr for obvious reasons but there was a professional player at half time whose image just might once I’ve reviewed them.

I read an interesting article on the web today, apparently Wales is the hotspot in the UK when it comes to being bitten by an adder! Between 2009 and 2011, 23 people were bitten in Wales out of a total of 196 cases recorded throughout England, Scotland and Wales. It’s obvious why isn’t it, Dear Reader, all the Adders from the nature reserves I’ve been visiting have obviously relocated to these sanctuaries. If you’re wondering the venomous bite, whilst not fatal (in most cases) would not be a nice experience (don’t try this at home, would be my advice, or anywhere else for that matter) causing localised pain, tenderness, swelling and bruising – and that’s only from the medical bill (obviously this jokes works better abroad where you have to pay for such care – in the UK, treatment (on the National Health) would be free).

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