Simon Read

Football's not just about goals and tackles.

A day of rest? No it's Sunday morning tennis

YouTube video by Jethro Tull Jethro Tull - Too Old To Rock'n' Roll (Supersonic, 27.3.1976)

"The old rocker wore his hair too long,
Wore his trouser cuffs too tight"
Happy birthday old rocker Ian Anderson, 78 today. I don't expect many Jethro Tull fans would pick this 1975 single as their favourite track by the band, but it's certainly mine. youtu.be/VcmJThaACHQ?...

Why not? Saturday #cocktail treat is a straight-up Negroni (equal parts gin, Vermouth and Campari) instead of serving it in a longer glass with ice. Does it work? It seems fine to me, although pairing it with pork scratchings may be pushing the envelope too far! Pip pip!

It's League One football at Plough Lane for the first time in a few years as AFC Wimbledon take on Lincoln City in their first home game of the.season.

It's League One football at Plough Lane for the first time in a few years as AFC Wimbledon take on Lincoln City in their first home game of the.season.

I've had a fun and interesting week. I hope you have too.

We've obviously been much luckier than you in AirBnB. Plenty of sharp knives to help us punctuate our arguments

YouTube video by The Temptations - Topic I Wish It Would Rain

I Wish It Would Rain | The Temptations | Gold
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUk-...
#IWishItWouldRain #TheTemptations #GoldenOldie

The job search search continues.
I lost my last job when I used a bluetooth speaker to link to my phone to attend an online meeting when I was actually sitting by a pool. The phone fell into the water and I couldn't stop it synching.

saw the 101 Dalmatians Musical at the Hammersmith Apollo. It had some fun moments and some good puppet work, but it's basically a pantomime with tired old jokes and forgettable songs but with a brilliantly evil villain in Cruella De Ville played with over-the-top relish by Sydnie Christmas

After the three powerful and affecting plays I've seen this week (Nye, The Estate and Every Brilliant Thing), this evening I'm settling down for some light-hearted fluffy fun at 101 Dalmatians: The Musical at the Hammersmith Apollo. It's marshmallow for the mind, I imagine.

I saw Every Brilliant Thing at the Soho Place Theatre. It's an uplifting audience-involving story of depression and suicide, brilliantly performed by Lenny Henry. He got me on stage to play one of the characters, which I loved. 4 more actors take on the role in the coming months

I love the Soho Space theatre and have seen some wonderful productions here. By the way, I love front row seats and was well-chuffed to get this cheap ticket through rush tickets on Today Tix this morning. And, yes, that is Lenny Henry doing some pre-performance stuff on stage

Thursday matinee #theatre treat is Every Brilliant Thing at the Soho Place Theatre. There are 5 different actors fronting the play starting with Lenny Henry. I last saw his doing a one-man play in the brilliant August In England in 2023 so am looking forward to seeing him again.

I saw The Estate at the Dorfman at the National (from a side view). It was a powerful play about political ambition and family problems with some excellent performances. Two and a half hours flew by with laughs and talking points. Theatre at its best, which runs until 23 August

Wednesday matinee #theatre treat is The Estate at The Dorfman at the National Theatre. It's a political satire which is just my sort of thing, hopefully

I've got no work today so have popped to the library and am now sitting in the garden sunshine with a decent coffee and a new book. I'd recommend it (sitting in the garden reading, I mean. I haven't got far into the book, so no recommendation for that yet!)

Tennis before breakfast today. A great way to start the day

YouTube video by Old Movie Fanatic Every Time They Say “Miranda” | Miranda 1948

#blackandwhitefilm of the day: Miranda, 1948. Fun Brit comedy about a playful mermaid, played impishly by Glynis Johns flirting with Griffith Jones, John McCullum and David Tomlinson. Margaret Rutherford and Googie Withers star on @talkingpicturestv.bsky.social at 4.50pm youtu.be/MwHHvRue1z8?...

Michael Sheen puts in a commanding emotional performance as Aneurin Bevan in Nye at the Olivier Theatre. Do try and see it. It runs until 16 August.

I'm back at the National Theatre to see Nye again. I was so impressed by the production I wanted to share it with my family

Postcard from London

English has lots of colourful old slang phrases about being inebriated, especially from the Victorian era, including “plum full of bug juice,” “bumpsy” and “as whittled as a penguin.” But my favourite drunkenness phrase from Victorian slang (first recorded use in 1882) is “as tight as a boiled owl.”

The job search continues.
I got sacked from my job at the bird sanctuary when I tried to put some crows together in a cage. They accused me of attempted murder.

Meta Exec Joins BBC News For Key Artificial Intelligence Role BBC News has hired AI Lead Anjali Kapoor from Meta to accelerate Artificial Intelligence adoption and work with data.

Today in What The Fuck Could Possibly Go Wrong Here? News:

Meta exec Anjali Kapoor is joining BBC News in a newly-created director role for AI, Innovation and Growth

(yeah, because those are the three qualities driving good journalism ...)

deadline.com/2025/07/bbc-...

YouTube video by Giacomo Meyerbeer Sohn So Long At The Fair (1950)

#blackandwhitefilm of the day: So Long At The Fair, 1950. Compelling mystery thriller as Jean Simmon's brother disappears during the 1896 Paris Exhibition and odd Dirk Bogarde is at hand to help her try and track him down on @talkingpicturestv.bsky.social at 2.40pm youtu.be/UoiFXWUdBgE?...

You can never get enough choo-choos!

I've had a fun and interesting week. I hope you have too.

The football season has started today. I'm at Kenilworth Road to see Luton Town against AFC Wimbledon. It looks like an unmatched battle with Luton in the Premier League the season before last and Wimbledon in League Two last season, but it's a pulsating League One clash now