The big match

Tonight we are facing Runcorn Town Res at home. With only 5 games left in the season, we need to pick up 5 wins if we are to have any hopes of promotion. They beat us 3-2 when we last played them, and they are directly above us in the league. Fingers crossed. Come on you greens.

Make mine a half

Today saw Jane run the Liverpool Half marathon, striding home after 2 and a half hours of persperation. The weather, lousy of late, was stunning, with brilliant sunshine illuminating the challenging course. The atmosphere was superb, and I was disappointed that I wasn't out there myself. My race-motivation has disappeared of late, and I cannot explain why. I need to look within to see if I can find the answer. But today belonged to Jane, and the many other runners who made the race so special. Philip and Ellie both did their bit, with Ellie making her mum a banner which said, 'Go mum go, get your runny shoes on!, whilst Philip joined Jane for the last 100 yards. It was a fitting ending to a wonderful event.

Can I stay in?

Tonight is the 'Spring Fling' in Philip's school. How can I best transmit my excitement?. Er...........................I don't want to go. But duty calls.

Life after Series 2

Having polished off 12 episodes of The Wire during my last 3 night shifts, I am almost feeling bereft after the series ended. Like series 1 I was left a little disappointed at the end, although there was much to marvel at, and enjoy throughout. Series 3 will start in 7 days time when I resume late night working. I have complained about my job in the past but it does have some perks.

On The Wire

Ever watched The Wire?. I am about to start the second series which will be my companion during my night shifts. The first series was superb, with dialogue of the highest order. It's worth watching just to listen to D'Angelo explain the game of chess. Priceless.

Such a talent

Not content with being a talented dancer, top writer, and general good egg, Ellie is now trying her hand at poetry. The following was written when I was at swimming lessons with Philip.

My brother and his cat.

My brother has a cat,

Whose name is Pat.

He is totally fat,

And a smelly rat.

We worked together on a second verse.

He lives on a mat,

And wears a floppy hat.

And barks like a dog,

What's wrong with that?.

She is going places.

Are you in nuendo?

I almost overdosed on innuendo today as we spent a family day at 'Monkey Forest' near Stoke. Whether I was saying, "What a lovely monkey, " or, "I hope I can stroke the monkey," or even, "I like nothing better than looking at a nice monkey," it was heaven-sent to a phhnnar addict like myself. I know it is peurile and ridiculous, but it was great fun. And, puns aside, there were many beautiful monkeys to admire. Indeed, the atmosphere of the whole complex was very nice and relaxed, which explains why the monkeys flourish so much. A splendid day all round, with much laughter in the process. My respect for monkeys has increased ten-fold.

Life has new meaning....

...to me. On May 18th I will run out and play at Goodison Park, home to Everton FC the club I support. To say I am excited is an understatement, and my mind is working overtime imagining possible outcomes/incidents/goals. I can see myself bursting forward from midfield with a single-mindedness that is the stamp of the truly great. I ally pace and power as I leave my opponents in my wake. As I get about 30 yards from goal I let fly, and follow the flight of the ball as it heads towards the top corner of the net. As it flies in, I turn and reel away to celebrate, and look up to the stands to see my kids there cheering wildly. It is a precious, once-in-a-lifetime moment that will make life worth living.

The reality will probably be so different, as life very rarely allows you to realise your dreams. But I life in hope that I at least play well, and really enjoy the day. Daryl will be playing also and it will be a special day if we play on the hallowed turf in the same team.

Sunday is Mothers Day and so me, Philip and Ellie are heading into the city centre to pick up a gift or two. We are also hoping to go to the cinema if there is an early screening. It will be great to spend a few hours together, and much fun will undoubtedly be had. But I am also certain that my mind will be wandering at times, towards a date in May when, just for 90 minutes, I will feel like the most important footballer on the planet. I can only pray and dream that I can do myself justice.

Early bird....

An early start for me today, and the prospect of a lengthy team meeting in work. To be fair I tend to enjoy them as we have a good laugh, and say all of the things that we are unable to say in front of the residents. Take yesterday for example...

Resident X served 16 months in prison for a crime committed against a young family member. Determined to change, (aren't they all?) he repeated his desire to stay out of trouble in the future, looking me in the eye and promising never to get involved in any criminal activities. He was plausible, and I would have believed him a year or two ago. But experience tells me that he is unlikely to change his ways, and, given the right, (or wrong) circumstances, he will probably reoffend. Sad, but true. he expressed plenty of regret and remorse during our session, but that was all related to HIM, and his incarceration, loss of freedom etc... His victim wasn't mentioned once, yet they are the one who will carry the burden of his wrong-doing for the rest of their life.

There were many things I was tempted to say during the 30 minutes we sat together yesterday, not only for myself but the rest of society too. Even though working with Sex Offenders is common place after over 3 years in the Probation Service, it is still hard to deal with, especially as a parent of young children. I remained professional however and kept my counsel. Not easy at times, and the need to offload becomes urgent. I'm not the only one though, and I'm certain there are many Lawyers out there who, whilst defending their client, must feel sick to the stomach. It is a big price to pay, and is a hidden cost of working with offenders, especially those who commit the most abhorrent crimes. And yet, perversely, (bad word selection) it is strangely satisfying, and always challenging. You just have to make sure you don't take it home.

I'll be back

Famous last words

Get your passport ready

Tomorrow will see me and my angels head down the A55 towards Penmaenmawr, and a trip to visit my Auntie. I haven't been there since my beloved Uncle Tony passed away, and it will be more than strange to go to his home without him there. At least it provides the opportunity to spend some much needed time with my children. We haven't had a day out for a while so it should be fun.

The joy of football

Today is the day when Philip plays football for the school team for the first time, and I for one am very excited. Apart from the opportunity to watch him without having to look after the rest of the team, it also allows me to hark back to the day when my first school team was named, way back in 1980.

Historically the school I attended, Morrison CP, never bothered with football as none of the teachers were willing to give up their time. Enter Mr.Melia, a great man who saw football as a birthright of all young boys. He quickly entered the team into a local league and the excitement began to build. After some football sessions he told the boys in the squad to keep checking the notice board near the school entrance, as this is where the first team sheet would be posted. Days of incessant checking and re-checking followed before word got out that the team sheet was finally there. The race to the notice board was as keenly contested as any Olympic 100 metre final. When we got there we saw, for the first time, a football team sheet with our names on it. And smack bang in the middle of the team was me. L.Deveney (Capt). There are almost no words to describe the feeling that engulfed me, save to say that if it could be bottled and sold, I would be a very wealthy man. The match, against Matthew Arnold CP, would take place in a few days time. The wait was unbearable, the anticipation incredible. How I managed to compose myself enough to play still amazes me, but I did. My first game of competitive football, and the beautiful game had never been more beautiful.

The result?. We lost 5-0, but it didn't matter. We were playing football, for our school, for each other, and for ourselves. We were simply glad to be able to put on the shirt and play. It was possibly the purest game of football I ever played.

Fast-forward 30 years and Philip is about to experience school football for the first time. As he is now playing in his third season of organised football, today is just another game, only this time it is with different team mates. But for one man on the touchline, today is about the special moments in a parents life, and a trip down memory lane for the boy inside.

Worn out

Don't know why but I am. My afternoon nap has failed to wake me up so an early night is on the cards. It's just as well I ain't in a band cos I could never be rock n' roll.

My headstone will read;

Liam Deveney R.I.P.

He went to bed early.

Charity begins at home

The news that 10 'celebs' have scaled Mount Kilimanjairo has been reported in the national press very favourably, and each of them will benefit considerably from the publicity. The whole trip however has been tarnished with the news that Gary Barlow paid 90k to fly all of the party home in a private jet. Apparently the prospect of an arduous flight home was too much for the blond-haired songwriter so he stumped up the cash to ensure the flight home was both luxurious, and direct. One can understand his motives, and I am sure they all fell very tired after the expedition. But surely they could have had the humility to have travelled back like normal folk, and maybe even donate the 90k to the Comic Relief coffers. Correct me if I am wrong but in the moment GB got his credit card out, he proved to the world he was totally missing the point of the trip.

I'm oh so tired...

One can only imagine what state I would be in if I still drank alcohol. This is just fatigue, no more, no less. Murder tho. I wish I was lying down at home now. Fire on, telly on low, cup of tea, slowly nod off.......zzzzzzzzzzz!. Lovely. Never mind eh?. Only 8 and a half hours to go.

It's a fine line...

....between success and failure, (and stalemate) in football. Today was the perfect example as the green machine were by far the better team, but only had a share of the spoils to show for their superiority. They did however have a very proud manager who is in awe of each of them. A great game, and an excellent advert for junior football. Played in the right spirit, there was much to admire from both teams. Log onto www.marshallsfc.me.uk tomorrow to read the full match report.

Saddle up

30 miles in the saddle. Feel good with just a hint of saddle soreness. A most refreshing shower will now follow before the school run begins. With a weight loss verging on 3lbs, things are going well. Must keep the momentum up and keep training hard.

Busy busy

I have been quite busy the past few days, hence my lack of posts. After my run of 3 night-shifts had ended, (have I mentioned that I have to work nights?) I have been determined to enjoy my 5 days off, and get plenty of things done. Near the top of the list has been to crank up my training in preparation of the start of my Triathlon training and I have done okay so far. I ran about 4 miles on Tuesday, did a really hard speed sesion on Wednesday, and am cycling 35-40 miles tomorrow. There is a distinct lack of swimming in my life but I am hoping to rectify that in the near future.

I received written confirmation of my place at JMU to study Journalism today. I have already accepted the place online vis UCAS, but it was still nice to see it written down in black and white. I think the least I can do as a mature student is to start my prep now so I am trying to find out as much about the course as possible. I haven't learnt much thus far, other than I will be based at the new campus in Edge Lane. I am slightly disappointed as I would have preferred to be based in the city centre, but it is state-of-the-art apparently so it should mean the course itself is of the highest standard. I am still excited though, if not a bit daunted. Back to study, coupled with the guarantee that I will be the oldest student in class, makes me slightly apprehensive. Throw my grammatical issues into the mix as well and you can understand my fears. There is much to be done even before I start the course in September.

The final countdown

Tonight is my last night shift. The difficulty now is re-adjusting back to a normal schedule of bedtime at the end of the evening, as opposed to during the morning. At least I am off work until Sunday so that is some consolation I suppose. Must make the most.