The week at the heart of the UK Engineering Applications hub has been a busy one with a mixture of tickets being raised with technical support being requested to new software requiring ordering. We do seem to be getting a large volume of tickets being raised at the moment. I do say though that in most cases it’s not the IT or software causing the problems but the users! Maybe more training or less access to the software settings or maybe both!
Friday though was the ‘Old Boy’s gathering. Hamlin had set the wheels in motion for us to get together something we’d not done since December last year! The ‘old boy’s’ are a group of ex-colleagues who worked together over the years and mainly got together at Povall Floor + Wilson (PF+W) in the late 90’s. but as time passed by moved on and worked at other companies, however we have all kept in touch.
There were only 6 of us who were able to make the gathering at The Rising Sun in Manchester which is our usual haunt. Guess what by the time Phil Beswick and I got there just before 18:00 the guys were in their usual spot in the window. The beer, laughter and stories flowed all night long and with 300+ years in age for the 6 of us there was some story telling. Nothing to eat which is always dangerous meant I was busy looking for something to eat on the wall home from Hindley rail station. At 22:30 on a Friday night I was appalled that there are no open chippys but if you want pizza, curry or kebab you are heartily catered for. So, it was a kebab for me to help soak the beer up.
Up early on Saturday as United had the lunch time KO against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Not a bad game for the neutral to watch. Chelsea went 1-0 up after some slack defending by Paul Pogba allowing Rudiger to score in the 21st minute. United rallied round with a better 2nd half performance where Anthony Martial scored twice before Ross Barkley scored the equaliser in the 96th minute for Chelsea. So many times, over the years had we used all minutes available to us and often teased by opposition fans calling it Fergie time that we got undone by our own best asset. As the Chelsea fans jumped with joy there was a minor bust-up on the touchline as one of Chelsea’s backroom staff twice ran past Jose Mourinho celebrating in his face before Mourinho was up out of his seat. At the end of the game there were chants of F*ck off Mourinho from some of the Chelsea fans. Strange behaviour as he is their most successful manager. Chelsea staff and fans equal no class.
Today we’ve had mum and dad over for tea. Nice to see them as we’ve not seen them for two weeks. They both look well. We even got a Skype call from Sam, Harry and Nancy who again I’d not heard from in a couple of weeks. Harry has lost a tooth and the tooth fairy had left a £2 coin. Wow inflation is at a high as 50 years ago I was only getting a sixpence (old money) equivalent to 2.5 pence in new money.
