Danny's Blog

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Hollycombe Steam Collection

Today we visited the amazing Hollycombe Steam Collection. Fred Dibner would have loved this place. There is a fairground which is all driven by steam. Here are Karen and Lisa on the Golden Gallopers....

We went for a ride on Caledonia, an old slate mine engine.

Some of those rides are scarry...

Lisa and Joe on the race cars. Hope they both steer the same way!

This engine drives the bioscope and steam organ. Check here to see Lisa dancing to the organ...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81w6dck4oBM

Back to the car for a picnic...

This is the standard method of transport at Hollycombe for the Steam Enthusiast and his long suffering wife...

Great day out.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Joe and Lisa

Here's our new maid doing the washing up...

Lisa and Joe in the paddling pool in May!!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

FA Cup Final

Yet another trip to Wembley with Pompey. This time it's the FA Cup Final against Premiership Champions Chelsea. Pompey have no hope...or do they? Roland, Simon and Me believing the impossible....

The teams come out...

The game kicks off and anything is possible.

The fans back in Emsworth....Play Up Pompey!

The Pompey fans at Wembley. Brilliant support as ever....

Pompey win a penalty. Could the dream be coming true? Dreadful penalty. Cech saves it with his feet....

Chelsea win 1v0. Avram Grant and the team salute the crowd...

That's it. Fold up the banner. The dream is over.

It feels like the end of an era, but what a five years. Two FA Cup finals, AC Milan at Fratton Park, beating Man Utd and Liverpool, magical trips to the Emirates and Old Trafford, having four players in the England team, sending Southampton down. Next year we'll be in the Championship playing Scunthorpe and Doncaster. Here's to the next purple patch!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Southsea

Didn't we have a loverly time the day we went to Southsea!!!

Walking along singing our song and chasing Joe through the rose bushes...

And playing Crazy Golf with Lisa.

And on the back we played Bumper Cars

And went on a balloon ride...

And sat on the beach...

And ate fish and chips as the hovercraft went by...

Joe...

Joe & Lisa...

Saturday, April 10, 2010

FA Cup Semi Final

This is right up there with the best football matches I have ever seen. Pompey were huge underdogs in this FA Cup Semi-Final match against Spurs managed by ex-Pompey boss Harry Redknapp. But Pompey won. 2v0. And we were there....

I arrived at Wembley with Simon, Giles, Jez (Spurs fan) and his mate John (Pompey fan sitting in the Spurs end). We found a good parking spot under the arch...

I met Will, Freddy and Peter and we shared a pre-match can with Eddie and his friend, mostly talking about how we'd be happy to get out of this with a respectable scoreline...

Will and Freddy soaking up the sun and the pre-match atmosphere.

There was a huge round of the chimes "Play Up Pompey" as the teams came out. The singing from the Pompey fans was sensational...

We were in Row 6 just to the left of the goal the goal. Here Pompey line up a free kick. It comes to nothing. Pompey hold out until full-time. The score is O v O. The game goes to extra time...

The Pompey crowd were amazing. This photo is from the Portsmouth Evening News. You can see the four of us lined up behind the Play Up Pompey banner, Peter (behind the big bloke in the white shirt), My Hat, Freddy's head and Will in his bright green jacket...

In extra time the impossible happens...Pompey score. Then we get a penalty to make it safe. We are in dreamland. No-one can look as Boateng lines it up....

Boateng scores the penalty. The crowd go wild...

Unable to believe what has just happened. Exhausted but happy. Back at the car - Giles, Simon, Me and poor old Jez (it was a long ride home for him!)...

What a Great Day. Now it's Chelsea in the FA Cup Final on 15th May.