I have become a Sheffield Wednesday supporter

This was NOT football as I remember if from my younger days.

IT WAS ONE THOUSAND TIMES BETTER

During the all of yesterday I scribbled notes for my daily blog then during the game I tried to both take photographs and write a minute by minute account of the game.

I am sitting now, 10am on Sunday 10th September, with my laptop on my knee and those notes to my left. So let me tell you all about the day.

5am - Up and writing today's blog. Bringing everyone up to date with The Wave Of Love.

Have a bath, get dressed, take the dogs for a walk. Suggest to Maureen that we may like to go to Morrissons for breakfast, I need to fill the car with fuel ready for the drive to Sheffield so why not have a bacon, sausage, mushrooms and fried bread as well - yummy - breakfast.

8.30am - Breakfast. Very nice. Saw some tubs of sweets on sale in the supermarket so got one to give to players and staff at Sheffield as a thank you.

The special cake and four bottles of champagne are all ready in the boot of the car.

9.25am - Time to leave. Drive up the A5 to Northampton and pick up Gary.

10.10am - Gary in the car. He looks good in his Sheffield Wednesday attire. I have tried to dress in blue and white. I will buy a scarf before the match. Try to look the part.

I think contractors should be prosecuted under The Trade Descriptions Act. How can you call them roadworks if nobody is doing any work  ?  We crawled up the M1 Motorway, everyone religiously following the fifty mile an hour speed limit and avoiding the sneaky cameras but not a road worker any where in sight !

12.15pm - At Meadowhall in Sheffield. Lunch in Harvester.  That was good.  I had my usual of a gammon steak with pineapple and chips. Just look at my pudding ! Thank you Gary for taking that photograph.

Trying to think how long it has been since I was last at a football game. Probably early 1970's at Villa Park. I am an Aston Villa fan. Not having been anywhere near Villa Park for more than four decades I doubt I will end up in the club's hall of fame.

There's a branch of Sports Direct in Meadowhall so off we go to buy a scarf. AH Mr Ashley, you are on my doings list for next week - I have to write to your PA about Sports Direct joining the OurRebekah Three Peaks Challenge. Cant wait to tell you that in your Sheffield store I can but a Chelsea Scarf, an Arsenal Scarf but NOT a Sheffield Wednesday scarf.

Back to the car and the short drive to the ground.

2.30pm - we are parked just to the left in the picture below right. (Does that make sense ?) Cost £7 to park which I thought was not bad at all. Just a couple of hundred yards from the stadium. Never managed to park that close at Villa Park. Cost more than £7 to go shopping at The Centre MK which is why I avoid he place like the plague !  Parking at Meadowhall was FREE.

Asked a couple of fans in the car park to sign some of the cards I had in my pocket to give to families in Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham when I visit on Tuesday.

Asked the car park attendant to sign one. Sheffield people are very kind and friendly aren't they ?

2.35pm - in the club shop buying a scarf. Chose what Gary called a traditional scarf.  I like it.

Get a programme.

Going to give my scarf, the programme and my ticket to a family in Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham on Tuesday.

Flicking through the programme. When I get home I have to write an article for a future edition. Trying to work out where it is likely to appear.

Don't have a clue !

Walking round to the reception this guy come up to us and shakes Gary's hand.

"Who was that ?" I asked Gary when he was gone.

"Carlos Carvalhal, the manager."

"Oh."

2.50pm - sitting in the club reception. Told them that we are here to meet Club Director Trevor Braithwait.  We were early, he had said to meet him at 3.30pm so I told the lady behind the desk not to worry we would happily sit and wait.

Over the past few weeks I have chatted to Trevor a few times on the phone and exchanged e-mails. I liked the man but wondered what he was going to be like in the flesh. What is a director of a famous football club like ?  Must be some form of god at the very least.

When he walked in, stretched out his hand and said, "Hello David, I am Trevor," he was not like I had imagined. What a super, real person he is. Gary had just met Carlos Carvalhal and now we were shaking hands with is boss.

I handed over the bag, Yes Mike Ashley it was a Sports Direct bag even if you do not sell Sheffield Wednesday Scarfs ! "The champagne is for when you win," I explained.

"Better put it on ice then," Trevor smiled. 

"Ok, let's go pitch-side."

3.40pm - We walked down a corridor, through the players entrance and on to the pitch. There we were at the centre of a famous football club celebrating its centenary year.

The stadium is all but empty but I am clicking my camera like crazy.

I don't have a cheapo camera, cost me a couple of hundred quid, but you should have seen that hanging round the neck of Steve Ellis as we are introduced to the club's official photographer.

"You hold on to the ball," Trevor said to Gary. "I'll going and find a player then we can do the presentation and Steve will take the pictures.

"We'll probably end up with the third reserve goalkeeper," Gary said quietly and smiling to me.

Trevor vanished down the players' tunnel and did not come back.

"Hurry up Barry," Steve said to himself.

"Oh god ! It's going to be Barry Bannan !" Gary exclaimed excitedly.

"Who's he ?"

"Only the best player on the team, that's who."

I turned to a club member of staff. "I will donate,"  I said, "£10 to OurRebekah and Ronald McDonald House Birmingham for every goal you score this afternoon."

"We'd better win ten nil then."

"Do that and I will make it £100 a goal."

4pm - Scottish International and Sheffield Wednesday star player, 27 year old Barry Baannan joins us, stands with Gary and I, Steve arranges the group and the camera clicks.

Thank You Barry, you are a great guy. I mean that you are.

Barry returns to the dressing room and we leave the pitch to find our seats. We went back inside then followed the directions only to find we were sitting just a few feet away from where the picture had just been taken.

4.15pm - I asked some of the stadium stewards to sign cards for families in Ronald McDonald House Birmingham.

There are kids on the pitch being allowed to kick footballs about. That's really nice.

More than an hour to kick off and there are hardly any people in the stadium. I do hope it is a good attendance.

4.30pm - It starts to rain. To rain heavy. The wind blows the rain under the cover of the stadium and we are getting wet.

4.35pm - The PA system starts to play music. PA system is a bit NAF. Gary posts on Facebook where we are.

Tony Ingleman from Secklow 105.5, they could do with you here to DJ the music.

4.45pm - Nottingham Forrest players out to warm up on the pitch.

4.50pm - Sheffield Wednesday players come out to warm up.

5.05pm - I would estimate that the ground is only 20% full. This does not look good.

Where is everyone ?

The teams are announced. I can not understand a word being said over the PA but the video screen says Barry Bannan is playing at number 10. I am going to watch out for him throughout the game, my camera will be pointing in his direction.  You make sure Sheffield wins Barry or I'll take my champagne back !

5.15pm - A photographer friend of Gary's calls him to say she is covering the game as a freelance. Where are we sitting ?

I can see official club photographer Steve Ellis's camera pointing at me. Very nice Steve, I try to smile. Go away Steve !

5.20pm - It has stopped raining, the sun is shining and I estimate the ground is about 70% full. Why have people left it so late to arrive ?

Atmosphere is building in the stadium and I am really enjoying myself as kick off approaches.

This is not football as I remember it from the days at Villa Park. this is more relaxed, it is infinitely more fun and everything is so much closer and real than I remember from my youth. If only the club had a PA system that worked properly !

Mascots Ozzie and Barnie are out. Everything is about to start. I quickly turn my camera to video mode as the crowd explodes in song.

If you are reading this on-line you can click here and watch. If you are reading in paper format that won't work. Don't worry you've not missed much.

Sky Sport did not offer me a job at the end of the game !

My video did, however, capture Gary's photographer friend and she is pointing her lens right at us !

Nothing at all to do with Sheffield Wednesday and the football match but she took this picture of Lucy. Brilliant isn't it ?

We can use that picture to help promote our Doggie Treasure Hunt project.

Back to where we were. Saturday 9th September 2017 and the kick off at Hillsborough.

I forgot, I should have said that Club Director Trevor came round to ask if we were happy and had everything gone well. Happy ? Over the moon Trevor, over the moon ! Has everything gone well ?  Make sure that champagne is

well cold because Sheffield Wednesday is going to win.

From the start Sheffield is the better team. Fans are excited. Forest fans a bit quiet. Lovely atmosphere.

Brilliant shot Sheffield Wednesday. Good save Forest.

5.34pm - Another close miss from Sheffield.

5.36pm - Corner for Sheffield Wednesday. Sheffield is by far the better team. Shot at goal, over the bar. The atmosphere is alive and wonderful. I am looking for Barry Bannan all the time.

5.48pm - Forest looking a bit dangerous. Good save Sheffield. Barry on the far side of the pitch.

Good cross Barry.

Corner. Came to nothing.

Ross Wallace injured by a foul. Trainer on the pitch. He's OK. Play resumed.

5.40pm - Sheffield header over the bar.

5.50pm - GOAL ! A Bannan pass converted by Gary Hooper. Sheffield Wednesday 1

- Nottingham Forest 0. The crowd is alive.

5.59pm - AH ! Forest have equalised. Sheffield Wednesday 1 - Nottingham Forest 1.

6.01pm - Throw in for Sheffield Wednesday. Blatant foul ! Shirt tugging. The referee did not see it !  Come on referee !

6.10pm - Free kick to Sheffield Wednesday. The atmosphere is a bit tense. Useless. Goal kick.

Oh a beautiful cross from Wallace. Save.

The crowd has gone quiet.

A good pass from Barry Bannan but nobody there to receive it.

Sheffield Wednesday throw in. We are playing in stoppage time.

HALF TIME. Sheffield Wednesday 1 - Nottingham Forest 1.

Hang on. What's happening ?  They are watering the pitch. Excuse me but it has been raining !

See the lad in this picture, the steward in the yellow jacket ? He signed one of our cards for me to take to Ronald McDonald House on Tuesday.

I felt sorry for him, he spent the entire game with his back to the play watching the crows. How boring can that have been ?

Second half. The players are back.

6.40pm - Near miss. Forest free kick. Sheffield Wednesday in a wall. Nice save goalkeeper.

6.45pm - Have they changed the off side rule without my realising ? Or does the linesman have his own interpretation of the rule ?

6.46pm - Free kick to Sheffield. A Barry Bannan cross. Came to nothing.

6.47pm - Corner for Sheffield Wednesday. Good header. Save !  Oh !

Perhaps I am being biased in saying so but this Barry Bannan is good. He is playing his heart out.

6.50pm  - Another corner for Sheffield Wednesday. GOAL !  Steven Fletcher.

Sheffield United 2 - Nottingham Forest 1

Barry is limping. Oh no !  He's Ok. I think.

6.52pm - the light is going, taking pictures now may be a bit hard. Looks like the floodlights were installed by the same contractor as the PA system.

6.55pm - Off side Nottingham Forest.

6.56pm - Substitution by Sheffield Wednesday.

GOAL ! Kieran Lee. Sheffield Wednesday 3 - Nottingham Forest 1.

7pm - Hand ball from Forest. The crowd is electric. Could do with a bit of electricity for these damn floodlights.

Substitution - they have taken Kieran Lee off !

7.03pm - Free kick for Sheffield. Barry takes it.

By the way it's a 25,000 attendance.

Hooper off - substitution.

7.06pm - Throw in to Sheffield Wednesday.

Barry in possession, he passes............

7.12pm - Throw in for Sheffield Wednesday.

7.13pm - Throw in for Sheffield Wednesday.

The light is really poor. Yeh we can all see but any picture taking is now impossible.

Off side Nottingham Forest.

Stewards are coming out. People are starting to leave. they think it is all over.

7.14pm - Nottingham Forest corner.

7.15pm - Goal Kick.

7.16pm - Throw in for Sheffield.

7.17pm - Brilliant save Sheffield.

Barry makes a pass. Wasted ! Why is the crowd leaving ?  Part time supporters ?

7.18pm - Corner Nottingham Forest.

7.19pm - Goal kick Sheffield Wednesday.

7.21pm - Referee blows his whistle. Sheffield Wednesday 3 - Nottingham Forest 1

For the first time the PA system works as it blasts SINGING THE BLUES.

I have not been able to get that DAMN TUNE out of my head all day. It is now 3.21pm on Sunday 10th September. I started working on this match report at 10am, true I have had a few breaks but in total I have spent about four hours working on the webpage.

Gary and I had a good journey home, getting away from the ground in the traffic was not easy but certainly far from hard. We stopped on the motorway and sat down at Burger King. (Sorry Ronald !) Gary came round an hour or so ago, we talked about yesterday. I announced to him and now here to the world: I have resigned as a fan of Aston Villa to become a Sheffield Wednesday fan. I've been out and got thank you cards for Trevor, Barry and Steve to tell them of my conversion.

Barry rode our Wave Of Love yesterday.

Before I tell you all about that let me report that 111 friends read yesterday's blog. THANK YOU.

Today's edition will be short, very short but look out for a mega edition tomorrow as I tell you all about OurRebekah's day at Sheffield Wednesday Football Club.

The best way to tell you about yesterday is to ask you to watch this short YouTube presentation.

I kept a minute by minute blog throughout the entire game and clicked the camera one hundred times.  EVERYTHING will be shared tomorrow.

I have to be careful not to miss anyone out !

What do you think to this ?

NOT the shirt, the drop-dead incredibly gorgeous model wearing it !

Ann dropped round yesterday with the shirts for the October Fun Run. 

REMEMBER this is The Wave of Love so no nasty comments !  OK.

HSBC Bank in The City made contact yesterday. They have someone for our LAMBETH WALK project.

I went for a meeting at ASDA yesterday. WOW !

Asda plans to be involved in our THREE PEAKS CHALLENGE. but more than that OurRebekah will be taking part in The New Year in Asda's green token scheme. We are guaranteed £200 for OurRebekah and £500 if we win. We will win !

Thank You Asda.

Have I missed anyone who was on our Wave Of Love yesterday ?  Don't think so. There are so many wonderful people out there I have to make sure I thank them all.

Today, of course, is Sheffield. I do not know exactly what Sheffield Wednesday FC has planned. All I know is that Gary and I have been told to be at the club reception two hours ahead of kick off from where we will be taken to a presentation and photoshoot to receive the two match-day tickets and autographed football which we will be auctioning for Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham

I am going to Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham on Tuesday, I am very excited about that visit. 

While I am at Sheffield today I plan to buy a team scarf and match-day programme. I will take these with me on Tuesday to give to a young football fan staying in the house.

I also intend to take dozens and dozens of photographs during the day, I will take copies with me to Birmingham and also make them into a photobook to add to the ball and tickets in the auction lot.

I plan to ask supporters to sign cards for families in the Birmingham Ronald McDonald House and have already been asking friends here at home to help.  Here is a very special and dear family friend, Daphne, signing a card yesterday. LEONITES will, of course, remember Mrs Capp, Daphne, once Miss Toefield, who was Head of Music at Leon School. Rebekah was very special to Daphne and Daphne special to Rebekah.

I have, of course, the THANK YOU cake for the players. Yesterday I splashed out and got four bottles of champagne for them to have in the dressing room after the game.

GUYS YOU HAD BETTER MAKE SURE YOU WIN !

While I am watching the game I will be writing a short article to appear in a future match-day programme. When it is published the plan is to send copies to Ronald McDonald Houses in Birmingham, Oxford and San Francisco.

4.34am. Blog finished.  63 people read yesterday's edition, numbers slipping a bit. I wonder how many will read today's news.

Books4Birmingham

Oh Dear !

Readership of the blog yesterday tumbled down to 50, less than half of the day before.

I think that may, at least in part, be down to the fact that I did not publish the blog until late morning. So here I am today at 4.03am starting work on today's edition.

PLEASE as you read what I am about to say make sure you pop into our website - OurRebelah -www.ourrebekah.com and see what we are all about.

You got that ? www.ourrebekah.com - just click the links.

The reason why I was so late publishing the blog yesterday was down to my working on a presentation for Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham. I am going there to visit staff and families on Tuesday. I can not tell you how much I am looking forward to that time.

Within the presentation there is a project I want to put to the team - Books4Birmingham.

It is already planned that my book The Wild Adventures of Di Central Eating, when it is republished, will benefit Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham.

The house is located within an area of Birmingham City Centre I knew well when I left school. My teenage autobiography is set there. I am going to publish this, instead of in e-book format as now, in a traditional paper form and that also will be for Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham.

Writing has been a bobby for me since I was seventeen years old, the times in which my autobiography is set.

Currently I am working on what I believe will be my best work yet. The Bridge House.

When I say I am currently working on The Bridge House I have to confess that I have not written a single word for more than a month. I have been so involved with OurRebekah.

Taking these three books and putting them into a project Books4Birmingam will push me back to writing, a hobby I have loved for fifty years.  It will also give me a relaxing break from working on our various projects.

Today I have three meetings so will not be back at the laptop until later afternoon. Tomorrow I will be away in Sheffield all day so it is likely I will not get the web pages for this new project written until Monday.

As I work through the projects I want to share what I am doing and to encourage people to support Ronald McDonald House, Birmingham. The more support I can generate for the house the more inspiration I will have to write.

The Bridge House is set around my grandmother Lily. As well as being her life story, a story where facts are  wrapped in my writer's imagination it tells the reader the stories of the times

through which she lived. More than that it seeks to help the reader feel what it was like to live in those times.

Here on the left is Lily, my Nan, aged about nineteen. And her on the right is Nan with baby Rebekah in her arms. She was then ninety-three.

CHAPTER ONE begins in 1901 when Lily was eleven years old. It starts with the death of Queen Victoria and continues through Lily's life to 1912.

CHAPTER TWO then pics up the story and takes it all the way to 1934.

CHAPTER THREE covers the years 1934 to 1945.

CHAPTER FOUR covers 1946 to 1983

CHAPTER FIVE returns to 1912

As soon as I have finished the blog I am going to empty an ink cartridge in my printer as I make card copies of the 22,983 words in Chapter One,  17,789 words in Chapter Two and the so far written 16,186 words of Chapter Three. That will be a total of 168 pages of A4 paper. Before I bring the text on-line next week and start Books4Birmingham I will go through everything, wipe out the typo's and add in a few little sub plots.

OK, I am going to stop there. It's 4.33am. Off to the printer.

Speak again tomorrow.

All the latest news from OurRebekah

Yesterday we had 116 readers. That's great isn't it ? We are up by one visitor from Tuesday.

THANK YOU to all who checked the blog and THANK YOU to those who are reading today's news.

I am late writing the blog today. YES, I was up at my usual 4am but spent three hours working on a presentation for my meeting at Ronald McDonald House Birmingham on Tuesday. I have also just been to Asda to hand in a letter and to buy something for Saturday. More of that later.

As I write I am listening to Radio Secklow 105.5. It's just three weeks since someone told me about the station, love it - you play my kind of music. Right now I am listening to Phil Walsh's Secklow Country. Yesterday I had the station on the car radio as I drove to Buckingham. Lost signal a few miles outside Milton Keynes, yes it is Milton Keynes Community Radio but you guys need to get yourself a more powerful transmitter. You could put the BBC out of business overnight. Wouldn't that be a good thing

. 

I'd better be careful, I know a couple of BBC reporters read this blog so I had best not call it The Bullshit Broadcasting Corporation nor put this picture on-line.

Oooopppsss !

Rather a lot to report, rather a lot to share. Time to shut up and get on with bringing you the news.

Let me start by sharing an e-mail received from the director of MK Dons FC who arranged the gifts for our e-bay auction, the football and team shirt the club donated will support Ronald McDonald House in Oxford.

HI David

I am so pleased that you are happy with the two signed items.

I have got to say that I was very surprised to receive your package of the newsletter and the beautiful cake which was completely unexpected and really not necessary.  What a lovely thought which shows such consideration and has been much appreciated by our staff. 

Wishing you continued success with your fundraising.

Best regards

Sue

That' really nice isn't it ?

I spoke with Trevor yesterday. Trevor is one of the directors at Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. I have never met him but consider him a friend of OurRebekah.  I am looking forward to meeting him face to face on Saturday.

Trevor has asked Gary and I to meet him at the club reception two hours ahead of kick off. There is going to be a presentation of the ball the players have signed and two match-day tickets the club is adding for us to auction in support of Ronald McDonald House Charities.

There is going to be a photo session with the club's official photographer. I said to Trevor yesterday that I had better come dressed smart. I am not sure he understood I was joking. Trevor I promise to be a good boy.

I will then be writing an article for a future match-day programme. Copies of those programmes will be sent to families in Ronald McDonald Houses in Birmingham, Oxford and San Francisco.

Ahead of the game I will buy a scarf from the club shop and wear it throughout the game. I will take that to Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham on Tuesday where it can be given to a young football fan.  I will also be taking cards signed by fans sitting round me in the stand, one for every family in the house.

I said a couple of blogs ago that the wave of love is a two way thing. Sending love to Sheffield was, part of my reason for going to Asda this morning. 

I wanted to buy four bottles of champagne to go with the Thank You cake I am sending from OurRebekah for the players to eat in the dressing room after the game. Guys you had better win on Saturday !

I am going to be very cheeky and ask the club photographer to grab my camera and take a couple of pics.  I'll include some on Sunday's blog, will take some to families in Birmingham on Tuesday. I also want to send a picture to Mike Ashley - yes he of Sports Direct fame. I found an e-mail in my inbox this morning from a person whose name I did not recognise. Opening it I found it came from Mike

Ashley's PA thanking me for thanking my local branch for its help in selecting the ball for Sheffield Players to sign. I am hoping that Sports Direct may have someone who would like to be a part of our Three Peaks Challenge.

Listening to Secklow 105.5 as I write Phil Walsh is playing a song Moving Out To The Country. I don't know about the country but I need to MOVE ON and share more news with you.

Yesterday Rodney added his name to the guest list of OurRebekah's project to hold a fun run on The Golden Gate Bridge.  

Why don't you come along and spend a long week-end with us in The City By  The Bay ?  After the fun run we are having a hippy party in Golden Gate Park. Look I have my shirt ready.

Don't worry Trevor I will not wear that shirt to your photo session on Saturday !

Tomorrow I am meeting Susanna at Asda to discuss how the store can help OurRebekah, I am hoping to persuade her to find someone to join our Three Peaks Challenge.  I don't know much about Asda's green token scheme but she wants to chat with me abuout it.

Two weeks today I am spending time with the astrophysics department at Bristol University. This will start our Fire A Rocket to Beck project. I hasten to explain the rocket is a firework - not Apollo 11 !

I have had an idea how we can make this a much more exciting project. I'll be working on that later today.

Something I also need to work on is Secret Santa, we have groups already asking if they can join in.

I have purchased a domain name so you can get to Secret Santa direct: www.or-santa.co.uk 

Christmas is coming, coming faster than you think.

I had a message from Ann yesterday. She and her husband Mark are running our e-bay auction.

They are almost ready to take this project live.

There was something else in an e-mail from yesterday I just have to share. It was sent by House Manager Libby from Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham:

Ours is a loud and happy House were we help make memories through laughter

Libby I just love that, it is everything OurRebekah is trying to do. I just know my visit on Tuesday is going to be so special.

Here are my train tickets for Tuesday, I can not tell you how much I am looking forward to visiting Good Old Brum again.

And with that I guess I had better sign off and continue working on my presentation of ideas for Tuesday.

EVERYONE - the next edition of The Wave Of Love will be published tomorrow. I will try to get it on-line a bit earlier.