STITCHING UP BILL NEELY

I've been an avid cross stitcher for the last twelve years. I discovered this delightful art form after being introduced to it by Don's sister who was really, really into it. I fell in love with it. 

I made mistakes at the beginning, as everyone does when they start a new idea. For instance, I didn't realise you were supposed to split your threads. All Skeins are made up of six threads which you use two at a time. If anyone wants me to do a 'guide to cross stitch' blog, please let me know.

But when I got going I really enjoyed it. I am a lot slower than most cross stitchers, mainly because I have an RSI injury which I have to be careful not to aggravate and I'm not as accurate, so I have to be more careful.

Three years ago, I met my hero Bill Neely and thought, "Never done a cross stitch portrait before. Could I do one?" Now was my chance to find out. I made a choice right there and then to do a portrait of Bill. I knew it would take a long time, I knew it would take a lot of concentration and a lot of commitment. What I didn't realise is that it would take three years of hard slog. Very happy hard slog.

May I add a big caveat to Bill that doing this cross stitch has been an absolute pleasure, and the following are just the general gripes of any cross stitcher who is doing a large and long project. There are no regrets involved. None at all.

I've lost count of the number of days I spent in Hobbycraft (or Hobby Lobby for my US friends), looking for different threads, needles, Aida (pronounced like the opera), plastic holders for threads, patterns, you name it. Cross stitch can be a very expensive hobby (no complaint - just an observation).

My Bill Neely cross stitch became my best friend. I took it everywhere with me: to the hotel I stayed in when I went to the London Marathon, on vacation to Northern Ireland, on the train. It has got incredibly yellow as a result.

I have listened to countless audio novels while stitching. To the point where - if I hear any of them again - I'll go nuts. 

I've worked my way through at least ten needles. Most are now hidden in a dark corner or are now in the carpet cleaner. Amazing how much thread I've used: 46 colours, each one at least three times, so that equates to 1.1 kilometre of thread! That's a lot of thread!! I've also used two sheets of Aida, lost and replaced at least two pairs of snips and three quick un-picks. I've accidentally snapped an embroidery ring (didn't use a plastic one after that - too fragile. I stick to wooden ones).

There are times when I've been in the right frame of mind (no pun intended) and managed to get a lot done and there are times when I have thrown my snips across the floor. I have spent many sleepless nights cross stitching. The one time when my chronic insomnia has become a blessing.

My printer has worked overtime, and cost me a few cartridges.

I've laughed when I've completed a bit that was really hard, I've also had my down days wondering if I will EVER get it finished.

But finish it I have, and despite the frustrations, I've loved every minute of it!!

I may have given the impression that cross stitching is nothing but a hassle. Not the case. Cross stitching is fun, and at the end you have created something that you can be proud of and that can bring joy to others, especially if you give it as a gift. But it takes hard work and commitment. If you have that, you can do it too.

When I put that final stitch in my Aida, I was so pleased, relieved and proud of myself. And I got a message from Bill saying, "You've done amazing work", which of course meant everything to me. If the person you make your gift for is pleased, then your time has been well spent.

As I said, it has taken me three years. Three years I wouldn't swap for anything. I'm going to finish some of my others that have been hanging around in a drawer for ages now!

Thanks Bill for your patience and your inspiration! X

My Finished Cross Stitch of Bill

MY BUCKET LIST

Everyone has their own dreams, but safe in the knowledge we probably won't achieve them, for whatever reason, we forget about them. There are lots of things that are out of reach to people for many reasons. 

Here are some of the things I would love to do if I could: 

JOURNALISM



1) This is the most important dream of all. So here goes:  I wish to work with my hero and
     friend Bill Neely. To learn from him has been a privilege. To work with him is
     something I want more than anything.

Honoured and privileged to know Bill Neely

2) To present Bill Neely with a BAFTA fellowship.

Bill Neely collects the BAFTA for Haiti 

5)   Visit 200 Grays Inn Road - just once!! 

200 Grays Inn Road - the home of ITN

6)   Visit Syria 

Syria - as it used to be

7)   Interview Kate Adie. And unlike most people, I am perfectly happy to talk to her about Northern Ireland.

 Kate Adie - a woman who has inspired me more than she knows.

8)   Interview these journalists: Martin Bell, Lyse Doucet, Paul Conroy, and Tom Bradby.

9) To interview Ban-ki Moon 

Secretary General of the UN - the lovely Ban-ki Moon

MUSIC

To meet Cliff Richard and tell him how much he meant to my mother. 

MAD STUFF

1) Do a parachute jump. What better way to conquer a fear of heights than by jumping from 13,000 feet?

Arrrrgh!!

 

2) Do a bungy jump, preferably off my favourite railway bridge (the Royal Albert in Saltash, Cornwall if you were wondering) (as above, though obviously not from 13,000 feet)

BOING!!

TRAVEL

1)  See the Northern Lights

The Beautiful Aurora Borealis

2) Dress as a geisha. Yep, I've already dressed in a kimono, but I'd like to do the whole geisha thing.

Memoirs of a Geisha

4)  Visit Lanzarote. Want to visit here because it was the location of Planet of Fire - one of my favourite Dr Who stories.

Timanfaya, Lanzarote

ANIMALS

1) Ride a camel. No, I have no idea why I want to do this. but I could do it while I'm doing number four above.

2) Ride on a dog sled. Comes from my love of dogs (especially Huskies) and my love of snow. 

3)  Ride a horse. No, I've never been on a horse in my life. Seaside 'donk', yes. Horse, no. Horses intimidate me slightly. Probably because they're so tall and I'm so tiny.

RAILWAYS

1) Drive a class 37 diesel or a First Generation DMU. I think they are both awesome.
    My attempts at driving a car were less than stellar. Maybe I'd do better here.

First Generation DMU

Class 37

2) Be a train announcer for one day. I blame it on Alfie Edmunds (for those old enough to       remember him at Exeter St Davids) and the lovely Phil Sayer. RIP Phil..X

The talented Phil Sayer

OTHER COOL STUFF

Appear in a Big Finish audio drama.

Well there you have it. Some of the things I would like to do, but I have not yet had the chance to. Maybe one day I'll get a chance to do all of them, because as Katie Adie says, "You never know!"

THE NEELY FAN GUIDE TO AMERICAN FOOTBALL

I've been asked to explain the fundamentals of American Football. A lot of British/Irish people look at the game and wonder what the hell is going on. My Uncle hated it because he said it broke the rules of rugby from which it was derived (dare we say it). American Football is actually pretty easy to understand. We'll start with the obvious. 

THE TEAMS

As of writing this there are 32 teams split into two conferences: the AFC and the NFC. These are further split into compass divisions - the North, South, East and West. The North and South are actually a recent addition, as in the 80's - when I first became a fan - it was the East, Central and West. That was it. Now we have this:

You can see from the above that I have a favourite team in the AFC East (Buffalo Bills) and two in the NFC North (Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers) Each team has its own uniform and hat emblem.

THE PITCH

The pitch is 120 yards long if you include the two end zones (this is the bit with the team's name on). The middle 100 yards is marked out in divisions of 10 yards, with a 50 yard line in the middle and moving out to the end zones decreasing ten yards at a time.

THE TEAM

Teams are divided into three: the Offense, the Defense, and a special team (punts, extra points etc). There will either be an offence and opposing teams defense on the pitch or a special team from either side.

THE BEGINNING

A special team from both sides come on to the pitch. The offensive side's kicker 'punts' the ball to a defense side's player down the field. The defensive player will then either go down on one knee, claiming a fair catch or will try and and run with the ball back up the field. The spot will then be marked to begin the game. The special teams then leave the field. 

THE GAME

The game has a playing time of exactly one hour, divided into four 15 minute quarters. If at the end of this hour, both teams are even then another quarter will be added until someone wins.  Due to stoppages, penalties, halftime show, etc, the whole thing takes around three hours. The place where the spot was marked is called the 'the line of scrimmage'. The offense and defense stand opposite each other on it. The offense will have four chances to move the ball 10 yards, moving towards the opposing end zone. If they get 10 yards on the first attempt, this ten yard mark becomes the new line of scrimmage. The process is then repeated until they reach the end zone. If they don't get ten yards on the first try they start again to try and get the extra yardage. Example here:

10 yards achieved = 1st down  

6 yards achieved = 2nd down (second attempt) to pick up the missing 4 yards (second down and four)

2 yards achieved = 3rd down (3rd attempt) to pick up missing 2 yards. (3rd down and 2)

If ten yards have not been achieved by the 4th down, the team attempts a three point field goal or relinquishes possession to the other side and we go back to the punt and start again. 

If in the attempt to get the ball ten or more yards, the ball ends up being caught in the end zone, it's called a touchdown and the team then relinquishes the ball to the other side.

Special teams can also try and kick the ball over the post (like the one in rugby) on 4th down to at least get three points. If successful, the ball is then released to the other side. 

If the team gets a touchdown they can also kick an extra point which is where special teams come in. The kicker tries to kick it over the aforementioned rugby bar for one point. 

And so it goes on!


SCORE

Touchdown - running/catching the ball in the end zone = 6 Points
Extra point - kick over goal post after Touchdown = 1 Point
Field Goal - kick on 4th down = 3 points
Safety - offense's ball carrier tackled in own end zone = 2 points to the defense.


PENALTIES

Penalties will be indicated by a judge throwing a yellow/red flag into the pitch. There are too many to name here but most are penalised by moving back five yards, except for serious infractions like personal fouls and face mask grabbing which is given a severe penalty of moving back fifteen yards.


LINGO

Snap = The Centre player throwing the ball through his legs to the quarterback who will either throw the ball to a wide receiver/tight end, pass it to a running back or run with it himself. He must do at least one of these before he is tackled by a defense player.

Sack = The quarterback being tackled and brought down to the ground before he has let go of the ball.

Fumble = Dropping the ball, or not catching it properly in the first place.

Interception = A throw caught by the opposing side giving them possession of the ball.

Punt = The kick that starts the match.

Dead ball = A ball that has hit the ground is therefore no longer in play.

Huddle = All the players stood on the line of scrimmage.

Play Action Fake = Quarterback fooling the defense into thinking he has done one thing so he can do something they were not prepared for. For instance he may make it look like he is passing the ball to a runner, so the defense go after the runner, leaving  the receivers/tight-ends free to catch the ball he will throw.


These basics are all you really need to know to understand football. The rest of it is unnecessary waffle. Hope you understand the game a little better now. If anyone notices a mistake, please feel free to let me know.

See you in September!! From a Bears addict!

BRADBY BRILLIANCE

The news is forever changing. Not just the news itself, but the way it is presented to us the public. 

Before, during and for quite a while after WWII, news outlets used to present news in a very stilted sort of manner. It was very public school and is commonly known as Received Pronunciation/Oxford English. It's what Martin Bell would have called the speech of the officer class. The Pathe news reels, which were excellent, are a good example. 

Even during the seventies and the early eighties news organisations, especially the BBC, were still using a milder form of this kind of presentation. If you've seen a report by Kate Adie, you will know exactly what I mean. 

Of course a journalist's talent is not based on the way he/she speaks. A good journalist will be exactly that regardless of accent or anything else. 

Things were moving on and received pronunciation, though it sounded polite and precise, was becoming very old fashioned. 

Even though there are companies like the BBC who still tend to favour - if only slightly - this kind of speech, the presentation is much more relaxed than it used to be.

The last person on ITV News to use any form of "clipped script" and "clipped accent" was the brilliant Sir Trevor McDonald. After he retired from ITV News, things started to relax a little and the newsreaders, now two at a time, were using a more conversational and friendly style. 

They were still presenting us with the five W's and H, as these are the basis for all news reports, but the newsreaders were actually talking to us, rather than just reeling off a load of facts, which can become tedious. And they weren't just talking to us, they were talking to each other too.  

Which is where our Mr Bradby comes into the picture.

When it comes to modern,  relaxed and un-clipped speech, no-one has a better grasp of it than Tom Bradby.  

Bill Neely once said, "Tom's style is very conversational. He'll often start a piece just saying [for example], "Imagine you're the Prime Minister...". He would have been thrown out of ITN, the BBC and everywhere else, thirty years ago, for starting a piece like that!"

And that's the thing. Not only is it relaxed, it brings fun to news.

He has now been given the News at Ten slot, in the old format of one single presenter. The format may be old, but the stilted style has gone.

Here we have a bright, bubbly, and more to the point, accessible journalist, which makes the news accessible as well.

On 12 October, Tom Bradby did his first ever News at Ten. He immediately pulled me in. His style was friendly, punchy and lively. 

This is what news really needs.

Of course, a lot of people on Twitter were saying they hated this kind of presenting. They preferred it as it was. No denying that it was wonderful as it was. Alistair Stewart and Julie Etchingham are two of the finest journalists we have. But it was time for a new approach. And Tom nailed it!

I personally hope Tom is presenting for a long time to come. His style is fresh and brilliant. ITV News will never be the same again!

I wish Tom all the very best!!

Good luck, Tom X

"SPEAKING UP FOR THOSE WHO NO LONGER HAVE A VOICE"

"Journalists are no longer reporting from the frontline. We ARE the frontline" ~ Peter Greste


Okay let's get one thing out of the way straight off the bat. I'm angry, Really angry. In fact, 'angry' doesn't even cover it!

 I was hoping - after 29 August 2015 - I would never have to write a blog about this subject ever again. Maybe a quick "Yippee!!!" blog, but that's it. I was hoping I would never have to wear my #FREEAJSTAFF hoodie or my #JournalismIsNotaCrime t-shirt again. And I was hoping I could keep my picture of gorgeous Richmond Park on my Twitter profile and not have to replace it with that damn blue and yellow banner.

But the Egyptian judiciary have done it again, haven't they?

Yesterday,  I woke up and headed out for my usual Saturday Parkrun. It was slightly cloudy, but I enjoyed myself. Until I got into the cafe afterwards! I was celebrating a new PB. Then I read Twitter. My enjoyable day fell to pieces.

It was the news that none of us journalists wanted to hear. Baher Mohammed and Mohammed Fahmy had been sentenced and sent back to face the harsh conditions of Egypt's Tora Jail.  Their colleague Peter Greste was convicted in absentia. And let's not forget Sue Turton and her colleagues who already were.

I couldn't believe it. I literally cried.

We knew there would be a verdict, but we - foolishly perhaps, but optimistically - believed it to be the end of nearly two years of hell for all of them. Finally, there would be a verdict, and they would be exonerated. It was to be the end of a long and cruel road they should never have been travelling in the first place.

 How wrong we all were!

During my run I was thinking of all of them. Thinking that at least I have the freedom to run around a park getting fresh air and exercise. Loving the world around me. I hoped, by the time I went for my usual after-the-run cup of tea, this would be true for them too.

I was as devastated as everyone else, when I found this wasn't the case. I wanted to scream, cry (which I did), rail at everyone and everything!

This was totally, totally unjust, and so unfair. These guys did nothing wrong except BE JOURNALISTS!! How hard is it for the judiciary to understand!!?? They are not criminals, terrorists, and have NEVER done anything to threaten the stability or security of Egypt. They have become pawns in Egypt's political game and their fight with Qatar.

They can appeal, but this will take up to a year.

I am so fed up of innocent journalists being arrested, shot, beheaded, jailed and used as an easy target to get messages across. We don't need that or deserve it. We should be able to safely do our jobs.

Every time I hear of any kind of abuse against journalists, I get really upset. Two American journalists were shot in cold blood for no reason earlier this week,  Also two careers, those of Peter Greste and Sue Turton have been effectively ruined. As they are charged in absentia, they are unable to travel to anywhere that has an extradition pact with Egypt. Consequently, Sue Turton has left Al Jazeera English.

I keep thinking, "Do I still want to pursue a career in professional journalism? Do I really want to risk my life by going into conflict zones or going to a country where I could possibly be the one who ends up in jail?".The answer is always the same - YES. Our job is to speak up for those who have no voice. As a professional journalist I can speak up for people like the staff of Al Jazeera English who no longer have the ability to speak for themselves.

So on it goes! The #FREEAJSTAFF campaign continues as we fight to get all the staff of Al Jazeera acquitted.

I hope we will finally see an end to this, not just for our news colleagues, but for their families too.

And next time I go for a run, and start feeling I can't go on, I will remember the AJ staff and keep running, blessed and glad to have my freedom.

SO THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED TO MH370!!

Well yes.....and no.

It began on 29 July 2015 when something that looked like an aeroplane wing - identified as a flaperon floated ashore on the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean.

People immediately started theorising that this could be a flap from the missing MH370 Boeing 777 that disappeared in the vicinity of the Indian Ocean last June as it headed from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, vanishing an hour into the flight. The only other piece of evidence was a plastic bottle with a brand name on that came from China. The brand is not sold on Reunion and most of the passengers were Chinese. Pretty flimsy evidence, you have to agree. The flaperon could have come from any Boeing 777, not necessarily that plane. And the bottle could have come from....well, just about anywhere.

People were determined to find anything else that may finally shed some light on this bizarre incident. So they scoured the beach. The Malaysians asked people on other islands in the area to keep an eye out for bits and bobs as well.

Of course, most of the junk on the beaches of Reunion Island is exactly that - junk. Probably from people throwing things out of boats, or broken bits from ones that have capsized etc, etc.

Also tide, weather...? All could have carried this flaperon miles away from where it originally came from. Also there was the Boxing Day Tsunami to consider. Debris from that is probably still floating about all over the place.

The Malaysians are absolutely convinced that the flaperon is from MH370 and have even made an announcement to that effect, with the PM saying it is "conclusively" from the plane.

Good news, right?

Well, unfortunately not.

The wing has been taken to a laboratory in Toulouse, for analysis and the scientists there don't seem convinced. At first they said it was, and then they decided that they weren't so sure. There are also rumours of the Malaysians saying a plane window and a seat cushion from the plane have also been found on Reunion. However, the French and Australians say this is untrue. As these are just that - rumours - we will leave that there for now.

The thing is no-one is any closer to knowing where, how, or why #MH370 crashed and if any of this so-called junk is even from this plane.

This is having a terrible toll on the families of the victims. They are already grief-stricken and want only to know what happened to their loved ones. To be given hope by being told the parts are from MH370 and then having someone else deny this is just cruel.

Someone needs to tell these poor relatives one way or the other. Their grief is bad enough without this discordant information (forgive me) floating about. Either it is the missing plane or it isn't.

The only thing that can really tell us anything are the two black boxes that are still somewhere at the bottom of the Indian Ocean.

It appears this mystery is going to remain a mystery for now.

The mystery of #MH370 remains unsolved

THE FIFA FOUL UP

It has been a long standing belief, especially amongst British football fans that FIFA (Federation International de Football Association) was allegedly corrupt. One of the British complaints was that they were denied the World Cup in 2022. Whereas Qatar - who, to be honest, don't even know what a football looks like, and where, in summer, it's 110 degrees in the shade - got awarded it. 

On Wednesday, the fans got the confirmation that FIFA were allegedly corrupt after seven FIFA officials were arrested in Zurich in connection with wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies involving $150 million. This was ahead of a FIFA meeting. There is also a chance they will be extradited to the US where a raid was done on the offices of CONCACAF (The Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football).

This has shaken up the wider football community, even though no-one is entirely surprised. 

A lot of European countries are threatening to boycott the 2022 World Cup. The President of UEFA,  Michel Francois Platini has asked the President of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, to do the right thing and step down. David Cameron has also made the same request. Blatter has made the excuse that he can't just resign like that.  President Putin of Russia has also decided to put his ha'penny worth in to tell the USA that this is absolutely none of their business. But then he can say that; he has the World Cup in 2018. He is probably afraid that if he sides with the USA against FIFA he could lose it. 

Of course, he  - Blatter - is saying it has absolutely nothing to do with him, because "We - or I - cannot monitor everyone all of the time". He says it is the fault of individuals, and "we have to earn trust back" etc, etc. When he was asked if he feared arrest, his reaction was, "For what?" Well, for not doing your job and stopping the corruption for a start off. Saying he is not responsible for this is clearly nonsense. Being the head of FIFA is his job and he has been doing it for 16 years! If he can't monitor his people and stop corruption in his organisation, even though he has been at the helm for that long, then something is seriously wrong. 

Of course, the whole thing is so unsurprising that it has provoked lots of humour from a lot of people. On Morning Joe, my hero, NBC's Bill Neely sarcastically called Qatar "that hotbed of soccer - literally!", because it may be hot, but that's it. And on Mitchell Reports, he said, "Maybe [Blatter] has a sign on his desk that says, 'The buck doesn't stop here!' ". Even the New Yorker joined in with their satirical Borowitz Report article saying that Senator John McCain was proposing military action against FIFA. And this old Daily Mail piece is amusing too:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1393330/Sepp-Blatter-speeches.html

As I write this Sepp Blatter has - not surprisingly - just been voted back in. Well, almost. They actually needed a second vote, but the other candidate, Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein, withdrew before they had the chance and was gracious in his defeat.

This whole thing is a disaster for International Football. 

The questions we need to be asking are: why did the investigation and subsequent arrests take so long? Was Sepp Blatter so blind that he couldn't see what the hell was going on under his nose? No. And saying, "I cannot monitor everyone all of the time" and "it's certain individuals" etc, doesn't excuse anything!

Also how many teams will now boycott the World Cups in both Russia, because of Putin's stance; and Qatar, because they should never have got it?

Will UEFA move away from FIFA altogether? And will FIFA as we know it now become non-existent?

And what are the wider implications to football in general? How deep does this corruption actually go? 

One thing is clear. Blatter can give the fans and UEFA his bluster about "we will root out any wrongdoing and regain trust" and so on, but football fans the world over will be unlikely to trust FIFA, or Blatter, ever again.


On 02 June 2015, in a move that totally shocked everyone, Sepp Blatter suddenly, and for a reason no-one can understand as he was so determined to stay, quit. I suspect it wasn't as simple as him just saying, "That's it, I quit!" So what the hell did happen?

 It's just another mystery in the world of FIFA, and I suspect this story isn't going to go away anytime soon.