Five Days a Week

Well, Friday again and another working week over.  For me, this has been the first full working week I've done since I was signed off sick back in January - a combination of a 'phased return' to work and a bank holiday weekend have meant that since returning in April it has all been half days and three or four day weeks.  I suppose that completing a full week is some kind of achievement, but it has still left me exhausted.  In fact, these days I feel so tired that I'm turning into an old man and taking evening naps when I get home.  Still, there's another bank holiday weekend coming up, thank God.  In the meantime we hve the 'big event' to look forward to tomorrow.  That's right, the FA Cup Final.  It's another of those events which, when I was a kid, seemed earth-shatteringly important.  Everyone seemed to be watching it.  The build up to the match on TV was incredible.  Of course, back in those days, it was shown simultaneously on BBC1 and ITV and kicked off at three o'clock in the afternoon.  Nowadays, it is on the one channel (BBC1 this year), kicks off much later in the afternoon and has a minimal build up.

Back in the day, the build up used to start with the Saturday morning kids TV, with FA Cup themed editions of the likes of Multi Coloured Swap Shop. The BBC would follow this up with special FA Cup editions of It's a Knockout and Question of Sport.  ITV would usually have Jimmy Tarbuck, (frequently assisted by Saint and Greavsie), hosting some star studded ore match party, (I say 'star studded' - Kenny Lynch was usually there).  It was a huge event.  It all seemed to mean something.  Nowadays, it barely registers.  Mind you, this season, in particular, the final involves two teams I detest - Manchester United and Chelsea - which minimises my interest.  It's one of those matches where I wish that both teams could somehow lose.  Perhaps it is just as well, then, that this year the FA Cup Final is being overshadowed by that business going on in Windsor earlier in the day.  You know, the Royal Wedding which represents the greatest union of Anglo-American talent since Laurel and Hardy formed their double act.