Editorial
’ ve come full circle with Valentine ’ s Day . I used to get right grumpy about things like Valentine ’ s Day . Being told what to do and when to do it . I don ’ t need Hallmark or Cadbury ’ s telling me when to be romantic . It ’ s like all those other days that have crept into the calendar , days that have different names - Black Friday or whatever - but are all basically the same . Today is “ Buy Stuff Monday ”. I ’ ll decide when I want electronic things and I ’ ll decide when I want to give an expression of my love . It ’ s commercialised nonsense , it ’ s rampant capitalism exploiting our love . But then “ Have you forgotten anything ?” “ No , not all at . I know it ’ s Valentine ’ s Day , but I ’ m not buying into that . We don ’ t need to be tol …” “ You forgot , didn ’ t you ” It was never a conversation that was going go well . What do you mean , the chances are she was probably right ?
Things change , we get older and different things seem important . Things that used to seem important … I don ’ t even know anymore . As I write there ’ s a bit of a kerfuffle because the Welsh rugby people have banned the singing of the Tom Jones song Delilah . Should they , shouldn ’ t they ? Is it right , is it wrong ? No idea . Sure the lyrics are seriously dodgy and no one - you ’ d hope - would write that now . But should it be banned ? Instinctively , I ’ d say it shouldn ’ t be simply because I don ’ t like banning things . Apart from people who vote Tory . And Arsenal fans . And marmite butter which my
It ’ s a funny old thing , supporting a football team . The majority of supporters never set foot in the grounds of the clubs they support ; many of them don ’ t even live in the same country . In their a heyday , a map of Man Utd ’ s fans would be properly global ; and this was a cause for some taunting by others .
The proper thing to do is to start at an early age and adopt the team nearest to you . For me , this meant Arsenal , although I was , as a North Londoner , unsure whether to support them or Spurs ; a persuasive argument from the school bully when I was fine wife has just started to make which is basically taking some perfectly good butter and rendering it inedible . So ... shouldn ’ t be banned . But then , maybe it shouldn ’ t be sung either . Life ’ s not easy being liberal .
Talking of Arsenal , wasn ’ t it a treat to see Brighton smile sweetly at their attempts to steal Moises Caicedo . Even in football , money doesn ’ t always talk .
Anyway . Valentine ’ s Day . Let ’ s embrace it . Telling your loved ones you love them , there are worse things to be corralled into . So take it on and do it your way , and if you ’ re going to get a Valentine ’ s Day card , why not avoid all the corporate stuff and support local artists , and maybe head to FlyingCircusDesigns at www . flyingcirc . us - because if you can ’ t give your friends a plug , what is the point of life ?
We ’ ve given The Mighty Whistler a bit of a re-jig this month . There ’ s a new quiz page , recipes , gardening tips , a murder story ... Next issue we ’ re starting a new column with a local councillor to talk about all things local and councilly . And if anyone would like to get involved , we ’ re looking for someone to write about architecture and local history . Maybe at the same time . Think about it . The pay ’ s really good .
around six or seven helped to settle the matter : he put my head in the toilet bowl and threatened to flush it if I didn ’ t promise to support Arsenal for the rest of my life . As I was of an age to at least half-believe that flushing the bog would result in my joining the North London sewer system , I thought this a good enough deal ; and as Arsenal won the Double next season , I in time became grateful to him . And , true to is word . He has never stuck my head down the toilet and flushed it ever again .
That said , I have been very pleased by Brighton ’ s success in the Premier League and FA Cup ( so far ) lately . At the moment of writing , they have beaten Liverpool in both , and as I once had a girlfriend who broke my heart terribly and also supported Liverpool , I give a little cheer whenever anyone beats them . Klopp may be a decent guy and Liverpool a team with a fine underlying philosophy , but , to paraphrase Gore Vidal on success and friends , it is not enough that Brighton should win ; Liverpool must lose .
As it happens , the editor of this fine journal is a Spurs fan , and a serious one ; so it
Next time out we ’ ll have a feature on the hot new sport Pickleball , which is as good a link to Pickle , our new-ish pup , as we ’ re going to get .
For Pickle , every day is Valentine ’ s Day . He knows he ’ s loved and he knows that even if he runs off and gets lost in the woods for two days and two nights on the coldest weekend of the year and worries mum and dad stupid , they ’ ll still love him unconditionally *. He ’ s not going to care if he gets a card . A treat he ’ d care about . Chicken , that ’ s the hallmark of love . Be more Pickle is , I think , generally a decent mantra for life .
* Just don ’ t push your luck . We ’ ve still got the recipt from the rescue centre .
View From The Hill ... Nicholas Lezard
HANDYMAN
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would be unbecoming , and ungentlemanly , for me to mention the result of their most recent encounter ( 2-0 to Arsenal , playing away ). He has his own cross to bear . Or , shall we say , his own cross to fail to score a goal with .
He has lived in Brighton for many years , and , like me , although he is happy for the team when they win , when his loyalties are tested he supports Spurs , as I support Arsenal when they play B & HA FC . That said , I am now entertaining a reverie in which the team is split in two , one side representing Brighton , the other Hove .
How wonderful that would be ! Imagine the derbies ! Pitched battles on either side of Boundary Passage , effete Hovians being taunted to tears by mighty Brightonians , a Berlin-style wall being erected to keep an uneasy peace . The Hove side teased by images of tattoo parlours and interesting architecture and people actually having a good time . It would make Man U / Man C , or Liverpool / Everton rivalries look like walks in the park on a sunny day . It ’ s a long shot but one can dream .