Food / Sport / Television

FOOD: Until last Saturday, it had been about 15 years since I'd eaten fried bread. With enough salt to preserve the biggest bloodiest bovine through the harshest of mid-winters, it was great.

Have you revisited any old foody flames? What was it? And, how was it for you?

SPORT: The airwaves, news print and online media are full of reaction to UK Sport's funding allocations, as British sports organizations gear up for the London Olympics of 2012. The discussions are made most interesting by the implicit question of, 'Does that sport matter?', which underpins the post mortems (post morta?) of why some sports have received funding, whilst others have not. Rarely do we get the opportunity to hear from leaders in Shooting, Table Tennis and Fencing, in one hit (or smash, or lunge).

Do you hold any affection, whimsy, or flaming passion for any minor sport?

TELEVISION: I listened to debate this past week which has, at times, suggested that the great tradition of British and European TV cop drama may be at risk of being lost to American multi-writer ensemble pieces. This, on the back of an impressive first - and perhaps unlikely - outing of Kenneth Branagh, as Wallander - the Swedish detective. Here, the casting of Branagh was most interesting to me.

Could you envisage any good - but unlikely - castings in the 'TV cop' role? Name names. (On the theme of odd castings, I recall once hearing the suggestion of Germaine Greer as Dr Who)

Good whelk to you.

Words / Sport / Animals

Words: A couple of people from the BBC Talent list have, this week, faced waves of criticism over a radio discussion that maybe went a bit too far. Noises of contrition have emanated from the BBC, though as I write this, at least one of the offenders has remained rather moot. This got me thinking about the things that people say, that they come to regret.

Have you ever said anything that you've come to regret? [Essays must come in at no more than 1500 words]

Sport: There are comebacks that seemed doomed to fail, and there are comebacks that raise people's spirits - 'One last chance', 'Can't afford to fail', 'Those days are behind me', and so on. This week, in football, there have been a couple of notable comebacks. I want to feel good about them both.

Do you recall any comebacks - in Sport or elsewhere - that have particularly pleased you?

Animals: As I post this, I'm in London. More than the great shopping opportunities, the plethora of arts and cultural opportunities that present themselves, and the kicking back with lovely people that avails itself, I'm most pleased about being able to visit Richmond Park, to see the stags and does.

Are there any animals that - the sight of which - fill up your senses?



Wishing you the best of weeks.

Literature / Film and Sport

The latest incarnation of A Post Box follows, thus: I aim to post only once per week, with between 2 and 5 questions offered up for response, dissection or rejection. Play along, pass it on, stick it in your pipe, and so on. It's A Post Box, it's a public Post Box, and so all links and flaggings up are appreciated. So, we begin. Again:

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LITERATURE / FILM: I note some discussion of novels or ‘literature’ that are adapted for television and film. On a similar theme,

Are there any novels, novellas, or other pieces of writing, that you would like to see adapted for stage or screen?

Stephen Fry’s ‘The Hippopotamus’ always struck me as a particularly filmic novel, in a great British ensemble cast sort of way.

SPORT: I've recently been pondering the values that are implicit to introducing young children (the young hound, Jack, 7, in particular) to football (specifically) at the corporate end of the spectrum over the lower (local) level teams - Newcastle United over Newcastle Town, Manchester United over Macclesfield Town, kind of thing. Only very loosely related:

Is there a sports event or venue that you’ve not ever been to, but that you would like to experience in person, one day?

Counter to my above pondering, I've never been to Wembley, but would certainly like to - a football play-off final or a competitive international would be ideal.