Milestones

Plenty of milestones passed this week. I’m now well over halfway through the initial chemo process, with 4 of the 6 cycles over and done with.

And I’ve managed to make plenty of other progress over the last week, with a real sense of ‘returning to normal’ (no sniggering at the back) at last.

After what seems like a ridiculous length of time off, I’ve finally managed to get back to work. I’m only working part-time to start off with and phasing myself back in gradually, but a start is a start. Walking back into work on Monday morning felt very strange – I was going to say a cross between your first day at school, and walking to the executioners chair. But one of those I can’t remember, and the other I’ve clearly never experienced. And it’s doubtful anybody ever caught the number 73 bus partway to the executioners chair so as not to wear themselves out.

So that’s two milestones. I’ve passed two more as well – one as a direct result of the other, the Milestone being my local pub (although I’m sure they prefer ‘one of Ramsay’s Best Restaurants’ rather than ‘local pub’ as a descriptor) and having walked past it numerous times since moving back to my flat part-time. Yep, finally capable of living on my own again…!

So back to work, back to my own flat, and capable of holding down a bit of a social life again. Not the worst of weeks really.

Moving on, a bumper extra bit of sport for you this week. I realise this is where some of you switch off and lose interest – sorry and all that. But be warned – one week I’ll throw some non-sport stuff in later on. And there’ll be a test on it the week after.

But yes, back to the sports stuff, and the return of Super League. I’ll be down at Cardiff this weekend for the dreadful shirt parade as all 7 fixtures take place at the Millennium Stadium. It should be a good spectacle, and provide an interesting and unique start to the year.

I’ll be honest – I’m only bothered about seeing Leeds v Bradford this weekend, the derby formerly known as the biggest game in rugby league. It’s given us a genuine magic moment in the past with our dramatic late victory in 2007 and has been good to Leeds with 4 wins from 4 weekends so far. I wish I was confident that record will extend, but I see this as the first game of a transitional season for Leeds. A new coach, key players out for the start of the season, and new signings that don’t look like setting the league alight. Saving grace for Leeds this weekend may be that Bradford are going through more upheaval – they can’t be worse than they have been recently though, and could be a surprise package come the play-offs. Hopefully they won’t settle down too early…

Wigan must be favourites to defend the title they won last year, and I expect Warrington to run them closest. But I’ve a feeling those two could have a season a decent bit clear of the rest of the pack – Saints, ourselves and Huddersfield closest to getting on terms for me.

There’s new grounds to visit for Super League fans this season. St Helens pitch up at their new ground at last – oh no sorry, they’re squatting at Widnes for the year. Well, it helped break Wigan’s trophy drought, so you can’t blame them for trying. Then there’s Castleford at their new place, the Probiz Coliseum, and Wakefield – should they bother starting the season – now at the Rapid Solicitors Stadium. Although I have heard a nasty rumour that neither is a new ground and they are just the same shoddy heaps that last saw money spent on them around the same time British Coal were still opening new pits...

Some final things for my Super League preview. New signings to watch out for this season – Luke O’Donnell at Huddersfield, a State of Origin bruiser probably best described as no-nonsense, and Ryan Hoffman at Wigan, who could easily be the best signing this close season.

Two hopes for the season – firstly, that there is less focus on referees. They all make mistakes, they will all continue to. Let’s take the focus off the officials and accept that there aren’t any better out there. And however many mistakes they are making, your/our team and coaching staff are making just as many. Let’s just get on with enjoying the game. Second (no doubt pie in the sky) hope is that the increasing trend towards supporters claiming to ‘hate’ other teams starts to reverse. There will always be room for traditional rivalries, but the shitty, seeming need amongst some supporters, to hate everybody else is unnecessary and shouldn’t have any place in the game. More chance of Amos Roberts winning Man of Steel but still…

I wasn’t going to mention anything else sports wise but I can’t not make mention of returned dope cheat (it’s OK Wigan fans, we’ve moved on from RL, it’s not Gareth Hock) Riccardo Ricco and his self administered blood transfusion. A great way to try and kill yourself, albeit one that ends up only killing your career and proving why life bans should be in place for dope cheats. Complete tool, although given the frightening parallels with an earlier Italian cyclist, I struggle to reconcile my hatred for how Ricco has treated the sport with my continued admiration for Marco Pantani as a cyclist.