So last Friday I took the plunge and headed off to the Shambhala Gym in Santa Ponsa and my new trainer Paul Hamilton. I’ve decided to get some poundage off for the Radiothon Charities. A week later on my fourth visit I’m still alive, just! Paul’s a hard task master and a boxing trainer by profession so he’s definitely working with a heavyweight here. I’m not going to lie it’s been tough and made even tougher as I’ve got man flu too! No sympathy though so hopefully the results will come. I’ll be looking to get some sponsorship soon so stay tuned.
Next week is Valentines for all you lovers out there. It is the second best dining out day of the year behind Mother’s Day and whether you celebrate or not, it’s still a massive day in our year. Over £650 million was spent in Britain in 2018, an increase of 5% on the previous year. The huge spend last year made Valentine’s Day the largest spending retail event in the first half of the year, overtaking Easter. But I stumbled upon this story this week, Poundland’s engagement rings have been snapped up by Brits across the country, with the budget retailer claiming to have sold 20,000 in just one week!
The pound shop’s “Bling Ring” range, which are marketed as so-called placeholder rings, caused a huge stir when they went on sale last month.
The cheap jewellery range divided the nation, with some saying it was perfect for couples looking to choose their rings together, while others said your partner should be picking the ring for you.
One poster said: ‘Is this not the best idea ever? Buy a cheap ring from Poundland to propose then go to the shop so you can pick a proper one together.’
But another commenter asked: ‘Why would anyone want to pick their own ring? Isn’t the point of it that the man you love has chosen it for you?’
The rings are being marketed as placeholders, so that the happy couple can go and pick out their real engagement rings together.
One person simply added: ‘Nothing says undying love like an engagement ring from Poundland.’ I say it every year but I love my Wife for 365 days so a card and flowers isn’t going to change that! And they say romance is dead. Actually my fellow writers and I have been asked to contribute to the Bulletins Valentines Day Special. I for one can’t wait for my old mate Frank Leavers contribution. Although he tells me I’ve got him all wrong. He’s the blue rinse pin up don’t you know!
Last week was billed as the greatest show in American Football but unfortunately unless you supported the Patriots(the winners) it was a big disappointment and certainly not worth staying up to 5am in the morning. I was just waking up as they were presenting the trophy relieved that I hadn’t put myself through it.
If you remember I talked last week about the eventual losers the LA Rams who are owned by “silent” Stan Kroenke. He’s also the owner of my team Arsenal but our man Stanley doesn’t stop there. He also owns the Denver Nuggets of the NBA, Colorado Avalanche of the NHL, Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer, Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League, and the newly formed Los Angeles Gladiators of the Overwatch League.( no me neither) In fact I read up on it and I still don’t get it! Not a bad portfolio but Stan has this silent reputation which doesn’t go down well with the fans. Take Arsenal for example he now has a controlling interest in the club and told new Manager Unai Emery in the transfer window he could only get in loan players. This is a club that despite not being in the Champions League pulled in just shy of £150 million from TV and where they finished in the league last season. They also have the highest season ticket prices and we haven’t started on the stadium, shirt and shirt manufacturers sponsorships plus charging me £10 for a pie and a pint! Let’s not go into what I spent in the shop with my two who always want the most up to date shirts and new players names. Am I having a go at my Club? In short, yes because to say you can only get in loans and before that you gave Mesut Ozil £350,000 a week! By the way given to him by two men, Arsene Wenger and Ivan Gazidis who no longer work at the club. Unfortunately football has gone beyond the ordinary fan and I think it’s a blessing I live here in Mallorca and can only go once or twice a year. I used to go to Highbury most Saturday’s when I was a kid and we used to get there at 1pm, pay £5 so you could make sure you got the place you always stood in. That’s all changed now, they are my team and I’ll always support them but more from the armchair here in a sunny, warm Mallorca. In fact me and the boys love going to watch Real Mallorca and mine and the boys season tickets cost less than the price I paid for 3 tickets to Arsenal v Burnley at Christmas. Interestingly Mallorca are also owned by Americans, Robert Sarver owns the NBA team the Phoenix Suns. Now I know the Mallorquines aren’t too happy that their club is owned by a foreigner. But in this case in my opinion you can’t knock them they’ve basically saved the Club from probably disappearing due to the total mis-management of previous owners some of whom were in fact Mallorquín. Their dream is to take the club back to La Liga and it might just happen this season, if not I’m sure they will reinvest for a stronger push next season. I hear that our centre half Raillo was part of a bid from Nottingham Forest on transfer deadline day and the club turned them down as they had’nt met the buy out clause in his contract. That to me shows ambition as they could have quite easily banked the 2 million on offer. A good win last Sunday despite going down to 10 men means they lie in 7th place just outside the play-offs with a difficult match away this weekend against the league leaders Albacete. Mixed fortunes for my two this week, Jude my youngest got a hard fought 2-1 win on Saturday but my eldest Jake got gubbed 5-0 at home.
Just the small matter of being in Manacor on Sunday morning at 8.45 in the morning for my eldest, so Dad Taxi will be certainly earning his money!
Enjoy your weekend!
Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone, Android, The Tunein Radio App and on the Spanish TDT TV service. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance!
Feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.
Dad Taxi Mallorca 