hurray, hurray, it's a holi holiday...

It's that time of year again when the Throne is packing up its troubles and heading for sunnier climes.

And as the last three days have been spent traipsing round shop after interminable shop after the mem sahib, both me and my exhausted wallet could do with the rest!

See you in ten days or so...

A good time was had by all...

I hope you all had an excellent extended Bank Holiday weekend; I know I did: lots to eat, more to drink (especially on Friday) and wall-to-wall sunshine - marvellous.


And I was right in my gut feeling about the Queen bestowing a Dukedom on Prince William on the morning of his marriage; and further, that it would be the Dukedom of Cambridge.


Shame I'm not a gambling man; I could have made a few shillings there!

Happy St George's Day

I suspect that everyone who visits this site today will know precisely what day it is, and as such, allow me to remind you of Cecil Rhodes' famous injunction to one of his countrymen:


"Remember that you are an Englishman, and have consequently won first prize in the lottery of life."


Or perhaps this one from the late (and great) former Master of the Rolls, Lord Denning, who was born a draper's son in Hampshire:


"There are many things in life more worthwhile than money. One is to be brought up in this our England which is still the envy of less happy lands."


Indeed. And as it now "beer o'clock", to quote Detective Chief Inspector Gene Hunt, may I wish a very happy St George's Day to Englishmen and Englishwomen everywhere.

Merry Christmas to one and all...

Well, it's Christmas Eve and everything's bought that's going to be bought; so may I take this oppotunity to wish any regular readers, and others who may arrive here by accident, a very merry Christmas.

I hope it brings you all you wished for.

Time permitting, I'll be back in mid-week...

Predictions for the forthcoming football season...

It's that time of year again when, for the last two years at least, I have traditionally gazed into the Throne's murky crystal ball in an effort to predict the positions in which all twenty Premier League football teams will find themselves at the end of the season.

Well, all good things come to an end, and instead of attempting to predict the position that each and every club will find itself in - an enterprise in which, if I say it myself, I was more successful than the newspaper pundits who are paid to do so - I propose to predict only the most important matters, which I will entitle the Winners and the Losers.

It wouldn't take a Philedelphia lawyer to work out that the Winners group will include the League Champions, the remainder of the 'top four' who will thereby qualify for the Champions League and a further three clubs who will qualify for the Europa League, always assuming that seventh palce will be good enough to do so.

The Losers, of course will be the three clubs that I envisage kicking off the 2011 - 2012 season in the Championship.

So here goes, starting with the Winners:

Champions: Chelsea.

Rest of the top four (in no particular order): Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City.

Europa League (again in no particular order): Liverpool, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur.

Moving on to the Losers, and with apologies to the supporters of the clubs concerned: Blackpool, West Brom and Wolves.

I had considered both Stoke City and Birmingham for places in the Europa League positions and whilst I eventually selected 'safer' choices, I would not be surprised to see either of them force their way into that select club, unlike Aston Villa, where I foresee a mid-table finish at best, following a season of rebuilding and recovery after their recent losses.

So there we are.

As usual, following the last games of the season mext May (doesn't that seem a long way off!), I'll be back to assess my predictions against what actually happened, and open myself up to the usual ridicule if the crystal ball has misled me...

Happy birthday, USA...

May I take this opportunity wish my American readers, or any of your compatriots who accidentally happen across the Throne, a very happy Independence Day.

Enjoy your party, and to get you in the mood, here's a refrain with which I have no doubt you will all be very familiar...

My country,' tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing; land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrims' pride, from every mountainside let freedom ring!

My native country, thee, land of the noble free, thy name I love; I love thy rocks and rills, thy woods and templed hills; my heart with rapture thrills, like that above.

Let music swell the breeze, and ring from all the trees sweet freedom's song; let mortal tongues awake; let all that breathe partake; let rocks their silence break, the sound prolong.

Our fathers' God, to thee, author of liberty, to thee we sing; long may our land be bright with freedom's holy light; protect us by thy might, great God, our King.

Now where have I heard that tune before...

And you, good yeoman, whose limbs were made in England...

May I take this opportunity to wish all my fellow Englishmen and women a very happy St George's Day. But in addition, it is also the anniversary of both the birth and death of perhaps the greatest Englishman who ever lived: William Shakespeare. And so, in tribute to him, I hope you enjoy this small section of the speech made by Henry V before the Battle of Agincourt:

And you, good yeoman

Whose limbs were made in England, show us here

The mettle of your pasture; let us swear

That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;

For there is none of you so mean and base,

That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.

I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,

Straining upon the start.

The game's afoot:

Follow your spirit, and upon this charge

Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'

Majestic.

As you might expect, I'm going to celebrate in my usual way later on, so before I do, here are two more appropriately English-themed poems by the great GK Chesterton for you to enjoy:

The Englishman

St George he was for England.
And before he killed the dragon
He drank a pint of English ale
Out of an English flagon.
For though he fast right readily
In hair-shirt or in mail.
It isn't safe to give him cakes
Unless you give him ale.

St George he was for England,
And right gallantly set free
The lady left for dragon's meat
And tied up to a tree;
But since he stood for England
And knew what England means,
Unless you give him bacon
You mustn't give him beans.

St George he is for England,
And shall wear the shield he wore
When we go out in armour
With the battle-cross before.
But though he is jolly company
And very pleased to dine,
It isn't safe to give him nuts
Unless you give him wine.

Or, quite appropriately and pointedly as the General Election looms...

Elegy in a Country Churchyard

THE men that worked for England
They have their graves at home:
And birds and bees of England
About the cross can roam.

But they that fought for England,
Following a falling star,
Alas, alas for England
They have their graves afar.

And they that rule in England,
In stately conclave met,
Alas, alas for England
They have no graves as yet.

Happy St Patrick's Day to one and all...

I'm in Liverpool all day tomorrow and won't get the chance to post on the day itself. So I hope my Hibernian readers will forgive me if my Irish (or rather Google translate's) is poor, but here goes:

Lá Tá áthas ar Fhéile Pádraig ar bith cuairteoirí ó Éirinn. Tá súil agam tú taitneamh as do lá.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Well actually, I'd rather it didn't really; because living on a hill as we do, it makes getting around more than a little difficult.

That sensible, if rather joyless observation aside, I have to concede that when there is, in the continued words of the song 'simply no place to go', at least, in my case, until Monday morning, it can make for a very pretty picture, such as the one to the left of this post, which I took just before four o' clock this afternoon, no more than fifty yards from my front door.

I just hope it melts sufficiently by Monday morning for me to get the car out...

Happy New Year...

As promised in my last post, here I am back before the new year to wish everyone all the best for 2010.

I hope the new decade brings you health, wealth and happiness.

I'm off to my brother's house tonight with Mrs RToK for a suitably modest libation and convivial company. Whatever you are doing, I hope you have fun - as I propose to do - and get home safely.

See you all next year.

Merry Christmas to one and all...

May I take this opportunity to wish my readers, whether regular, occasional or even accidental, a very merry Christmas. I hope it brings you everything you hope for.

I'll be back before the New Year, if only to mark that occasion, but in the meantime, all the shopping's done (well, all that's going to be done, anyway!), so it's time to have some fun, indulge myself in various different ways (mainly eating and drinking) and most importantly, to spend some time with Mrs RToK and the family.

See you all soon.

On, on, you noblest English!

May I take this opportunity to wish all of my fellow Englishmen and women, and all my other visitors a very happy St George's Day.

I shall be shortly bobbing out for a good old-fashioned 'rinse' to celebrate the day in style.

Cheers everyone!

Happy New Year...

May I take the opportunity with this, my 191st - and last - post of 2008, to wish all of my readers (shouldn't take long!) and other occasional, or even accidental visitors to the Throne, a very Happy and prosperous New Year for 2009.

Thank you all for visiting and even more so to those of you who have been kind enough to leave me your comments - even the critical ones.

I hope to see you all again in 2009, or when I've sobered up, whichever is the sooner...

Jingle bells, jingle bells...

Well, it's coming up to that time of year again and I'm off out tonight (or should that be this afternoon, as we're meeting in the pub at 5.30!) with my pals for our (first) Christmas drink.

As you may have gathered, it promises to be a lengthy affair, with banter and mickey-taking aplenty.

As a result, postings may be a little thin on the ground for the rest of the weekend, as I work my way out of the doghouse with Mrs RToK...

Off on holiday...

Off on my holidays now - back in ten days or so, when the Throne will be celebrating its second birthday!

See you when I'm back...