And now for something completely different…

Let’s come straight to the point with this one. Last night I went to watch darts! Wembley Arena to watch Premier League Darts!

Around Christmas time, I started watching the darts with the OH and found it quite enjoyable. It was easy to follow and quite exciting, plus I was won over by the “characters” of certain players and their showman-like entrances to the arena.

So when tickets went on sale, the OH and his friends thought it would be a good idea to go along and I thought, “Why not? Let’s do something different”.

I was less enthused when I arrived at Wembley Park Station, amongst of throng of geezers, all chanting the Sky Darts Theme Tune (previously known as Chase the Sun). It goes something like this “de, de, de, dou, da, do do de de da”. This was a very different crowd from the sort you get at the theatre.

Inside, we had good seats “on the floor” at a table which meant that we could walk down to where the players made their entrances. This key in watching live darts, as to be honest, the rest of the action, you pretty much have to just watch on the screens, as it is essentially still two men throwing darts at a board, so not really possible to see in detail without the help of the screen no matter how close you are.

The first match was between my favourite Wayne “Hawaii 501” Mardle (who wears Hawaiian shirts and enters to the theme music from Hawaii 50) and Terry “The Bull” Jenkins (who looks like one of the Chuckle Brothers and enters to “Wooly Bully”). It ended in a draw and wasn’t very exciting.

The other games were of better quality although I think I actually prefer watching it at home on the television. The crowd’s behaviour was rather alarming at times – I didn’t like the chanting of “Engerland” when Phil Taylor played Canadian John Part – there was no need for such nationalism and I prefer the John Part anyway, so was tempted to join in with the small voice that shouted “Canadar”. Then a conga started up in one section of the arena, during this match, which was the best of the evening, which I thought was rather odd, that having paid to see the darts, you then miss the best bit by dancing instead.

So I’ve been to see live darts. It was a new experience, but probably not one I’ll be repeating.

Christmas Catch Up

Should I do a little round up of what has happened in the eons since I last posted?

Christmas
We spent in the north with my family. It was the first time the OH and I had actually spent Christmas together as he normally spends it with his family. I was apprehensive about this to say the least, but it went ok. Yes, my family bickered and irritated me, but really it wasn’t so bad. We all survived.

It was very sad going to visit my auntie in hospital where she is making slow progress after her stroke. She is making some progress, but when her speech is limited to Good Morning, Yes and No (which she often gets around the wrong way) it is frustrating, and clearly gets her down. On the upside, the MRSA has gone so she should be able to start proper therapy soon.

The OH bought me a great present which wasn’t what I was expecting at all – he bought me a day at the Sanctuary Spa which I’ve always wanted to go to but have been put off by the price. So I’ve got a day of pampering and relaxation to look forward to at some point in 2008. I also received lots of other good gifts, including the book of the exhibition I went to a while ago (Amazon Wishlists are a wonderful thing for guiding the family in the right direction!).


New Year
We decide to opt out of New Years Eve celebrations by going away, just the two of us. We went to Canterbury to stay at the Abode Hotel, having enjoyed the one in Glasgow so much. So we watched films and drank champagne in bed as midnight struck and I enjoyed it enormously.

The strangest thing that happened over the holiday was that I got quite into the darts! I was scathing of it at first but was sucked in by Wayne “Hawaii 501” Mardle, his garish shirts and his range of facial expressions. Sadly, just after I’d adopted him as my favourite, he went out of the competition. But I still enjoyed the final and was amusing the OH with my almost insightful observations by the end of the tournament.