HIP HIP HOORAY HOOPOE

No I'm not struggling for items to write about, more like today has given me more than ONE moment of inspiration. When I heard about Tony Rickson's book  "Gooaal!: The Joy of Football Celebrations. The Joy of Football", I thought. this needs promoting, a book that will cheer us all up and remember Christmas is not a million days of Covid away.  

https://www.goliath.com/sports/the-12-best-soccer-goal-celebrations-of-all-time/

If you don't want to spend £10, you can get one for a cheeky £6 from Amazon. Try the easy quiz first:

Which celebrations did the following footballers perform on pitch?

Easy eh? Peter Crouch!   Wayne Rooney   Paul Gascoigne   Jurgen Klinsman   Jamie Vardy    Raheem Sterling    Alex Morgan    Bebeto    Jimmy Bullard    Craig Bellamy    Robbie Fowler......  

Just think of the fun you would have at Christmas with a family quiz involving  200 or so more obscure celebrations.

And now for the Hoopoe: there has been a rare sighting of an unusual bird, probably blown off course on its northern hemisphere migration to the Mediterranean and Southern Asia. I saw one on a golf course in Portugal a few summer holidays ago, but this week, this mistle thrush sized bird has been seen at Collingham Cricket Club in West Yorkshire and was chirping this familiar song...https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/hoopoe/

No Dickie Bird was nowhere to be seen and Carl Hooper (yes the cricketer) was absent too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQroo7aqPYc  

Regarded as the national bird of Israel, the bird is distinctive and is the logo for the University of Johannesburg. It is sold in Morocco for medical and herbal benefits, is sacred in Egypt and is regarded as the "King of Birds" in Aristophanes' "The Birds". It is featured in the BBC Children's TV series "In the Night Garden".