Simon's Racing & Devon Diary #3
It's been a fairly exciting week, I went to Lambourn to visit Mick Fitzgerald to interview him for the Star Sports #BettingPeople series. This one is out now, it was a very frank and at times emotional interview, don't miss it. Last week's was with Irish betting industry character of the highest order Dave O'Reilly who was top class with some tremendous stories.
Last weekend was dominated by the Coronation of King Charles III. The village had events on the Saturday and Sunday which were great fun for all the family. I saw a lot of snarky remarks on facebook about Charles being 'not my king' and complaining about the money spent, everyone is entitled to their opinion and I'm not even going to bore people with mine. But what I will say is that the whole weekend had a wonderful community spirit which brought a lot of people together which we should do more of, if it takes a King to do it, so be it. I have to tip my trilby to those hard-working people of Witheridge who put themselves out to organise those events. I came last in the welly lobbing but luckily nobody was filming.
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I'm chuffed to be nominated by the SBC ( Smart Betting Club ) for an award as best betting writer which was very nice. If you fancy voting for me or indeed anyone else, here's the link. VOTE HERE If you are keen on betting and would like to give the bookies a run for their money then have a nose around the site. They monitor free and paid for advisory services that have been proven winners in the past. I was also very pleased to be asked by DJ Jeffreys to give three songs that I love. It's an impossible task for me, this day I must have been in hillbilly and rockabilly mode and gave three rustic greats two of which I have interviewed people that took part in the recordings. On another day it would have been Green Day, Alkaline Trio and The Living End.
The Twitter bio of @SimonNott says that he loves racecourses and rock n roll so he was deemed a perfect guest for #DJSDISCS. A very familiar face on UK and Irish racecourses, there’s not much he doesn’t know about betting rings or music 🎶 and his fine taste in the latter shines: pic.twitter.com/lZi0cMiuOR
— DJ Jeffreys Racing (@jeffreys_racing) May 7, 2023
In other musical news, on Friday I spent 40 minutes on the phone to the legend that is Shakin' Stevens. It's for a feature I'm going to write for Vive Le Rock Magazine where we talk about his new album 'Re-Set' which is nothing like 'Marie Marie' but is a thought provoking lyric laden slab of top class Americana. It was a real pleasure to talk to Shaky and a something I'd not have guesed doing when I bought his singles as a teenager. The last bit of music news, the latest Corn Fed compilation Volume 8 to be exact, is out now. Cornfed is a hillbilly rockabilly series which trawls the depths of the whacky and obscure of the genre released only on vinyl. Check out the promo video here.
This week I'm off to York to write betting ring reports for Star Sports. Before that I've got a Dr's appointment for the on-going is it angina or heartburn saga. I've decided to activate the health insurance I've been paying for a few years, it's better to know that wait about worrying, even with a £200 excess. I've been asked to keep a record of my blood pressure, I bought my own kit, the first reading was high. A quick Google advised me that the best home remedy to try is cut down on caffeine, I've been smashing the coffee for years, so I stopped. Bloody hell, that's some strong drug to withdraw from I had what felt like a hangover from the bender of my youth, without the sickness, for days. It's a bit better now, cold turkey is the best way, but I wasn't expecting that!
Si
Just a quick mention about the banners on my page, they are affiliate links to bookmakers. If you haven't had an account with either Bet Goodwin or Star Sports you are invited to give them a go. I get a few quid if you do. While I'm at trying to monetise this page, have you tried the plum app? It sets money aside automatically, meaning you might not notice how quickly it adds up. You can sign-up using the link below, I use it myself and have saved a few quid painlessly so am happy to promote it as I am the bookies. I get a few quid if you sign up with any of them.