Sight still not fully restored; small grey patch being obstinate. Our lovely neighbour, Varna from across the way who works for IKA has very kindly put in a plea on our behalf for some compensation towards this week’s costs. Let’s see now (I keep using that word “see” don’t I? It’s like the old Chinese proverb saying we will always talk about feet in front of a cripple. These days of political correctness though, that word cripple is strictly off limits – what would it be? Peripatetically challenged maybe). Back to the subject – this is all in Euro of course – Doctor 35 … Ophthalmologist 210 … Brain scan 71 … Medicines 29 … Total not counting such trifles as petrol 345euro. It would be nice to get some of that back.
There is a young Portuguese soccer player whose salary is £200000 a week and who has an advertising contract for another six million. What does he do with all this money? Well, it would seem he does no more than what any other young ultra-rich soccer player does; buys houses, buys cars, lots of cars, none of them cheap. I wonder, he is a Christian as is proved by the crucifix he wears on a chain round his neck, if it ever occurs to him to thank his god for all these millions of little blessings by giving a small proportion away to the less fortunate of this world, a very small percentage of his millions that would make an enormous difference to their world. Maybe, maybe not. I am not privy to this knowledge. I doubt all those politicians who have been rooting in the trough think of it either, or all the mega-rich Arabs and mega-rich Indians, all the millionaire Patels, or the new generation of multi-millionaire young film stars, hardly out of their teens and worth fortunes. Charities have to beg for crumbs and it is always the not so rich who dig into their pockets to try and make life a little easier for the less fortunate. I often wonder, if ever I were to make any money worth talking about, would I be like that Portuguese footballer and his ilk? I hope not. The Daily Mail have headlined him the £80000000 Lily Savage of football though heaven only knows what that’s supposed to mean? And I’m sure Lily isn’t impressed. Is it because he flounces a bit? A bit! There is no denying he’s a good-looker, so much so that evidently he is the new gay icon. Does that mean David Beckham is past his prime? Truly a footballers’ life is a short one. But interesting? Whatever happened to Mister Rooney’s memoirs for which he was reputedly paid £5000000 up front? Or was that just publicity?
Now that Colleen’s expecting you can expect a lot more loot will be floating in the Rooney direction with the exploitation of baby Rooney to the tabloids and celebrity magazines. Hey ho! It’s a mad mad world, my masters. Evidently they did try to do something for charity with that awful tasteless wedding in Italy but it was their millionaire football associates who let them down by not contributing. Maybe they needed to buy a few more cars.
Just a thought – what stupendous premiums do the football clubs have to pay out to insure their stars? Add that to the stratospheric salaries and it’s no wonder tickets cost the poor punter what they do.