Paella and Bovril

Dear Father Christmas Now this year I have been a very good girl a good percentage of the time. As a result I would like for Christmas a clean sheet for the Rovers. We have been a bit "leaky" as of late and am sure the lads would love all the help they can get, not had a clean sheet since OCTOBER!!  Cheers Carol xx PS Hope you like Paella and Bovril, I know you are a big Raith fan but maybe some of your elves support other teams. I am sure they would like it too so pass it round! This Paella and Bovril first published in the match day programme of December 10th  2011, Raith v Livingston. Raith 0 - 1 Livingston  PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR MATCH DAY PROGRAMME Paella and Bovril Barcelona has been illuminated with over 65 Km of the streets covered in festive lights and the shops are blaring out the cheesiest Christmas mixes. This year they have built an ice rink in the middle of the city with a massive tree beside it. Unlike other years Barcelona is getting tore in to th

My words how time flys! Here we are about to hit December and Christmas will be upon us before we know it!  I am happy to say that this time round "Paella and Bovril" is coming on the back of a Raith Rovers victory. It seems that a few extra heart beats are getting the team  going. Sad times also in football this weekend with the passing of Gary Speed at the weekend. My thoughts are with his family and friends.  PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL CLUB AND IT'S MATCH DAY PROGRAMME. Paella and Bovril Being a fan a one of the smaller clubs could be described as riding roller coaster every season. Will you go up, will you go down, will you get a wee cup run and now we have Can we pay the bills ? to contend with. Clubs for sale, stands closing, players not being paid are now all too familiar in football all over the world. It is a ride every football fan wants off of!   At times like these you can find yourself wondering why? But what we need to do at times like t

OMFG the weather here in Barcelona has me searching for two of every animal and a wikihow video on "how to build your own ark!"  Gosh it does seem like ages since I have been able to post the latest "paella and bovril" with a Raith Rovers win behind it! However even from a far I know that support is what needed, from everyone! I hear that a solar related publication may have headed it's lines with something a tad upsetting for those reading and from whom it came! Just remember that a newspaper is now yesterdays news! With twitter, facebook, the whole world wide web to keep your news, today's! I suppose I am trying to say that teams like Raith need your support,today, tomorrow and for years down the line! PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TEAM AND IT'S MATCH DAY PROGRAMME! The last few months have work have been a bit hectic to say the least and I have been working more hours than usual. A few weekends ago it was to be my first weekend “w

Gosh it seems like a life time since I last served up a Paella and Bovril! I have been trapped by the wonderful world of work and have been out of contact with the real world for what feels like years!  To those who are new to Paella and Bovril or a thinking of trying this a a football blog, but a wee bit different. Even if you are not a fan of the mighty Raith Rovers you will still love this blog! This weeks wee serving is another blast from the past and will contain a "letters from Barcelona" from last seasons match day programme against Stirling Albion. The summer leading up to this letter home was filled with the stories of the Chilean miners!  Hope you enjoy this week side serving of Paella and Bovril! PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MATCH DAY PROGRAMME! Letters from Barcelona Summer is drawing to a close here in Barcelona. My tan is now just a few freckles and I have swapped the t-shirts for a jumper. It is still 22 by mid-day most days. I have swapped my morning

After all my lovely sun over the summer I was reminded of my Scottish roots with an absolute down pour yesterday, But being Scottish I knew how to handle it so on with the wellie boots and Raith Scarf I go. It was only two weeks ago I was going out with not even a wee cardigan at night to keep me warm! Winter is coming folks!  I have been in work more than usual the past few weeks and have had only my iPod for company. I used the time to catch up on my footballing podcast and as a result was not only in work but feeling miserable as well! You can count on the scottish football pundit to make you feel even more depressed!  This times "Paella and Bovril " comes from the weekends home match against Queen of the South. PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TEAM AND MATCH DAY PROGRAMME! Paella and Bovril Now to anyone who has had the pleasure of sitting with me at a football match have been know to be shocked at the love of the game I have, and display! I have been known to paint

This week has been a bit of a strange one here in Barcelona. We had a holiday smack bang in the middle of the week that was a scorcher! 33 degrees in October and a wee dip in the sea! So what better place for your fave football scarf and top, yup on the beach in the sun! This weeks "Paella and Bovril" is from Raith's home game against Partick which saw two goals at home in the league for a while!  PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TEAM AND IT'S MATCH DAY PROGRAMME AND THE TEAM THAT MAKE IT HAPPEN! Enjoy this tasty plate of Paella and Bovril Paella and Bovril October has really crept up on me here in Barcelona. September was a whirlwind of fiestas and fireworks and I was slightly shocked when I took a wee dip in the Med last week that it was a wee bit chilly on the tootsies. Summer is on its way out. Some of the locals are sporting their winter scarves already. I would like to say that it is 26 degrees most days, and sunny, but for some this is far too cold for s

  Dragons, drinking and a wee match against Spain.  September has been a crazy month in the land of Paella and Bovril, 2 very big parties that lasted a few days and I had to outrun that dragon!!  I thought I would be fitting to publish an oldy from "Letters from Barcelona" that feature that wee team, Spain!!  Here in Barcelona the Spain national team is not as big as the mighty Barcelona, but I am sure that a few locals will be chatting to me on Tuesday about the great Scots!  Letters from Barcelona first appeared in the Raith Rovers match day programme. PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL CLUB AND IT'S MATCH DAY PROGRAMME. TAKE A BUDDY WITH YA!  Barcelona 20th june 2010, world cup in full flow, games today, honduras-somebody , blah blah, and spain-chile. First thing in the morning I see, on the ten minute walk to the metro, five women wearing the honduras top, two chile tops and a blah top. By the time I get home from work, after four metro trips and a bit of

Every one needs to get a birthday cake no matter how old they are. I was soooo excited to see this cake when I made a wee visit home a few weeks ago!  I know that the past few weeks have been difficult on and off the pitch for Raith, but please please give them your support!  PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MATCH DAY PROGRAMME AND YOUR LOCAL TEAM. PAELLA AND BOVRIL  From the Programmme Sep 24th  Raith 0 -  1 Ross County Over 4,391 Km in 4 days, Barcelona, Edinburgh, Burntisland, Kirkcaldy, London then back to Barcelona, is enough to make anyone feel their age, but when the main reason fro clicking up all those air, rail and land miles is your 30 th birthday, you not only do you feel your age everyone knows it, (no more “Oh me, I am in my twenties”). To say I was excitedly apprehensive about turning 30 was an understatement. I am the kind of person who stopped counting at 20ish, as I still was not a “grown-up” and frequently said, “when I grow up I am going to…..”.   I wa

I am sure some of you will be pleased to know that I am looking our my Barcelona window and seeing some good Scottish Rain!!  Last week in my wee part of Barcelona we had our civic week style celebrations, which as you can see involve running with fire and some wee devils!! Enjoy a blast from the past this week with an old one from last years "Letters from Barcelona" PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MATCH DAY PROGRAMME "Letters from Barcelona" I am sure some of you will be pleased to know that this week in Barcelona we have had “Scottish” style weather for a few days. At one point I thought I would getting the animals to go into the ark two by two. I had not seen rain like that in a long time. But I told the locals that 1 day of rain is nothing!   However it has caused me a few “fashion” problems. I have been able to wear, and had to in some cases, wellies, full on wet weather gear, flip flops, sunglasses, and scarf… I am sure you get it. Roll on su

Gosh it seems like ages since I have been on a computer. I have not tweeted for yonks and my paella and bovril is most definitely cold. However I have just turned 30, done 3 cities in 50 odd hours and watched a Rovers match. But that is a whole other "Paella and Bovril"  This weeks post is we bit special to me as it was the first one I got to see in the match day programme! I made a wee trip up to Kirkcaldy (then to London and beer garden) to see Raith play.  This post was first published in the match day programme from the 10th of September Raith 0 - 1 Dundee PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MATCH DAY PROGRAMME. A prickly time for football Paella and Bovril Hola Stark’s park I am hoooommmmeee!!! Touch wood, all being well, and fingers crossed, I am in the building with a large chunk of my family celebrating my 30th birthday and I could not think of a better place to be, Camp Nou versus Stark’s Park, the result would always be Stark’s Park! But if you listen to

EEEEEKKKKKKKKKKK I am a little excited! I am going to see my beloved Raith this weekend and I can not wait. A live action match is the best thing ever! And of course I will be celebrating my 30th Birthday with my family at Stark's Park!! I hope it will be a little better than the match I watched on Saturday just gone. Well if I am honest it was not Scotland I was disappointed in but the ref...... Any way lets not dwell on that and look forward!!  I though that this "old" one from last years "Letter's from Barcelona" might make us a wee bit more positive! Today's post comes from the match day programme  Raith Rovers v Ross County. PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MATCH DAY PROGRAMME Letters From Barcelona Before November 2007, upon landing in Scotland, signs that said “the best small country in the world” welcomed you.  Every time we passed this, my partner would say, “Why say small, why can’t we just be the best?” A work mate before the match on

Is an old post but in the current atmosphere of athletics it seemed appropriate to post again.  On my last few days of holiday here and they are being filled with a variety of things. One of these things is of course watching all the European footie that is bombarding my TV.  Now there are lots of accounts of how terrible our homes teams were and so many of these reports want to make me top myself.  Today's wee blog post comes from last years letters from Barcelona . Barcelona hosted the European Athletics last year and I was lucky to get tickets for the last night.  PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MATCH DAY PROGRAMME LETTERS FROM BARCELONA AUGUSTS 2010   I went to see the last night of the European athletics here in BCN at the Olympic stadium on Sunday 1 st of August. Half full stadium, mostly due to the ridiculously overpriced tickets. The atmosphere was still fantastic, with lots of French supporters having loads to cheer about, and a couple of m

As the top leagues here in Bonny Spain were on strike for the start of the season my boyfriend (in pic) and I thought (well mainly me he just got roped in) that the fishes around Barcelona could do with a wee bit of an education.  Today's blog post comes from the match day programme of the 20th Aug 2011 Raith 1 - 1 Morton PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MATCH DAY PROGRAMME!! Paella and Bovril Vilassar de Mar is a small costal town a short drive up the road from Barcelona and has been more famous than London riots the past few days here in Catalonia’s capitals as Vilassar de Mar famous son is coming home, (when I was wrtiting this Barca were 99.9% sure he was signing). Cesc Faregas has re-signed for the club he left at 16.   After a 3 year “will he won’t he?” he is coming home and the ubiquitous   Twitter played its part again with Carlos Puyol and Gerard Pique announcing a big “welcome home” to Cesc on the famous networking site.   I have to say I am not a big “tweeter”, I hav

  A great start to the season here in Spain, 'el clasico', 11pm kick off, 28 degrees and Cesc finally was a Barca player.  If you did not see the match you did not miss one of the classisc clasicos but you did miss one of Mourinho's best moves yet (have a look at the photo). Maybe he could not get his point across. mourinho and the man with the tash!!    This blog post comes from a "Letters from Barcelona" mid April 2011 first published in the matchday Prog SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MATCH DAY PROGRAMME!! When in made the move to Barcelona I came with less than no Spanish let alone the language of the region- Catalan. I had bought the “listen while you learn” CDs, which gave me at most the ability to order a glass of red wine and get the bill after a meal! So when 5 weeks after we moved I end up in a Barcelona hospital waiting on an operation to pin a broken ankle back together I could not help but wish I had a few more words. For over a week the staff and

Another footballing Saturday is here again and all of Barcelona is whispering "welcome home Cesc" only whispering mind still not 100% confirmed! Here is another "Letters from Barcelona" from last seasons match day Prog. I am hoping for another footballing saturday in the sun with my almost healed very itchy stiches from an ankle op, Twitter and whatever match coverage I can get. Good luck John and the boys. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MATCH DAY PROGRAMME October 2010  Letters from Barcelona People talk about football widows and the hard life they have playing second fiddle on every match day to 22 men and a wee white ball. But spare a thought for those football widowers, the men who have to compete with 22 men and a wee ball every match day. Football has always been a big part of my life for a long time. I loved playing it a school, loved watching it in the park and really loved watching it from the terraces. But it was not my dad who would take me, it was mum