Always enjoy Sean Holley's technical analysis, but otherwise don't know why I bothered.

Later in the evening I watched the BBC Ten O'clock news, and the realisation, of why the hell was I depressed about the outcome of a rugby match.

Its been a week now, since the horror of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

The pictures I saw tonight and what we have seen this week, reduced me to tears .

I have for some time  supported the British Red cross , with a small monthly donation, which I

 increase at times of crisis like Ukraine.

They do so much good work , both at home and abroad.

My wife and I will always  be indebted to the help they gave to our friend Dennis, a vulnerable man, living on his own, without which, he may have perished.

As a supporter, Red Cross provide me with fairly regular updates of their programmes of aid and relief.

I don't ask for these , but the circular is quite informative, but also very moving.

Prior to the earthquake the situation Syria, was desperate for many people.

Before the  war, places like Aleppo, Homs, Idlib, were thriving communities.

These have now been reduced to rubble by the regime .

People here have been enduring enormous hardship, at the harshest, coldest time of the year.

Now, for those in northern Syria, we have the earthquake, and the untold misery that it has manifested itself upon a community, already suffering

The other issues here, has been the difficulty getting aid in, because of the unstable political situation

We see in Turkey, whole communities  destroyed,  families wiped out, neighbourhoods, changed for ever. I cannot remember seeing such devastation.

Occasionally there is an incredibly uplifting moment, when someone is dug out of the wreckage that was once their home, or a child's life is saved.

I am struggling to put in to words here, the emotion of it all. Its gut wrenching !

It does one thing , it makes you value and cherish the ones you love...totally 

It also has ,temporarily  created a clear sense of PERSPECTIVE, of what are, and who we are.

Even though we are wrecking this beautiful planet, a sense of sheer humanity , at time like this 

overrides everything.

As I get older I think being kind is the best thing anyone can be.

We are all caught up, naturally, in our own worlds, our own worries, but there is always someone worse off than yourself and helping anyone in  difficulty, is something to be proud of !!

I am sure many of you on SF have already contributed to the disaster appeal, at this difficult financial time for many in UK, but the generosity of people has been heart-warming

Red cross  will get additional donations from  me , as I have learned that even a small contribution, makes a difference. 

There is also gratitude, for the many volunteers, and the work of ALL the organisations involved in  important, huge operation, in the most difficult of circumstances.

These are sad and difficult times, but I hope the international community will rally round and support communities  rebuild . Turkey and Syria, cannot do it alone.

Just finished watching the Superbowl ...Kansas chiefs win it and what a spectacle. 

And yet as you say a perspective on what goes on in one continent to a completely different one America. 

I did write last week about time and how life can change in seconds and minutes and how grateful we all should be for our moments on this earth. 

As Carl Sagan once wrote " we are butterflies that flutter for a day and think its forever ".

 Have to be honest I cannot watch the news and see what destroyed 30k plus lives, the power of the planet is something you can't appreciate it as we are lucky enough not to live on a fault line with power to create such carnage . 

Helping others is the best of human nature, 

As for Scrum V a little more honesty instead of appeasing the masses would be refreshing.  Biggest loss to Scotland in over 100 years, just watching the highlights was enough to turn it off and watch today's Slammed on BBC 1 and be proud of the way we once were. That squad from the 70s was awash with stars, Mervyn Davies said it was an incredible moment in sport when so many gifted players had come together at that moment and created firsts in achieving, what hadn't been done before. It was quite telling the goldfish bowl of pressure was creeping in and affecting the players in 1978. Listening to Gareth Edwards seeing how shattered the team was after their final Grand Slam game was a telling moment, the emotional and physical toil was huge as they were expected to win, the Nation expected they would always win.

I look at the current Welsh squad and there is no x factor there....some elevate names into that elite brilliance...but they are not, the press gives out player ratings on preference and hope, not what they see. 

We are really at rock bottom...bringing in Gatland who I believe give his best in his first tenure and then as time catches up with you became devoid of fresh ideas and thoughts and he knew it went back home and failed and the WRU bring him back and yet I think you never go backwards, the game is evolving every year, with new rules, fresh minds need to think fresh ideas, we all become stale and pick up writers block so to speak, it's a natural evolution of life, we all lose something. 

Take tonight it's 4am can't sleep, bloody abcess on my back tooth. That tooth Is 50 years old now, the gum has receded and because it doesn't firmly hold that tooth bacterial infection will ensue if food gets inside...simple ...so dentist in the morning. So I ended up watching Superbowl, it wasn't planned but that's life....its just life.

So at 61, I'm slowly falling apart, not because I want to, it's just inevitable, so with that thought I'm still smiling, I'm grateful i am sitting in a warm house drinking tea and waiting for a dawn I will see, when so many here and abroad will not wake up to.

It's the small things that matter in life, being grateful and smiling that we still are is a blessing. 

Take care Sir.