John Owen Jones

Ay up (as they say in the ‘north’)

Sometimes I need to get away from it all – just forget about the kids and school and the teachers. I find the best way to get away from things is to walk. I like to breathe in Wales’ beautiful scenery from atop a local hill or quiet motorway bridge. It really helps me put things into perspective, as I stand there and think about my life, and I make friends as crowds of people gather around and below me. This is how I met Glyn. Hello Glyn!

I think the best walk I ever had was with my grandma when I was a youngster. We went through Porthmadog until we found a lovely wood just outside it. Before I knew it, me and Grandma Adams were playing Hide N Seek! She never even told me! I never lost, of course, perhaps cementing a passion for non-contact sport I have maintained to this very day. Don’t be fooled though, I also like contact sports.

The best place to go walking in Wales is the Valleys and make no mistake! Me and my school friends spent many great afternoons kicking a ball around there, chasing girls and singing the latest Stereophonics single. We didn’t have a care in the world!

But now the time I have to myself is precious. I either spend it playing online slots (although this is more something I do while doing other work) or down the pub with a friend. I don’t drink during the week, so I’m more than happy to ferry the lads (Geffin, Gareth and Rees) around. Mine’s a Coke, boyos!!! ;)

So this week I think I will once more find some time alone with my thoughts. The rugby, work and Grandma Adams will pass through my mind. Except this time, of course, I won’t find Grandma Adams.

This one’s for you, Grammy (her fave song):

Haha, classic!

Funny Fat Guy Falls Off His Bike – For more amazing video clips, click here

Sometimes the kids at my school are a delight. Other times they are… like they were today.

Every spring we take the kids onto the field for a bit of a run. It’s not a common thing – we don’t do it as much as football and rugby – we just try to encourage cross-country as another method of keeping fit. Anyway, we get out there today and everybody starts running and it’s all going well.

Suddenly, one of the lads pulls out with a limp. He won’t let me touch him (the law is the law) so all I can do is leave him to it as I’m on my own. This is a difficult quandary when you’re teaching on your own – do you sacrifice the class for one child? There’s no real protocol for it that I know of.

We do another lap, and I return to the lad. He’s still down, but he won’t go back to the locker room to do homework or anything, so again I have to leave him. He was only a small thing, and looked a lot like me at his age. He’s not particularly studious, and isn’t top of the class when it comes to sport either. If I’m honest, I felt a little bit sorry for him.

One more lap and I return to him. Still not getting up. So by now I gather the class around and we start warming down. That is, of course, until the bell rings. At which point the entire class – including the injured boy – run back to the classroom! Bloody hell!

Nothing I can do really! Rest assured though, tonight I will be staying in for a few beers and a few games of online roulette. And I’ll have a drink on the kid with the ‘damaged leg’ – he certainly got me!

Greetings, salutations and shwmae (Welsh for ‘hello’). My name is John Owen Jones and I’m a proud Welshman taking my first steps into the murky world of blogging. I use the word ‘murky’ as most of the blogs I’ve ever seen seem to centre around topics like sex or politics or, God forbid, football. Not this blog – this entry is about rugby :)

But before that let’s talk about me! I’m a 24-year-old living in Porthmadog with my mum and dad. I graduated from the University of Aberystwyth in 2007 with a degree in Physical Education and Events Management (this means I literally bring the party haha). I’m currently teaching PE at my old secondary school, which is a lot of fun as I get to keep fit and do what I love – play sport for a living!

When I’m not working I like to do the things most men my age do – go to the pub, socialise and have a flutter on some gambling websites – but I thought starting a blog would be a good way to keep me occupied and maybe get in touch with some new people. So, if you feel the need, say hello!

Like I said, this first blog entry (blentry? jk) is about rugby, so I’ll TRY and make it interesting!

So most of you will have heard about, or even followed, the Six Nations Tournament which has been taking place over the last six weeks. Unfortunately, my beloved Wales could only muster up fourth place overall, but there were some positives to be taken from it:

• Our points scored tally was the second best in the championship (although our conceded tally was the second worst – but we won’t mention that!)
• Stephen Jones – top scorer. James Hook and Shane Williams – joint top try scorers. ‘Ave that!
• We gave France a good scare at the Millennium in February, something only really managed by England over the duration of the league. Not bad for supposed fourth favourites, eh?

We didn’t quite match the heights of 2008 or 2005 but I think there are certainly enough positives to take forward into next year. I’ll be blogging more about the trials and tribulations of my beloved team over the coming months. I’m looking forward to following the summer tour of New Zealand, it should be a good opportunity to see if we can carry on with the promise shown in the Six Nations – and give us a look at new players like Dan Biggar (who is looking good as a long-term replacement for Stephen Jones).

Stay tuned for more blogs. Anyway, back to real life for now.

Da bo ti! (Goodbye!)