Bend it

Went for a ride on my bike (on the basis that I really have to get fitter, and lose some weight) and stopped to look at the glass at the Kassam Stadium (home of Oxford United Football Club and London Welsh Rugby Football Club).
When the stadium was first opened the glass was broken regularly (smashed at night – replaced the next day – broken again the next night – and so on) but it eventually stopped. I’m not sure if this is due to boredom with the activity, a sense that the speed it was replaced meant the vandals didn’t get any lasting impact from their activity, that the new glass is harder and crack/shatter proof or that the Stadium has become part of the community (you don’t mess in your own backyard) … but whatever – it has stopped.
It is also an interesting Stadium in that it only has 3 sides – i.e. seating in a horseshoe on 3 sides and a fence where the 4th side should be. The widely held opinion is that they ran out of money before they built the 4th side … however there are apparently enough seats in the current 3 sides to house the crowd that attends matches, so we don’t need a 4th side. But it does mean (in theory) you can watch the match by standing on a car roof of a strategically parked car, and look over the fence (though I’ve never actually seen anyone do this).

Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick and Tich