Easter Monday - Monkey Hangers' Defeat

I felt a little better today and certainly wanted to feel well enough to go to Southampton to see the Saints play Hartlepool (the Monkey Hangers). Sara and Mary went over to Sophie's to go off for a picnic at Fordingbridge with the children leaving Tom and me at home to make our own way to Southampton at lunchtime. We parked at Trethowan's as usual and had our lunch at the St. Mary's chippie. The weather was glorious with a slightly cooling breeze off the sea at Southampton. Saints played well today and managed a 2-0 win over Hartlepool following a penalty scored by Lambert and the sending off of one of the Hartlepool players. Unfortunately Huddersfield also won in their game against Dagenham and Redbridge so Saints and Huddersfield remain on the same number of points but Saints still have a game in hand and a much superior goal difference. Two wins from their three remaining games will see them automatically promoted. With Huddersfield having to play Brighton at home next Saturday it could mean only one win is necessary. Tom and I called in at Sophie's on the way back where we joined Sara and Mary at a BBQ in their back garden in West Dean. A lovely day today and so pleased that my head cold hasn't turned into anything more serious.
Finally, on the topic of monkey hanging, the term "monkey hangers" or question "Who hung the monkey?" is a derogatory one for people from Hartlepool as the story goes that during the Napoleonic Wars a monkey mascot from a French warship was the sole survivor of a North Sea shipwreck and after being taken into custody by Hartlepudlians was perceived to be a French spy, stood trial, convicted and hanged. Two poems celebrating this affair read as follows:-

Old folks, young folks, everyone and each

Come and see the Frenchie that's landed on the beach

He's got long arms a great long tail and he's covered all in hair

We think that he's a spy so we'll hang him in the square

-and-

In former times, when war and strife

The French invasion threaten'd life

An' all was armed to the knife

The Fisherman hung the monkey O !

The Fishermen with courage high,

Seized on the monkey for a French spy;

"Hang him !" says one; "he's to die"

They did and they hung the monkey Oh!

They tried every means to make him speak

And tortured the monkey till loud he did speak;

Says yen "thats French" says another "its Greek"

For the fishermen had got druncky oh!