I HAVE to start this week with a natter about the weekend in Brive.

It was very hard work for us media chaps (honest!) Up at 5.15 on Saturday to do the Breakfast Show. Up on Sunday for the Bradders Show, covering the game and so on.

But I have to say we did have a few moments to meet the locals and exchange cultural differences.

Brive's a lovely town. It reminded me of some of the Welsh border towns, lots of very helpful and friendly people. The Saturday market's one to be seen, and I'd be very happy to go there again.

Lots of Warriors fans made the trip as well. Some drove, some flew, some sailed. We even spoke to a guy who'd listened to our Breakfast Show on Saturday morning, then flew in a private plane from Wolverhampton, just to get to the game.

The game, it has to be said, was a bit of an anti-climax. The Warriors were beaten by a very good side.

The locals were very welcoming and, from our broadcasting point of view, the folks from the local tourist board were fantastic - and Bruno allowed us to take over his bar for the weekend, even opening on Sunday morning, when he usually has the day off.

Some old guy has my Warriors hat, I have his Brive one. Much chat in all sorts of languages, some French , some English, some intelligible but, all in all, a cracking weekend.

It always looks a bit surreal walking down a street in the middle of France to be approached by three blokes wearing Warriors shirts.

Italy next. Not sure if we'll get there, but it won't be for the lack of trying!

Still on a sporting front, I was well-happy, as they say, when the Boston Red Sox won baseball's World Series, last week, for the first time in 86 years.

We went to Boston a few years ago and saw the mighty Red Sox play at the legendary Fenway Park. I've been a fan ever since.

There are those who decry baseball as rounders for men but, trust me, it's a very skilful and very tactical game.

Anyway the win means they've broken the Curse of the Babe. It all goes back to the time Babe Ruth was sold by the Red Sox to the Yankees, their bitter enemy, 86 years ago.

They never won the World Series from that day... until last week.

Bonfire night tonight. My boss was in the mood for it this week. He gave me a rocket!