The new season is still someway away so I thought I'd take the opportunity to slip in some stories to help the time pass from the pending tray. Today we go back the golden age of travel and the steam train.

So if you have a few moments, all aboard.

Willie Evans, who once played so well in front of the English selectors that he was selected to play for the country, at which point he informed them he was Welsh and proud of it.

Willie another Welsh wizard who started down the pits before being rescued and becoming a footballer at Tottenham.

The events covered in this mini-series follow on from those described in ‘A Victorian Hotspur’. As we turn our attention on to the years that followed Tottenham’s move from the Marshes to the first private enclosure at the Northumberland Park ground, commonly known as the ‘The Park.’

Taking a break from from all that very serious stuff its time for the commercials but before you rush outside to make the tea lets have a look at what the club and its players have got up to over the years in another set of adverts and related commercial activities.

And there are a couple of ads that got banned !

Before the 2016 games we featured a two part look at Spurs and the Olympics. Now in a third brief episode we reveal a few more links that have come to light from across the years including a certain Mauricio Pochettino and another White Hart Lane link from the only sporting event that can compare with the World Cup.
As well as a look back at the Tottenham connection to the Rio games held last year.

There are a whole host of great images and stories out there in the World of Hotspur begging for your attention. Having carefully reviewed your feedback, today I'm launching Planet Spurs. This will act as a vehicle to deliver them to you in a quick and hopefully entertaining manner. We start with a fantastic picture you wont have seen before, a legend talks about his mother, The Lane that wasn't and there is an appeal. That's just for starters alongside some lovely pics  for your delight.

In this concluding part of the series we discover how Spurs moved away from the Marshes and uncover its first cup controversy. We also meet a club from south of the river whilst Luton have a problem with our size of our players.
The following season 1886-87 and the ambitious Spurs entered the London Association Cup, even though they were advised to enter the Junior Cup, and lost away to the holders in the first round at Upton Park (no relation to West Ham).

They say its a whole new ball game and in this case the game is cricket.  We take a look around some of the links to the summer game and Tottenham.

This picture shows Bill Nicholson and Arsenal manager Bertie Mee umpiring a cricket match between their two sides in 1973 at Finsbury Park.

Earlier in the year we featured The Art of Tottenham and the Art of White Hart Lane looking at various art interpretations of both subjects and you seemed to have enjoyed them so I've gathered together some more works of art from the World of Hotspur to help pass those long summer days in between mind boggling news stories, with just dash of trivia.

Gareth Bale one of a long line of Welsh Wizards to have played for Tottenham.

Currently one of the most famous footballers in the world. He was a Spurs player for six seasons and we take look back at his "Tottenham years" in his incredible career to date.

The end of the 1884/85 season brought about a very important change for Hotspurs. At that time another club was using a similar name and some of their post had been directed to Sam Casey who was acting as the sectary. It was agreed to avoid further confusion that the word Tottenham would be added to Hotspur for the coming season.

A special relaxing Talking Tottenham as we take a few minutes from the ceaseless newspaper fabrications to admire the garden.

All the picture's included here I've either stumbled over or you have sent in. Lets start with this glorious piece of art. I cant tell you who the artist was but don't you just want one.
As usual I've added in some trivia bits to round things off.

This mini-series of ‘A Victorian Hotspur’ takes the story of Hotspur football club from the events described in ‘Hotspur by Gaslight’ on and off the pitch and covers the next five years during which period the Spurs played on Tottenham Marshes.
Sensing the need for an adult hand on the tiller the boys approached John Ripsher and asked for his help in ensuring the clubs stability and putting them on to a permanent footing.

Left - William (Billy) Hartson, who served the club for more than 50 years.

Throughout the last season Tottenham played at White Hart Lane we placed milestones along the way recalling events to celebrate the stadiums amazing history, ranging from the end of the 19th century through to those last days. Here we reach part 3 of those collected snapshots in time.
So long long ago in a football stadium far far away…..

With the focus moving to international games during the summer break we turn the spotlight on to the oldest international fixture in the world which is revived this week and its Tottenham connections. 

As Hotspur FC reached the end of its first season a number in the spring of 1883 some of the lads were disheartened with having to fight to protect a pitch on Tottenham Marshes they had marked out each week. It was clear that if the fledgling Hotspur was to survive they required adult support and guidance and they turned to a figure they knew well.  He ran bible classes at All Hallows Church which they attended and where the father of two of the boys was a church warden.  A chap called John Ripsher.

Every Picture is where we gather various Spurs images from across the ages and give them another deserved ran-out. Hopefully some will be new to you

We start this set with Hugo Lloris keeping a close eye on things.

Few things are certain in life, one of them is that as the autumn nights turn to dusk and the light becomes too poor to continue playing you will find two things under a lamppost both drawn by the last light.
The first are night time insects the other is schoolboys putting off returning home after an evening’s play.

Thus it was in the late summer 1882 a group of school friends slowly wound their way up Marsh Lane from the level crossing at Northumberland Park Station towards Tottenham High Road.

Next week sees us launch a new miniseries, ‘A Victorian Hotspur’ which is preceded by tomorrows ‘Hotspur by Gaslight’ The series will take us right back to the very beginnings and look at the first six years of Tottenham’s existence when they played on Tottenham Marshes. It’s an adventure that takes us from lampposts via bible classes to fisticuffs with some football along the way.

I know the season is over and you finally decided to get round to those jobs you have been putting off for the last nine months, like talk to the family. Then there is that list of jobs, one, fix new front door?

A little summer fun before the serious stuff kicks in. As usual I've slipped in some trivia to amaze your friends with (and fill the gaps).