Points in the bag (at last)

Spurs 4 Wigan 0

Well I may have been at the Lane today if I hadn't forgotten to buy tickets! Damn.
Anyway, I've just watched the highlights and was very pleased with what I saw.

The first goal was created by Keane for Jenas to tap it in on the line. JJ got his second, latching onto a long pass from Berbatov, going around the goalkeeper and beating the defender on the line. He made it look so simple.

For the third, Robinson picked out Berbatov with an 80-yard clearance, who controlled and flicked the ball back over Kilbane before laying back to Lennon who flicked up and volleyed across Kirkland into the corner from 20 yards. Only 34 minutes gone and cruising!

Spurs displayed some wonderful one touch football and Jenas should've had his hatrick but somehow put it into the side netting from a few yards out.

In the second half, more fabulous one touch play and Jenas puts it in the net but ruled correctly offside. JJ then put a through ball into Bent's feet and he slotted it home on 72 minutes.

Zokora, still looking for his first Spurs goal made a surging run and had a chance, but it was fingertipped away by Kirkland. Oh so close! Another great chance followed when Berbatov hit the post, and was followed up by Kaboul who also hit the woodwork.

I don't know whether the players have taken performance enhancing drugs but they looked a different team today. The movement, pace, passing and all round enthusiasm was so much better and looked like the Spurs of last season. Berbatov, after releasing a press statement two days ago seemed to be rejuvenated, like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. Thank God he's back.

I don't want to count my chickens and all that as this is only our second league win of the season, and both were 4-0 against poor opposition. Wigan were very poor and obviously made Spurs look good, but hopefully, this is the confidence boost they needed and they can drive on from here, notching up a few good results.

Hoorah and huge relief too!

Sunday thru Friday...(this & that)

So how many people do you have in the house at breakfast time? Well normally it would just be you and your immediate family. However, this is not a normal house and last Sunday we had 6 adults and 5 kids over for breakfast. John's brother Paul came down from Derbyshire for the weekend with his two girls Yas and Ellis. Chris and Sandy had their friend and her son over from Florida and so they joined us, together with their own little ones Joey and Jennifer.
Trying to cook and serve fry ups to each individual's requirements was mayhem as you can imagine but things like that don't phase John or myself. It's a different way to start the day.

Monday was my first day back at work after almost six months. It certainly felt weird. My new desk and chair were waiting for me but I couldn't do much on the system because I needed all my codes resetting etc. I got sent on a presentation for an hour to kill some time - that was a yawn a minute; do I really care how HSBC are doing?! My rehab hours were Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9am-1pm that week. Next week will be fours days of four hours and that will gradually build up until I'm full time again. I'm seriously thinking about going part time because I don't know whether I can face working every day anymore, especially with my back problems. I have to think about my health above everything else now.

Thursday afternoon saw Spurs play Hapoel Tel Aviv in the UEFA Cup. Usually I would put this in a separate blog entry but it's not honestly worth it. The game was so sluggish and lacking in entertainment, there's not a lot I can say! At least we won 0-2 I suppose. What kept me awake was providing commentary to my friend Paula over msn as she was at work.

Friday after work I went straight round my Mum's as she was looking after Ronnie. I played with him all afternoon but then he went all weird about the old photographs on the wall behind the sofa. He got all scared and wouldn't come in the living room at all unless he closed his eyes, and at one point he was hanging on to me for dear life. Bless. I took down the photo his eyes seemed to be averting to but he still didn't like it. Very strange because Ronnie's obviously been round my Mum's many times and has never reacted like that before. I wonder how he'll be on his next visit?

I don't have anything planned for this weekend; just chilling out as a couch potato I think!

That elusive second win

Boro 1 Spurs 1 (Bent 35)

I couldn't get the live stream to work on the internet so had to resort to listening to this one on the radio. I wasn't missing much; sounded pretty dull and this was confirmed by Phil Thompson's reports on Gillette Soccer Saturday. Not much has changed there then!

New manager Juande Ramos bravely picked Bent and Defoe up front as opposed to the more familiar partnership of Keane and Berbatov and also gave Kevin Prince Boateng his first league start of the season. Given that he has only been in the country just over a week, I guess he will want to try out a few players and assess what his best team is. The full lineup: Robinson, Chimbonda, Kaboul, Dawson, Lee, Malbranque, Jenas, Boateng, Lennon, Bent, Defoe.

There is hardly anything to report from the game, and the Match of the Day highlights were very brief. You've got to say that Luke Young's equaliser for Boro was a 'screamer' - no keeper in the world would save that one. There were a few good goals around today, including another long range 'screamer' from Noe Pamarot of Portsmouth. Hard to choose from those two if the 'Goal of the month' competition was still going.

So just the one point (again) but dare we get carried away with the fact that we move up to 17th and out of the relegation zone?!!

2 today!

Happy 2nd birthday to my little nephew Ronnie. I can't believe how time has flown but he is now at the cutest age possible. I saw him for most of the day yesterday whilst my Mum was looking after him. He opened his presents then as the family are on their way to Wales today for the weekend. My Bob the Builder book and remote control fire engine were hits; Ronnie loves anything that has a siren. Dee-dah, dee-dah he's always saying and runs to the window when he hears one! His vocabulary for his age is astounding - everything you say he can repeat, no matter how many syllables. Ronnie has such an adorable character and is such a good boy, hardly ever crying. One of his favourite other things are balls. You'll always see him carrying one around and his kicking and throwing are amazing for such a little boy. Of course, I try and wind my brother up (who supports Liverpool), getting Ronnie to say 'Come On You Spurs'!

The pic of him is fairly recent and always makes me smile. Curls run in my Dad's side on the family. When you see the pics of Dad as a toddler and also my brother growing up, the similarity is uncanny.

Phew!

Spurs 2 Blackpool 0 (Carling Cup)

Goals from Robbie Keane and Pascal Chimbonda this Hallowe'en meant no nightmarish result tonight and therefore sealed our place in the last eight of the tournament. Ramos' first match in charge is a good one, although Spurs should never have been in danger of losing it. The difficult task now is to avoid Chelsea, Liverpool and the Arse in the next round. Hmmm....

No-one puts Baby in a corner

John, my mum and myself went to the West End last night to see the stage version of Dirty Dancing. My ticket was my birthday present from John, Mum's ticket was a birthday present from me and John's one was just the one he bought for himself. We only just made it in time as we had to make three changes on the tube, but we had good seats eight rows from the front.

I was dreading this show being as poor as Grease but thank heaven it wasn't. Unlike the afore mentioned, Dirty Dancing was produced much better and followed the script and scenes more or less exactly the same as the film. It was a tiny theatre, as was the stage but they made good use of the space with a variety of props and scenery. I said to John before it started, 'I wonder how they'll do the log scene'. Well down came a log from the side of the stage which looked very real, but I doubt it could be bearing in mind the weight. They had a video background of a river and it looked effective. The actor who played Johnny had a fit body (see pic) and he certainly got the girls going! The actress playing Baby was as close a likeness you're ever likely to see. You wouldn't think so looking at her in the programme but with her hair styled like Jennifer Grey's and with a figure exactly the same, it was a very good match. (I don't think the girl in the pic is her). All the songs that feature in the film were played in sequence but maybe a couple of criticisms: not enough live singing and dirty dancing! The end was great. When Johnny returned and said 'No-one puts Baby in a corner' there was huge applause. And then there was the moment when they did the lift.

I wouldn't say it's one of the best musicals I've seen, but it's definitely worth a night out.

Could it get any worse?

Spurs 1 Blackburn 2

Team line-up: Cerny, Chimbonda, Dawson, Kaboul, Lee, Malbranque (Bent), Huddlestone, Zokora, Lennon, Berbatov (Defoe), Keane

It was a wet and dismal day in North London and my third outing to the Lane so far this season. After Thursday's tragic events, I didn't think it could get any worse. A winner in injury time gave Blackburn the points and leaves Spurs still struggling in the relegation zone. The team talk before the game may as well be 'Go one up, have the majority of the possession, get the crowd going then let in an equaliser. Carry on having good possession but then in the last ten minutes let the opposition into the game and don't bother to tackle anymore or close the ball down. Then be patient, wait and wait some more, until the 4th official has held up the added three minutes sign, then BAM let them score a winner'! I can't help the sarcasm; it may as well have been a script as this is the result we have grown accustomed to.

I would like to add some positives (because otherwise I might kill myself). 'STEED MALBRANQUE, YOU ARE A TROOPER'. Always giving 100%, battling, tackling, one-twos, running at players - he is an inspiration and if only all 11 players on the pitch would give their all like he does. Get hin in the middle of the park where he can really play and get rid of Huddlestone who was useless today. Aaron Lennon is starting to look like the player he was last season and at last Michael Dawson had a pretty decent match after a very dodgy start to the season. He was awarded a cheque for £30,000 today for his contribution last season - well deserved Michael.

'Ramos is in the building' as it were. Man, he has one hell of a job to do, I almost feel sorry for him! Blackpool in the Carling Cup on Wednesday should be a formality but hey, we're talking Spurs so hold on to your hats!

COYS....whatever.

I love Martin Jol, Martin Jol loves me

Spurs 1 Getafe 2 UEFA Cup

I don't have the energy or the words about the result. It's only the second time in 55 years of European football that Spurs have lost a game at home.

The resounding news from tonight is that Martin Jol handed in his resignation before the game started. Everyone knew it was coming; it was inevitable the way Spurs have played this season. I'm sitting here having wiped the tears away from my eyes, but thankful at least that he wasn't sacked - although he could've been pushed by the board who have been less than professional and underhand. That smirk by Daniel Levy after Getafe scored the second goal appeared sly and that makes me feel sick to the stomach. Whoever leaked this news to the press wants shooting as the fans obviously got wind of it and the players must have been affected during the game.

I want to pay tribute to the man who brought smiles back to the Lane. Martin joined the club in November 2004 and the last two seasons, finished 5th in the league which ensured Spurs were back in Europe. He is loved by the fans because of his honesty, integrity, sense of humour and being a true gent. This really is a sad day for Tottenham Hotspur, but would like to wish Martin well in his next job, which will presumably be back in his homeland. I don't suppose lined-up manager Ramos will be welcomed with open arms, having never managed a English club and barely speaking the language, but we need the results desperately, so I hope for the team's sake, things will start to come together. It's hard to believe the change in the performance from last season to this, especially having sent £40m on players.

Anyway, just wanted to add some pictures of the great man and say farewell and thanks. Big Martin Jol will certainly not be forgotten.



A priceless moment beating Chelsea 2-1. Remember remember the 5th of November




Addressing the fans on the season finale 2006/07



And finally, you can hold your head up high MJ. You did us proud.

It's all doom and gloom

Newcastle 3 Spurs 1

Team line-up: Cerny, Chimbonda, Dawson, Kaboul, Lee, Malbranque (Berbatov), Jenas, Zokora, Bale (Tainio), Keane, Bent (Lennon)

I'm not going to beat around the bush - it was another terrible performance; Spurs basically failed to turn up. I'm not even going to summarise the game because it's really slim pickings.

I used to get really excited about every match with butterflies in my stomach, but after the dreadful start this season, I just don't feel that emotion anymore. I hope it will return quickly because football is a huge part of my life and I hate feeling like this. At the moment, I can't see any glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel and wouldn't be surprised if we stay at the bottom end of the table all season. As you can tell, all my optimism has evaporated.

The Toon Army were singing 'you'll be getting the sack in the morning' at Martin Jol which is below the belt, but I don't know for how many more games he can hang on to his job.

Le Weekend

With just a day to tidy the house and get organised after coming back from holiday, we had friends Debs and Mick to stay with us for the weekend. They arrived Friday afternoon and we soon settled down to some chat and games on the Nintendo wii and a sports quiz on Buzz, either side of dinner. It was a good laugh. On Saturday, we had a surprise planned for our guests - tickets to see We Will Rock You in London. We got the train and tube to Tottenham Court Road, found the pub called The Tottenham which we'd been in before and is very appropriate for a bunch of Spurs supporters. We had over an hour to kill before the matinee performance and so propped up the bar. Then we crossed the road to the theatre and walked through the doors, which was the point at which Debs and Mick found out what the mystery was. It's the third time John and I have seen it and has become my favourite show. It was a mostly different cast from last time (presumably because it was the matinee) and although I thought the actors weren't quite as good as the others, it was still hugely enjoyable again. It was spoiled a little by the fact that Debs' mobile phone disappeared - maybe pick pocketed at some stage during the interval when we popped over to the pub. She gave her details to the theatre in case it showed up and as there was an o2 shop just opposite, Debs had the phone stopped. Shame.

When we got home, John fixed us a bite to eat and we sat down to watch the rugby world cup final between England and South Africa. Not a very memorable match and unfortunately South Africa beat us 15-6. However, there was a very debatable try ruled out for England where the officials looked to the video playback for confirmation. Mark Cueto's foot was adjudged to have touched the sideline before he placed the ball down but they took ages to come to this conclusion. It was a cruel blow and England failed to recover from that. Despite the loss, we should still feel proud of the lads for getting to the final which looked a hugely unlikely prospect at the start of the tournament.

After another of John's hearty breakfasts (although tamed down a bit upon request) Debs and Mick left for the long journey home about 10:45. We really enjoyed their company and it was nice to spend longer than an hour with them, which is the usual stint before a Spurs match.

During the next few hours, John and I caught up with some TV programmes recorded from Saturday night. Late afternoon, Chris, Sandy and the children popped in. Chris was called upon to look at my laptop which has suddenly stopped connecting to the internet. Seems there is nothing his expertise could do and a new network card is in order. Late evening, I caught up with Paula on msn. I'd missed our chats whilst I'd been away and I didn't get to bed until almost 1am. I like to be busy but tomorrow I will have a day off.

Sicily

Flight - check. Passports - check. Luggage - check. Car hire - check. First 2 nights' accommodation - check. The rest of the schedule was down to us. Eight days in Sicily, home of the mafia.

For the record, Ryanair were virtually on time there and back - amazing in itself! AND....we went to the right airport this time! :-)

Our starting position was the capital of Palermo. Bustling, manic, noisy. You have never seen driving and parking like it unless you have been to places like Cairo and Bangkok. There are tow away signs everywhere but no-one gives a damn; if there's a space you get in it. Even if there's only room for half a car, they park it with the bonnet facing the pavement! Every corner is occupied too. We soon learned that zebra crossings are not for pedestrians because cars just don't stop - it really is scary and you fear for your life.

The accommodation here was cheap and basic but that doesn't bother me as long as there's a bed, somewhere to wash and it's clean. Something else we quickly learned as well, is that breakfast in Sicily is nothing like ours - certainly at 2-3 star hotels anyway. It's pretty much a croissant or roll with jam, and a cup of tea or coffee. I was gagging for some cereal and fruit.

The city of Palermo has plenty of interesting sites but you'd have problems finding them unless you were equipped with a guide book as we were. I never go away without my Eyewitness Guide to wherever - they really are a travel bible. One place that did beat us though (because the guide book didn't give the number in the street) was the Cripta dei Cappuccini which contain catacombs with embalmed bodies and skeletons. The catacombs we visited in Paris were fantastic and full of bones so I was eager to see if this one was any good. Am I weird or what?

Half way through day two, we had travelled along the northern coast to Cefalu. This was an old town with a beach - not a great one but enough to relax on for an hour or so. We picked a large beach front hotel which cost 140 Euro for the night which was by far our biggest single expense of the trip. John got into an argument with one of the staff because the air-con wasn't working and the temperature in the room was 26 degrees. He was trying to come up with a long winded story but ultimately the air-con was broken in the hotel which he did eventually admit to. If they'd just apologised and told the truth you could accept it, so why try and lie? John attempted to get a discount on the room price but they said it wasn't their problem, it was ours and maybe we should find a hotel where the air-con was working!! Nice huh? John wanted to speak to the manager who conveniently wasn't there and was given a number to call. It was answered by someone who didn't understand John and so they hung up! I just opened the windows really wide and the room did cool down after a couple of hours so it was okay but it was the principle of the matter that annoyed us.

After wandering around Cefalu for a while, the storm clouds started to gather and it got very dark. We took coverage in an archway which led to the sea and just sat and watched the lightning. A bit of a mistake really because if we'd left to return to the hotel BEFORE it started raining, we wouldn't have been sitting there for quite the length of time we did! Boy, did it pee down! You don't go to Sicily in October without an umbrella that's for sure - I took mine and we also bought another smaller one in the market in Palermo.

Day three was spent driving to various spots, still on the northern coastline. We always like to take the scenic route wherever we are but I think it was a mistake in this case because the road we ended up on was so windy and hilly, I was feeling really sick. Motorways in future! By the end of it, we had arrived in Taomina which lies on the north east coast. What a beautiful place it was too! So this is where all the tourists are hiding. It's set very high up on the side of a large peak with the beach down below, and stunning views all around. We arrived after dark but you could still see how lovely it was. The hotel which we found in the guide book was full up so they redirected us to one almost opposite which was fine and only 100 Euro per night. We decided to stay two because there seemed to be quite a bit to see and do. Again, a very basic room but very clean and comfortable and it even had a large balcony. This was my favourite hotel as it felt homely, and the staff were so so nice and all spoke fluent English. John even went and bought a bottle of wine for the older guy there as he couldn't have been more helpful.

The Greek amphitheatre in Taomina has a great backdrop: Mount Etna. On a clear day (which we had) it was a great view. The following day however was very overcast and ruined our drive up Etna. It started raining as we were actually in the cloud, and it was freezing. We took a few snaps anyway as a memento of being there and took a few bits of lava rock as well. On the way down, we spotted a house which has been covered in lava up to the roof so we investigated that and again, took a few pics. Our next point of call was Siracusa on the south-east coast. Driving into it, it was like a building site or somewhere that had been involved in the Blitz. There were a few things to do according to the guide book so we did stick around and I'm glad we did, because when we eventually started looking for a hotel late afternoon, we found ourselves in a much better part of the town called Ortygia. Later when we went walkabout before dinner, we discovered some delightful piazzas with gorgeous buildings and fountains. Goes to show you can never judge a book by its cover - there are always treasures hidden away.

On the morning of day six, we went and photographed the places we'd seen last night. Oh and I must say, the hotel we stayed in was an amazing building: 'Palazza something or other' - basically a former palace converted into accommodation, and the lobby area and ground floor looked like a museum. On the road again, we had to head back the way we came for the quickest route on the motorway down to the south of the island. This route took us back towards Mount Etna and as the day was glorious with cloudless skies, the view of it was so incredibly clear. I said John that we have to go back as this would be our only chance (bearing in mind we rarely go return to the same destination). So we did and it paid off as we saw Etna bellowing out smoke. You can drive the car up so far and then there is an option to take the cable car up to the next level, where you can get a tour guide to take you to the summit in a jeep. Unfortunately, this wasn't really an option for me as I didn't have appropriate clothing for the temperature. However, I would have loved to have experienced it as I'm fascinated with volcanoes. One day I hope to see one erupting and maybe fly over it - don't suppose it'll happen though.

Onwards then to one of the other biggest sites of Sicily: Valle dei Templi. This is a line of Greek monuments in ruins, but probably some of the most complete looking ruins I've ever seen. It was a lovely walk as the sun was still beaming down and we were happy snapping away on our cameras.

Day seven was the least enjoyable. We visited some more ruins in the morning which were okay but not a patch on Valle dei Templi. There's not an awful lot to do in the North West of the island so it was a bit uneventful, and we ended up in the largest city there called Trapani. Gawd, what a dump. It's mainly a large shipping port with little tourist attraction and despite wandering around for a couple of hours, couldn't find anything worth looking at. We ended up back at the hotel room at 5-ish and had a bit of a snooze and a read. Three hours later, my tummy said it was time to eat so we set off in search of a restaurant. This was an impossible task as the streets were almost deserted and although we found one place fairly nearby, we couldn't understand anything on the menu and so walked on by. We actually ended up back at the hotel asking reception where we could eat! He pointed us in the direction of the road running alongside the port and we found a strange place that I can't even describe. Again, we couldn't read the menu (I forgot the phrase book) but a kind lady on the next table stepped in and helped.

We were glad to get out of the city the next morning (our last day). A few miles up the road was a small town called Erice. It was set high up on a mountain side and the roads were very windy.
Oh my, what a little gem of a place this was though. Absolutely breathtaking! The castle sat around panoramic views of the coast and also Trapani, which looked so much better from a distance! You could see they took pride in the place; it was spotless not like most of the places we'd visited. Erice has tiny little cobbled streets, cute piazzas and souvenir shops. We sat down for elevenses and with the crumbs I had left I fed the white doves out of my hand; one brave one kept flying up onto my hand which I was thrilled about - well, you know me and animals!

Another few miles around the coast was Golgo di Castellammare and there was a great view point over the harbour and beach in the distance. When we got down to it, it was a fairly nice fishing village and I particularly love taking pictures of boats. We moved on to the beach which was one of the biggest and nicest we'd seen all week, however, they are all spoiled by the litter which is left on them. The Italians really don't give a monkeys about rubbish; it's everywhere. Cigarette butts, plastic bottles and other crap - we even witnessed a driver chucking several bits of rubbish out of his car. It's not even my country but it wound me up big time. It wouldn't take any time at all to clear it up; in fact I said to John that I would volunteer to do it! Anyway we spent a couple of hours on the beach chilling out, reading, having a paddle, listening to music before the sun got hazy and it cooled down. We only had approximately three more hours until we needed to be at the airport so we ended up driving around aimlessly trying to find another suitable town to have something to eat. We didn't want to go right the way back into Palermo so stayed around the airport area; we tried a town called Carini but when we got out of the car and walked around a bit, we discovered it was bustling with locals and there were absolutely no tourists about - we felt very isolated and foreign! I guess that was why it wasn't mentioned in the guide book! We ended up stopping an an New York pizza place which is a bit ironic when you consider pizza is Italian but nevertheless it was clean and somewhere just to fill our faces before leaving for home.

We arrived at Stansted to crisp clear weather but a bit of a shock when you've been lying on a beach a few hours earlier. We got home just after 1am.

All in all, it was a nice break and Sicily had plenty of variety. The weather was mostly warm and sunny (70-75 degrees). However, I can't see me ever going back when there are so many more places to discover.

James's christening

At noon today, we attended St Mary's Methodist church, Benfleet, for the baptsim of my cousin's little boy James. It was a fairly long affair, with two families being dealt with simultaneously. The reverend was female and American and didn't seem to have a clue. Most of the words of the service were up on a screen which she was following as well as the congregation - surely she should know it off by heart? At one stage there was a long pregnant pause while she tried to find a verse from the bible.

This baptism was like no other I'd been to. At one stage, she had three adults and all the children up to the font area, had James's older brother Thomas dress up as a Queen's guard and used it as a metaphor to prevent the children from getting to Jesus; the moral of the story being that Jesus always encouraged children to come to him ??? (but I could be wrong because it was all a bit odd)! James won't let strangers near him (he's a toddler) so the reverend baptised him whilst still in his mum's arms.

Everyone went back to Janet and Lee's afterwards. They had caterers in and we were fed with canapes and finger food on trays, which must've cost them a fortune. Not enough veggie stuff for me though but I don't eat much at lunchtime so it didn't matter. I did need something to soak up the wine though - I don't usually drink it but decided to have a glass of rose which went straight to my head.

The kids had plenty to do. Lee has built a fort in the garden which is brilliant, and as well as slides, swings, bikes etc, the football was well used. Yes yes, I joined in - can I ever resist?! A children's entertainer was also hired which the adults muscled in on as well.

All in all it was a nice afternoon.

Failure to hold on again

Spurs 2 Liverpool 2

Team line-up: Robinson, Lee, Dawson, Kaboul, Chimbonda, Bale, Jenas, Tainio, Zokora, Berbatov, Keane.

Another story of so close but yet so far. How many times do Spurs fail to hang on to a lead? Too many.

I can at least say that the Berba Keano partnership is back - both goals were provided by the Bulgarian for Robbie to score, one either side of half time. I love the photo captured here - is there an invisible trampoline underneath Keano?

Unfortunately, further questions have to be asked about Robinson. Liverpool's first goal was as a result of him not being able to hold the ball when it rebounded off his body. He made another mistake later in the game but Dawson saved his blushes with that one, kicking the ball clear.

Spurs were just one minute away from the end of added time when their achilles heel struck again. A long cross to the far post and Torres lept higher than both Dawson and Chimbonda to beat Robinson with a downward header at his near side. I just knew it was going to happen because Spurs haven't beaten the top four teams away from home in fourteen years. The only positive is that I was certain Liverpool would win so at least we achieved one point. With Fulham losing, that takes us out of the relegation zone! Played 9 Points 7. Oh bugger.

I loved Robbie's attitude after the game where he was asked about Martin Jol's position. He looked peeved with the interviewer and basically said he was fed up with the continued questioning about his manager. Good on ya Rob!

Grease isn't the word

Last night, John and I went to the West End to see Grease at the Piccadilly theatre. On the way, we are pretty sure we brushed past Pete Doherty. If it wasn't him it was a very good impersonator because the clothes and hat looked right, he was definitely drunk, and he had just come out of a record shop. Anyway, nothing to get excited about is it? He's just a druggy pisshead claiming to be a musician.

After having something to eat, we sat ourselves down for the 8:30 performance. This was delayed 15 minutes because someone in the Royal Circle had taken a tumble. I'm not surprised as the seats are jam packed together and there's no leg room at all. To make things worse, it was so so hot in there. I find this is a trend with all the theatres I've been in - I'm not usually a fan of air-conditioning but it needed some desperately.

I had really been looking forward to the show but oh what a let down it was! It starred Susan McFadden and Danny Bayne who won the TV show 'Grease is the word' but they didn't really stand out as the main characters. Of course, you can't help but make comparisons to the film, but even to do that would be a insult. You're never going to get a better Danny and Sandy than John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John anywhere or anytime in the future. I could count on one hand how many lines of dialogue they actually took from the film - what they replaced it with wasn't funny and it wasn't acted particularly well. The actress who played Marty used a really irritating voice and I felt like strangling her but the guy who played Eugene (the geek) was mildly amusing. The story didn't flow and the scenes were all different to the film as well, for example when they performed 'You're the one that I want' at the end, it took place in a diner instead of at the fairground. Just so that it's not all negativity, most of the songs were performed well.

This is not a show I would recommend, unless you've never seen anything else. I certainly wouldn't go again. Never mind; you can't win 'em all.

Dull but through

Famagusta 1 Spurs 1

Team line-up: Robinson, Lee, Gardner, Stalteri, Dawson, Malbranque, Boateng, Huddlestone, Zokora, Defoe, Bent

Unsurprisingly Martin Jol made huge changes to the team, who were already 6-1 up from the first leg. Spurs fans have been calling for Kevin-Prince Boateng to make an appearance for many a week now, and after all the hype, boy what a disappointment he was. The entire game was dull, dull, dull and I could hardly be bothered to watch.

Spurs should have been two or three goals to the good in the first half but Defoe couldn't find the space between the posts.

The home side took the lead in the 54th minute although it was blatant handball, but none of the officials spotted it. Robbo received a yellow card for complaining. Following the introduction of Keane and Bale, suddenly there was a bit more energy and after four minutes of being on the pitch, Robbie converted a move involving Bale and Bent.

Although overall Spurs went through 7-2 winners, the performances are still lacking a great deal. At the moment I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Happy birthday to me!

Well another birthday has come and gone - only one year until the big 4 0. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!
It was quite uneventful for most of the day as I spent it on my own but my lovely pal Alice came round straight from work at 5:30 with cards and presents from her and the office. It was lovely to see her and cheered me up no end. My sis-in-law Tina came round early evening with the three kids and my parents a short time after. Gifts included £35 in cash, a £10 Next voucher, some flowers, a handbag, some makeup, Body Shop stuff, a necklace, 'The Pursuit of Happyness' dvd, a stadium tour of White Hart Lane and a Dirty Dancing theatre ticket.
I had loads of messages on myspace wishing me a good day, a few texts and emails too. I won't be going out until Friday when me and John will be going up to the West End for a meal and then onto the theatre to see 'Grease'.

Proud to be British

This 'information' has been banded about on emails for years and years and always makes me chuckle, so I decided to add it to my blog.

Being British is…

...about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian
beer, then travelling home, grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab on the way, to sit on Swedish furniture and watch American shows on a Japanese TV.

And the most British thing of all? Suspicion of all things foreign!

Only in Britain can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.

Only in Britain do supermarkets make sick people walk all the way to the
back of the shop to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy
cigarettes at the front.

Only in Britain do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries and a DIET coke.

Only in Britain do banks leave both doors open and chain the pens to the counters.

Only in Britain do we leave cars worth thousands of pounds on the drive and lock our junk and cheap lawn mower in the garage.

Only in Britain do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place.

Only in Britain are there disabled parking places in front of a skating rink.

NOT TO MENTION BRITAIN IN NUMBERS..

3 Brits die each year testing if a 9v battery works on their tongue.
142 Brits were injured in 1999 by not removing all pins from new shirts.

58 Brits are injured each year by using sharp knives instead of
screwdrivers.

31 Brits have died since 1996 by watering their Christmas tree while the
fairy lights were plugged in.

19 Brits have died in the last 3 years believing that Christmas decorations were chocolate.

British Hospitals reported 4 broken arms last year after Xmas
cracker-pulling accidents.

18 Brits had serious burns in 2000 trying on a new jumper with a lit
cigarette in their mouth.

A massive 543 Brits were admitted to A&E in the last two years after trying to open bottles of beer with their teeth.

5 Brits were injured last year in accidents involving out-of-control
Scalextric cars.

and finally...

In 2000 eight Brits were admitted to hospital with fractured skulls incurred whilst throwing up into the toilet.

The perfect couple?

I just watched back 'Celebrity Wife Swap' from Sunday night, which featured Pete Burns and his husband Michael Simpson and ex-footballer Neil 'Razor' Ruddock and glamour model partner Leah Newman.

You probably couldn't pick two more different people to become a couple but surprisingly there were no really heated arguments. Since giving up football, Razor has become a total slob, sleeping all the time, boozing down the pub and basically doing nothing around the house else despite having a six month old baby.

Pete, notoriously outspoken and set in his ways, was surprisingly willing to take Leah's roll as a mother and general dog's body with no complaints, although he did have to call on the grandparents a couple of times.

If ever this programme was needed to sort out a relationship, this was it. Poor Leah was left with virtually no life and a partner who didn't appear to give a damn. Pete and Michael have the most loving and romantic relationship I think I have ever seen and lessons were definitely learned from their example. They would certainly make good marriage councillors.

Police camera action!

A male and female PC just called round as there were two burglaries in the street in the early hours of 30 September, one next door and one at number 55. They were enquiring whether anyone had seen anything and after advising them that we have CCTV, they asked whether we could check it for anything suspicious. Anyway, in the middle of conversation, my front door slammed shut as a result of the back door being open (I was in the middle of putting some recycling in the sacks at the time the doorbell rang). Oh shit! Not the first time this has happened. I went over to Maria's to see if she was in as she has a spare key. Bugger. No answer. I asked the male PC whether he could get over the side gate and let me in. Bless him - he used the metal barrow that was in the alley to climb over the gate which is really high; there are no horizontal slats on it for your feet. I said to him 'I bet you didn't think you'd end up doing that when you came round'!! Very nice people actually and they took my name/number and I also gave them Maria and John's number and suggested they call there later as they also have CCTV. Hopefully we will find something on there which will be of use to the police. This road has seen quite a bit of crime since we've been here; hence our house being fixed with an alarm, cameras and safes.

Happy 125th birthday!

Spurs 4 Villa 4

After meeting Debs and Mick at the Bell & Hare for an hour before the game, John and I took our seats in the stadium at 7:30. Every fan had been given a special 125th anniversary flag which was nice and when the entire White Hart Lane crowd was prompted to wave theirs, it was a spectacular sight. Fifteen minutes before kick off, a huge amount of Spurs legends ranging from the 50s to (almost the) current day, were introduced to the fans to cheers and applause. These included Pat Jennings, Dave Mackay, Martin Chivers, David Ginola, Glenn Hoddle, Martin Peters, Mike England, Joe Kinnear, Ray Clemence, Gary Mabbutt and Steve Perryman. A few messages were played on the big screen from more legends such as Gary Lineker and Ossie Ardiles, apologising that they couldn't be there. Some of the trophies Spurs had won in years gone by were paraded and brief interviews were given by Hoddle, Ginola, Perryman and Mackay. The match was in memory of the late and great Bill Nicholson who passed away in 2004 and one minute of applause was a fitting appreciation of his dedication to the club. Bill was Mr. Spurs through and through and you don't come across many managers who are in love with their club these days.

Team line-up: Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, Kaboul, Lennon (Malbranque), Tainio (Defoe), Huddlestone, Zokora, Bale, Berbatov (Bent), Keane

Seeing that score you might think this was an eight goal thriller, but apart from Spurs' comeback, it was anything but. The majority of the game was woeful - basic passing seemed to be a complicated task and as for Robbo, surely he can't be left with the responsibility of being number one goalkeeper for much longer!

Dimitar Berbatov put Spurs ahead on 19 minutes with a downward header from a corner. However, whenever we go one up it always appears to spell disaster. Within a couple of minutes, Villa equalised after a complete cock up when Robbo dropped the ball and the defence was unable to clear it. The party had a real dampener put on it after 32 minutes when the ball struck Laursen after bouncing around in pinball fashion and he claimed his second goal. It got even worse with 39 minutes on the clock when a long clearance from Carson found its way to the feet of Agbonlahor, who then got the better of Dawson before driving low across Robinson and into the net.

And so going into the break, there was a terrible feeling of doom around the ground. I don't think Spurs deserved to be 3-1 down but time and again they don't learn and continue to defend very badly, especially when the ball is crossed into the box.

Into the second half they didn't play any better and it seemed as though they'd already accepted defeat. Defoe came on 8 minutes later to rapturous applause and had a shot on goal with his first touch. However, on 58 minutes, it was the worst possible scenario when Spurs gave away a free kick on the edge of the area. It was drilled home by Gardner past the wall, which suggested that maybe Robbo hadn't lined them up in the correct position. So 4-1 down and game over...well it should've been! At this stage the Villa fans were singing Happy Birthday to us and loads of fans decided enough was enough and swarmed out of the ground. Those people are now kicking themselves because they missed a fantastic comeback by Spurs - Chimbonda got his first goal of the season (and probably his only one) after the ball rebounded off the post from a Defoe effort. Now they started to have belief but why I ask, do they start playing now? Anyway, a penalty followed when Bent was bundled over and I saw Keane slotting it home though the gap in my hand! 3-4 and still time to equalise or even win it. In the 85th minute, Defoe put the ball in the net but it was disallowed due to an offside decision. In added time it all got very frantic but Spurs' renewed enthusiasm paid off. The ball was pinging about all over the place in Villa's box and eventually Kaboul managed to smash it into the top corner. OMG! The stadium erupted - even the guy next to me started to hug me; it was fantastic! This prompted a song directed at the Villa fans - '4-1 and you f***ed it up'! It may have ended a draw but it really felt like a win. At least the 125th anniversary game will now be remembered in a more positive way as opposed to being thrashed at home.

On the way out of the stadium, a received a tap on my shoulder and that person pointed in the direction of a girl a bit further back who was trying to get my attention. Turns out it was 'Fred', who frequents the Berbatov forum. We knew we were both at the game and in the same section, and although I didn't know what 'Fred' looked like, she knew what I looked like from a pic I had posted on the forum. She said she would say hello if she saw me, but because of the congestion getting out of the stadium, this was reduced to a smile and a wave. It was nice to see her nevertheless.

A rare clean sheet

Spurs 2 Boro 0 (3rd round Carling Cup)

Team line-up: Robinson, Chimbonda, Kaboul, Dawson, Assou-Ekotto, Bale, Huddlestone, Tainio, Lennon, Berbatov, Defoe

I can hardly believe it. A win AND a CLEAN SHEET! Shame they can't do it in the league as well.

With only intermittent bulletins on Gillette Soccer Special, it sounded as if Spurs had heaps of goal chances and again failed to take them.

Defoe was brought back into the team and surprisingly didn't get on the score sheet; Zokora fluffed a chance in added time and I feel he should get extra curricular training on how to shoot'. Hey Zok - it's the netty looking thing between those two posts!! :-D

Both goals came within 3 minutes of each other (72, 75) from midfielders Bale and Huddlestone.
This happened a couple of minutes after Defoe was subbed much to his disappointment. This might have looked a bad decision but it worked out perfectly! We need our strikers to start scoring regularly though - Bale is now top scorer with three.

Well at least we will avoid Man Utd in the next round. They lost at home to Coventry 0-2!! (of course I'm not laughing)

Meh!

Bolton 1 Spurs 1

Team line-up: Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, Rocha, Assou-Ekotto, Jenas, Zokora, Malbranque, Tainio, Keane, Berbatov

Subs: Cerny, Lee, Huddlestone, Bent, Lennon

I will start by questioning that team. Why the changes? Why are Bale and Defoe not even in the squad? Bale has been a great signing and has already shown star quality, scoring two goals. JD scored two fantastic goals in the UEFA Cup on Thursday and has surely earned a place at least on the bench. I understand having four top strikers presents a bit of a problem for the manager and having two of them as subs is not really the way to go; Bent's obscene transfer fee is the difference I feel, and therefore, will always be favoured over Jermain.

Suddenly Zokora is back in favour instead of Huddlestone and Tainio is back on the right of midfield, out of position when Lennon is now fit. Okay so Aaron didn't have the best of games against Famagusta but he needs match practice. Don't get me wrong, I am not anti Tainio at all; he is a versatile player to have in the squad but Lennon provides a more attacking force and more width (if played on the right and not out of position on the left)!

As for the match itself, my opinions are only based on extended highlights on Football First.
Berbatov showed some good touches and had chances to score, but other than Keane finally getting his first goal of the season, there's not really much to say. As is customary, Spurs couldn't hold on to the lead and conceded an equaliser just five minutes later.

Dawson was lucky not to give away a penalty in the second half with a push on Nolan, and Keane forced a good save off Jaaskelainen nearing the end of the game. To be honest there wasn't a lot more to comment on; it was a pretty lacklustre performance once again.

It's the lack of ideas and movement that stands out for me. Maybe we need a change of direction, which through gritted teeth, basically means a new manager. I hate to even say it; I have been behind Martin Jol all the way and I respect the guy with a passion but tactically, it's not working. We have a big squad now but don't appear to have the ability. I don't know how many more games we have to endure where we end up frustrated and irritated by the Spurs performance - battling it out in the relegation zone is not my idea of fun especially when we were talking about top four before the season started!

Meh.

Nearly holiday time

John and I have been known to leave the booking of a holiday to the last minute but this is ridiculous. Our annual leave starts 8 October for two weeks and it is now 22 September. Anyway, we've been trying to decide for weeks and weeks where to go - Athens and the Florida Keys were in the frame but due to work being done at the Parthenon, that would be a waste of time. I felt that there wasn't enough for me to do at the Keys and it was a bit far to travel for just a week. So, after looking at a few other places in Europe, we decided on Sicily. Italy has been a bit of an attraction to me since going to Rome and Venice and Sicily has a nice mix of beaches, mountains, volcanos, old towns and historical sites. The climate is ok in October and the average temperature should be around 70 degrees.

As always we booked a flight online and found a very cheap one with Ryanair from Stanstead to Palermo, although once you add on the taxes and baggage check-in fee, it bumped it up a bit but still a hell of a lot cheaper than all the other prices we'd seen. After paying, I nearly had heart failure though. A message popped up in red on the screen saying that we needed to declare our passport details if travelling to Spain, the Canary Islands or the Balearics. John and I looked at each other and gasped, thinking that maybe we'd just booked to fly to a Palermo in Spain! To some people that wouldn't have been a disaster but for us, a beach holiday in Spain is not our idea of fun. We quickly checked and double checked that PMO was Palermo in Sicily and also googled to check there was no Palermo in Spain. Phew! Panic over.

So we will be away from 9th - 17th October and we're now sorting out somewhere to stay for the first two nights and also car hire. The rest we will leave until we get there. We detest package holidays and like to make our own way around. I've already ordered a travel guide from Amazon which is vital, and once received I can roughly plan our itenarary.

This holiday is badly needed as I've had a rough year with my back problems, and I'm really looking forward to meeting the mafia (only kidding)!! lol

Spurs hit six

Spurs 6 Famagusta 1

Team line-up: Cerny, Chimbonda, Dawson, Kaboul, Assou-Ekotto (Bale), Malbranque (Taarabt), Zokora, Huddlestone, Lennon, Keane (Defoe), Bent

Round 1 of the UEFA Cup kicked off tonight. An easy tie on paper which turned out to be an easy one on the pitch. However, a tad annoyed conceding a very cheap goal and again not keeping a clean sheet.

Scorers: Kaboul (5), Dawson (40), Keane (42), Bent (43), Defoe (65, 90)

The most surprising part of the match was how long it took Spurs to score the second goal. But when it came, it was followed by two more in quick succession - three goals in four minutes and game over.

Jermain Defoe came on in the second half to raptuous applause from the fans and within 90 seconds, scored a magnificent goal, floating it in the top left corner beyond the keeper. His second one wasn't bad either - from outside the box he drove it into the top right corner this time, with the goalkeeper static.

An easy win against a poor side is what we needed for a confidence boost, although I think there's still room for plenty of improvement.

For now though, I am smiling :-)

This and that

Saturday was my Mum's 60th birthday. When John and I arrived around her house, it looked more like a florist! And there I stood with three more bunches in my arms and John with a pot of sunflowers. We also gave her £30 and a ticket for Dirty Dancing in London, and she will join John and I at the evening performance on 29 October. She was well chuffed. I've seen plenty of 60 year olds who look like old age pensioners but my parents look and act young for their age. Anyway, Mum ended up with £250 in cash and vouchers which was amazing, and I may go into town at the end of this week to help her spend some of it.

As Dad couldn't get a reservation at our favourite restaurant for the Saturday, we went on Sunday instead. Alvaros in St Helens Road (off Hamlet Court Road) is Portuguese although their menu is extensive, and the staff there are so welcoming and funny. It's a fairly small restaurant but they don't squash you in, and the ambiance is just right. Mind you, it is pretty expensive, but you do get gorgeous food - you can't fault them. Dad has actually known the owner since the 60s; they've been there since 1966. So there was my parents, John and I, and Tina. Unfortunately my brother Dave couldn't make it as he was working. When it came to dessert, the waiters brought out a creme caramel with five candles in it and sang happy birthday to my Mum (Dad had a word earlier). We all had a lovely time, although I was feeling a bit crappy with a headache and sore eyes. John was a naughty boy as when it came to paying the bill which we were all going to split, he whipped out his credit card and went to the counter to pay it before anyone had a chance to argue with him. A good bad habit of his, you could say!

On Monday morning I took my cat Poppy to the vets. Eight months ago she had one of her thyroid glands removed (with some complications) but just lately she's lost weight, eating like a horse, and drinking quite a bit. I suspected almost straight away that the other thyroid was overactive. The vet agreed with me and took samples of blood to assess the thyroid and also to check her kidneys. Together with the consultation, I had to pay £109! I couldn't help gasping when the receptionist told me the amount. As they won't remove the second thyroid, Poppy will have to be on tablets for the rest of her life. However, when she was on those tablets before, they caused her kidneys to start failing, so it's catch 22. I will also have to buy special renal food to combat that problem. I am now awaiting the results from the vet.

This morning, my good friend Alison from work came round for a couple of hours. She has been signed off work with stress - one of three in our team at the moment. Me being off as well makes four! Bless her, she bought me some flowers, and we chatted about all sorts. It was so nice to catch up and see a familiar face.

This afternoon, I had my long-awaited physio appointment at the hospital. I haven't actually experienced any pain for about 10 days now so physio wasn't going to do any good but I still decided to go. I saw Stephanie who was very thorough with her examination, bending me this way and that and asking whether it caused me any pain. Unsurprisingly, she found no problems and could do no more for me. However, she did recommend that I do pilates for exercise. My Mum has a dvd (which she has never used) so I will borrow it off her to give it a try. I was actually going to take up yoga which my Mum has just started going to, but Stephanie said she wasn't a fan of it.

At 4pm I had an opticians appointment. I only rang this morning and managed to get in straight away which is good because I have been feeling really tired, suffering from a continuous headache and my eyes ache as well. One of my oldest friends (Ellie) who I've known since I was eleven, is the receptionist there. As it happens, my eyesight has actually improved slightly, so my eyes may be aching because my current lenses are too strong. How bizarre! Anyway, I chose some new frames which are much more funky than I have now and hopefully I'll be able to collect them next Monday. Of course, my eyes may not be the reason for the way I've been feeling lately, but I hope it is simply that.

The agony and no ecstacy

There are far too many words to describe the way I feel about the match today against the Gooners. I can't even bring myself to type the score. Maybe it's time to give up football; all it does is bring heartache. But I know I can't - it's like a disease.

I'm forcing myself to watch Match of the Day right now, though Lord knows why I torture myself. Gareth Bale's free kick was superb I have to say - at least that's something to be positive about. He's only 18 and looks like a very good signing. However, I soon hang my head when Berbatov fluffs it up with only the goalkeeper to beat. What was he thinking? Just bloody shoot! If it had been 2-0, we may have stood a chance of winning. Robbo didn't deal with a cross (again) and so they equalised. Berba could've scored again which was blocked on the line. Spurs then get hit with a long range shot which of course goes in. Bent spurned a easy chance one on one with the goalie but wasn't composed. And then the Arse get another in the 94th minute. You do the math.

Fans who were, two weeks ago, totally behind Martin Jol, are now calling for him to go. But is it fair to blame him week after week? Surely the players have to take some of the blame? It's not like Spurs have a bad squad. They just can't keep a clean sheet and put the ball in the net...so it's back to basics then!

Maybe fortunes will change when we face an unknown Cypriot side in the UEFA Cup on Thursday, followed by an away tie at Bolton who are second bottom in the table and really struggling.

(originally posted 15/09/07)

Are we now a force to be reckoned with?

England 3 Russia 0 (Owen 2, Ferdinand)

Well well well. Who would have thought it eh? Six points in two games, and when was the last time you could put the words 'England' and 'entertaining' in the same sentence?

McLaren actually got something right by putting out the same side which beat Israel on Saturday. They played as a team, the tempo and movement was good, and the confidence was there for all to see. This performance will make it a difficult decision for the manager in the next game, when more players will be back from injury (namely Rooney), however, I would personally not change a thing.

Michael Owen is definitely back on form scoring two goals and that takes his overall tally to 40 in 85 appearances - a great record! Heskey again had a good game - noticeably winning the majority of headers. This is the area in which he is stronger than Crouch in my opinion, even though Crouch is several inches taller. Gerrard and Barry are proving to be a good partnership in the centre of midfield, the latter I would give 'man of the match' overall this week. He hardly put a foot wrong, and although he is not a player I would have put on the team sheet before last weekend, he has done a great job. It seems like having players unavailable has been our saving grace.

Being 2-0 down at half time, Russia then came out with more clout in the second. They could have easily made the game level when England made a couple of defensive errors. However, this pressure was thankfully short-lived and England again controlled the match.

So are England once again a force to be reckoned with, or would we need to see them beat one of the world's best before we get carried away?

Beep

John is away at the moment (work related) and guaranteed when this happens, something in the middle of the night will start beeping! And it did. I was awoken at approximately 3: 15am by a beep beep noise, which sounded as if it was coming from inside the bedroom. Blurry eyed I wandered around looking for any battery operated device that was keeping me awake. Nothing. It kept going off every 30 seconds or so. I went into the hallway and looked up and the smoke alarm. Noooo please don't let it be that! I had images of the scene in FRIENDS where Phoebe's alarm wouldn't stop bleeping even after she'd taken out the batteries and hit it with a shoe! However, I wasn't sure how I'd even get it down from the ceiling in the first place so maybe a broom handle would cure it. It went off again and fortunately it wasn't coming from the smoke alarm. And then I remembered. The telephone handset that is usually in the loft room was on the stairs leading up to the room as I hadn't been bothered to go and place it on the recharger before I went to bed. So it was all my fault after all. Back to bed then. However, just over three hours later, John's poxy alarm clock starting beeping! ARGH! He always forgets to turn it off when he's not there. I had no idea what button to press so bashed them all and it finally stopped. I went back to sleep for the second time and because of the two interruptions, I didn't get up until 9:45ish. Good job I didn't have to go to work.

Over and out. BEEP!

As we remember 9/11

I found this poem on a 9/11 tribute site and it really moved me, so I thought I'd share it.

A black void, emptiness,
as wings of demons descend,
brittle glass shatters innocence
now, hidden concealed revenge.
An eagle in flight sailing
like a mighty god of the sky
a serpent within its talons
the struggle between dark and light.
A Nation's blood splattered, red
pain slices at every soul,
sorrow transcends our reality
amongst the soot and the smoke.
Brothers and Sisters that traveled
into The Valley of Death
may be physically lost, but
their memories are now etched
from the heart of one
into the hearts of two
into the hearts of everyone,
America, God Bless you.
A flag wavers in the breeze,
yet erect like the Rugged Cross
its stars the eyes of this night
crying for a Nation's loss.
White our stolen purity,
Red our mighty valor,
Blue our vigilant Chief
watching the eagle soar.
Wounded the godlike eagle
attempts to once again fly
struggling to reach the Heavens
through the darkness of this night
towards an everlasting communion
a eulogy in red, white, and blue
a spiritual state of unity
America, God Bless you.

2001 Tammy A. Callahan-Callanan

That's a bit better!

England 3 Israel 0

Team line-up: Robinson, Richards, Ferdinand, Terry, A.Cole, Gerrard, Wright-Phillips, Barry, J.Cole, Heskey, Owen

Firstly I was somewhat surprised Robbo managed to keep his place in goal after his blunder in the Germany friendly, but it seems McLaren still has faith in him saying that everyone makes mistakes from time to time. I had to laugh when I heard Heskey had been recalled three years after his last cap - scraping the bottom of the barrel or what? However, as it turned out, he didn't have a bad game at all and perhaps should have scored.

England were without the likes of Beckham, Lampard, Crouch, and Hargreaves, but we needn't have worried as the team played 100% better than they did against the Germans, with Wright-Phillips easily being man of the match working tirelessly up and down the right flank.
He got the opening goal linking up with Chelsea team-mate Joe Cole to volley it through the arms of the Israeli goalkeeper. The second was a superb shot on the turn by Michael Owen and you could tell he was pleased to get back on the score sheet. The third was a strong header by Micah Richards with Israel contesting that there had been a foul on the goalkeeper - however, it was clear that he had just ran into Owen who was standing still in the area. Thankfully the referee was not fooled.

There were plenty of spurned chances throughout the game but all in all, a far better performance by England. However, Russia are the opponents on Wednesday and they will be far more difficult to beat. The question is, with several players becoming available for selection, will McLaren change a winning format?

It was nice to see England winning in three different sports on the same day - football, rugby and cricket. Mind you, it looked like a bit of a struggle in the rugby against the U.S.A. only beating them 28-10.

Not much to report

I've been a bit out of sorts for the past 10 days actually. Despite having 9+ hours of uninterrupted sleep each night, I am still constantly tired with my eyes feeling dry. I've had these symptoms before and they do go eventually but I just wish I'd wake up tomorrow feeling refreshed instead of knackered.

Last Sunday, John and I met up with friends Suk, Leigh and their daughter Emily and went for lunch at the Tandoori Parlour in Thundersley. It's an all you can eat buffet with a starter, for a mere £7.95. Very nice! We went back to their place afterwards and I ended up watching the Villa v Chelsea game on Sky. Leigh is a Chelsea fan and therefore not a happy bunny when they lost 2-0.

Tuesday I went into work as a representative of Posturite was coming to meet me about providing a new adjustable desk and chair to help my back problem. The appointment was at 3pm but due to train strikes, the bloke was delayed so I had to wander around the town and return at 4pm. I answered the same old questions about the history of my back pain and now Posturite will submit a recommendation to Occupational Health the get the new equipment in place as soon as possible. It was weird being in the office after so much time but nice to see familiar faces. It also gave me the opportunity to say goodbye and good luck to Carole (my former supervisor) who was leaving for London that coming Friday. I brought her in some flowers and a card. She'll be sorely missed as she really was a breath of fresh air when she joined us from Lloyds a couple of years ago. In fact, probably the best supervisor I've had in all my 22 years of service! I'll be back there again next Tuesday when I have a meeting with my manager Gill.

On Thursday, I went around my parents' house for most of the day as they were looking after Ronnie. My nephew is now 22 months old and such a good little boy, and such a character. He's like a sponge at the moment, he copies every word you say and his vocabulary for his age is amazing. I've even got him saying 'Come on you Spurs' much to the dislike of my brother who is a Liverpool fan! We played football in the garden and he can kick and throw really well for a little person. Later on, we all went and collected Kasey from school and then the playing continued once back at the house. I went home about 5pm. I saw Kasey again in the evening when Tina came round the use our gym, which she does twice a week. Kasey wanted to watch 'The Wizard of Oz' and pretty much gave me a running commentary and explained what was going to happen - like I didn't know! However, humouring kids comes easily to me and I enjoyed it as much as her, singing along to the songs and mucking around! We didn't manage to see it all but we'll watch the rest of it next week probably.

Today I spent most of the time in the garden reading. This week's weather has been pretty warm, considering the lack of summer we've had. I'm now watching the new series of 'Hells Kitchen' because I don't have the energy for anything else. No Gordon Ramsey this year but instead one Marco Pierre White. Now that's one scary intimidating dude! When the celebs were first introduced to him, he said to half of them that he'd never heard of them and refused the shake the ladies' hands. He has also been rude to the celeb customer's when they'd complained about the food. However, as the days go on, you can't help but warm to him when you see him interacting and smiling with the celebs. At least he doesn't swear like Gordon.

Another telly highlight of the week for me was 'Dumped' on Channel 4, running from Sunday until Wednesday. Eleven people were selected to take part in an eco challenge but were not told any details. They travelled on a coach with all the windows screened off so they couldn't see where they were going and they ended up on a landfill site in Croydon! For 3 weeks they had to live on a tip next to the landfill site and make a shelter from the rubbish dumped. They were given running water and food because of the health and safety issue, but after a few days they took their portable loos away so they had to build their own. Along the way they had various challenges, all to make them aware of the landfill problem in this country and why we need to recycle more. During their time there, they even managed to build a sauna and a solar powered shower - all from stuff people had thrown away! I already recycle everything and I was aware to a certain extent of the problem, but this programme has certainly opened my eyes even more. I would now like to start a compost heap to cut down my food waste; the only issue is the lack of space in the garden. I could get on my soap-box about the government slacking in the recycling issue but I'm not going there at the moment because I just don't have the energy.

No-one likes us anymore

Just been flicking tv channels and happened to fall upon the Eurovision Dance Contest. I couldn't bring myself to watch the whole sorry affair but I did see the UK entry - ironically represented by Camilla Dallerup from Denmark and Brendon Cole from New Zealand! Of course, they are regulars on 'Strictly Come Dancing' and are fantastic professionals. Anyway, I tuned into the scores at the end and well, quite unbelievably we finished second from bottom on a stingy 18 points. Clearly not based on the performance so why does no-one like us anymore? Surely our government being in everyone's bad books for the war in Iraq can't still be the reason....or was it ever?

I don't suppose anyone's interested who won. Me neither, but it was Finland. Whatever...

There are more questions than answers

Fulham 3 Spurs 3

Had to watch this one on the internet via sopcast. It wasn't a great connection and kept breaking up badly but I will try to piece together what I saw.

Team line-up: Robinson, Chimbonda, Kaboul, Rocha, Lee, Bale, Jenas, Malbranque, Huddlestone, Berbatov, Keane

It only took 10 minutes before new signing Younes Kaboul tapped the ball into the net from close range. Berbatov made it two on 28 minutes when Keane's pass found his head - he nodded it down perfectly into his own path, beat the defender for pace and cooly drove the ball home from the side of the box. Just before half time, Spurs defence (namely Chimbonda) lapsed concentration and they scored with a strong header.

At the start of the second half, Spurs dominated again and managed a third goal courtesy of another new boy Gareth Bale. He took it nicely on the left and could have passed to Berbatov but the shot was on and he converted into the near side of the goal. 3-1 up and cruising. Several other chances came their way through Jenas, Keane and Berbatov but none were taken. Martin Jol then substituted Keano for Defoe, much to his annoyance.

Fulham made Spurs pay and in the last 20 minutes our lads couldn't get the ball. They got another one back and the pressure was really on. The 90 minute mark came and catastophe! A overhead kick by Kamara looped agonisingly over Robbo's outstretched hand and went in the top corner. I honestly couldn't believe what I was watching. AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGH!

WHY?.......

1)...Did Jol bring off Keano when we were playing well at 3-1 & he was having easily his best game so far? It changed the game & JD hardly touched the ball when he came on.
2)...Is Robbo booting the ball up the field constantly? We always lose it this way.
3)...Was no-one in midfield in the last 20 minutes? Had a lot to do with Keane's substitution I feel. Hudd & JJ were anonymous, Hudd looked knackered.
4)...Was Dawson brought on to add to the defence at 2-3? Surely reinforcing the midfield would have been more appropriate.
5)...Can't Spurs kill off a game when they're cruising?

Robbed of 3 points again - they'll never learn. It's really pissed me off actually - one minute you are happy and singing, the next down in the dumps. Football seriously messes with your head.

Next weekend sees international matches in the Euro qualifiers. England play Israel. So Spurs next game is in two weeks time at Arsenal. Oh goodie!

Basildon boy does good!

As with tradition, me and three mates Al, Ali and Sam, got together last night for the Big Brother finale. Hopeless addicts I know!

Bigger than ever before with 23 housemates and a duration of 95 days, Brian from Basildon emerged the winner (go Essex!). He had been my favourite ever since he said he didn't know who Shakespeare was, and came to the conclusion that he was the director of the film 'Romeo and Juliet'. Very amusing! He may not be great on general knowledge but he was a very sweet, sensitive and genuine guy. He said he honestly didn't know why he'd won it. The twins Sam and Amanda also deserved to win as they were full of fun and didn't have a bad bone in their bodies. They hadn't received one single nomination the whole 13 weeks, which I'm pretty sure hadn't been achieved before. Liam would also have been a deserved winner, a 23 year old Jordie with a lovely personality. Ziggy came 4th, Carole 5th and Jonty 6th.

It may not have been the best one ever but Big Brother 8 was overall very entertaining - the usual rollercoaster with fun and laughter mixed with arguments and tears. Three people walked: Lesley (why the hell did she apply?), Jonathan (whose grandma died), and Chanelle. One person was removed: Emily, as a result of using a racist word. One person was evicted and then walked back in: Charley - the so-called South London it-girl who was just awful. Five halfway housemates, a fake Australian housemate, great tasks and Big Brother messing with their minds.

You either love it or you hate it. I just can't stand it when I'm criticised for watching it, saying it's a load of rubbish. These people are always the ones who have never seen it in their lives.

So, anyway, good luck Bri! Maybe we'll see you on TV advertsing cider in the future!