What in god's name is going on at the BBC? Surely the the last 12 months has been the nadir of this once great broadcasting giant. Now it stumbles from one disaster to another.
A few months ago it was rubbing its collective hands with glee as Rupert Murdoch's empire was dragged through the Leverson Inquiry. Virtually every BBC news bulletin led with this "story" irrelevant of what was going on and, most shamefully, the conflict in Syria often became a foot note.
Auntie then decided to cover the Queen's Jubilee with a populist slant, so rather than have Dimbleby et al giving us some gravitas and informing the viewer we had the vacuous Ferne Cotton droning on about the most fatuous nonsense.
Summer wore on and the Beeb had a triumph; the Olympic coverage was splendid and all credit. However all that credit was washed over the precipice by the Jimmy Saville crisis. It is all well and good saying that the crimes were committed decades ago, but the handling of the situation after the news broke was pathetic.
So now we have the tawdry spectacle of the same organisation having to perform a massive climbdown in light of the accusations made against Lord McAlpine. What is even more incredible is that again it is Newsnight at the centre of the storm. Did they learn nothing from the decision to shelve the 2011 investigation in to Saville? Are they just allowing any old hack to feed them unsubstantiated information? Who is in charge? Who is accountable? It does a disservice to the thousands of BBC employees (or are they? No, let's no go there!) who work tirelessly to produce some of the best global media output. Watching the News at 10 last night, I felt genuinely sorry for Fiona Bruce having to lead with....the BBC makes another apology.
A couple of years back when the BBC announced that they were scaling back in light of the continuing global economic climate I was disappointed, the Corporation had grown massively over the preceding decade and had become a global superpower, recognised around the world as the foremost provider of unbiased and accurate news. Now I am of the belief that the BBC is far too big and should be scaled back further until someone can get this particular house back in order. The only saving grace this week for Auntie was when Phillip Schofield decided to hijack the Prime Minister over the same paedophile story on ITV on Thursday's This Morning.
It appears that shabby ethics are catching.
Saturday 10 November 2012
Wednesday 17 October 2012
Plenary......
A word dragged back from the abyss by management consultants to justify their helpless crap to attempt to confuse the rest of us..........pathetic!
Tuesday 25 September 2012
Lying b***ards??
I don't know about the rest of you but I am getting particularly bored of the dross that is called advertising on our TV screens. In the space of three minutes I have been subjected to garbage from Santander, Confused.com, Quik Quid, Injury Lawyers for You and a plethora PPI grave robbers.
Santander's ad appears to claim that the people of Shrewsbury at some time this month took to the town centre to be asked vacuous questions by the said Spanish bank (apparently Eurozone's biggest bank). Now forgetting the fact that throughout the ad they miss-pronounced the town (it is not now, nor ever has been a relative of the world's smallest mammal), do they honestly expect us to believe that the residents of the town spent all day milling around the town square whilst actors purporting to be employees of the bank showed them how they could save a million quid by transferring their assets to the bank? Even less likely, surely, is the portrayal of the residents celebrating in the square when the millionth quid was saved some time after nightfall. I will happily print a retraction when Santander or it's advertising agency can prove to me to that several thousand people were jumping up and down in Shrewsbury earlier this month......
Confused.com's excuse for adverts not only have the most wretched cartoon characters and music but it has now started to advocate these appalling black boxes for cars, god if it wasn't bad enough trying to circumnavigate our fair isle we are now going to be subject to the chattering Daily Mail-reading pensioner classes trying to drive even slower whilst wearing their tweed flat caps and string driving gloves and to make it even bloody worse they are still going to driving their effing Rovers.
Quik Quid and the like are the vultures of society, offering to extend pay day loans at a paltry 1734% APR. However Wonga.com who portray themselves as loveable lenders by utilising Nicholas Parsons' voice to give credibility, warmth and security whilst lending you money at a generous 4000% APR. Bandits!
Talking of using famous people to give us the feeling that the advertisers are acceptable, step up Andrew Castle erstwhile tennis player and breakfast commentator who now espouses the virtues of ambulance chasers. How in god's name can you look yourself in the mirror man?
Finally PPI recoverers......No it is not "an important announcement!" as the screen and deep voiced actor screams out at us. It is an invitation for idiots to put their faith in your abilities to leverage a payment from the banks to compensate their stupidity first time around, and you bottom feeders get to skim off the vast majority in fees and commission.
I believe in a free market economy as much as the next capitalist but for heaven's sake the government surely needs to help the cretinous people from themselves?
Santander's ad appears to claim that the people of Shrewsbury at some time this month took to the town centre to be asked vacuous questions by the said Spanish bank (apparently Eurozone's biggest bank). Now forgetting the fact that throughout the ad they miss-pronounced the town (it is not now, nor ever has been a relative of the world's smallest mammal), do they honestly expect us to believe that the residents of the town spent all day milling around the town square whilst actors purporting to be employees of the bank showed them how they could save a million quid by transferring their assets to the bank? Even less likely, surely, is the portrayal of the residents celebrating in the square when the millionth quid was saved some time after nightfall. I will happily print a retraction when Santander or it's advertising agency can prove to me to that several thousand people were jumping up and down in Shrewsbury earlier this month......
Confused.com's excuse for adverts not only have the most wretched cartoon characters and music but it has now started to advocate these appalling black boxes for cars, god if it wasn't bad enough trying to circumnavigate our fair isle we are now going to be subject to the chattering Daily Mail-reading pensioner classes trying to drive even slower whilst wearing their tweed flat caps and string driving gloves and to make it even bloody worse they are still going to driving their effing Rovers.
Quik Quid and the like are the vultures of society, offering to extend pay day loans at a paltry 1734% APR. However Wonga.com who portray themselves as loveable lenders by utilising Nicholas Parsons' voice to give credibility, warmth and security whilst lending you money at a generous 4000% APR. Bandits!
Talking of using famous people to give us the feeling that the advertisers are acceptable, step up Andrew Castle erstwhile tennis player and breakfast commentator who now espouses the virtues of ambulance chasers. How in god's name can you look yourself in the mirror man?
Finally PPI recoverers......No it is not "an important announcement!" as the screen and deep voiced actor screams out at us. It is an invitation for idiots to put their faith in your abilities to leverage a payment from the banks to compensate their stupidity first time around, and you bottom feeders get to skim off the vast majority in fees and commission.
I believe in a free market economy as much as the next capitalist but for heaven's sake the government surely needs to help the cretinous people from themselves?
Sunday 2 September 2012
Channel self promotion
God spare us! The self promotion of Channel 4 has plunged new depths, how in god's name can they plug their coverage of effing horse racing (by the way, not a sport, professional gambling and a waste of decent television space) in the middle of their paralympic coverage? It's bad enough having political correctness gone seriously barmy with the presenters and voice overs without being subjected to utter drivel from the studio. Bloody BBC would do well to remember we finance them and their decision to not bid for the Paras was nothing short of a disgrace. P**s off 4 you are not worthy of shag all. Rubbish, twaddle and drivel have all found a new domicile.
Sunday 19 August 2012
The Pietersen Saga
I was at Lord's yesterday and was rather less than surprised that most of the conversation around the ground centred on a single topic, Kevin Pietersen. Now whilst I have not been a fly on the wall in the England dressing room since 2005, it is pretty clear that Pietersen has always played primarily for himself and his presence in the England team was a purely practical decision, you pick the best batsman in the land. He has performed heroics with the bat on innumerable occasions and let's face it his last day innings at the Oval in 2005 was the final reason we won back the Ashes after nigh on two decades of Australian dominance. His last century at Headingley was a majestic knock, one of his finest in an England shirt. Therein lies the crux of the problem, sadly it appears that KP likes, no actually that should be needs, to be the centre of attention. Sadly for him a certain global sporting event had started in London a few days earlier and he was knocked off the back pages and, allegedly, he was none too impressed by that.
Pietersen announced his retirement from limited overs international cricket on 31st May, citing that he could not continue in all forms of the game at the age of almost 32. The vast majority of critics saw it differently and he was accused of throwing various things from the pram as what he really wanted was to continue to play Twenty20, play in the IPL and get his big pay day. However, the ECB has a selection policy that means you are either available for all formats of international limited overs or you are not considered. Fast forward to the 11th August and KP decides to inform the world of his decision to reverse his retirement from limited overs cricket. He chooses to do this not via the ECB (his employers) but via YouTube! Now the ECB may have handled him very badly before, particularly when stripping him of the England captaincy, but this will not go down in history as a clever move. He commented "I can't wait to play in Straussy's 100th Test next week", the following day the ECB greeted his decision by dropping him from the Lord's test that started on Thursday. At the time this was largely praised as a brave decision. I wholeheartedly agreed with it, feeling that it was about time that the ego needed to be grounded. As the day went on it became clear that there was something more to the decision than giving him a slap on the wrist. If the reports that are widely circulating the media today of the exact wording of the texts he sent to South African players are true, you can understand why Andrew Strauss was "annoyed" by the saga and why he believes it will "take a long time" to rebuild trust amongst his teammates. Errr? Understatement of the century!
I am lucky to know a former England left arm spinner and despite being rather busy in between commentating for TMS and book signing yesterday was good enough to take me and one of my godsons and his father up to the media centre so Max could see the TMS box. Tuffers and I talked about the KP situation and it sounds pretty likely that Pietersen has played his last game for England.
A crying shame but then again the old adage that no one is bigger than the game is poignantly made again.
Pietersen announced his retirement from limited overs international cricket on 31st May, citing that he could not continue in all forms of the game at the age of almost 32. The vast majority of critics saw it differently and he was accused of throwing various things from the pram as what he really wanted was to continue to play Twenty20, play in the IPL and get his big pay day. However, the ECB has a selection policy that means you are either available for all formats of international limited overs or you are not considered. Fast forward to the 11th August and KP decides to inform the world of his decision to reverse his retirement from limited overs cricket. He chooses to do this not via the ECB (his employers) but via YouTube! Now the ECB may have handled him very badly before, particularly when stripping him of the England captaincy, but this will not go down in history as a clever move. He commented "I can't wait to play in Straussy's 100th Test next week", the following day the ECB greeted his decision by dropping him from the Lord's test that started on Thursday. At the time this was largely praised as a brave decision. I wholeheartedly agreed with it, feeling that it was about time that the ego needed to be grounded. As the day went on it became clear that there was something more to the decision than giving him a slap on the wrist. If the reports that are widely circulating the media today of the exact wording of the texts he sent to South African players are true, you can understand why Andrew Strauss was "annoyed" by the saga and why he believes it will "take a long time" to rebuild trust amongst his teammates. Errr? Understatement of the century!
I am lucky to know a former England left arm spinner and despite being rather busy in between commentating for TMS and book signing yesterday was good enough to take me and one of my godsons and his father up to the media centre so Max could see the TMS box. Tuffers and I talked about the KP situation and it sounds pretty likely that Pietersen has played his last game for England.
A crying shame but then again the old adage that no one is bigger than the game is poignantly made again.
Tuesday 14 August 2012
The Greatest Show on Earth
Well London did it. The Games of the 30th Olympiad will go down in history as the greatest ever.
In practical terms, logistically they got it right, OK there was some major delays on the roads on the first couple of days then everyone steered clear of the main arterial roads into town and London's mean streets had tumbleweed blowing down them. The tubes were busy but manageable and it was fun speaking with a small Frenchman whose head was lodged beneath my chin on the Jubilee line last Monday evening heading for Stratford. The Javelin train was fab once you got to the front of the queue. Talking of queues we had been led to believe that getting into the venues was going to make the carnage at T3 five weeks ago look like a stroll in the park. My experience, and that of everyone else I have spoken to, was the polar opposite. The longest wait I experienced was under two minutes to get through the scanners run by our brilliant Armed Forces.
People-wise London got it right. Lord Coe and his team delivered more than we could have hoped and his emotional closing ceremony speech reflected what the nation felt. The volunteers were brilliant, no wonder they got the loudest cheer on Sunday; tireless, endlessly cheerful and always engaging with the crowds.
So who got it wrong? Well the doom merchants top the list here! I have no issue with someone who says "I have no interest in sport, I'm out of here", I happen to think they are certifiable but then again I would. No, the one thing that grated with me the most was that oily rag of a publication - the Daily Mail. Two weeks before the Games they were lambasting the BBC for employing 750 to cover the Olympics. HOW IN GOD'S NAME DO THE DAILY MAIL HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE NEEDED? From the coverage I watched (every second when I wasn't actually at an event), Auntie (an institution that regular readers know I am not above laying into heavily) needed a few more! There were screens showing venue after venue with things about to start without any commentators. The main presenters seemed to spend half their time charging around London's transport system in order to present first Equestrian, then Beach Volleyball and finally Water Polo all in the space of two hours. My favourite moment, however, of the Mail's insidious attempts to stir up the chattering suburban middle class wretches into a froth of indignation was the inside back page on Wednesday 1st August. They produced a chart showing what funding had been given to various sports and the returns on that investment. Among others they laid into both canoeing and judo. The following day GB won a gold and silver in the canoe slalom and Gemma Gibbons won judo silver. The Mail no doubt will claim it was down to them, but in reality all it appears to do is lay into Britain and then claim glory when we win, it really is a pretty odious publication.
We are now just under two weeks away from the Paralympics, which has already smashed all records for ticket sales. It will, one hopes, be another remarkable triumph for London and the country as a whole and will, I am sure, prove again that this nation has an amazing appetite for great sporting drama.
So as a personal round up of the finest 17 days of sporting drama ever, a few of my own highlights and additional observations:
Best celebration: Jade Jones winning Taekwondo gold.
Most emotional moment: Katherine Grainger finally shaking the silver monkey off her back and getting gold in the double sculls.
Biggest cheer: Gemma Gibbons when she defeated the French world champion in her semi in the Judo.
Dullest gold medal winner interviewee: Accountant Ed Mckeever, but boy can he make a canoe travel fast!
Biggest cheer for a non-Brit (who wasn't called Bolt): Cheering Phelps on to his final individual gold in the 100m fly in the Aquatic Centre, it was truly deafening.
Top lump in throat moment: Sir Chris Hoy, no wait, Mo. No, no, no it's Katherine, ooohhh perhaps it's Laura? I give up, it felt like there was one every 20 minutes.
Person least likely to be invited to dinner: the cycling Commissaire.
Best facial expression: Katherine Copeland having won the lightweight double sculls.
Best smile: Easiest one of the lot this - Boxing's Nicola Adams.
Biggest shock: Was tempted to say Greg Rutherford, but actually it was big Roger not really appearing in the tennis final, even if Andy Murray did play brilliantly.
Latest crush: Charlotte Dujardin.
All the girls' latest crush: Tom Daley (again!).
Coolest Brit: Bradley Wiggins, just over Ben Ainslie.
Coolest non-Brit: Usain Bolt, obviously....
Best quote: Bradley Wiggins commenting on the shape of endurance cyclists "I think one of the great things about being a sprinter like Chris Hoy is that you have got an amazing body to show off. I just look like Rodney Trotter."
Favourite non-athlete quote (as provided by one of you): "Until Sunday they thought we were shit at sport and good at music!"
Favourite image of the Games: Difficult to say anything other than Usain and Mo sharing a podium and mimicking the other's celebration.
My favourite bit: All of it! But as you all know I have a weakness when it comes to a girl from Sheffield, so if there has to be JUST one, then it has to be Jess coming off the final bend in the 800m, knowing she had won the gold already but she just had to win that final race too....
Good luck to Rio and Pele rather trumped the Spice Girls.
Thank you London, thank you Seb, thank you to all the athletes from all the countries, thank you to all the people who came to Britain to watch, thank you again to the brilliant volunteers and to our Armed Forces who made us all feel safe. Thanks also to all the people around the country for supporting the games in such numbers, we all made ourselves proud of our nation.
Finally the biggest thank you goes to the IOC delegate who apparently hit the wrong voting button on 6th July 2005 and gave London the Games by a single vote over Paris, you gave me the best two and a bit weeks of my life and it is difficult being grumpy when you are enjoying yourself.
In practical terms, logistically they got it right, OK there was some major delays on the roads on the first couple of days then everyone steered clear of the main arterial roads into town and London's mean streets had tumbleweed blowing down them. The tubes were busy but manageable and it was fun speaking with a small Frenchman whose head was lodged beneath my chin on the Jubilee line last Monday evening heading for Stratford. The Javelin train was fab once you got to the front of the queue. Talking of queues we had been led to believe that getting into the venues was going to make the carnage at T3 five weeks ago look like a stroll in the park. My experience, and that of everyone else I have spoken to, was the polar opposite. The longest wait I experienced was under two minutes to get through the scanners run by our brilliant Armed Forces.
People-wise London got it right. Lord Coe and his team delivered more than we could have hoped and his emotional closing ceremony speech reflected what the nation felt. The volunteers were brilliant, no wonder they got the loudest cheer on Sunday; tireless, endlessly cheerful and always engaging with the crowds.
So who got it wrong? Well the doom merchants top the list here! I have no issue with someone who says "I have no interest in sport, I'm out of here", I happen to think they are certifiable but then again I would. No, the one thing that grated with me the most was that oily rag of a publication - the Daily Mail. Two weeks before the Games they were lambasting the BBC for employing 750 to cover the Olympics. HOW IN GOD'S NAME DO THE DAILY MAIL HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE NEEDED? From the coverage I watched (every second when I wasn't actually at an event), Auntie (an institution that regular readers know I am not above laying into heavily) needed a few more! There were screens showing venue after venue with things about to start without any commentators. The main presenters seemed to spend half their time charging around London's transport system in order to present first Equestrian, then Beach Volleyball and finally Water Polo all in the space of two hours. My favourite moment, however, of the Mail's insidious attempts to stir up the chattering suburban middle class wretches into a froth of indignation was the inside back page on Wednesday 1st August. They produced a chart showing what funding had been given to various sports and the returns on that investment. Among others they laid into both canoeing and judo. The following day GB won a gold and silver in the canoe slalom and Gemma Gibbons won judo silver. The Mail no doubt will claim it was down to them, but in reality all it appears to do is lay into Britain and then claim glory when we win, it really is a pretty odious publication.
We are now just under two weeks away from the Paralympics, which has already smashed all records for ticket sales. It will, one hopes, be another remarkable triumph for London and the country as a whole and will, I am sure, prove again that this nation has an amazing appetite for great sporting drama.
So as a personal round up of the finest 17 days of sporting drama ever, a few of my own highlights and additional observations:
Best celebration: Jade Jones winning Taekwondo gold.
Most emotional moment: Katherine Grainger finally shaking the silver monkey off her back and getting gold in the double sculls.
Biggest cheer: Gemma Gibbons when she defeated the French world champion in her semi in the Judo.
Dullest gold medal winner interviewee: Accountant Ed Mckeever, but boy can he make a canoe travel fast!
Biggest cheer for a non-Brit (who wasn't called Bolt): Cheering Phelps on to his final individual gold in the 100m fly in the Aquatic Centre, it was truly deafening.
Top lump in throat moment: Sir Chris Hoy, no wait, Mo. No, no, no it's Katherine, ooohhh perhaps it's Laura? I give up, it felt like there was one every 20 minutes.
Person least likely to be invited to dinner: the cycling Commissaire.
Best facial expression: Katherine Copeland having won the lightweight double sculls.
Best smile: Easiest one of the lot this - Boxing's Nicola Adams.
Biggest shock: Was tempted to say Greg Rutherford, but actually it was big Roger not really appearing in the tennis final, even if Andy Murray did play brilliantly.
Latest crush: Charlotte Dujardin.
All the girls' latest crush: Tom Daley (again!).
Coolest Brit: Bradley Wiggins, just over Ben Ainslie.
Coolest non-Brit: Usain Bolt, obviously....
Best quote: Bradley Wiggins commenting on the shape of endurance cyclists "I think one of the great things about being a sprinter like Chris Hoy is that you have got an amazing body to show off. I just look like Rodney Trotter."
Favourite non-athlete quote (as provided by one of you): "Until Sunday they thought we were shit at sport and good at music!"
Favourite image of the Games: Difficult to say anything other than Usain and Mo sharing a podium and mimicking the other's celebration.
My favourite bit: All of it! But as you all know I have a weakness when it comes to a girl from Sheffield, so if there has to be JUST one, then it has to be Jess coming off the final bend in the 800m, knowing she had won the gold already but she just had to win that final race too....
Good luck to Rio and Pele rather trumped the Spice Girls.
Thank you London, thank you Seb, thank you to all the athletes from all the countries, thank you to all the people who came to Britain to watch, thank you again to the brilliant volunteers and to our Armed Forces who made us all feel safe. Thanks also to all the people around the country for supporting the games in such numbers, we all made ourselves proud of our nation.
Finally the biggest thank you goes to the IOC delegate who apparently hit the wrong voting button on 6th July 2005 and gave London the Games by a single vote over Paris, you gave me the best two and a bit weeks of my life and it is difficult being grumpy when you are enjoying yourself.
Sunday 5 August 2012
Gold Rush
I had the greatest day of my sporting life on Friday. In the Olympic stadium to watch Jess run the fastest ever 100m hurdles in heptathlon history was inspiring and very damaging to the vocal chords. The atmosphere was unlike anything I have ever experienced, yes the aquatic centre was probably more ear shattering, but for an outdoor arena it beats anything I have ever heard. Unsurprisingly it being us Brits we cheered on Jess' opponents in the High Jump as well (well some did, anyway - there are limits). When she cleared 1.93 the stadium shook.
During the afternoon we found one of the very rare spaces in front of one of the mega screens in the East Park and watched the cyclists do what they do best - win. And boy did they win! Gold medals? Pah! We've got a few world records to set as well and some Aussies to crush. Around us thousands, probably tens of thousands, of fellow Brits roared their approval. Earlier some Swiss spectators had got a little tetchy when the screen swapped from Big Roger at 12 all against Del Potro to the Velodrome, but hey we're not in Zurich are we?
We then scooted round to the aforementioned aquatic centre to be deafened by roars for Michael Phelps and, above all, Becky Adlington, sadly no gold for GB here but the impressive US team notched up victory after victory. Heading home feeling utterly emotionally drained we were again bowled over by the volunteers and military personnel's friendly, cheerful, helpful and in many cases highly amusing demeanour. Every one smiles the whole time and says in a non McDonalds way "how are you?" and "have great day!" and they mean it. Interestingly the only very few people we have found to be anything other than charming are those being paid to usher people about, people from the crowd control and security companies like G4S.
Up early yesterday morning to head to Paris for a wedding. We arrived at St Pancras to find a queue for security that would have meant we would be lucky to get to Paris by 3.30 let alone Poitiers where the wedding was being held, so we turned around and headed to the sofa. Now as sorry as I was to miss the wedding every cloud has etc...
Well I am not sure anything I say can add to what we experienced yesterday, it rained golds down on us and I had shouted myself hoarse by the time Kat and Sophie crossed the line at Eton Dorney. We watched as a certain female athlete I have a bit of a soft spot for moved herself into a position that made a gold all but certain before her final event. Then the girls tore the Yanks apart in the Cycling Team Pursuit. Finally the miracle hour was upon us, Jess decided that she was buggered if anyone was going to cross the line before her and the "poster girl" of the games delivered what for me was the gold I wanted more than any other. Blow me down if Greg Rutherford went and did the same thing, OK he went into the final ranked as world no 1 this year, but every other competitor in the final had a better personal best than him. Huge cheer when the American Will Clay did the honourable thing and strolled into the pit rather than leap.
Mo Farah has experienced more disappointments than most other British athletes, mainly down to nasty Ethiopians and Kenyans ganging up on him and snatching the medals like thieves in the night after dear old Mo had done all the hard work. This time thanks to a Cuban coach and the "special relationship" with his coaching partner Galen Rupp (surely a name that deserves to be a character in a Looney Tunes cartoon?), he refused to be bullied and Mo delivered. SIX GOLDS IN ONE DAY!
On Tuesday there was gloom - when were we going to win gold? Today Team Britain stands on a precipice, teetering on the edge of obliterating all our expectations and getting so much gold that we could replace the lot that Gordon effing Brown sold off for coppers in the late Nineties!
We are seeing the best of Britain and Britain at its best, long may it continue.
Oh, and one final note. On Wednesday last week some of my Australian friends were crowing on Facebook that we were trailing behind "sporting powerhouses Slovenia, Lithuania, Georgia, Ukraine, Hungary and Romania" in the medal table. Well my dear Aussie friends, where are you? Come on, lets be having you!
During the afternoon we found one of the very rare spaces in front of one of the mega screens in the East Park and watched the cyclists do what they do best - win. And boy did they win! Gold medals? Pah! We've got a few world records to set as well and some Aussies to crush. Around us thousands, probably tens of thousands, of fellow Brits roared their approval. Earlier some Swiss spectators had got a little tetchy when the screen swapped from Big Roger at 12 all against Del Potro to the Velodrome, but hey we're not in Zurich are we?
We then scooted round to the aforementioned aquatic centre to be deafened by roars for Michael Phelps and, above all, Becky Adlington, sadly no gold for GB here but the impressive US team notched up victory after victory. Heading home feeling utterly emotionally drained we were again bowled over by the volunteers and military personnel's friendly, cheerful, helpful and in many cases highly amusing demeanour. Every one smiles the whole time and says in a non McDonalds way "how are you?" and "have great day!" and they mean it. Interestingly the only very few people we have found to be anything other than charming are those being paid to usher people about, people from the crowd control and security companies like G4S.
Up early yesterday morning to head to Paris for a wedding. We arrived at St Pancras to find a queue for security that would have meant we would be lucky to get to Paris by 3.30 let alone Poitiers where the wedding was being held, so we turned around and headed to the sofa. Now as sorry as I was to miss the wedding every cloud has etc...
Well I am not sure anything I say can add to what we experienced yesterday, it rained golds down on us and I had shouted myself hoarse by the time Kat and Sophie crossed the line at Eton Dorney. We watched as a certain female athlete I have a bit of a soft spot for moved herself into a position that made a gold all but certain before her final event. Then the girls tore the Yanks apart in the Cycling Team Pursuit. Finally the miracle hour was upon us, Jess decided that she was buggered if anyone was going to cross the line before her and the "poster girl" of the games delivered what for me was the gold I wanted more than any other. Blow me down if Greg Rutherford went and did the same thing, OK he went into the final ranked as world no 1 this year, but every other competitor in the final had a better personal best than him. Huge cheer when the American Will Clay did the honourable thing and strolled into the pit rather than leap.
Mo Farah has experienced more disappointments than most other British athletes, mainly down to nasty Ethiopians and Kenyans ganging up on him and snatching the medals like thieves in the night after dear old Mo had done all the hard work. This time thanks to a Cuban coach and the "special relationship" with his coaching partner Galen Rupp (surely a name that deserves to be a character in a Looney Tunes cartoon?), he refused to be bullied and Mo delivered. SIX GOLDS IN ONE DAY!
On Tuesday there was gloom - when were we going to win gold? Today Team Britain stands on a precipice, teetering on the edge of obliterating all our expectations and getting so much gold that we could replace the lot that Gordon effing Brown sold off for coppers in the late Nineties!
We are seeing the best of Britain and Britain at its best, long may it continue.
Oh, and one final note. On Wednesday last week some of my Australian friends were crowing on Facebook that we were trailing behind "sporting powerhouses Slovenia, Lithuania, Georgia, Ukraine, Hungary and Romania" in the medal table. Well my dear Aussie friends, where are you? Come on, lets be having you!
Wednesday 1 August 2012
Olympic highlights
So have done the beach volleyball in Horse Guards Parade. Even with a vast British crowd and no Brits to cheer on it was a complete riot. The behaviour of the crowd was encouraged by the organisers to be as boisterous as possible, although I have a sneaking suspicion that the fact that you are allowed to take alcohol to your seat kind of helped (the guys in front of us gave up all pretence and just bought a case of Heineken from the bar!). The blaring music and commentator only helped to whip up the crowd. To top it off voice-over man of Britain Peter Dickson (BGT, X Factor etc) had a comedy voice-over role in the time outs. Surreal. A truly brilliant evening that finished well past midnight, not sure if Horse Guard's neighbour Dave Cameron was at No 10 but I suspect he will be quite pleased when this particular Olympic event is done.....
Loved watching the road race coming over Putney Bridge on Sunday if not the deluge we experienced 30 minutes before they rushed past in about 3 seconds. A friend who was with us, who putting it mildly does not share my Olympic passion (they went on holiday to Mauritius to escape on Monday) declared that she was getting "quite excited" about 5 minutes before the cyclists appeared, which in my book is a huge result and reflects that even the most disinterested of Brits are finding it quite difficult not to get swept up a little bit in the fervour.
So next up is the icing on the cake for me personally. Friday morning I will be in the Olympic Stadium and watching my heroine in the first two events of the heptathlon. I am sure that Jess will make us proud. My heart is fluttering already.
Brilliant performance by Heather Stanning and Heather Glover this morning. Yet again I am left speechless by Bradley Wiggins. An absolute god.
Loved watching the road race coming over Putney Bridge on Sunday if not the deluge we experienced 30 minutes before they rushed past in about 3 seconds. A friend who was with us, who putting it mildly does not share my Olympic passion (they went on holiday to Mauritius to escape on Monday) declared that she was getting "quite excited" about 5 minutes before the cyclists appeared, which in my book is a huge result and reflects that even the most disinterested of Brits are finding it quite difficult not to get swept up a little bit in the fervour.
So next up is the icing on the cake for me personally. Friday morning I will be in the Olympic Stadium and watching my heroine in the first two events of the heptathlon. I am sure that Jess will make us proud. My heart is fluttering already.
Brilliant performance by Heather Stanning and Heather Glover this morning. Yet again I am left speechless by Bradley Wiggins. An absolute god.
Wednesday 25 July 2012
An Olympic Movement
Still listening to garbage being spouted by people who deem the Olympics a waste of time and money. First Olympics to come in on time and on budget is evidently not good enough for these naysayers.
Far more importantly I am yet to hear a single world of practical and sanguine criticism from a Londoner (cousin excepted - he has to deal with a heliport on his head (literally)).
Listen this gig has been on us for years. If you didn't know that London was coming to a standstill then I cannot help you. If you are a Londoner and are surprised, well holy sh*t! Its here and that is that, two weeks to prove what we already know......the greatest city in the world.
If you don't live in London your opinion is taken with a dose......my city, our city, the world's watching. Party here, party there.
I will be be happy to discuss with any non-londoner who wants to express their opinions.
Far more importantly I am yet to hear a single world of practical and sanguine criticism from a Londoner (cousin excepted - he has to deal with a heliport on his head (literally)).
Listen this gig has been on us for years. If you didn't know that London was coming to a standstill then I cannot help you. If you are a Londoner and are surprised, well holy sh*t! Its here and that is that, two weeks to prove what we already know......the greatest city in the world.
If you don't live in London your opinion is taken with a dose......my city, our city, the world's watching. Party here, party there.
I will be be happy to discuss with any non-londoner who wants to express their opinions.
Heroes and Legends
OK this is a subject that requires a pause and then full throttle address. I have been upsetting the ignoramus of society for a little bit of time on this one. So here goes....
Sir Steve Redgrave is a legend. Daley is a hero.
Kelly Holmes is a hero, Sally Gunnell is a legend.
Chris Hoy is a legend, Chris Boardman is a hero.
Here you go: Legends are people we wish to be. Heroes are the people we want to be, the people we love and the people that we want to spend our time with. Not always perfect (Botham and Daley!) but they are our dreams. I have never tried to emulate a legend, I am always trying to emulate my heroes.........
Latest tweet from georgiembprice should be ignored....
Bring on the heroes! Bring on the Legends. Jess will be the first who can become both a legend and a hero......
Well done GB Womens team.....
Roger, dodger, go Jess..........
Sir Steve Redgrave is a legend. Daley is a hero.
Kelly Holmes is a hero, Sally Gunnell is a legend.
Chris Hoy is a legend, Chris Boardman is a hero.
Here you go: Legends are people we wish to be. Heroes are the people we want to be, the people we love and the people that we want to spend our time with. Not always perfect (Botham and Daley!) but they are our dreams. I have never tried to emulate a legend, I am always trying to emulate my heroes.........
Latest tweet from georgiembprice should be ignored....
Bring on the heroes! Bring on the Legends. Jess will be the first who can become both a legend and a hero......
Well done GB Womens team.....
Roger, dodger, go Jess..........
Saturday 21 July 2012
Le Tour
Well I never @kateprice9592 has tweeted!
Life changed at around 5pm today when Bradley Wiggins destroyed the field to effectively win Le Tour. Sir Chris Hoy has said that he considers this to be the greatest achievement ever by a British sportsman. He's a legend, so what does that make Bradders? I am in awe of today's performance.
Frankly unless Jess runs up the flagpole naked after winning the heptathlon it's difficult to see how I can vote for anyone else come the BBC vote for SPOTY!.................Here's hoping........
In the meantime we have a new house mate. My darling niece Georgie (@georgiembprice) is in the house for the Olympics (amongst many countless others - the no vacancies sign is shortly to become illuminated and enhanced by neon). I believe I may learn more about Twitter than before, I suspect my liver may learn how to recover less quickly!
Less than a week to go........can barely breathe.
Life changed at around 5pm today when Bradley Wiggins destroyed the field to effectively win Le Tour. Sir Chris Hoy has said that he considers this to be the greatest achievement ever by a British sportsman. He's a legend, so what does that make Bradders? I am in awe of today's performance.
Frankly unless Jess runs up the flagpole naked after winning the heptathlon it's difficult to see how I can vote for anyone else come the BBC vote for SPOTY!.................Here's hoping........
In the meantime we have a new house mate. My darling niece Georgie (@georgiembprice) is in the house for the Olympics (amongst many countless others - the no vacancies sign is shortly to become illuminated and enhanced by neon). I believe I may learn more about Twitter than before, I suspect my liver may learn how to recover less quickly!
Less than a week to go........can barely breathe.
Tuesday 17 July 2012
New design after some rather less than complimentary feedback about the last one. Personally I think this new photo looks like I am sweating rather too much and had a hard night on the tiles (which actually is an accurate reflection), however a certain individual says it is more flattering. Hey ho what do I know? (almost the beginning of a Ramones classic there). And yes I have tried to reduce the size but as yet have had no frikking offers from web designers as to how to make this look better. It's me here, so don't expect miracles, I am still getting over the fact that still art will never be my metier.
Also pointed out by a teetotaller that I had miss-spelt one of my favourite bands in my profile, nigh on inexcusable but I had had a drink when I was doing it!
Have "a heroes and legends" sporting theme bubbling up. Just either looking for the time or more likely the requisite quantity of vin blanc et rouge to get it properly formulated. Equally something on the Tour de France, so if the multitude out there has a preference as to which comes first then let me know. I will almost certainly do the other.....
Made the mistake of divulging my thoughts as posted earlier about the Wimbledon "audiences" to some sporting journalists yesterday, they all appeared to have missed this simple observation but nodded in a fiendish manner ("hey got an article here...!") when I stopped spouting, so if you see any articles espousing my views, please let me know. A good lawyer is worth their salt when it comes to plagiarism.
Also pointed out by a teetotaller that I had miss-spelt one of my favourite bands in my profile, nigh on inexcusable but I had had a drink when I was doing it!
Have "a heroes and legends" sporting theme bubbling up. Just either looking for the time or more likely the requisite quantity of vin blanc et rouge to get it properly formulated. Equally something on the Tour de France, so if the multitude out there has a preference as to which comes first then let me know. I will almost certainly do the other.....
Made the mistake of divulging my thoughts as posted earlier about the Wimbledon "audiences" to some sporting journalists yesterday, they all appeared to have missed this simple observation but nodded in a fiendish manner ("hey got an article here...!") when I stopped spouting, so if you see any articles espousing my views, please let me know. A good lawyer is worth their salt when it comes to plagiarism.
Tuesday 10 July 2012
Its a small world
Heaven's above! We have people reading this stuff in Russia, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong and Canada. Just wish I had a cat in hell's idea of how you have found out about me and much more importantly who the hell the anonymous posters are? So if any of you out there know how I can let you know that I have ranted again (i.e. setting up what I believe is called an RSS feed) please let me know.
Loving the feedback by the way. Just remember that wearing specs at the end of my nose, shouting at things that I shouldn't and behaving in a worryingly belligerent fashion, when I am old enough to take a deep breath, is who and what I am. I was rightly accused of being a bit sterile earlier today and that is frankly horrendous.
Apparently I am not allowed to shoot foxes in the garden. We have panelled/slatted fences. Who am I going to kill other than me and the mangy child eater? My choice surely?
Loving the feedback by the way. Just remember that wearing specs at the end of my nose, shouting at things that I shouldn't and behaving in a worryingly belligerent fashion, when I am old enough to take a deep breath, is who and what I am. I was rightly accused of being a bit sterile earlier today and that is frankly horrendous.
Apparently I am not allowed to shoot foxes in the garden. We have panelled/slatted fences. Who am I going to kill other than me and the mangy child eater? My choice surely?
Sunday 8 July 2012
Sporting?
Apparently I should be watching and applauding big Rog's victory.....well, sorry I have better things to do than celebrate a Swiss victory on our home soil. It is frankly galling to see the joy writ large on the audience's face and Sue bloody Barker cheering on the achievements of Federer. Irritated? Too right.
Saturday 7 July 2012
Seven long years
Seven years ago to the day I was listening to the BBC on line when I heard the words "The International Olympic Committee has the honour of announcing that the games of 30th Olympiad are awarded to the city of London". I have rarely felt more proud and fiercely British and even now find myself welling with emotion when I watch the reaction in Trafalgar Square on the day - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dt4jjS_dyA . I received many magnanimous messages of congratulations from friends all around France; let's face it whether it is true or not rumours still abound that one of the committee inadvertently pressed the wrong button so we won by one vote.
The following day, London was the victim of a heinous act of terrorism that came from within. It brought the importance of the Olympics in to sharp focus. The United Kingdom has unquestionably suffered greatly in the intervening years and the argument as to whether we should be investing billions in the games was valid, right up until the point that we were awarded the Games.
So we find ourselves on the cusp of witnessing the greatest sporting event there is and it is here, in our own country and in my home town. Millions have lined the streets to watch the torch relay - there were 40,000 on the streets of Lowestoft for pete's sake, however many will there be when it reaches London?!
Legacy is the buzz word and rightly so. The Games have regenerated a part of London that was polluted and impoverished in every sense of the word and may never have had the requisite money spent on it in decades. We now have state of the art sporting arenas that will be the envy of the world and which will give the facilities for future generations to become sporting icons. The Games of 2012 will be their inspiration. More importantly there will be a part of our city where Londoners will want to live and bring up their families. London is not Athens or Sydney, where facilities lie crumbling, it is and always has been a vibrant, cosmopolitan and dynamic city led by the people.
10,500 competitors are about to arrive to take part in an event that will be the pinnacle of their careers (OK tennis and football excluded - that will be subject of a serious rant another time, I suspect!). London is the first city to host three Olympic Games (the last time was 1948 and the country was on its knees then as well). Tickets are, to all intents and purposes, sold out. Millions of Britons are excited beyond belief and yet we still have the people the length and breadth of the country who are saying they think we should not be hosting the games, one nay sayer I heard described it as a "jamboree"! A jamboree is a gathering of scouts for heaven's sake.
We have an opportunity to show the world that the UK can throw a party that the natives are embracing, that we can organise an event that was prepared months ago, we are a nation that is delighted to welcome the rest of the world and that London is still the greatest city in the word and we are going to cheer everyone on whatever their sex, colour or creed. OK we will probably cheer a bit more if they are in a British vest!
So bring it on, the greatest of the great sporting events, in our our own country, in our capital city and let us show the world that the word Great in in our national name is no self-aggrandisement. Let us hope and pray for British medals, but more let us hope and pray that the passion that most of have for our country shines through and shows the world that we are proud to to be called British.
Oh! And can Jess win gold, please?
The following day, London was the victim of a heinous act of terrorism that came from within. It brought the importance of the Olympics in to sharp focus. The United Kingdom has unquestionably suffered greatly in the intervening years and the argument as to whether we should be investing billions in the games was valid, right up until the point that we were awarded the Games.
So we find ourselves on the cusp of witnessing the greatest sporting event there is and it is here, in our own country and in my home town. Millions have lined the streets to watch the torch relay - there were 40,000 on the streets of Lowestoft for pete's sake, however many will there be when it reaches London?!
Legacy is the buzz word and rightly so. The Games have regenerated a part of London that was polluted and impoverished in every sense of the word and may never have had the requisite money spent on it in decades. We now have state of the art sporting arenas that will be the envy of the world and which will give the facilities for future generations to become sporting icons. The Games of 2012 will be their inspiration. More importantly there will be a part of our city where Londoners will want to live and bring up their families. London is not Athens or Sydney, where facilities lie crumbling, it is and always has been a vibrant, cosmopolitan and dynamic city led by the people.
10,500 competitors are about to arrive to take part in an event that will be the pinnacle of their careers (OK tennis and football excluded - that will be subject of a serious rant another time, I suspect!). London is the first city to host three Olympic Games (the last time was 1948 and the country was on its knees then as well). Tickets are, to all intents and purposes, sold out. Millions of Britons are excited beyond belief and yet we still have the people the length and breadth of the country who are saying they think we should not be hosting the games, one nay sayer I heard described it as a "jamboree"! A jamboree is a gathering of scouts for heaven's sake.
We have an opportunity to show the world that the UK can throw a party that the natives are embracing, that we can organise an event that was prepared months ago, we are a nation that is delighted to welcome the rest of the world and that London is still the greatest city in the word and we are going to cheer everyone on whatever their sex, colour or creed. OK we will probably cheer a bit more if they are in a British vest!
So bring it on, the greatest of the great sporting events, in our our own country, in our capital city and let us show the world that the word Great in in our national name is no self-aggrandisement. Let us hope and pray for British medals, but more let us hope and pray that the passion that most of have for our country shines through and shows the world that we are proud to to be called British.
Oh! And can Jess win gold, please?
Friday 29 June 2012
Any idea what sport is?
God! Wimbledon really is the nadir of sports events, two weeks of screeching middle aged women (don't accuse me of being sexist, just look at the audience - YES AN AUDIENCE, NOT A CROWD) who frankly have no idea what a foot fault is or whether it requires callipers to resolve the issue, hooting and hollering about players whose names they vaguely recognise and GENUINELY getting excited about the result.
The oohs and ahhhs are truly embarrassing.
Let's hope that all the favourites lose and they have nothing to cheer for, at least until next year.......please, please, please......yeh, like that is going to happen!
Wednesday 27 June 2012
Here we go, here we go, here we go...
Sorry, dear reader, I have been a tad tied up with my new life. Back in the real world England have been knocked out of the Euros, thank heaven as I was searching for a newly painted walls to give me some entertainment.
England, Ireland and Wales have been beaten with varying degrees of difficulty by the southern hemisphere rugby superpowers whilst the Sweaties manage to beat the Aussies (closer to the truth is that the weather beat them - always been fair weather performers the men in gold) and then stumble past Fiji and Samoa and come back home as the heroes of the north. Go figure.
The world is about to come to a finish if Mervyn King's proclamations are to be believed and yet the euro is still trading at around 20% above what should be its true value against both the dollar and sterling. Go figure again.
The torch continues to find corners of the UK that most of us have avoided for safety reasons for many years. The Queen is having to cosy up to an individual who 20 years ago was considered to be promoting terrorism and petrol is not going up after all, due to the political equivalent of 40 recently decapitated chickens now running the country.
Looking forward to the end of world, but only after we've got the Euros, one day series against the Aussies, the Tour de France (a Brit to win according to the bookies), the test series against the South Africans, the Olympics and who knows Mclaren may find a set of mechanics who can actually change a set of Lewis' tyres in less than a minute, before we get there.
Let's not mention Wimbledon!
Friday 8 June 2012
Friends and Rivals
Ruddy hell! Well done ITV they've only gone and got Keano and Viera sitting next to each other, hell's teeth that's like getting Maggie and Kinnock cosying on the sofa circa 1988.
Desperately hoping that there is some sort of set to in this first game that leads them to renew acquaintances properly at full and/or half time. Imagine the disaproval emanting from the offices of Associated Newspapers.
So let's hope we are not about to set off on the Euro journey that involves a whole load of disparate nations trying to prove their worth, before the Germans get everyone to kowtow to them by lifting a trophy.....yeh, yeh that is EXACTLY what is going to happen (mixed metaphors but plus ca change!).
Finally, a footballer that I loved watching play the game in the Eighties and had admired greatly has, like so many others, become a victim of his own self importance. Michel Platini is in danger of believing his own verbage, which makes him a step away from Splatter (yep, I know). European football needs better, we do not need to plumb the depths that Sepp has set.
Come on anyone who can play football, and that's unlikely (sadly) to be Ingerlaaaand
.....
Desperately hoping that there is some sort of set to in this first game that leads them to renew acquaintances properly at full and/or half time. Imagine the disaproval emanting from the offices of Associated Newspapers.
So let's hope we are not about to set off on the Euro journey that involves a whole load of disparate nations trying to prove their worth, before the Germans get everyone to kowtow to them by lifting a trophy.....yeh, yeh that is EXACTLY what is going to happen (mixed metaphors but plus ca change!).
Finally, a footballer that I loved watching play the game in the Eighties and had admired greatly has, like so many others, become a victim of his own self importance. Michel Platini is in danger of believing his own verbage, which makes him a step away from Splatter (yep, I know). European football needs better, we do not need to plumb the depths that Sepp has set.
Come on anyone who can play football, and that's unlikely (sadly) to be Ingerlaaaand
.....
Thursday 31 May 2012
Oh I say!
There is a programme on Eurosport that seems to specialise in allowing Annabel Croft to show off her not unattractive limbs. Occasionally she appears to allow former and current female players with enormously large teeth to interview each other. Evidently Mats Wilander appears in a pink shirt from time to time and passes comment.
I think this genre of tv sport may require further study?
I think this genre of tv sport may require further study?
A long, long time ago....
Not really sure what to add to this, feel a bit weird, so here's a picture of the office of the business that consumed the last 8 and a bit years of my life.
Thanks to all those of you who have been part of the last 29 years, some will be part of the next chapter I am sure. It was a blast most of the time.
Off to sit in the kitchen sink (if you don't get it google The Cure) though hoping the telephone won't ring.
Thursday 17 May 2012
Books and covers
Life is weird. Kid gets on the bus earlier; full of testosterone, angst and noisy bins. He's maybe 15 or 16 and to a middle aged tubby like me a bit scary (potentially), so I ignore. Trouble is I have had a three bottle lunch with shock and ORR and I get a fraction lairy. First option is a hunched neck which gets me a dagger stare back. Give it another 2 minutes (well this is a fricking teenager), then I give a real dagger back. He looks a mite uncomfortable and drops decibels by like 20% (sorry people less than 45 read this drivel too, so modern colloquial parlance is en vogue - those of you less than 45 may take a moment...), so I ignore. Three minutes later "thing" has turned it back up and the third bottle and second brandy has taken effect, I look back and stare, he looks back with distain and I glare.......ding ding ding ding ding Ruddy hell!!!!! I have sent his walkman (yeh I know its not called that now, but hell!) to a quiet carriage. I spend the remaining 15 minutes of the journey looking hard, whilst pretending not to be concerned. I get off bus at requisite stop and nod at him on the way down the stairs.
Its only on the way down the road that it dawns on me that the poor fuc**r was more scared of me than I was of him. Tribal, methinks.......
Its only on the way down the road that it dawns on me that the poor fuc**r was more scared of me than I was of him. Tribal, methinks.......
Wednesday 9 May 2012
Wind from sails
Surely ITV must have a way of working out the comparative percentages of each of BGT competitors winning? Likelihood is that a computer programme does it? Well some moron switched it off tonight! How, in all that is holy, can millions be voting on some person on a guitar, name forgotten already, against another rather average dance act, when last night 4 acts potentially could have won? Twist an Pulse worse than nu skool? I ruddy think not!
Modern chic or faded glory
L'Anima is an oasis of civilisation in the rocky gastronomic outpost that is EC2, delighted that Mrs P suggested we celebrate the score there. A swim via taxi to a more recognisable quarter of town finds us in Belgravia and in my favourite watering hole. The Blue Bar at the Berkeley may lack the swish je ne sais quoi of other establishments, but the rattle of the cocktail shaker, the soft nature of the charming staff and the questionable respectability of my fellow patrons make it the sort of dubious oasis that we all need...
Best 20 years
It's a long time, but twenty years flies by when it's with the right person,so without making this unduly soppy, many thanks to my best friend and wife Kate. Looking forward to another 20 and a life less ordinary (sometimes).
Ok that's the last personal post of putrid nature for at least 5 years. Get over it people, it needed to be said.
Ok that's the last personal post of putrid nature for at least 5 years. Get over it people, it needed to be said.
Friday 4 May 2012
No, no, no!
Sorry proctor and gamble you are not and will never be a British sponsor or a reason for us to follow
you, so get lost and stop pathetically trying to steal our support, frankly to put it in British vernacular - Bugger Off! We have genuine British companies that we would prefer to swing their hips against the GB Olympic team. On yer bike USA.
Wednesday 2 May 2012
Balanced reporting?
Surely I am not the only person who has found the BBC's gloating over Murdoch's public wrist slapping by a completely unimpartial group of MPs, who cannot even agree on the conclusions of this exhaustive publicly funded witch hunt, distinctly seedy? Barack Obama's key note speech on the future of Afghanistan? Second rate news, whilst Auntie lambasts and ridicules Murdoch.....European implosion of fiscal and financial stability? No, no! Let's gets Rupert. A new French President come Sunday? Who are you kidding? We've got News Corp to shoot at! Maybe someone should remind them that no one died over phone hacking. The appalling behaviour specifically related to Milly Dowler is utterly reprehensible but please let's have some perspective and balanced reporting dear old Auntie, you are, after all, not without faults....
Wednesday 25 April 2012
ITV excel again
So impressed to see Dermot Murgnahan checking his suit 4 minutes into extra time of the champions league semi. Classy threads big D!
Well it says daily!
Been a bit remiss over the last couple of days, work getting in the way, a problem that will remain only for a few more weeks. Top job by Chelski last night, shame they have only got four eligible players who are not banned from the final! Maybe Jose will lend them some players before he shuffles back over to England and into the welcoming arms of Abramovich once again? You never forget your first love do you Roman?
Sunday 22 April 2012
Mid Life Crisis?
I have had what my wife Kate describes as a mid-life crisis. After almost 29 years as a wine merchant I decided about 6 months ago that I did not want to do it anymore, so from the end of May 2012 I will no longer be one of the owners of Genesis Wines, which has taken up more of my time over the last 8 years than is probably healthy.
I guess, therefore, that this blog is further confirmation of my MLC. I am thankful that I haven't been found lurking outside the Harley shop in Chelsea, or been seen eying up leather jackets. I have however downloaded a piece of software this morning that apparently will enable me to make this site all singing and dancing and gleaming and will encourage millions of people to come and look at these pages and ultimately for the site to have 100s of ads and me paid thousands of pounds weekly. Sadly I have not the faintest idea how to use said software...
The purpose of this blog is to give me a platform to rant on a regular basis. I appear to be susceptible to letting off steam about pretty much anything, so someone is likely to light the touch paper at some stage and I will be off.
I guess, therefore, that this blog is further confirmation of my MLC. I am thankful that I haven't been found lurking outside the Harley shop in Chelsea, or been seen eying up leather jackets. I have however downloaded a piece of software this morning that apparently will enable me to make this site all singing and dancing and gleaming and will encourage millions of people to come and look at these pages and ultimately for the site to have 100s of ads and me paid thousands of pounds weekly. Sadly I have not the faintest idea how to use said software...
The purpose of this blog is to give me a platform to rant on a regular basis. I appear to be susceptible to letting off steam about pretty much anything, so someone is likely to light the touch paper at some stage and I will be off.
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