World Champions

An excellent weekend, culminating in something all English cricket supporters have waited many years to witness, England winning a cricket world cup. Twenty20 cricket may not be to everyones taste, but victory is still sweet. There are few things I enjoy more in sport than beating Australia, so Sunday afternoons triumph is even better. A great performance by the whole team and the return to form throughout the tournament by Kevin Pietersen was a huge bonus, he fully deserved his player of the tournament. The ground in Barbados was full of England supporters celebrating what hopefully will lead the way to further success in the limited over forms of the game.

The Cup Final came and went on Saturday, how strange to consider just how important it as as a child, when live football was a rarity. I barely remembered to turn on the television, obviously not helped by the fact it was Chelsea v Portsmouth , two clubs who represent for different reasons the problems asociated with the modern game in England.

Saturday evening we entertained two old friends, one a former Labour MP. We talked about the fall of New Labour and the prospects for the coalition. Naturally matters turned to the Labour leadership and my sentiment that there are few policy differences, members may well vote on who will out perform Cameron and Clegg in televised debates. I really couldn't bring myself to explain that I'd voted Green and gone to the election count not as a Labour Party representative.

I listened to Radio 4's " Any Questions", perhaps the best political debate I've heard in recent weeks, Roy Hattersley, Simon Hughes, Douglas Hurd and Caroline Lucas. Caroline did a really good job, and exposed Hughes for the opportunist that he is. Hattersley seemed more radical than I remembered him when he was deputy Labour leader. Hattersley disliked Blair with a passion, and clearly remains outside the orbit of New Labour.

Sunday morning and a quick visit to a Plant Sale organise by the local Green party. An excellent way to raise funds. At present we seem to be surrounded by slashers and choppers. Our next door neighbour has chopped down all the hedging plants on her side of the fence, and at the allotment our new neighbour from Zimbawe seems to be adopting a scorched earth policy.
The allotment is beginning to flourish the rhubarb planted last summer is substantial, and the gooseberry bushes show signs of bareing fruit. All we did is some summer weather in the weeks ahead.