All square after the Gabba

After a few days of getting up between 4am and 5am I'm beginning to think that I'm living in a different time zone. The reason, the Ashes. After three days England's back was up against the wall, we trailed by more than 200 and it seemed iyt would be an uphill task just to make the Aussies bat again.

Enter Strauss, Cook and Trott, all of whom went on to make centuries.

Cook in fact broke the highest total record at the Gabba, his 225 not out, overtakes Bradman's long standing record. Trott,quietly goes on accumulating runs. England got into a position where they couldn't lose, and then declared. The wicket was flat and offered little help to the spinners. Nevertheless England's comeback suggests the momentum is with us, as the squads head to Adelaide.

The key question is whether either of the two teams can manage to take twenty wickets to win a match. For England that means one thing, will the wicket take spin, and if so can Graeme Swann repeat the form that he has shown on English wickets to the tracks in Australia.

A few days rest before it all starts again on Friday..

Away from the cricket, Sunday offered the chance to watch the East Anglian derby, Norwich City against the old farm enemy, now renamed " Roy Keane's Ipswich". Not sure how I started to take an interest in Norwich's results , but they've become my football league team, and the chance to hear updates on our regional TV helps. On Sunday the Canaries secured the bragging rights with a 4-1 victory, with Grant Holt bagging a hat trick.

Snow stops trip

I'm not a fan of snow, it disrupts my life and within hours it's a slushy mess. On Friday night the friends who we were scheduled to visit in Somerset this weekend phoned to say their area was under several inches of it. The decision was quickly made to reschedule the trip in the new year. As a result I was able to go the AFC Wimbledon's FA Cup tie v Stevenage.

Yes it was on TV, and on a free to view channel as well, that meant even my old Mum could watch the game, however for me TV is no substitute for being there. A mix of weather, tiredness and wanting to save cash meant that I decided to travel to Kingsmeadow by public transport. No one makes these journeys easy. Our railway line was closed yet again foe engineering work, so I drove to the nearest underground where the car park was closed. The shortcut from north to south of the river was also shut, and they wonder why people use their cars.

The presence of Tv did not inflate the crowd but did mean that various notables were in attendance. Sadly the Dons didn't turn up in the first hour, and although the Stevenage opening goal owed more to poor decision making by Seb Brown than to the quality of the free kick, the visitors deserved their goal lead to half time.

The second half performance was much improved, but with tewn minutes remaining we conceded a second, and the dream of drawing one of the premiership giants in the 3rd Round was over for another year.

On te plus side the TV exposure that this cup run has generated is very welcome and of course the TV Match fees are quite substantial for a club the size of the Dons. It was a cold day and 12.50pm is an unusual kick off but we can have no complaints and Stevenage will go into tomorrow's draw with my good wishes, if for no other reason than they prevented us having to meet the Franchise.

Climate Change Sceptics

Yesterday Rupert Reed , Green councillor from Norwich and lecturer at UEA tweeted that there were more climate change deniers as a percentage of the population in the UK than in any other country including the USA. Now apart from the fact that this is stunningly depressing, it led me to think why do people, some of them educated human beings, doubt the findings of science.

At one level my immediate thought was that some humans are ostriches and just ignore unpleasant facts. Smokers continue to smoke when the medical evidence of it being a major contributor to cancer and heart disease is irrefutable. Some people of faith choose to ignore Darwin's work and bizarrely claim the world is only 10,000 years old. I've felt that many meat eaters choose to ignore famine in the third world because meat production makes feeding the world's population so much harder.

Is this the reason for denying climate change ? It seems clear that those involved in the oil and motor industries have strong motives to denigrate climate science. Their pursuit of profit and power will outweigh any slight concern for the future of the planet. Of course climate change deniers go way beyond that, so what other factors are at work. I'm led to conclude that most politics focuses on the short term, governments are driven to tackle the now in order to get re-elected, and many people only focus on the now because ultimately in the words of Keynes "in the long run we are all dead". Embracing climate change means some unpleasant and inconvenient truths- the need for lifestyles to change, that further prosperity and economic growth will not be able to continue in the industrial world, the fact that less for many may prove to be more sustainable than more.

Now I'm not saying that the these issues dominate the thoughts of the bulk of the population, clearly they don't when they are drip fed a diet of talent shows and reality TV. However I sense that many realise that to tackle climate change requires profound changes and that for many reasons they can not handle it. As a result we are propelled towards ecological disaster.

Ashes

There's no sporting contest like it. England v Australia at cricket. Over 130 years of history. This year once again England hold the ashes and go to Australia aiming to retain them. The England team has improved in depth and performance since they were whitewashed in 2007.

The 1st test starts late night, England time. The Gabba in Brisbane, the heat, tension .Think I'll stay up and watch a bit. There's only work in the morning, and cricket symbolises much of what England means to me.

Today via social network site Twitter, my son Graham and I took part in a question and answer session with Alec Stewart, one of my all time favourite cricketers, a legend of Surrey and England. Just terrific.

Looking Back

Sunday isn't a day I associate with non league football. Premiership fans have to take whatever time the Tv channels decide, but for non league fans football means 3.00 Saturday. Well, not if you're in the FA Cup and are told that your game will be televised on Thursday evening. Not surprisingly the manager and coaching staff knowing that players require recovery time,negotiated a Sunday afternoon kick off.

We set off early to avoid the happy band of shoppers who by now with 33 days to Xmas will be flocking to Lakeside and Bluewater. Our aim was to set up the Silent Auction well before the 12.30pm start. The journey took less time than expected and we were ready to go, by the time the auction ended at 2.30pm, it was calculated that we'd made around £3000.

The game itself seemed to be all over inside 30 minutes, the Dons stormed into a 3-0 lead, which arguably should have been more. However Thursday night caught up with the players and in the closing minutes they were hanging on for a 3-2 victory, which took the Dons back to the top of the league. Just the confidence boost that's needed ahead of next Saturday's cup game v Stevenage.

After the game, we stayed the night in Tooting. Strange going back to the house and road where I grew up. Although I've visited many times over the years, staying there still seemed unreal,. I went out to get my paper and groceries this morning and saw a wave of people heading to the Underground,a scene that I've not witnessed for many years.

Whilst on the theme of Looking Back, 20 years ago today, Thatcher resigned. Sadly her ideas have lived on. I described her to students recently as the archtypical"marmite" politician. Its either love or hate, and I comfortably fit into the second group. Will show film on her tomorrow, become aware in last week that my students were not even alive when she came crashing down in November 1990.

Happiness is ....

In the last couple of weeks there has been much talk of the government trying to measure whether people are happy. Reasonable enough given that success criteria in the past seems to only focus on wealth. However yesterday showed me how fragile happiness can be.

Firstly I've gone down with a Man Cold. I've spent the last 36 hours sneezing and blowing my nose. Put mildly it's made me miserable.

Then on Saturday afternoon I watched Arsenal go from 2-0 up to lose 2-3 to Spurs. Black mood, anger, repeatedly asking the question how? It's the first time that Spurs have beaten Arsenal at Arsenal since 1993. Well that's not long enough for me.

Later today off to AFC Wimbledon for the game against Kettering and the Silent Auction, my main fund raising event of the year, it seems that after expenses we should top £2000, which is very good given the financial situation in the country.

Bird on the Wire

Friday night and BBC 4 are showing three hours of Leonard Cohen, now I've come to accept that Leonard is not everyones idea of a fun Friday night. Perhaps because I've gone down with a "Man Cold" I've been looking forward to seeing the programmes. The Bird on the Wire film showcases Leonard's 1972 European tour. As well as concert footage there were short interviews and some behind the scenes stuff including Leonard being propositioned by a young woman.

I first heard Leonard Cohen when I purchased a sampler album called " The rock machine turns you on". Strange really because to describe Cohen as rock stretches a point beyond reaking pint. Anyway from hearing Sisters of mercy, I was a convert.

His first two albums were compulsory at university, like many I was attracted to the imagery of his songs, his biblical themes and uninhibited sexual references. Yet Leonard was already 37 when he toured in 1972, nearly a generation older than many other of the singer songwriters that acquired popularity.

His songs from those two albums have stood the test of time, and come 2008 at the age of 74 he returned to the O2 Arena in London in a concert that will live long in the memory. On Friday night I reflected that I've been listening to him for over 40 years, and for the past 20 yeas Sisters of Mercy has often been on my lips as I arrive at work in the morning.

Leonard is proof that talent transends age. The music industry seems to make a virtue out of youth, now 76 Leonard goes marching on towards closing time.

48 hours in the life of a Don

Tuesday night, and I'm gazing at the BBC live text page, why? MK Dons it pains me still to type the name are playing Stevenage in the 1st round FA Cup replay. There's a chance, that we might have to play them, that pains me more. Stevenage pull the proverbial rabbit out of the bag and score in additional time, to take the tie to extra time. No more goals so penalties. So follows a penalty shootout via a website, its hell and also time delayed. The BBC textpage can't keep up, and alleges that Stevenage had won, when n fact spot kicks were still being taken. Like all Dons I was Stevenage till full time, and they did it.

Move the clock on 48 hours and I'm driving over the Dartford bridge to Gravesend, to watch the Dons take on Ebbsfleet. the form book says AFC wimbledon should have won the first game, but Ebbsfleet proved difficult opponents and there was nothing in the first half to suggest that anything had changed.

Thursday night is not football night, but ESPN want to show the game and no non league club can turn down the TV exposure and the cash rewards reputed to be £35K. At half time we're 2-1 down and although we led Ebbsfleet look the better side, and its hard to see us scoring once let alone twice.

Ebbsfleet ride the early second half storm, and the game seems to be running away from us. Terry brown makes an unlikely sub taking off a striker for bringing on ex-fleet player Luke Moore. Luke near ever present last season has been in and out of the team mainly through injuries. On the night however he produced a quality cross with 90 seconds of stoppage time and Sammy Moore prodded the ball past the stranded keeper with the outside of his right boot and the game was going to extra time.

A late night for me but at least no tunnel toll to pay as there was no chance I'd be crossing the Thames before 10pm. the thirty minutes seem to be failing to break the deadlock and on the terrace we were bracing ourselves for penalties when a hopeful ball was played into the Ebbsfleet box. The defence looked to the lino's flag but he waved play on and Sammy Moore took his time, remained composed and planted the ball firmly into the net. A minute later the whistle blew and the Dons were in the second round of the FA Cup for the first time as AFC Wimbledon.

On the way home the radio was full of "old tory" Lord Young, saying ' we'd never had it so good ' for most of the population this was a crass statement, but for Dons fans last night, it was undoubtedly true.

Not a fan of weddings !

Yesterday was the perfect opportunity to bury bad news. The media were besotted with the story that William Windsor is to get married. His fiancee is painted as an ordinary middle class girl, this ignores the fact that daddy is a millionaire. Anyway as someone not really that interested I thought it far more interesting to read the stories that might have made it big but..

Without a doubt the paying of compensation to those kidnapped and taken to Guantellimo Bay where they were imprisoned without trial and tortured should have dominated the media. The previous may wriggle and say they didn't know, but the fact remains that British citizens were subjected to such treatment,.

Second Cameron is forced to back down and take his photographer off the public payroll, arguably the first climbdown, and a blow to those who think the media image is what politics is all about.

Finally floods hit Cornwall, now the news is treating this as an isolated incident, strangely no mention of the dreadful floods last November in Cumbria or the floods along the river severn in 2007. No mention of either the cuts to our flood defences or of course the fact that more extreme weather is likely to become more common as a result of climate change.

On a personal note my article on the Green party's success in Brighton Pavilion has been accepted for publication by Politics Review for their January online edition . I have to report that early this morning I finished reading the second volume of Chris Mullin's diary. Once again I was genuinely sorry to have reached the end of the book. I think you can't give a book a better recommendation.

Hello Paul - got a new motor !

Well the answer's yes. More eco-friendly engine, and a "lifetime guarantee". New cars look so shiny, but within a few hours birds had deposited and I'm out there with a cloth. How long will that approach last ?

As much as I'm trying to cut down on car use, there's no getting away from the fact that away from major conurbations public transport is over priced, very restricted and more important erratic.

A very full day and night

Sunday morning an opportunity to get on my bike and cycle down to Seymour Field to watch Sunday Morning football, in fairness the short cycle ride was more worthwhile than the game, but anyway back home in time to make a curry and settle down to watch Arsenal's game at Everton. Very good display by the Gunners, and really never looked in danger until the final few minutes when Fabianski once again proved that as a shot stopper he's more than competent, its just the set pieces that worry me.

While Chelsea were taking a thrashing at home I was making making my way across london to Shepherds Bush to see Drive by Truckers. Fortunately for me, the Central line was running, 7 other lines were not. Travelling around London at the weekend is a nightmare and really ought to be a major issue leading up to the next mayoral election.

And so to DBT, firstly a new venue, for some reason I'd never been to the old Shepherds Bush empire,secondly a good opening set from Danny, Champions of the World. A few minutes after nine DBT came on stage. I'd been looking forward to seeing them since I unfortunately missed their previous tour two summers ago. Two songs in and Patterson Hood launches into Putting People on the Moon. When people say no one writes political, angry songs anymore they haven't heard this. Cooley plays " A Ghost to Most"and the other highlights for me were the Southern Rock opera tracks especially Zip City, Women without Whiskey and Let there be Rock. It was a stunning, energetic, leave nothing in the tank set. The venue seemed full and we got a few rows from the front, Petterson and Cooley compliment each other brilliantly throughout the set. Just a great night.

Let there be Rock was still ringing in my ears as I tried to make my way back to Essex, or more precisely Newbiury Park station car park. Anyway back home at 1am. The life I lead.

I predict a riot !

Used this title (copyright Kaiser Chiefs) because the events of yesterday were so predictable. First the good news, over 50,000 students came to London to protest against the imposition of ftuition fees of up to £9,000. Fees that would effectively deter many from entering higher education. Fees that will undoubtedly see the introduction of a two tier university system in Britain. Now however agreeed for the march to make its way down Millbank past Conservative HQ must have been demented. A small number when you look at the size of the demonstration, went on the rampage, but allowing them close tpo Tory HQ was like showing a red rag to a bull. As someone who doesn't condone violence to people, I'm less worried about property, its easy to see the media's response which sadlt deflects attention away from the cause. However I'm left wondering whether the same number of column inches would have been devoted to a peaceful march and rally.

Away from politics a great away win for the Dons at Altringham on Tuesday night and Arsenal away at Wolves on Wednesday. After last weekend performances it was good to see some goals and the resulting points.

fireworks, but not on the pitch !

Its the weekend and you're looking forward to football. It's the 1st Round of the FA Cup for non league teams that means either the chance to pit your wits against a league team. Oh well we got drawn at home to Ebbsfleet United, from the Conference South. Nevermind there's the hope that with an easy tie you can progress towards the third round and the possibility of finding the holy grail , an away tie against one of the premier league big guns., with all the additional finance that that might bring.

In all honesty Dons v Ebbsfleet never caught fire , it stayed 0-0, and apart from a couple of sending offs there wasn't much left to report. While I was thinking that the replay would at least give me a midweek game, conveniently not far from home, the draw was made for the next round. This was the first time that AFC Wimbledon have been in the hat for the second round even if pending a replay.

It turned out to be the worst possible draw potentially pairing us with franchise. Of course we'd have to play them one day, the chance that we would pass each other like ships in opposite channels was too good to be true. However that doesn't make it feel any better. That said there are many obstacles to clear before that fixture becomes a reality, for the time being iut's just a nightmare onb the horizon.

Sunday was a Father & Son trip to the Arsenal who also failed to set the world alight against Newcastle. Arsene said the team never got out of second gear and that'd fair. Many players unperformed, some seemed less than fit, Van Persie just back after a lengthy lay off for instance. Yes Arsenal hit the post twice, yes their keeper made two fine saves, but the record books will show we lost 1-0 and once again the hapless Fabianski was at fault.

Finally then the fireworks, in of all places , Billericay. The Annual Firework display, a family outing and a genuine spectacle. Apparently £19,000 worth of fireworks and a large crowd hopefully raised a sizeable sum for local charities.

Union Chapel Islington

Monday 1st November and we're travelling to Islington to see Court Yard Hounds at Union Chapel, Islington. After a pint at the Compton Arms, a proper London "backstreet pub". We made the short walk to the Union Chapel. The Chapel is London's Ryman Auditorium. The acoustics are stunning, the seats wooden pews, and being a church the seats are not reservable. It's first come, first served, and for the Hounds there's a bit of a stampede.

After a support act that I never really warmed to, I admit I was tired and the lyrics and musics seemed to me to be a reasonable cure for insomnia. A little after 9pm the Court Yard hounds or two thirds of the Dixie Chicks took to the stage. The sell out crowd appreciated an 80 minute set that centred on their 2010 album and at no point lurched into the Chicks back catalogue. The musicianship was excellent, Emily Robison (think she's changed her surname since divorce) showed not only what a talented songwriter she is but also a musician who comfortably switches between instruments. Altogether an excellent night.

Homage to Kefalonia ( with apologies to George Orwell)

A week away with a room with a stunning view of the sea, a piece of headland and a small bay. In the far distance the coast of Greece was just visible encircling the outline of Killini. Kefalonia was my first visit to Greece since 1971, and I have to admit to thinking back to my last visit and all that life has given me in the intervening 40 years.

After years as independent travellers we succumbed to a package , but in all honesty I couldn't have chosen a nicer hotel. Arriving Sunday I settled into traditional English holidaymaker mode by watching premiership football on the hotel big screen. My defence is that it was Manchester City v Arsenal, and a 3-0 away win is not to be missed.

After a few hours where I was visited by the resident mosquitos, we had a quiet Sunday night until the storm started, lightning and thunder on a grand scale through the night, meant that a brisk walk into town the next day became let's avoid the deluge. Our plan to travel around the island by bus was grounded when we discovered that the bus service ended in early October. As a result a car was the only option.

A few miles along the cost lay Poros, the ferry port connecting Kefalonia with the mainland.

Poros had the harbour side feel that put me immediately at home, the owner of Kentpikon catered to my vegetarian request and then went the extra mile. We would make three visits to the restaurant during the week and each meal seemed like a feast.

Sami, we were told, had been the setting for Captain Correlli's mandolin, and it was the largest harbour on the island. The town nestled amongst hills ,small fishing boats were tied up and with crystal clear water, fish were clearly visible from the quayside. After strolling around the town, it was off to find the Acropolis of Ancient Sami, except that our pathway was blocked first by goats and then by a herd of cows who showed no desire to move off the warm tarmac.

The study of ancient history stopped by slow moving bovine creatures.

In fact goats were a constant feature of the week, and the sound of bells was never far away. Like many warm weather countries road drainage is rarely even an afterthought , shame because on Wednesday night we certainly could have use some. Torrential rain cassaded down the hillside onto the coast road making it barely passable. The road was turned into something approximating to a ford, and our passage through was not helped by the late sighting of two horses who obviously wanted to watch the mad englishman who was attempting to steer a course through a road littered with debris and water.

Thursday 28th October is a national holiday in Greece to remember to Greeco-Italian War of 1940. When the Greek people repelled an invasion planned by Mussolini. it was the 70th Anniversary, so we made our way to Argostoli , the capital of Kefalonia, to witness the parade.

Marching past local dignitaries came school students, college students, local sporting and voluntary groups plus the crew of a hip in formal naval wear. Local people crowded into the town square to witness the march pass to the sound of two marching bands. Once again I was left to reflect that here the Greek people were passing on their history, heritage and culture, in a way that surprisingly in Britain we do not. When my mother's generation die what will remain of memories of World War 2? Remembrance Day remembers the dead of all wars, but repelling an invasion seems somehow different. With hindsight I'm left a little surprised that VE Day was not made a national holiday in the UK.

The final days in Kefalonis, the sun shone, we visited the peninsula, less developed, and we witnessed the closing down for the end of the season. Tavernas, hotels and businesses were either completely shutting up shop or were retrenching to prepare for the winter period, when the holiday island is left to the natives of the island. I considered how these people tend to earn enough in 7 months to survive 12. I looked at the number of half finished construction sites that seemed to herald an uncertain future.

After several weeks of barely picking up a book I'm pleased to record that I read three during the week away:

Harold Larwood by Duncan Hamilton, quite simply one of the best sports biographies that I have read.

Michael Foot by E.O.Morgan - an interesting portrayal of someone who seem to embody English Labour values during my youth.

The General Election of 2010 - always interesting, as Hennessey say " A British General Election is not over till this book appears"

Music of the Week - Greece in 2010 led me back to Leonard Cohen. Cohen spent a number of years living on the island of Hydraa, it seemed only right to be singing and humming his work.