Key Quotes

"Anyone who believes that exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist."
(Kenneth Boulding)




"Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. "

(Raymond Chandler)





"Live simply so that others can simply live." (unknown)





"I cannot live without books" (Thomas Jefferson)





"Sport is war without the shooting" (George Orwell)





"New York is a great city to live in if you can afford to get out of it" (William Rossa Cole)





The secret of a happy ending is knowing when to roll the credits (Patterson Hood)































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Tuesday 30 April 2013

We will survive

It's just before 5pm on Saturday 27th April and Gloria Gaynor is blasting out over the PA system at Kingsmeadow the home of AFC Wimbledon. In front of me hundreds of Dons fans are celebrating on the pitch. Players are mobbed and photographed. Jack Midson is chaired across the pitch. Such relief,such jubilation. The Dons are staying up !



I never want to experience another season like this, I never want to go through this last day drama. It might be great for TV neutrals but for devoted fans of a football club its hell. For the past weeks my mind has often flashed back to Southampton 2000 when Wimbledon FC were relegated from the Premiership which in many ways was when the walls of our former existance started to cave in.

Relegation to the Conference would have stalled our dream; yes we would have still have owned our Club but in spite of the Conference being a de facto 5th Division there remains amongst football fans a large gulf between League2 (as it is now known) and the non league world.


The game itself saw the Dons attack from the off nothing but a win would do. However posts, saves and goal line clearances prevented us from taking the lead. Then in happened, a freekick a Gary Alexander header and we were in the lead, joy was shortlived within minutes Fleetwood equalised. The football gods had twisted the knife cruelly and we stared once again at relegation.

Cometh the hour,cometh the unlikely hero. Curtis Oseno, right back, by no means an outstanding success during his first season at the club, finds himself in the penalty area. Time froze as a Fleetwood defender stuck out a leg and in the process tripping Oseno. The referee didn't hesitate in pointing to the spot, and Jack Midson did the rest.


There was still 25 minutes, 25 of the most torturous minutes I have sopent. The 4th official said 5 additional minutes. How did they arrive at that figure ? The ball was constantly repelled from the Dons area only for it to be launched forward yet again as Fleetwood tried to fashion an equaliser. Finally the Dons regained possession and took the ball into the corner of the pitch. The referee blew the whistle and salvation had been achieved.


Neal Ardley, walked round the ground daughter in one arm, beer bottle in the other to receive the applause of Dons supporters. He had taken over back in October when the writing was very much on the wall. That he fashioned a team capable of digging their way out of the bottom two , even if it was on the last day, will undoubtedly have taught him lessons to carry forward into his management career.


Now we can look forward to the fixtures coming out in June and the new season starting in August.

Sunday 28 April 2013

Counting Crows

I can still remember walking into what was Menzies in Brentwood during a lunch break in the early 1990s and hearing the first three tracks on Counting Crows debut album " August and Everything After" . By track three - Mr Jones, I was at the counter buying a copy.

In the twenty years since, this has been one of my most frequently played albums. During that time I have seen them play at a variety of London venues. So when news came of them playing two London concerts a ticket was booked and I made my way to Hammersmith.



Counting Crows have only released one album of new material in the last decade. In a sense they have bought time by releasing live albums and a cover albums ( not of great interest to me). As a result the audience tend to be fans who go back some time. Not surprisingly the songs that are best received come from the early albums.



Round Here, Anna Begins and Rain King all from the debut album feature prominently in the set. After two hours the encore is rounded off with "Holiday in Spain".  A thoroughly enjoyable evening, singing along to a band that I've grown with over the last two decades.

April 2013

In truth this is a month that I would not choose to revisit. Feeling unwell, just before you go on holiday is never great. Having to visit a doctor to whom English is a second language is an additional issue. As the month comes to an end the infection and inflamation I have experienced has necessitated three courses of anti-biotics, several visits to a nurse and the wound being cauterised by a doctor.

So what else has happened ... we visited Madeira. Here was somewhere that my wife had wanted to visit. Totally understandable it's climate makes it a place of interest for gardeners and botanists. Indeed the botanical gardens are of a high standard .

Madeira is a piece of rock, that statement tells you much. In a week I saw fewer than 5 bicycles. No one ever says "let's go for a gentle cycle ride". Yes it's hilly which normally wouldn't be an issue but I was in no fit state for uphill climbs.

We went on two coach outings which allowed us to see both sides of the island. The north coast was to me the most interesting and Porto Moniz was certainly worth visiting.



I learned about the decline of the banana industry, the result of the EU regulating the length and shape of bananas. I witnessed hill farming, and terraced being cut to produce surfaces for the growing of crops. Strangely the island has little in the way of indigenous wildlife.



A million tourists come on holiday to the island with a further half million arriving aboard ocean going cruise ships. It seems many people return are repeat holidays. The people were hospitable and friendly but a week was enough for me. On the plus side I read a couple of books,rested and saw more sunshine than I'd have experienced at home.