Crisis?What crisis?

I was at St James Park twice last week. once for business and once for pleasure, although I didn't find it particularly pleasurable.

Business was this bloke Paul McGee , My employers are worried we are not dealing with change well and have no emotional resilience so booked us all on a half day session with this guy. Actually he was rather good. He packaged up NLP and CBT theories in very easily accessible ways, was quite funny and relevant.

It was definitely much more fun than watching NUFC struggle to a draw with Portuguese team CS Maritimo. The Toon were poor.It felt like watching Posh this season, a team lacking ideas and confidence and ball control.

We got to the ground early and watched the teams warm up. Maritimo spent most of their warm up time passing the ball to each other. NUFC took shots and ran round the pitch lifting knees high in a routine familiar to all of us who watch British teams warm up.Needless to say the Portuguese team's passing and ball control was exceptional, NUFC's was pitiful.

And the Posh continue to lose. 13 points and at the bottom of the Championship. My son went to see them away at Charlton last night. He said, as did BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, that they were the better team. But we still lost 2-0. League 1 here we come.

The dog and european culture

The father in law has been away so I have been up at 6am each day walking the dog. It’s not much fun this time of year, its dark and cold and often wet. The dog doesn’t seem to mind though and in fact is quite pleased as he has actually been having three walks a day ( as opposed to the usual two) because I feel guilty that he is left on his own all day.

Last week I was back with the wife at The Sage to see Paco Pena and his Flamenco performance Quimera. Absolutely stunning show, a tale of two cultures and the influence of Africa on the development and stylisations of flamenco. See and read about it on his website http://www.pacopena.com/

I don’t understand why Flamenco- a bona fide living, evolving European art form- is so held in almost contempt by us Brits.

Tuesday Post

No theme to this post just a random collection of thoughts and experiences.

A couple of Saturdays ago I watched Posh lose (again!) to Sheffield Wednesday. I have never been to Hillsborough before. The stadium is old and a bit tired. I was impressed by the men’s toilet in the away end though, I have never seen such a long urinal. It stretched in all its discoloured whiteness for what seemed like the entire length of the stand. I would have taken a picture but taking pictures in toilets? At football matches? Not something you do, is it really.

Posh looked so much better than Shef Wed that it is hard to believe we lost, but lose we did. This season is a long hard slog to stay up. Darren Ferguson said this week we need 13 wins out the remaining 30 matches. Not too bad you think, until you realise that we have only won 8 of the last 38 Championship matches. There is trouble in the camp it seems and yesterday 4 more players were transfer listed , this time after breaches of club discipline- or going out and getting pissed and into fights in the town as it is also known. The four include the Club Captain and our second best player (after George Boyd) Gab Zakuani and our million pound( if you have ever seen him play you will, like me come to the conclusion that our scouts have a well-developed sense of humour) striker Tyrone Barnett. The other two are Emile Sinclair and Nat Mendez Laing. Darragh tweeted his usual direct retort to the team ( always along the lines of its mine and the gaffer’s rules you either fit in or if you don’t like it f%%% off).

I got to ride in a tram in Sheffield although it was bit more like Trolley Bus I thought.

We have lost more matches since then but thankfully so have the other teams around us so there is a lot of hope for our survival. We are on Sky this weekend so I hope we win.

I went to see The Wedding Present last weekend.. The sound as always at the Academy was rubbish towards the front. I needed a wee before they got intoSeamonsters so when I came back in I remembered that when I saw Interpol here a few years back I was at the back and the sound was much better. So I stayed by the bar at the back and the sound was good. Mr Gedge was fine . I’m not as sure about this incarnation of the band though.

A strange gig this one as the main part of the set were songs that I have played thousands of times over the last 20+ year and know inside out. Some of the songs soar when played live( Corduroy, Octopussy, Dare being three good examples) others seem better on record (Rotterdam). Maybe it was just the lack of a surprise element that detracted just a little something from the experience. But roll on the Hit Parade tour, I say.

I did enjoy the songs either side of the album ( particularlyDon’t Touch That Dial and The Girl From The DDR and they playedYou Should Always Keep In Touch With Your Friends and My Favourite Dress!!If I’m really honest I would have been happy to pay to see them play those two classics alone.

They finished with What Have I said Now which was a bit of a disappointment as I would have preferred the mightyTake Me which up until Newcastle they had been alternating with as the last song.But I’m just nit picking now.

David Gedge remains one this country’s most under rated songwriters and performers. They are playing around England for the next week or so, go and see them if they are near you.

I am at The Sage this week to see some Flamenco and dance. I’m just a renaissance man really.

6 for 1

No it's not the latest cricket score from India. It is a fantastic offer to download all six Billy Franks solo albums  for £9.99, the price of one CD in HMV or wherever it is you buy your CDs nowadays.

If you like good music from the heart, go on follow this link and buy them.

http://billyfranks.com/AFARCRYFROMSUNSET/archives/1212

The Coast Is Always Changing

I have been away on the annual family get together in Norfolk. It's always good to get together and allthough the grandkids are now (bar 1) adults they always try and make an effort to be there which pleases my Mum and Dad. But things change and this year could be the last time we get together.

This year the get together was dampened by persistent rain so we didn't get as much walking on the beach time as usual.Whilst not as impressive as the Northumberland coast the beaches in Norfolk are big and around the cliffs in Hunstanton, quite picturesque.