Hi all, click the link and say hi - would be good to catch up with some 'faces' from 20six. Shame this system went to pot. TTFN Steve.

http://itwasbetterintheseventies.blogspot.com/

Isn’t mowing the lawn therapeutic. Having found that much of the afternoon had passed me by while I updated my website and caught up with some admin, I decided to cut the grass, to complement the great work Mrs C had been doing during the afternoon. With nothing else to think about for a few minutes I pondered England’s chances at this year’s World Cup in Germany, or rather what chance now that our star talent Wayne Rooney has been struck by England’s nemesis the broken metatarsal.

Without going off on a tangent, something I am second to none at, it turns out that this recent flurry of broken feet, something that seems to be fairly unique to English football? is all to do with the nil protection afforded to footballer’s feet from the super thin leather upper of a modern day tech-football boot. It’s no accident that the likes of Beckham, Owen and Rooney are so deft with their feet nowadays. Pele would have killed to have the control afforded by kicking the ball with virtually the surface of your instep and not have a thick lump of leather spoil the pinpoint transference of energy from foot to ball and hopefully goal. Of course the downside is that if you have the likes of Paolo Ferreira  bearing down on you and they (happen) to tread on your foot, you’re for want of a better expression, up the creek without a paddle. Stud to metatarsal equals the entire football following part of a nation’s heart sinking. 

So, back to chances. To win these games you need ‘World Class’ players. These people if there was one, we assume would play for the World Eleven against aliens or extraterrestrials who would field an equally impressive team of defenders, midfield and strikers. World Class players make the difference between a good team and an excellent team. Even International teams only often field one World Class player. Once you have been elevated in a commentator’s opinion to World Class, you may make it to the Grand Master of descriptions ‘Genius’. I’m not even sure Beckham has been described as genius. Well, he might have been, when as a teenager he scored that cheeky goal from the halfway line, of single-handedly beat (Greece?) to ensure our qualification to the last World Cup – thereafter breaking his metatarsal and causing The Sun to distribute prayer mats with its six million copies. No, genius is reserved to the likes of Pele, Cruff, Maradonna (flawed) Best (flawed) there’s a trend here, and Rooney.

As someone who would classify even an average surgeon as a genius, the phrase is a little over-used nowadays, but even I have found myself defending the term against Mrs C’s rant that “How on earth a footballer could be called a genius is beyond me?” Which then often segues into my mother’s catchphrase “Ask them to get the washing in, or put the rubbish out” (add any chore to this), or “Could they perform open heart surgery?” Of course they couldn’t. But ask them to take control of a game where another twenty one people are also participating, odds-on when the going gets tough, they will get going e.g. Steven Gerrard in the second half of last year’s Champions League Final.

Our chances in this year’s finals. Pretty slim. Unless of course we adopt the tactics of one Mr Sam Allardyce, Bolton FC manager and England Football Manager candidate who I quote “If we can’t play them off the field, we get in their faces.” Arsene Wenger hates that”. He hasn’t got the job. But if his tactics were to beat Brazil three nil in a World Cup Final he’s be a genius too!

P.S I am not prepared to discuss the phrase 'Top, top drawer.

Why are politicians so out of step with reality now. Or have they always been?

Just been listening to a Radio 4 interview with David Millibrand MP (Big Cheese in our Government) who I quote said " People are seeing real change (for the good) in the country". Yeah right... I don't want to start sounding like the "What have The Romans ever done for us" Monty Python sketch but...

This town is being overrun by East Europeans some of whom, whether they have made it worse of not, are involved in prostitution and God knows what else. The Portugese community, who I hope are contributing to the local economy, seem pretty clued up as to what support they can get for whatever project is favour of the month. We just don't know how much of a strain this uncontrolled immigration is having on loal resources and the effect on council budgets. We do know our Council Tax has increased disproportionately.

Everyone who visits the town centre comments on the drunks, quite what government department they would come under I don't know, probably mental health - another area where local health authorities are having to make cuts to bring their overall budgets into line.

The local secondary school, overrun by 'special needs' and social basket cases concentrates on these kids to the detriment of the brighter ones. The consequence being that the school fails so many bright kids who go there from feeder schools with top marks. The kids are traumatised by the behaviour and attitude of the underprivileged kids who they have just come across. But it's OK, the kids are presented with qualifications from 20% correct, "13 passes from A to E" What?! Oh, and a certificate in 'life skills' to prove they might be able to write a letter for a job interview.

We have government ministers who don't know where rapists and murderers are, who should have been deported on release. The rest of them are having affairs with civil servants, with the 'support' of the Prime Minister. I'm sure there's plenty of well qualified tyro politicians coming up through the ranks who could replace the current incumbents. If we have to wait another four years for an election the least that the Labour party could do is shuffle some capable people in, and shuffle the likes of Prescott out.

I travel much more on public transport nowadays. I think it's time to encourage more politicians to listen to the conversations I do, or look around at the average intellience of the adult population and report back. The country is going to the dogs, but the ministers are more interested in shagging their secretaries.

I stand back and take a look at everything and think I shouldn't moan about these things because what am I doing about it? Well actually, I am paying a huge amount of tax along with everybody else to fund the system that's supposed to be running a tight ship. I say ship up, or ship out!

This weekend it's S's birthday, so yesterday we went out for the morning for a mooch around the malls at Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth. Funny, we both bought quite a few things in Gap, but since she was taking a load back the total on the card was only £25 - like we have our own Gap savings plan going.

Anyway, since I sold the car she was driving, and the one I replaced it with just last week, we took the trip in one of my part-exchanges. Seems a reasonable enough car on the face of it, but stinks of stale smoke inside. It was left unsaid for about five minutes, but the 'atmosphere' at the beginning of our supposed day out together was decidedly tarnished to say the least. I have to admit that I put that to rights as soon as I had the chance yesterday evening by finding a really nice car for S to use for a while. She deserves more for the support she gives me.

Which reminds me, I deserve more too! I have a friend's Aston Martin DB7 to use if I want to, all I have to do is put a new battery on it and I could use pretty much as much as I wanted to - but guess whose been too busy to even remember it's there for me.

Probably loads to blog about, but it's taken avoiding a drama on tele that was just stressing me out (I've not really been the same since my last escapade, too sensitive to stress by half) to sit in front of the 'puter and improve my breathing while typing.

The business seems to be running fairly well. Would be better if it was more stable, but dealing with something I have to go and buy - with no real idea exactly what I will actually buy in a period, and selling it too, to exactly who depends on how good my advertising is all adds up to a strange perms-anxiety environment, that in a perverse way, may keep me on my toes and actually contribute to the success to date. If that all sounds gibberish, it does to me too, but seems quite hard to describe just how tenuous the whole set-up really is. Will either still be running in a year or so and all hunky dory, or I'll be back behind a desk with a 'proper' job.

Otherwsie, enjoying having the new laptop and we can all use it in the same room while the tele is on or something. i.e not spread around the house on different projects. Will think of something different to chat about soon.

If there are any spelling mistakes, apologies - I have got used to the Wordpress blog having a spell checker and too bloody lazy to read back through this!

Oh, I am all for Scholari getting the England football manager's job, he was the only one qualified - and I am sure he'll be speaking better English than your average football supporter in no time at all! 

Been incredibly busy with Real Life since the last post, would have liked to have posted thoughts on events really and regret not doing so. I have a work blog that I maintain, but since this one is semi-anonymous I can't exactly link to it. If you know me, pm me and I'll send you a link - I'm more likely to be found there and in some forums than blogging here of late. Would be god to say Hi to you all on a more regular basis.

Oh, bought a new laptop, the one with chips and keys, not a Carmen Electra lookalike It's a HP nc6220, I forget the spec but i has 1gb RAM and it's lightspeed hehe. Corporate spec supplied by my friend who ensures me you can get bits for these five years after obsolescence. We will see! Nonetheless it's great to have a full wireless bit of kit at hone, although VERY DANGEROUS for a workaholic to have his g-mail notifier tripping up stock opportunities during whatever I am watching between 10 - 11pm (the only time I stop nowadays!)

Hope everyone is having a great Easter. Enjoy the break and don't eat too much chocolate.

Thinking I might blog here more now I have this little beauty [ I know D_F, I am still MacLess - waiting for the new Intel ones to come along in a year or so]

Seems to be too many broken links and much changed for me in the last year or so - maybe it's time for a new blog to build up with more relevant info and interesting places. Watch this space

Had a very productive and lucrative week's work and some good leads to carry forward. Could probably do with a little more stock to get April off to a good start. Enjoying the new series of The Apprentice. My mantra - 'The Profit Is In The Buying' seems to be Sir A S's but he couldn't afford me now