Guilty of not adding much lately. TBH I can't think of much - it must be the weather.

The dog - bless her - has finished her season so we can move on. She also had an ear infection which we have cleared up so good news all round - back to the training lessons now!

I've booked the trip to Green Bay to watch the mighty (well once, perhaps not now) Packers with my son - the lifelong ambition is about to be achieved come end of October. Cardinals v Packers at Lambeau Field. I had hoped to take in Brett Favre's last game (?), at home to The Vikings but Hotel availability is a bit limited come December.

My Everton season tickets are on their way - can't wait - I am taking the old fella (or my son). Pre-season has been good so far - watch out for Victor Anichebe - a VERY big star in the making...

Went to Salisbury races yesterday. Had a few winners but not enough to come out ahead - but it was a good day out.

I am off to Brighton soon to play in the Summer (Bridge) Congress. I'll be staying at a mate's North of Brighton.

The house will be going on the market soon - moving to Southport! The house there is having a new kitchen and new central heating installed.

That's about it!

TD

The world is a little emptier with the passing of Syd Barrett, founding member of Pink Floyd.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13819139/

Remember when you were young,
You shone like the sun
Shine on You Crazy Diamond...

A few weeks ago we came home only to find that son had put double lock on door - natch we hadn't got this key - so 2am access through downstairs loo window (break window, climb in - amateur burglary lesson is free). Here's the free advice:

Cost of glass: £2.14 plus VAT (Quotation)
Fitting glass: £25 (if you can't do it yourself)

Cost of calling out Glaziers: £30-35 (Total Quote £70)

So, the free advice is - take screwdriver remove window and drive whole to town for replacement. So much for "free call out" as per the phone book.

Daniel

Son sends me text message re horses Saturday (he works in a bookmakers and picks up some inside track info). What do I think of x, y or z?

So I reply - I prefer x, or I prefer another in this race. Now normally this will result in the obligatory "My pick is better than your pick" argument. So, advice sent no further information was exchanged - until Sunday afternoon when he suddenly announces he's off to collect his winnings. Seems he took my advice and had the majority of his money on 3 horses with some doubles.

Resulted in an 8/1 and a 4/1 win single and double (one loser) - £16 laid £65 back. He's getting rather good at this lark!

TD

Taking my son to Green Bay, Wisconsin to see The Green Bay Packers play The Arizona Cardinals. It's the culmination of 30 plus years wish to make this pilgrimage.

The plan is to fly out from Manchester (via Dublin and Chicago) Sat 28th Oct for a week - taking in the match and a stay in Green Bay... Match tickets are nearly £100 each but I reckon the whole shooting match will cost nearly £2,000.

Should be fun. (Hoping the October weather there isn't too bad) - anyone know?

TD

Go on let's start a list!

Here's my offering from different genres:

Comedy: The Apartment (Jack Lemmon, all time favourite actor)

Gangster: Goodfellas

War: Paths of Glory

Thriller: Se7en

Here's some of my runners-up:

DEFINED AS GREAT ENTERTAINMENT - OR A GREAT FILM - SOMETHING YOU COULD BARE TO WATCH AGAIN

even though you know what's going to happen!

no particular order, very much off the top of my head, so not inclusive:

The Shawshank Redemption
Schindler's List
The Usual Suspects
Psycho
It's a Wonderful Life
Das Boot
The Night of the Hunter
The Third Man
The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Les Diaboliques (original)

Your view? Your list (different subject?)

...deserves to hold the World Cup aloft. Don't give me this 'one last hurrah from Zizou' BS as this guy has won everything the game has had to offer and more. Great though he is he has been on the meal-ticket for the past 2-3 years at Real and, frankly, the Italians deserve it for their adventurous football. Hope they don't back to basics for tomorrow night and retreat into their shell - then France could well pick them off.

Come Monday morning we all get a few weeks off football (I hear some of you saying hurray!!) I will have to find something else to talk about - the dog, the weather, Ian, the episode of Band of Brothers I watched last night (a rare diversion to the TV), Bridge (noh... please don't!!)

Elsewhere Roger Federer may well get a game at Wimbledon - at last. But I think he'll win in 4.

Anyone got any hot tips for the horses?

TD

Hope you took my advice. Now get on Italy!!

TD

Reaching the end of the World Cup (we can all talk about something else real soon)

Well they started off like a spent force (l'ancien regime) with an aging line-up but Paul O'Grady (check out the look-a-like with the French Manager) has got them going....or was it player power?

The fraternal instinct tells me I should support Portugal (see earlier blog) but somehow it seems Franco-Roman relationships will be tested come Sunday.

1-0 France (or more if there are goals early)

Your view?

TD

The right team won - without resolving to penalties. How refreshing to see a team willing to play it out of defence, to take on their opponents with one-touch football. I hope they repeat this in the final - it could be a classic if they do (and perhaps France are the opponents, willing to match them). I have to say they were great odds as 3rd favourites going in the semis. They are, for once, a breath of fresh air in the World Cups...

Hasn't it been another sweltering day tho!

TD

Perhaps you care to vote for Luis VALENCIA (ECUADOR) who is lying a close 2nd to him in the vote for the World Cup Young Player of the Tournament:

http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/w/bypa/index.html

I fancy Italy to win tonight, FWIW

TD

Not a place I've been to very often, and equally not a place I wish to be "sent to" as the saying goes. Meanwhile my son is on a 2 (or is it 3) day sojourn there with his latest belle!

Happily he's now starting to earn some money of his own and being a little bit more independent (which means doing things with his own money!!). He'll still be dependent for a good while yet (college/Uni etc.) but it's a step in the right direction!

TD

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them".

can't help feeling Sven brought the Rooney situation upon itself:

1. Owen half-fit then injured
2. Walcott not selected

leaving Crouch or Rooney:

It didn't take the brains of Einstein to figure out it would be Rooney rather than Crouch BUT... then the moron goes and isolates Rooney upfront with a negative selection:

Result - Rooney gets frustrated and overdoes it a little in trying to make something happen (first action), then gets annoyed at a little bit of argy-bargy and puts his elbows and studs in (the first challenge in particular looked semi-accidental, the 2nd one possibly also so - he probably tried to make it look the same (basically the defender was challenging from behind and he can't have eyes in the back of his head). The push was next to nothing (over-reacting opponents of course)

I'm not trying to defend the little b and we can't be sure he didn't lose his head and do a Beckham - I've seen him get much more fired up and emotionally lose it.

Still - with no attack minded players left at the end (Lennon's withdrawal the last straw for me re SGE) was it any wonder we blew the shoot-out? Oh, and wasn't Gerrard anonymous?

TD

A recipe for Diego:

Using the largest kettle you have available, fill with fresh hardships.
Cover with tears.
Add sorrow.
Thicken with plots.
Bring to a simmer.
Add tears as needed to cover the mix.
Simmer until hardships are tender, sorrow palatable, mix thickened, and you detect an aroma, as delicious as humility itself, rising from this exquisite dish

Alternative recipe:

Add a pinch of salt

Goose well

2 cups of apologies
1 cup of repentance
5 tablespoons of consideration
2 eggs well beaten

Bite off more than you can chew
and a large portion of crow

The biscuit tin is empty
There is mudcake on the floor
The Queen of Hearts is dying
What are they living for?
- wishing wells of pennies, or
houses made of wood?
- a dance or three with peg-legs
How can that be any good?
Piglets no longer go to market
No one thinks to live life in a shoe
the cow can't jump the moon any more
And hayfever killed off Little Boy Blue
Retreat Retreat for pudding and pie
Madonna kissed the girls and made them cry
And little Mary Quite Contrary
watched how your gardens grew, filled
with exploded shells and corpses lain out in a row
Retreat retreat for humble pie
Simple Simon had your number from day one
and in caskets blackbirds muster the cloudless sky
For Humpty dumpty was the only One.
My oh MY, a right princess Miss Muffet grew to be
and while we weren't looking...
the Owl & Pussycat drowned at Sea
so now, the biscuit tin is empty
and the mudcake on the floor
crumbles in our fingers
What are we looking for..?