"Bats For Lashes" is currently on my player. Brilliant stuff.

Den said Two very different books by the same bloke. It's a crying shame that he's died. Debs, I hope you enjoy "This Thing Of Darkness." Sidders recommended it to me and what can I say apart from "Thank you" to him. It was a stunning read. I'm keeping looking on here for recommendations for books so please keep them coming. I'm lucky enough to live in Manchester where they have a squilllion books and all of them available to order on t'net. They send me an e-mail when the book is available and I have a five minute stroll down to the local library to collect it. I don't think I'll ever need to buy another book again. Thank you the local authority library service.

--> QUOTE(Ste B @ Oct 24 2007, 19:26 ) 556309[/snapback] Today is a bad day for music. Simply Red are to split up. On the same day that The Spice Girls (with Gerry Halliwell as "Ginger Spice") reform. I smell a rat. It's like you never see Clark Kent and Superman in the same place at the same time. I don't usually adhere to conspiracy theories...................

grey squirrel pancakes Go for it.

Nah, eat the @#/?s, especially if they have been killed near the few places where the red squirrels live. I like my greys, but then I'm 50 miles away from the nearest colony of reds.

"Bats For Lashes" anyone? Blooming silly name, but very fine and interesting music,

Blimey, more recommended reading, I can't keep up with this, but I'll try. Just to chuck in my two cent's worth (thanks Kent Brockman) may I recommend "The Prester Quest" by Nicholas Jubber. ISBN 0-553-81628-4. Published by Bantam books. For some unknown reason I've been a bit fascinated by the legend of Prester John (go do a search) and in my most recent wander around the local library I discovered this book. Partly a sort of hippy narrative about his journey from Rome to Ethiopia, but mostly absolutely crammed full to the brim with history and observations of the regions his journey took him through. Facinating stuff.

Agree: I went to see it last night. What a brilliant film. Produced by Anton Corbijn who was an NME snapper when Joy Division was in it's pomp. You'll not come out of the cinema walking on air like you've seem a Disney, but by God, you'll need a few minutes of quiet just to have a reflection on life. Which is probably a sign of a good film. I've been lucky enough to see Joy Division live a few times so I think I can safely say that the actor who plays Ian Curtis has got his stage performance down to a tee. He even has his eyebrows right, let alone his other on-stage movements. A film for grown ups. The music is emotional. The film is music history. When the routine bites hard And ambitions are low And the resentment rides high But emotions wont grow And were changing our ways, Taking different roads Then love, love will tear us apart again Why is the bedroom so cold Turned away on your side? Is my timing that flawed, Our respect run so dry? Yet theres still this appeal That we've kept through our lives Love, love will tear us apart again Do you cry out in your sleep All my failings expose? Get a taste in my mouth As desperation takes hold Is it something so good Just cant function no more? When love, love will tear us apart again

I'll second that. I like the way he has not only turned us into a decent team (even when we lose) but I appreciate his quiet dignity. It may be a getting older thing, but I never seem to want to say "Oh for God's sake STFU as I do with some managers & indeed with some ex-Rover's managers.

It's called shopping in a supermarket while other people roll their trolleys across the aisle & stare at the dried fruit display. Then stare some more at the sultanas. Death is too good for them. Kill! Destroy! Maim!

Just played "The Clash's" first album again. Low hi-fi, hi-energy. Tremendous!

On my latest regular trip to the local library I picked up "Floodlight Dreams: How To Save A Football Club" by Ian Ridley. He's a football journalist, used to be at "The Observer" now at "The Mail On Sunday." Born in Weymouth, he always followed it's football club which was playing in the Southern League. Due to its mismanagement he took over the club and became Chairman. It describes the 18 months he was there until he was shafted by a local hotellier/businessman. It may seem a million miles away from The Prem & Rovers but there are some pretty eye-opening descriptions of the business practices & financial dealings that go on within the football business, even at that level. Apart from that it's a good read about the incestuous world of football, albeit at the lowel levels.

Hoicking this back to the top: "This Thing Of Darkness" has finally been finished. What a marvellous novel, and more so for being Harry Thompson's first (and only.) The research he put into it must have been phenominal. (sp?) On to something a bit lighter now - Bill Bryson's "Neither here Nor There." Picked up at Oxfam in Whitehaven for £1.99. Lovely.

The Blue Planet Aquarium at Ellesmere Port here It's a bit of a wallet-emptier as you go in (£20 for me and the daughter) but if you can take your time and get the kids to take it slow and read the stuff next the really well presented aquariums its well worth the money. If they just want to run past everything going "seen that, seen that" then you're on a loser. The otters are really good. If the kids are under about 8 years old the Aquarium Theatre presentation will be spot on. As with all these places, avoid the burgers & nuggets & chips in the plastic cafe. Its the usual over-priced crap. Just beware the Scouse granny going to the five year old when the former sees a clown fish "Oooh look Kylie - it's Doooooooooriiieee" Kill maim destroy.

Apparently this is a big hit on Youtube. Not surprising. Eight minutes long, the first couple of minutes are a bit of a dead loss, but by gawd, keep going. It turns on its head the theory of "the hunters & the hunted." It makes you wonder about the mentality of yer average herd of buffalo. Looks like they have group discussions and get mightily cheesed off with being at the wrong end of the food chain. angry buffalos

Enjoy...... The Observer 3rd April Rovers turn the screw Patrick Barclay at Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers 2 Shearer 46 76 Manchester United 0 Att 20,866 ALAN SHEARER, the extraordinary footballer Jack Walker made sure Manchester United could not afford, may yet thwart the champions’ aspiration to retain the title. His goals cut to three points United’s advantage over Blackburn with each club having seven matches left, and Rovers, perhaps, marginally the less hazardous programme. Though in addition United have the distraction of the FA Cup, their superior goal difference means that they must still be regarded as favourites. But they could but all have settled the issue here, and were unable to because of Shearer. He struck first a minute from the interval, and that was a ruthless enough demonstration of the craft that has brought him 45 goals in 54 league matches since arriving at Ewood Park the summer before last. But the one that followed was some spectacle. Quite irresistible. As Ripley’s long ball from the right drifted towards the edge of the United area, Shearer manoeuvred himself in front of Pallister and waited until, upon seeing the whites of Schmeichel’s eyes, he was ready to bury an explosive left-footer beyond the helpless goalkeeper. At Ewood there was raucous jubilation. And, throughout England, a sudden fascination with the Premiership contest. It may now come down to a question of nerve; and, if anyone had taken Blackburn’s 4-1 defeat by Wimbledon last Wednesday as an indication that they had exhausted their supply of the attribute, this encounter provided a forceful retort. They have now gained 12 points on Alex Ferguson’s side in I8 matches, and there is little respite for either before they return to action tomorrow: United at home to a resurgent Oldham, Blackburn away to a troubled Everton. What a marvellous job Kenny Dalglish’s men have made of denying United the imperious surge to the tide which, until a few weeks ago, even a few days ago, seemed their right. Before this match Dalglish had spoken of Rovers being the people’s favourite and wondered if United’s tendency to indiscipline, which had of late brought forward dismissals, might have something to do with it. Another factor could be human nature’s preference for the underdog, even a wealthy one; Blackburn, after all, were champions most recently in 1914. At any rate, without Cantona, making the most of his suspension in the south of France, United received a predictably hostile welcome from the vibrant stadium. The wind bit, as did the tackles, and the start most neutrals wanted was almost delivered when a deflection took Wilcox’s ball to Newell, and Shearer enabled the overlapping Berg to cross to the near post; Pallister, with a sliding intervention, missed his own goal by a perilously narrow margin. Batty was first to most balls within his sphere of influence and, as unpleasantness flared around him — Hughes* and Le Saux, being cautioned after one incident — remained splendidly cast in the incongruous role of angel, the former Leeds midflelder playing with a great deal more composure than anyone else. Yet Blackburn failed to make enough chances and might have been punished by Pallister, whose surprising penalty-area dribble led to a drive just off target. The second half had hardly begun when Blackburn went for it, and got it. Neat play on the right involving Batty and Newell took the ball to Sherwood, who chipped it forward for Shearer. With a yard or two of space around the penalty spot, the England centre-forward was in his element. He steadied himself and drove across Schmeichel’s with fearsome power. They might have gone further ahead when, as United sought immediately to retaliate, Bruce was caught upfield and Sherwood touched a pass behind the line of defenders, setting Wilcox free down the left, Into the penalty area he ran, cutting inside as his deft sidestep sent Pallister tumbling inelegantly, but the shot that followed had the strength of a pass back and the further virtue, from Schmeichel’s point of view, that it could legally be clasped to a grateful bosom. The subsequent save was United’s best. Kanchelskis, meeting Sharp’s cross on the volley, was perhaps a little unlucky in that he hit the ball so sweetly that it found the plumb centre of Flower’s goal, where the keeper fended it away. The Ukrainian then crossed for Ince to beat Flowers with an effort that struck a post, and United were finally quelled when Shearer broke free to demonstrate to the citizens of his adopted home that Walker could have bought no more accomplished a spearhead for the club’s drive to the big time, nor one with a greater capacity for producing heroic deeds when they are most required. *whatever happened to him?

I'll try and sort something out tomorrow. It'll probably just be text.

Me too, it was a good trip on the train until all the Notlob fans got on at Notlob central. Zipped up the coat & kept me gob shut. Kept me gob shut even more on the train back! Yes it was "diesel-freezing" weather. Jansen's goal was sublime - it was just like one of Glenn Hoddle's when he was in his prime as a player - the poor keeper was completely bamboozled by his body swerve. Hignett goal was also exquisite. If you tied a netball or basket ball ring to the top corner of the goal and said "Stick in there Craig" then that is exactly what he did.

Page 123 and it is enthralling. Thank you CS. The cooker remains uncleaned. The vacuum cleaner un-pushed.

I love "Trainspotting" the film but I really had a hard time reading the book. Possibly my difficulty is with anything but "straight" English. I've struggled with James Joyce's "Ullyssses" and "Finnegans Wake" although I've really tried my best. Like "Trainspotting" they just don't flow quickly enough for me. It makes reading difficult and it's not meant to be that is it? I'll just go and rip them out right now , the library will never know. Just joking

Just picked it up from the library. Blimey Sidders! You could have warned us it's 750 pages.

Just reserved it on-line from Manchester City Council library service. Your judgement has been pretty good in the past. May I recommend anything by Colin Bateman for a darn good light-hearted read. He comes from Northern Ireland so he's got a bit of background in his tales.

Just back from seeing The Fall. I know it's all subjective, but they were brilliant. The second best that I've ever seen them in 25 years. The best I've seen them was in about 1983 at Manchester Poly. But I had a chat with John Peel at the bar that night. It made a difference somehow.

# Dillo, don't be worried about these people, they are idiots who just hate anyone who is diffeerent from them. They hate people from China, Canada, America, Korea, Tibet, and places that they have never even heard of. If you told them that you came from Taiwan they would be too stupid to work out the diference, They are too stupid to be worth bothering with.

Dillo, I think I'm falling in love with you. As are probably many other who post on here. Why a woman from Japan decided to like Blackburn? Rovers is your decision, but you have done it so you'll just have to live with it. They are not really our rivals. Just a few Rovers suporters who are too aggressive for their own good think that they are out local rivals. They are not really. OK, you've got the answer to that one. Lilly Savage Now this is a strange and difficult question to answer. I've lived in Manchester for 30 years. It's about 50km south of Blackburn, but everyone here speaks differently. When I go back to Blackburn everyone seems to me to speak differently. Here in Manchester everyone thinks I speak with a Blackburn accent. 50km to the west of here is Liverpool and they all talk different there. It is just local accents. If you go 200km south you will meet another accent, and they will use different words You can look "Accrington Stanley " up on the internet. Most of us are quite pleased that Accrington Stanley have got promoted and back into the football league. Some of us with longer memories will remember that Accrington were forced into insolvency( english law for having no money) by Burnley FC. Which is why some of us quite like Accringon Stanley & do not like Burnley. It was 35 years ago. The Lancashire Evening Telegraph covers news in Blackburn & Burnley and Accrington. The Sun & The Mirror cover the news from a national viewpoint, but they just tell you what the pop stars & what the celebrities are doing. The Times; The Guardian; & The Telegraph will give you the serious news. Only a few silly people bother about that any more, We had a big fight 600 years ago it was all about who got to have the crown of England.