Nog's Blog - I blog therefore I am: May 2009

Friday, 29 May 2009

Concorde 101

Today we are mostly at Duxford

Thursday, 28 May 2009

I'm really pleased that some of the MP's have had the grace to recognise that they can't continue. It's not about "following the rules", it's about what is right, proper and moral. Taking money for duck houses, to build a cottage for your gardener or your brother is wrong and they should have realised that at the time - they've been lining their nests' but morally bankrupt.

Call me greedy but I want more. I don't want these people to get the automatic parachute payment to which MPs are entitled if they lose their seat. I'd much rather they didn't complete the time between now and the election and I certainly want my money back. Allowances and expenses last year were nearly £93M. That's how much MPs decided to pocket over and above their salary. Now that's not all of them but just the greedy ones. Nor is it all, by any means, shady. But if we cut that by 50% we could pay a few more teachers and nurses and coppers. We could even get rid of the silly changes to HE funding.

Wednesday, 27 May 2009

In a country churchyard

I took this in Loose Churchyard this afternoon. Feeling all artistic again....

Saturday, 23 May 2009

Four minutes to go

30th may 1999. A beautiful day like today. Wembley. The Division Two play-off, City managed by (Kevin Keegan - wrong! It was Joe Royle!) trying to get out of the old Third at the first time of asking. We'd seen teams play at Maine Road who treated the visit as a cup game, teams who might otherwise not have been to Moss Side to the ground where Joe Mercer had worked his magic to bring together the Bell, Lee, Summerbee team thirty years earlier.

After 86 minutes of, frankly, turgid football City were losing by 2 goals to Gillingham who had finished fourth in the league, a place below City. Blues were streaming out of the stadium dreading the temporary stand at Macclesfield again, more visits to Wrexham and Colchester. The next 60 or so minutes is given to be the most exciting in play-off history. Horlock got City a consolation goal after picking up the loose ball from a Gills tackle on Goater. At 90 minutes the fourth official showed the sign with five minutes extra time. In the fifth of them Dickov got the equaliser! City fans on the concourse outside Wembley heard the noise and heading back in - others were already on the tube and missed the end of the game.

Extra time was when the Gills fans watching in the pub where Jemma and I had been ribbed all the way through went quiet and started filtering away. Penalties and Weaver saved two, the second from Guy Butters. City were up and Gillingham were devastated. For years afterwards I'd have abuse scrawled in the dirt on my car if I parked anywhere in the Medway towns (and sometimes further afield!)

Why am I trawling over this old history? Well ten years on Gillingham are back at Wembley for another play-off final, this time against Shrewsbury. I wish them well and hope they get up - and it also gave me a chance to practice my "newspaper" writing style and reflect on the stuff that's happened over the last ten years - gulp!

C'mon you Gills!

Tuesday, 19 May 2009

Boats

A photo of boats on the beach at Bexhill - took it today on the way home from Eastbourne.

Eastbourne - health people

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Sussex Downs College - Eastbourne

Love it!

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Sunday, 17 May 2009

Nostalgia

I moved here about 14 months ago so I thought it was time I did a bit more unpacking. Started unloading the vinyl and came across The Steve Gibbons Band "Any Road Up". released in 1976 and still as fresh today. As a nipper I'd trudge round the north west to Steve Gibbons Band gigs - we once saw Ted Nugent ("The Motor City Madman") because Gibbons was support act. I know I've already blogged about this before but he's still gigging and if you get a chance hear some of his music and catch him live. Here's a little taster (from "Any road up")