euro 2008:spain-germany 0:1 torres goal

Excellent - won a £10 bet with this. Robbo knows fuck all about football

meal out

Had a good time last night, Friars Head by Leyburn for a meal (£160 this time). Food was really nice, plus we drank a lot but did not get too pissed, so we (Me, Mandy, Robbo and Kerry) could all savour the taste for a change. Slept in Mandy's parents caravan afterwards, bit cramped but fine for a place to crash out. Robbo was snoring all night so we didn't get much sleep, wish l had remembered to bring my ipod, so l could drown him out. Sat outside the caravan this morning, under a large awning, discussing plans for New York in September. We fly out on my birthday, so technically l should get to choose what we do on the first night there. This however, depends on Mandy shutting up and letting me have my way, which l can't see happening. Robbo and Kerry have buggered off back to the Boro as they are joining a gym today, poor sods. Wouldn't mind going to a gym but l wouldn't be able to stand anyone else being there at the same time.
Picked up my car from the garage, been having its MOT. Good result, only needed £30 worth of welding, which has been done. £79 bill in total, great stuff.
Off to get a bike or two from Halfords now. Robbo has left his bank card, so l will have to try and crack his identification number and go on a spending spree. Can't decide what to do tonight, may go for an Indian with Dazzer and Louise, decide later on, bit early for those kind of decisions. Killing time at the moment waiting for Mandy to put on her makeup and get changed. Could be a long day ahead.
Toodle pip

Very Rude Video

Watch till the end

John Martyn - I'd Rather be the Devil

This is when he was still good looking, great song but some dodgy camera work (bloody hippies).

lazy friday afternoon (there's no need to worry)

Off work and it's bliss again. Lazing around, putting cds onto itunes, reading magazines, listening to podcasts and cds, eating cheese on toast and watching last nights football (Spain v Russia).
Car is getting it's MOT, needs £30 worth of welding doing, which is being done as l type this. Picking it up in the morning, once it has been through it's re-test. Got to tax it at the end of the month as well - bloody things.
Off out for a meal tonight. Booked the table for 8.30pm, meeting up at 6pm. probably be half drunk by the time we eat. Last time we went, l had been out all day and couldn't remember much about the food (although l remember the bill - £140). good place though (The Friars Rest, by Leyburn). Also been watching some Family Guy, think l am starting to prefer it to the Simpsons. High praise indeed.
Toodle pip

time is too short

It's a bleeding nightmare liking so much music. I know even if l lived for another 20 years (unlikely) l would not have the time to play everything. There's loads of old cds and albums l want to hear that l have only heard about, plus l get new stuff all the time (oh how l like to try and keep up with the kids). l've got a pile of cds in front of me l am trying to plough through and give a few listens to. In no order these are :

British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music
Nick Cave - Dig lazarus Dig
Coldplay (l know, l know) - Viva La Vida
Guillemots
The Feeling - Join With Us
Fleet Foxes
The Courteeners - St Jude
Vetiver
The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age Of The Understatement
The Hoosiers - The Trick To Life
Moby - Last Night
The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Nine Inch Nails - The Slip

Plus l have some old albums l have just got but not heard yet :

John Martyn - Various cds
Pink Fairies - Best of
The Incredible String band - The Hangmans Beautiful Daughter
The Beatles - Twickenham Sessions (8 cds!!)
Bob dylan - Various Bootlegs
Beach Boys - Smile (New Version)
Captain Beefheart - Safe As milk

Then there's the books l want to read, football l want to watch, podcasts l want to listen to, films and TV l want to see, pubs and places l want to go to, plus time l want to spend lounging around doing nothing. Also have to spend quality time with the other half and my mates. Nearly forgot the 27 wanks l try to fit in during the day. No wonder l hate having to go to work!!

Toodle pip

PRN medication

Been giving P.R.N (as and when required) medication for years know. Never really thought what P.R.N stood for until talking about it earlier on today. Guessing at Prescription something something or Periodical something something. Looked it up in the end, it’s pro re nata. Bastard. Wish l had had a classical education.
Toodle pip

reading books

Back to reading books again. Re-read Three Men in a Boat and Diary of a Nobody. Both old (Victorian books) but both have some great bits of humour in them. Stuff that is funny really can stand the test of time. Favourite bits are “come and see the skulls etc” from Three men, and Pooter waking up during the night “laughing so much at what he had said earlier, it made the bed shake” in Diary.
I have not given more details as you should read them yourselves. Don’t get me wrong, they are not the funniest books out there, but as Aswad said “Without knowledge of your past, you’re like a cabbage in this society”.
Toodle pip

magical memories

After going on about how great the European Championships have been, l suffered 120 minutes of the Italy v Spain game. What a load of crap, miss laid passes everywhere, the ball knocked around the halfway line by both sides and ltaly playing for penalties when they are crap at them. Want to forget about the game as soon as possible, but it made me think of other football memories that most football fans of a certain age (especially Manchester United fans) will have burned in their collective memories. Here's a few..

George Best going round the Benfica keeper in the 1968 final
George Best scoring six against Northamton
Gordon Banks' save from Pele
Denis Law's backheel for City against United
Cruyff's turn
The Coventry donkey flick up free kick
Montgomery double save against Leeds in the cup final
Van Basten's volley
Gascoigne scoring against Scotland and getting the drink squirted at him
Manchester United winning the European Cup in injury time in 1999
Arsenal winning at Liverpool 2-0 in the last game of the season to beat them to the League
Keegans "l would love it" rant
Beckham scoring from the half way line and "you'll win nothing with kids" from Hanson
Cantana and his kung fu kick
Maradona against England
5-1 for England against Germany
Manchester United coming back from 3-0 to win 5-3 at Spurs
Manchester United coming back from 2-0 to beat Juventus in 1999
Manchest United winning at Newcastle 1-0 with Cantona and Schmeichel outstanding
Manchester United 3-0 against Barcelona in 1984
Giggs agianst Arsenal in the Cup semi final and running around with his shirt off
Scholes volley direct from a corner
Charlie George lying on the floor after scoring in the Cup final
Ricky Villa's dribble and goal in the Cup final
Gascoigne going crazy in the Cup final and then getting injured

l could go on a lot more as football has provided so much enjoyment to me over the years, always something to look foreward to (unless it's watching England). The most recent and unbelievably fantastic memory being........

Go on, guess it.......

John Terry slipping and crying like a baby

Oh what joy!

Toodle pip

Turkey v Croatia highlights

check this out - it's the Croatia v Turkey highlights (see yesterdays post). Fantastic!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/euro_2008/7466929.stm

extra time football

Didn't watch the whole game tonight as l have been using the sky+ to record them, then flicking through games if they are good. Switched on the Croatia v Turkey game tonight as l was not that fussed about watching it, so l looked to see what the score was. It had just gone into extra time so l sat and watched till the end.
What a finish to the game. Extra time, last minute, then Croatia score and think they are through with a 1-0 win. Then in injury time in the extra time (ie about a minute later), Turkey hoof it upfield and score a cracker. the game then goes to penalties, which Turkey win. Cue scenes of great joy and despair. Turkey are sneaking along like Greece did, but with loads more excitement and rip roaring endings. Coming back from 2-0 down in the last game seemed unreal but this was mad.
Football is fucking brilliant, like music, it has the ability to transport you to a different place instantly, whether it be a place of great joy or despair. Both have the ability to make me cry like a baby, big soft git that l am.
Glad England aren't there to fuck it up more, the tournament has been excellent recently, and l have been able to enjoy it without all the hype and bullshit that goes with the England team. Then there's the ex professional commentators who are out there anyway with the BBC, easy to pick on but they are crap. Then there's the fans. The England ones would only fuck up that atmosphere as well. Give me Manchester United anyday.
Hope Turkey beat the Germans as l like Turkey (although l also like Germany, just not as much). Would like Holland to win it, but Italy might well come good and spoil it by winning again.
Anyway, soon be the start of the new English season, will be watching Manchester United v Liverpool in New York, bit of a treat for the girls going with us as l don't think they know yet! SUPRISE! if they are reading this. Till next time..
Toodle pip

BASTARD WORK

Bastard Bastard Bastard – l am now back at work and having to get back to some kind of normal life. What a twatting thing to have to do.
Have been off work since the 10th May, which is a good result really, can’t really say l haven’t had long enough off and l have also been to Amsterdam in that time, but that’s not the point.
Although the work is piss easy, l would still much rather be off. Can’t stand it when people are off for a while and complain they are bored. Get a life, read something, watch films, go to the pub, listen to music or stay in stroking the pet (so to speak).
It’s like when lottery winners say they are going to stay in the same job and house, “may get a new car though”. Idiots all of them.
Travel, do things, make the most of life. If you still want to work for the fun of it, have your own business and enjoy it for the sake of everyone sane. Everyone who has not won but would like the opportunities it presented. Bitter bastards like me who are now BACK AT WORK!!
Will post this tomorrow when l am back home (sweet, sweet home, missing you already).
Just finished watching the Germany v Portugal match, and have nothing to do now, which is why l can type this, but still complain about having to attend my piss easy job. Snag is l am not allowed internet access at work for personal use, so have to save posts and do them the next day.
Will definitely be putting more posts up now (keep saying that, but this time it’s true), as l am now back to being a working drone (or is that wrong, is a drone a worker already? I think so, but can’t be bothered looking it up). Either way, l have been welcomed back to the machine. BASTARD BASTARD BASTARD!!!!!!!!!

Toodle pip

new york bars

Going to New York again later in the year, here's one of my favorite bars in the Village, the Macdougal Street Ale house (down the stairs). Bound to go to the Red Lion again as Kerry loves it, the White Horse Tavern because of the Dylan (both) connection, and Toads Place (or Toads Hall, l forget), as it takes it's pool playing seriously. Might even do some other things.

milan

Me in Milan
Robbo and the girls
Me at the airport
Me Robbo and Kerry at Newcastle airport

Not back into the swing of posting all the time yet, so as l have just put up some pics from Amsterdam, here's some more from Milan earlier in the year. Toodle pip[

amsterdam

Mandy and my painting

The girls are drunk

Me pissing like a king in the street

Taunting Robbo with drink

Back in the Coronation

Here's some photos from the Amsterdam trip. usual thing, flew out from Teeside (now Durham Tees Valley, although everyone still calls it Teeside Airport) with Mandy, Robbo and Kerry to Schiphol airport, about 20 minutes from Amsterdam. Flight only takes about one hour so it's great. taxi to our hotel (Rembrant) on Herengracht then had to leave our bags while our room (one large one between us all - ooh er!) was made ready. Went to Gauchos for a meal, lots of meat and pints of Jack Daniels and Coke. Therefore, we had spent loads before we even booked into the hotel. Came back to get changed then out again to the red light district, where we stayed all night. Up to no good, as you can imagine, but a lot better than we have been in the past. The girls went back to the hotel early, so me and Robbo stayed out for a chat, drink, and filth patrol. Take away on the way back to the hotel,bed, then woken up in the middle of the night with the window slamming shut. made everyone wake up pretty damn quick, as everyone (apart from me obviously), thought that someone had been shot, it was that loud.

Same kind of thing the next day, drink, filth and food. Bought a painting from the market, Mandy showing her love for it in the above pictures. Taxi to the Airport in the evening, where our flight was delayed, so we had more drink in the waiting area (see me taunting Robbo above).

Taxi back to Robbo and Kerry's for the night, then, as usual, finished the trip off in the Coronation in Acklam, before heading home.

DVD's got through customs, everyone is still in one piece, so a success all round. Next trip is probably New York in September. Can't wait.

Toodle pip

funeral

Mums funeral was on Thusday 5th June, couldn't get it any earlier. Went OK, the Cd's that we had would not play on the church system, useless bastards, you would have thought that they would have tried them out earlier so we could make other arrangements. probably did not want to play them as one of the Cd's was imagine by john Lennon, which they were reluctant to play as "imagine no religion" lyrics were involved.

My mums brother Ray came up from Liverpool with his wife Ann and two of their kids, Tony and Gary. great to see them, plus Ann's sister Marie and husband Roy. had some games of pool with them later on, must admit, they are good players, just not as good at doubles as me and Robbo.

Travelled with Ray in the car behind the hearse and was glad he held it together, as l would have been blubbing if he had started. Otherwise, l felt as l thought l would, detached from it all. Red hot in the church, sweating like the filthy pig l am, but cooled down once l acclimatised to it.

Had a short Methodist funeral, then a quick reading at the graveside. not many people turned up, but it was a lot more than we thought would be there originally, as she did not have many friends, mainly because she was not very nice with people, probably where l got it from.

Got some cheap and cheerful (not the right word obviously) funeral directors from Bedale who did a sound job. mind you, we haven't got the bill yet. Got to sort out mums insurance, pay them, then that's it - back to normality.

Went to Amsterdam between the death and the funeral, report and photos later.

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