New car, caviar, four star daydream,

Look at that money! Its all mine... Due to the inability to buy Belarussian Roubles outside of Belarus I have to take American Dollars and Euros when I go on Friday. I will be gone from Friday until Sunday the 31st so you wont have this dose of excitement in your lives for some time.

I have to go to Preston tomorrow night when Everton are playing there but I am not going to see them. I'm not sure whether thats ironic or just annoying but either way theres not much I can do about it.

Just think of all the tales I will have of Milan and Minsk and Mir when I come back? All the Ms.

but when they come for me, bury me a G

I have never heard the song but it has Bury in the title ok? So I went yesterday for the Everton game and it was a good day all round really. A nice sunny day and the football wasn't too bad even if Mikel Arteta barely broke a sweat (he still looked the best player on the pitch!). Overall it was a good laugh with a pitch invasion led by toddlers and a decent atmosphere in the crowd.

Special bonus points to Bury's 3-in-one programme for all their Pre-season games. Perhaps the most significant performance was that of Victor Anichbe who scored two of the goals in the 3-1 win and must now be pushing for a place on the bench.

I'm sure if you want a detailed match report you can find it elsewhere. Its now only four working days until I go to Belarus and I am getting a little excited. Packing day is Wednesday and I think I have everything sorted and ready now so... bring it on. When I come back my first task is to order a laptop and all systems go for moving house. So many things happening and so little time!

Our aspirations, are wrapped up in books

Yes folks its time for a Book Review! Oh boy aren't you all in for a treat. Following on from my hugely succesful previous blog I have now finished reading Stuart: A Life Backwards.

First of all I must say I agree with Stuart when he said how the book should be written backwards like a mystery. It is this format which makes the book something slightly special among things I have read. I must admit I started off wondering why I should feel any sympathy with this man and I particularly disliked the author who seemed a complete arse. By the end it left me wondering how else someone could turn out after experiencing everything Stuart went through. The last few chapters of the book are both awful and amazing at the same time and gave me another of those wake up calls you get now and again when you realise how simple your own life has been.

The way it is written is perhaps the only way it could be and its strange how easy it is to see how you could be friends with this man who had done so many horrendous things. I almost urge you to go into this book with prejudice. Try and hate this man over the opening chapters and see where your opinion is at the end. There is both hope and hopelessness in equal measure from Stuart's story but I for one feel a better person for having read it.

I still don't like the author though.

For a lighter note have a look at Tim Cahill (watch right to the end). Legend.

Hey shout, summertime blues

Today feels like a list day folks so in honour of Zinedine Zidane (every single time a winner that gag) I am going to do a list of top alternative moments from the World Cup.

1. De Rossi's elbow on Brian Mcbride.

2. Gattuso. No actual incident just him.

3. Ricardo La Volpe and his Tie especially.

4. While we are on coaches Otto Pfister haha!

5. Amarillo, 3 Lions and all the English Songs sung at the matches - whats that all about?

6. Jermaine Jenas

7. World Cup Totty (as opposed to Totti who was shit).

8. Frank Lampard.

9. Ex-players hanging around but no sign of Johan Cruyff. Wheres Cruyff?

10. Martin O'Neill - Just brilliant.

Thinking about History

This blog thing is becoming more a weekly exercise now isn't it? And anyway no bugger reads it so theres hardly floods of complaints.

I am just settling down to watch Federer v Nadal before the World Cup Final this evening. By the way why does Jimmy Connors make that grunting sound at the end of every point? I read in FHM that hes one of the most regular attenders at Playboy parties which puts a whole new slant on it.

Two interesting things for you today. First France and in particular Zinedine Zidane the country is messed up but I love that fella and Thierry Henry is also brilliant if only for his interview after the Pires Penalty. See the videos here, here and for the Pires one well... er I can't find it.

Second up History Matters. I could try and explain all this but lets face it I can never put as well as Stephen Fry.

Also identical twins running Poland haha brilliant!

See these ice cubes, see these Ice Creams?

ITS TOO BLOODY HOT! I seriously can't cope with this heat at work... I may go insane. On the plus side who would have thunk I would get Snoop Dogg lyrics on here?

So England out of the world cup, the Cricket team unable to win anything, Murray out of Wimbledon and Kieron Fallen charged. Possibly not the greatest period in British sporting history. I wonder nowadays how much affect this actually has on the public mood as people used to claim about the mythical "feelgood factor". The people I know seem to not overly care either way but maybe thats among adults rather than children. I remember in 1990 being gutted at England going out but my thoughts this time are mostly on how good the football is to watch and when the real stuff starts. Maybe its an age thing?

It appears to be work experience week this week so we have lots of people younger than me around work (a rare thing for me). I wouldn't swap with them for anything... I think I am just approaching the best part of my life.

Remember boy that your forefather's died, Lost in millions for a country's pride

So I have neglected this Blog a bit lately and I apologise. I would like to say I have been very busy but in truth I have been reading lots and doing very little.

So first things first my books I bought four books in the end because Amsterdam by Ian McEwen wasn't in the offer and I really wanted it. I read Saturday recently and loved it not least for the fact it made me genuinely question myself which surely is all you can ask from a book of this type?

The next book I bought was The Kite Runner and I don't really have a reason why other than I read a few reviews and it seemed like a book outside what I would normally read so I thought I would give it a go. Third on my list was Stuart:A Life Backwards, I wanted a non-fiction book and didn't really fancy any of the "celebrity" auto-biographies so I looked at this and it fascinated me just from what it was about. I have started reading this first but only got through a few pages so I will reserve judgement for now but it seems promising.

The last book was A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby. I have always avoided Nick Hornby because (for no justifiable reason) I have assumed he is a bit of a twat. I love the About a Boy film though and the soundtrack by Badly Drawn Boy is amazing. Buy it. Now. I mean it. So on that one we shall see.

FOOTBALL INTERLUDE - England got knocked out but that means Red Shite count in the world cup is now nil and Evertonian count is one? There are links with 1966 there in that Portugal were the team of that tournament and the winning team had an Everton full-back.

Altogether now... GO 'HEAD NUNO LAAAAAAAAAA!!!

And onto more serious matters which is what the title of this is all about (although incidentally the Altogether Now theme links to Everton... if you dont know how then look for it). Due to football and other matter the rememberance of The Somme has been overlooked also the fact that WW1 Veterans are so few now that it will shortly be the case there are none left. Better people than me can discuss the reasons and people can argue we should have allowed Germany its empire but we must never forget these great men and what they did for our nation. In an age when wars are distant things that appear on TV there should always be a place to remember the real people involved and the amazing sacrifices that were made. If you want to see true heros look down your street or in your local British Legions. This country is teeming with them.