Thank You For The Days

Just back from a wonderful weekend away; a birthday treat from my excellent wife Solveig (in conjunction with the as-per-usual top-notch babysitting services provided by mum & dad, for which much thanks are due).

Having nipped off early on Friday afternoon and taken the appropriate exit off the M4 (indeed, we had to Turn After Reading*), we headed for the picturesque Goring-on-Thames in which nestles The Miller Of Mansfield, as recommended on Mr & Mrs Smith. Really nice little 'boutique' pub hotel with a fantastic restaurant (do try the shin of beef, it was as melty as it gets) as well as a snug bar with a log fire and a decent selection of gins. We realised when we arrived that we had somehow forgotten how to relax; indeed, it took a while for us to stop wondering where on earth the kids were. But unwind we did and with some walks along the (thin end of the) Thames and a trip up to Bicester on the Saturday, it was a properly brilliant break from the Smoke.

Due to good planning, we also squeezed in an extra treat on the way back, in the form of a visit to Heston Blumenthal's pub in Bray, the Hind's Head (in fact, as we were a bit early, we went looking for the Fat Duck, but somehow never found it!) and what a treat it was. We were tempted by the Sunday roast, but both decided on pies, having been advised by a few people that they were worth the journey. We did start with a Scotch (quail's) egg each, though, and these were splendid - by turns crispy, meaty and perfectly soft:

For our mains we had Shepherds Pie (with lamb leg, breast and sweetbreads topped with mustard mash) and Spinach & Mushroom Pie (served with a Jerusalem artichoke sauce). They were both outstanding and tasted as good as they look:

After a full weekend of indulgence, we simply couldn't face dessert, so we'll just have to go back and try the rest of the menu at some point. Right, dear?

Anyway, what a brilliant weekend - almost enough to make me forget that next year is THAT ONE :)

* I'm truly sorry, I really am

Hubris...

...would be to overdo last night's result, but a picture paints a thousand words:

However, as Rowan, a Chelsea fan for whom I have the utmost respect, said (on Twitter):

Get back to me in May and we'll talk

Nuff said.

No They Couldn't, Stephen

Confession

Mens Things

Via Scaryduck:

Pavlov's Cat: Things That Make You A Man

Added to which should be, of course, BUILDING A SHED!

More to follow...

Shed Watch #1

It's here!

Somewhere in that lot are some instructions, I hope. Watch this space (or if you are our neighbours, watch the scrubby bit at the back of the garden next to the leylandii and the holly bush...)

Women And Children First

Just moments ago, Arsenal added the 2009 FA Youth Cup to the trophy cabinet with a 6-2 aggregate victory over Liverpool. In a remarkable coincidence, tonight was the 20th anniversary of the astonishing last-gasp title-clinching goal* from Michael Thomas - also at Anfield and a game in which Steve Bould, tonight's coach, was a key member of the back four. Funny how these things work out.

Huge congratulations to them and also to Arsenal Ladies who this year won the FA Women's Premier League (again), FA Cup (again) and League Cup (again).

Now if some of that sweet smell of victory could work its way into the First Team dressing room before next season, I shall be a very happy man.

* the goal comes about 7'25" into the video and brings tears to my eyes to this day (and how odd does it look when the goalkeeper picks it up from a backpass)

Sugar Spun Sister

So 'The Stone Roses' was released 20 years ago this weekend.

As a debut album, it was astonishing - anthemic, delicate, emotional, witty, powerful and enigmatic - with hand-crafted lyrics from Ian Brown, intricate guitar work from John Squire floating above the rolling bass sounds of Gary Mountfield and Alan Wren's chugging drums keeping your feet moving, for me it was the sound of the beginning of the 1990s.

Regrettably, I don't seem to have any photos to hand of my baggy jeans, flowery hoodie and shaggy (whisper it, undercut) hair but you can get some idea of my image of the time from this:

Yes, in a totally unrelated coincidence, Freyja appeared for breakfast today dressed ready for Spike Island.

I'm so very proud (and ever so slightly wistful).

Bring It On

I am now officially ridiculously excited about the Man Utd v Arsenal Champions League Semi Final (1st Leg) in only 21 hours and 17 minutes (and the 2nd Leg next Tuesday).

Two of the very best, most fluent, free flowing, attacking sides in Europe, over two legs, home and away. Too close to call? Prety much - the previous 37 meetings between Messrs Wenger and Ferguson have ended as follows:

Arsenal win: 15
Man Utd win: 14
Draw: 8

I can't even bring myself to put any money on it...

Come. On. You. Gunners

Peace, Lily

Right.

I'm going to stand here and say to a possibly wearisome & increasingly cynical world that I really like the new Lily Allen album, apart from (the slightly bizarre) Never Gonna Happen*.

And I also liked the last one.

So we seem to have arrived at a situation whereby either (a) she has made two utterly godawful pop albums and I sit here totally outed as the owner of a musical ear more befitting a mutilated koala or (b) they deserve a bit of an unprejudiced listen.

Your choice. And indeed, as ever, your loss.

Oh, did I mention that Spotify rocks like nothing else? I did? OK, good. Do it. Now.

* which for some reason feels exactly like three songs merged into one in an increasingly-desperate coke-fuelled last-minute ignore-the-Grade-Five-Theory-rules-of-musical-chord-progression-Dave-coz-we-have-an-album-to-deliver edit, presumably because it was.

Change 24

Today's change was to my age. Yes, thirty-eight years ago (around 6.30pm, I'm told, just in time for a gin & tonic) I arrived in the world, a little yellow* bundle of joy**. From Kingston Hospital back home to Richmond*** where my mum finally got to tuck into her pork chop****.

Still here, though; so far, so good. Happy birthday to me!


* like all the best people, I had jaundice
** possibly a little artistic licence here
*** now there's posh
**** long story...

Change 21

Today's change involves us entering the astrological sign of Aquarius, which also means it is very nearly my birthday! Now I have to admit that I am not a follower of the mystic art of astrology, as it is what is commonly known as 'a load of claptrap' but apparently Aquarians display some or all of the following traits *deep breath*

Strong-willed, stubborn, obstinate, very opinionated, conceited, far-sighted, visionary, revolutionary, original, innovative and inventive, tolerant of other views, seeing both sides of the argument, unprejudiced and objective, humane, humanitarian, altruistic, idealistic, having high expectations, friendly and sociable, inconsistent, shirking personal commitment, loyal in friendship, remote, detached, aloof, impersonal, emotionless, cold, devoted to goals, free-spirited, rebellious, hides true feelings, independent, individualistic, intelligent, intellectual, curious, seeks mental challenge, very clever, witty, unpredictable, eccentric, unconventional, misunderstood, enigmatic, magnetic, progressive, imaginative, intuitive, frank, outspoken, unwilling to participate in any standard of protocol.

So we are friendly & sociable but detached & aloof, objective & progressive as well as obstinate & outspoken and loyal & enigmatic whilst still emotionless & cold.

Er, right...

Change USA

Today's other change is, of course, this:




Good luck to him. And while we're at it, where's our young, thrusting man of the people to guide our ailing country out of the mouldering pit of recession into a future fit for our children? Well?

Nifty Fifty

This is genius.

The Hype Machine: Music Blog Zeitgeist 2008

Forget the magazine editors & big label marketing budgets. This is the best music from 2008 chosen by the most passionate music fans alive: music bloggers.

You can stream the Top 50 Albums individually off the site, or listen to them in blocks of 10 as a podcast. Oh, and while you're there play the Top 50 Songs by month or read the Top 50 Artist reviews, as compiled by the thousands of music bloggers around the world.

Wow. There goes the rest of the month...

Happy New Year (Quietly)

Just about to head off in a big old 4x4 to the Omani desert to set up camp and see in the New Year; however, breaking news suggests that Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum may have other ideas:

Dubai cancels New Year's festivities for Gaza

Talk is that it will be scaled back to a ban on fireworks and excessive external celebrations, but it's certainly an interesting move, especially if your main source of income is tourism :)

Anyway, hope you have a great time (noisy or quiet) wherever you are - see you in 2009!

Phone Gone

Bah. After over ten years without misplacing a mobile, I have only gone and lost my new SonyEricsson in Dubai. There's a lot of desert to search, but in the meantime, if you sent me a text or voicemail or tried to call in the last week or so, I will have been somewhat 'out of range'. Sorry about that.

Normal service will be resumed when I get back to the office on 5th Jan but in the meantime, Happy New Year for 2009!

Home Alone

It's very, very quiet here.

This year, it is once again time to spend Christmas in Dubai, with Solveig's family. Although very much a Muslim country, the proliferation of western ex-pats and massive shopping malls means that Christmas is a big deal over there. Despite my default setting at this time of year being a Level 37 Scrooge, I do rather enjoy the incongruousness of eating the traditional Christmas roast dinner* outside, near the desert, in 25 degree heat, under a portable gazebo :)

Anyway, the other factor is of course that Dubai is a long way away: five four hour time difference and roughly a seven hour flight. So it's clearly not worth popping over after work on Christmas Eve and buggering off around teatime on Boxing Day. This year, Solveig was understandably keen to get as much time as possible there, with ready access to delighted babysitting grandparents for Theo and energetic older cousins for Freyja (warm weather, good shopping and a heated swimming pool may also have featured in the discussion). I could just about negotiate two weeks off work (as I did the Christmas week graveyard shift last year) but with her on maternity leave, it would be silly not to stretch it for the rest of the family as much as possible.

The long and short of this is that yesterday she loaded up the car with children, luggage, pushchair, travel sweets, magazines, Kendal Mint Cake and a navigator (her excellent sister Angharad, who Freyja adores) as well as printed maps, laptop-based routefinder, sat nav, A-to-Z and mobile phone with me on speed dial. After the first call ("How do I make the water squirt onto the windscreen?") they were off. BA flight 109 from Heathrow T5 to Dubai was waiting. After the traditional crawl round the M25, they arrived at BCP to be told that yes they could park there but the courtesy coach could only take them to Terminal 4, from where they would need to take a regular scheduled London bus to Terminal 5**. Not happy, but what can you do? Anyway, finally the call comes - they're there, checked in, had dinner, kids in pyjamas and waiting to be called for the flight. Phew. And sure enough, woke up this morning (after what can only be described as a three-hour lie-in) to a text message saying that the kids were brilliant on the flight and everyone is smiling and happy in the UAE sunshine.

So I can relax. With TMS commentary of the India test, Arsenal the lunchtime match on the box, a pork pie in the fridge as well as it absolutely chucking it down outside (so I couldn't rake the metric tonne of leaves off the garden, even if I wanted to, which I don't) it's pretty relaxed chez fourstar. I shall miss them all terribly for the next week, but it's good to be able to breathe out once in a while :)

As I said, it's very, very quiet here...


* Which I have just realised, with the arrival of Theo, will be for 11 people this year!

** Having been informed of this by a rather stressed wife I decided to look into it and as far as I can tell it turns out that yes, there is Long Stay parking at the shiny new T5 but it is exclusively run by BAA, is literally TWICE the price of the other operators and they won't let the independents (BCP, Purple, Flyaway, etc) run their courtesy coaches direct to T5. Insert insulting swear word of choice here.

PythonTube

Brilliant idea. Who would have thought it, eh? Fans of your oeuvre might want a place to go to get high-quality versions of your archived work. Amazing. Yes, we might even click a few ads and buy a few DVDs, T-shirts and the like.

MontyPython's YouTube Channel

Now, if you wouldn't mind going and having a quiet word with the buffoons at the RIAA...

Wilshere Class

This is rapidly turning into a football blog. Sorry about that, but the quality of some/most/all of Arsenal's youngsters last night was breathtaking. 

Arsenal 3 - 0 Wigan

Five English players were in the starting line-up, one of whom was 16-year-old Jack Wilshere who once again impressed. Direct, with poise under pressure, the ability to ride a tackle and a keen eye for a through ball, he provided the eye-of-a-needle pass for Simpson's first goal. As Gunnerblog said,

"Fabio Capello was in the crowd last night, and I doubt it was to watch Titus Bramble."

which made me laugh a lot. 

It was the usual £10/£5 tickets so myself, Paul, Jenny and PJ joined a full-house Emirates (over 59,000 for a mid-week Carling Cup game?!!) and watched as the little scamps took Wigan to pieces, with Ramsey impressing again in midfield, Djourou a rock in defence and Vela scoring another sublime chip:

A word too for Fabianski who produced a close-range double save of the highest order near the end to deny De Ridder and then Zaki a consolation goal. 

So the quarter-final draw is on Saturday. Who's next for the kids - Spurs again?

Samir We Go Again

What a match.

Arsenal 2 -1 Manchester United

Two proper footballing sides playing proper football. You can stuff your long throw routines up your arse; that's what this game is all about. Even Fergie admitted afterwards:

"Sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say that if you're going to be beaten make sure it is against a team that plays football."

And this is the way to win a match; watch Walcott's run across the edge of the box that drags three players out of position and opens up the gap, Nasri runs into the space, Cesc plays him in, thunderous shot, two-nil:

Of course, the question is still, "What do we do at 0-0 after 85 minutes when the opposition have had nine men behind the ball for the entire game?" but the amount of confidence this win will bring to the dressing room is immense. Love it. Still 6 points off the pace and United have a game in hand, but feels much better to be a Gooner today!

Threeo*

Hat-trick for young Mr Walcott last night against Croatia (1, 2, 3 via 101 Great Goals)!!

* and that one IS mine!

As Broad As Its Long

My Man Stu^(TM) does it again

South Africa 83 all out (Broad 5-23, Flintoff 3-29)
England 85 for 0 (Prior 45)

Whilst admiring the young paceman's achievement, I was struck by the similarity of the following two pictures:

Oh, come on, let a chap have his day :))

Please Welcome

The latest addition to the Lightly clan:


Theo, born 7:20am on 18th April 2008 and weighing in at a strapping 8lb 7oz.

A somewhat dramatic arrival (of which more later) but for now, we rest...

They Think It's All Over...

...actually it is now:

Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal

A game that sums up our season; rampant for the first third, failing time and time again to take our chances in the second and then losing all semblance of organisation whilst continuing to play the most pure, stunning, visionary, one-t0uch and yet utterly ineffectual football in the third, er, third.

Oh well :(

One particular personal highlight was having my text read out on 606 following the match, of which I am quite proud and stand by every word:

Have we all forgotten that Wenger said this team was "not ready", way back in August? If they finish third, they will have outperformed both expectations and last season. It is maturity that we need, and that will come. No need to panic buy; just build up the squad around the proven talent which is already there.

All true. If you read some of the Gooner blogs, you'd think we'd just been relegated from the Ryman's Premier. Have faith chaps, this is the third young team AW has put together. Rome (or should that be Milan?) wasn't built in a day*...

* unless, depending on how long the rouble cheque took to clear, you're Chelsea**

** and if I am now found with a rolling pin embedded in my skull, look here...

Butter Cutter

Is it just me, or is there something decidedly exciting about cutting a fat slice of butter off a pack with the wrapper still on?

I am of course willing to accept that it might just be me. Sorry for your time. Carry on.

Homeward Bound

As an appendix to my previous post, bravo!

Why I Let My 9-Year-Old Ride the Subway Alone
"Was I worried? Yes, a tinge. But it didn’t strike me as that daring, either. Isn’t New York as safe now as it was in 1963? It’s not like we’re living in downtown Baghdad."

TheOne, TheOnly, TheO

We may have been beaten on the night, but I could watch this forever:



Brings a lump to the throat. Simply brilliant.

7

Ronaldo, schmonaldo:



R.I.P. David 'Rocky' Rocastle 02/05/67 - 31/03/01

Ready For The Floor?

That gratuitous Hot Chip reference also serves to announce that we have ripped up our somewhat tired-looking carpets and had a fantastic baked oak wooden floor laid this week. The whole of the downstairs looks like a different house; Tom has done an awesome job, highly recommended! And, of course, I have taken my usual badly-focused, over-lit pictures:


Unfortunately, the beautiful new floor has since served to highlight the terrible state of our skirting, doors and woodwork. I sense a job coming on....

All Heart

With the unfathomably popular Valentine's Day coming up, and having just seen the bill for our new wooden flooring, I thought I'd inject a hint of realism into the proceedings with this splendid comic from Dan Piraro's 'Bizarro' strip:

(obviously you can click above for a bigger version or you could just squint at it for five minutes and give up, moaning about me giving you a terrible headache and the resolution of your screen and look at the price of fish these days, etc and so on and so forth)

Chip Chip Hooray

Who knew?

2008: United Nations International Year of the Potato

"The International Year of the Potato was officially launched at United Nations headquarters in New York on 18 October 2007. The day's celebrations included the official launching ceremony, held in the ECOSOC Chamber, a special supporting event for IYP partners, and an exhibit on potato and IYP for the general public."

I'm a-fried I missed the launch; mashed try harder...

Overheard #NYE

Happy New Year to you too.

Am I Brian from Westlife?
I'd pay good money for a glitterball Death Star.
To be honest, I'd rather have Gary.
I am enjoying some cheese - for once in my life, without being hassled.

Christmas Eve At The Coalface

It's been a busy old morning.



So anyway, this is me wishing a very Merry Christmas to all my fellow bloggers and (both) my readers. Have a good one, whatever you are doing. And here's to a fruitful 2008...

Very Burial

I have been boring everyone silly with how good the Burial albums are; I think I still prefer the eponymously-titled first one, despite the reviewers raving over 'Untrue', (which is still awesome).

Anyway, there is a fantastically-moody and yet still dancefloor-friendly remix by Boy 8-bit which I hope will whet the appetite for more of the same:


via Nialler9 and Mad Decent and do contact me via the comments if I should take this down or something...

Look In The Mirror?

Hang on, we appear to have been relegated!

(click for bigger)

Good win though, Wigan understandably came for a draw and we had to dig deep (especially in the face of some, er, 'borderline' tackling from Lucky Emile, amongst others) but Willy G showed why he's captain with a fine headed goal and Rosicky marked his return from a long-ish injury with a nice finish to a swift counterattack as Wigan had to press forward in search of an equaliser with only minutes left.

Oh, and did I mention this? Arsenal old-boy Grumpy Nic doing us a favour at last :)

Seven Up

It wouldn't be right to let the week pass without comment on Arsenal's 7-0 demolition of Slavia Prague in the Champions League on Tuesday. Free-flowing attacking football of the highest order at its absolute finest. The Czech champions didn't know what had hit them; they even went and apologised to their army of travelling fans at the end of the game. Two for Fabregas, two for Walcott and my man-of-the-match Hleb involved in absolutely everything.

I think my favourite was the 6th goal; from a Slavia corner at one end to a bulging net at the other in just over fourteen seconds, involving six different players and ending with an assured finish from Cesc who had run the length of the pitch to get on the end of it. Awesome.

Yes, I know style <> trophies and we haven't won anything yet. But let's enjoy the journey and keep the faith. Remember, "Arsene knows".

Swing Low

I am not the world's biggest rugby fan.

This possibly may have something to do with having sustained two broken ribs playing in my first ever game. Aged 13 and new to the school, I was placed at hooker by the games master who suggested that my 'excellent football skills' meant I would be 'useful with my feet' in the scrum. Well he was not wrong. At one of the early scrums, I adeptly hooked the ball back to our Number 8 against the head*. In the ensuing melée, I suddenly received a sharp blow to the chest area from the boot and/or fist and/or elbow of a rather annoyed (and much larger than me) member of the opposition front row. Unable to breathe, I collapsed in a heap and was carted off to the Sanitorium (yes, it was quite a posh school...) where I was tended to by the matronly, er, Matron and subsequently packed off to York General Hospital for X-rays.

Broken ribs are horrible. You can't laugh, cough or breathe properly**. They just 'need time to heal'. So that got me off games for about 6 weeks, during which time I started to learn the saxophone and decided to form a band.

But that's another story. The main reason for this post is the scoreline England 12-10 Australia in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup this afternoon; a bit of an upset, if truth be told, given that the Wallabies were clear favourites for the tournament. So jolly well done, chaps. Splendid result. No reason why you can't go on and repeat the heroics of 2003...

...just don't, in your desperation for non-injured, even half-fit, partly-English players, ask me to come in at hooker :)

* winning the ball on the opposition put-in at a scrum, in case you were wondering.

** oh, I forgot sneezing; that's the worst. 'Atchooooooooooooooofuckthathurts'.

Top Posting

Hit And Myths

Well done to Klaxons for winning the Mercury Music Prize; still enjoying Myths Of The Near Future on my journey to work (and yes, I do sometimes sing the falsetto bit in Golden Skans as we pull into Lewisham station, so what?) and I really should have stuck a tenner on them; could have got 9-1 apparently :(

Anyway, day-glo leggings on, horns in the air, whoop, whoop, whoop!

A Broad Grin

I know I have been banging on about him for ages but finally the England selectors gave Stuart Broad his chance in the ODI series against India. So how did he do, I hear you cry? Only career-best figures of 4-51 with the ball, followed by a match-winning 45 not out in an English record 8th wicket partnership of 99 with Ravi Bopara. England were reeling at 114-7 but eventually won by 3 wickets and take a 3-1 lead in the seven match series. Bravo!


Maybe I should run a cricket team or something...

UPDATE: Highlights of the match-winning partnership HERE

Well Said That CEO

mitchell baker's blog: Firefox is a Public Asset

*applause*

Toxic Mash(up)

Nothing to do with green potatoes, this is another really polished album of pop mashups. So far; so last year. However, they're all based around tracks from a long-forgotten LP called 'Hot Boppin' Instrumentals', lending a rather pleasant 'lounge' feel to recent chart smashes from (amongst others): Spears, Aguilera, Stefani and even The Jaxx:

Forgotten Hits

Check it out and let me know your favourites...

Not To Be Sniffed At

I am speechless:
I also liked the strap-line:

It's like having a dog's nose in your hand.

Remind me how that is a desirable thing again?

Meet And Two Pints

I went to my first ever Lewisham Bloggers Meetup last Friday night, handily enough held at our excellent local, The Honor Oak.

I had no idea what to expect; the internet all-too-easily removes any kind of geographical points of reference, What could we possibly all have in common other than sticking our random and seemingly unrelated thoughts up online once a day/week/roughly-whenever-the-hell-they-feel-like-it? It stemmed from the London Bloggers idea which I joined a while back, soon after which a couple of people made contact via the comments on fork handles...

...fast forward to Friday night at The Honor Oak, everyone was very welcoming, absolutely engrossing and a great pity I couldn't stay for longer than a couple of beers. Still, if they'll have me back, I'd very much like to continue some of the conversations I had with Andrew, Henry, Neil and Robert (who was responsible for organising the evening -> *applause*) and also meet those who I missed when they arrived later on!

Yep, count me in for the next one. Now, what on earth was that thing about underground waterways??

Beef? Stu.

I cannot claim to be right all the time, but Broad named in England Test squad gave me a somewhat polite 'glow' today.

Show us what you can do, young Stuart (what with Harmison almost certainly out for the series...)

Get In(ternet)

Oh how these words filled me with joy as they 'pinged' into my Inbox at 9:02am this morning.

From: adslservice@demon.net
Subject: Your Demon Broadband Order: Service Activation
Dear Mr Lightly,
Thank you for your order for Demon Broadband services.We are happy to inform you that BT have confirmed your new broadband service is now live. You will now be able to connect to your service using the login details provided in your welcome pack.

And exhale.

Pass-berry Beret

Arsenal appear to have signed The Artist Formerly Known As Prince:

Actually, he's a Croatian-Brazilian by the name of Eduardo da Silva who was the record goalscorer for Dinamo Zagreb last season with 34 goals.

As I said, "Trust Arsene".

Thoughts On A Broad

So England won the first ODI against the West Indies yesterday, quite comfortably in the end (by 79 runs) after some excellent bowling by my top tip for 2007, Stuart Broad:


Despite the English batsmen having their by-now-traditional late-innings slump and losing the last 6 wickets for 48 runs in a below-par total of 225, Broad came on and took 3-20 in 9 overs, backed up with some decent stuff from Anderson (no, really; 2-23 off 8) and the Windies were all out for 146 in just 39.5 overs. Let's keep it up for the rest of the summer, Colly...

Down To A Tee

Another one for Andy:

Nerdy Shirts :: The Most Awesome Shirts in the World

Look - it's MacGyver, the most handsome man in the world!

Awesome.

Have A Nice Triptych

Fred Deakin (yes, him out of Lemon Jelly) has just released "The Triptych", a fantastic 3-CD album in which he ushers us on a musical meandering in a clapped-out campervan through the busy B-roads of his extremely extensive vinyl vaults. Eclectic? You bet. Ninety tracks of juxtapositional jump-cut and segway surprises await...

I got my copy from those extremely nice people at (pigeonhold-endorsed!) Disque who casually mentioned that there was a 'mystery' 4th CD containing tracks that they couldn't licence for the official release. So they sent me that as well! And then, they threw in some promos to make up for the extra cost of the postage! Two thumbs up for the mighty Disque please, people.

Inland Revenue In Common Sense Shocker

HMRC guides UK eBay traders on income tax

Seems that if you just use eBay to get rid of unwanted gifts or purchases, the mighty hob-nailed jackboot of the taxman (or 'HM Revenue and Customs' if you prefer, your majesty) will refrain from crushing your tiny profit and demanding its 25% (or 40%) cut on each sale. However, if you seek to make a profit by listing goods you bought with the sole intention of reselling them, then you're liable for the tax.

Well done. Sense prevails. For once :)

Klaxons (awooga awooga)

Go and buy Klaxons' album, "Myths Of The Near Future". It's brilliant. They have somehow got the "new-rave" tag (although I read somewhere that they actually invented the 'scene' as a joke and then instantly detached themselves from it) but it is thoughtful and musical with emotive chord progressions and proper fast drumming and nice 80s influences and danceable tunes and a hint of tongue-in-cheek prog-rock hanging about as well. Go and get it, looks like this:
Magick.

We're On Our Way To, Er, Cardiff...

I have just about recovered from the drama of the extra-time win over Spurs at the Emirates last night. We had decent seats just above the losing visiting supporters in the new South Bank and the atmosphere was amazing for a midweek Carling Cup match; the noise never relented (OK maybe a smidgeon, shortly after they equalised with five minutes to go...) Anyway, our 'kids' are in the final against Chelsea on Sunday 25 Feb and Arsene has promised to stick with the team that has got this far (quite correctly, in my humble opinion).

Goooooooooooooners!

So to celebrate all of the above, here is Freyja having a little dance:

The Old and the New

Today was my birthday. I am 36. I am a square.

In other news, Arsenal's young lions (starring Walcott, Denilson, Hoyte & Traore) fought back from 2-0 down against Spurs to draw 2-2 in the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final. Julio "The Beeeeeeeast" Baptista bagged both (whilst also netting an own goal...) to set up the second leg at the Emirates for a do-or-die showdown next Wednesday 31st.

For which, luckily enough, I now have tickets...

We're not rubbish - official

England 206-7 (49.5 overs) beat New Zealand 205-9 (50 overs) by three wickets
"Dame Kiri te Kanawa, Peter Jackson, Neil Finn, Sir Edmund Hillary, Jonah Lomu - we have beaten them all! Helen Clark, can you hear me? Your boys took one hell of a beating..."
(courtesy of the over-enthusiastic BBC online OBO commentator and with apologies to Bjorge Lillelien)

It's a tennis score

Liverpool 3 - 6 Arsenal : Julio "The Beast" Baptista arrives in style...

Tongs For The Memory

I am a very simple man, easily pleased. One of the best presents I received this Christmas was a new set of kitchen tongs, by Cuisipro:
They utilise a fairly strong spring for a firm feel but the scalloped arms also have gently pointed ends for moving more delicate food items. The hooked part at the top also operates the clever twist mechanism which locks them in the closed position. They truly rock. And I am very sad :)

Two Thousand And Seven

In the interest of global unity, a very Happy Juche 96 to one and all! Apparently, it is the fashion to set out one's resolutions for the year at this juncture so I hereby declare that I intend to finally get around to thinking about making plans for setting in motion the process of starting to ruminate on the idea of writing a will*. Oh, and to procrastinate less :)

* Yes, Rowan, you can have my Arsenal hat...

What...

... are you doing on the internet on Christmas Day? Get back to the sherry!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Here is Freyja opening her first ever Christmas stocking:

Just time for a quick mention of Arsenal's impressive 6-2 win over Blackburn Rovers yesterday before I'm back on sprout duty. So joy to the world, peace on earth and pass the port.

Word to the tree :)

Cannon & Balls

I was lucky enough to attend the Square Mile Sports Awards recently which was, and this may surprise you, a somewhat boozy affair. Arbuthnot sponsored a table, took along some brokers & traders and a very good time was had by all. The winner of Sportsman Of The Year was ... [checks hastily scrawled notes] ... Darren Clarke, for his heroics at the Ryder Cup, but what puzzles me is the reminder I put in my phone (after possibly the eleventy-third bottle of Veuve Clicquot), which simply said:

"You can't fire a cannon from a canoe"

It has something to do with Martin Bayfield and Clare Balding. Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?

Tempus fugit

Good lord, how time flies. Over a month since I last posted. Admittedly, it was a fairly quiet month - or so I thought until I started writing this.

• There was the work curry night at Bengal Village in Brick Lane which was great fun and ended somewhat drunkenly in the Big Chill Bar (the suits looking somewhat incongruous amongst the asymmetric hair and day-glo legwarmers)
• There was Antonia's mini baby shower followed by Antonia's mini baby arriving. Woot. Well done you (and Ian, of course - welcome to sad Dad land...)
• There was my knee going pop* (again) which meant an MRI scan and a jolly nice BUPA consultant advising keyhole surgery on the flappy bit of cartilage causing all the trouble
• There was a quantity of beer with Doug in a splendid little bar tucked away near King's Cross (no, not that type of bar)
• There was my first visit to the fantastic Emirates Stadium for the disappointing 0-0 draw with CSKA Moscow where, despite an astonishing 24 (twenty four!) shots at goal, we failed to hit the target. Cow, arse & banjo...
• There was a 70s party at Alex & Kat's excellent new house in the WestCrystalGipsyNorwoodHillPalace area where despite wearing that shirt, I was trumped in the fashion stakes by Alex's brother Pete (or is it Nick :)

And suddenly it's November...

* in fact it was more of a craaaskeeeuurrrgle sound but you get the idea...

freyja sallie lightly

Yes, we've decided on the name(s).

Freyja: Norse goddess of love and fertility
Sallie: Solveig's maternal grandmother

*lump in throat*

unto us a child is born

Girl, 7lb 5oz, arrived at 9pm on 27th December 2005

First few shaky snaps: baby lightly

Mother and daughter both well and hoping to be home tomorrow.

I think that warrants a woot:

"WOOT!"

merry christmas(h)

I do love sprouts. Try sprout mash, with cream and parmesan. Mmmmm.

Sprout Mash

Oh, and a Happy Chrimbletide to you all (surely "both" - Stats Ed.) as well.

we are an uncle again

Congratulations to Seb and Karla (and Cameron!) on the birth of the latest addition to the Lightly dynasty.

Charlotte Rose Sophia Lightly was born on 7 November, weighing a healthy 8lbs 2oz.
Well done the Toronto crew. We're only 6 weeks behind you...

sprogs++

Well. Not only did we get a last-minute surprise visit from usually-Oz-resident Best Man Fiskin and his lovely wife Katie, it turns out that they've only gone and done the whole bun -> oven thing as well. Brilliant! Due in May apparently. Bravo and that :)

and it's goodnight from him

(with apologies to the Two Ronnies)

Sad news - the inspiration for the name of this page has passed away.

"At the peak of his career Barker, along with Corbett, entertained 17 million people every Saturday night."

17 million and one, Ronnie, 17 million and one :(

slightly lightly

New scan pictures :
Twenty weeks
Halfway there :)

new small lightly alert

Splendid news! Solveig is 3 months pregnant! Had the scan on Friday, all seems well and here is a rather small and blurry picture:

Bring on the cravings...

mitchell be alright on the night

[Sorry about that, been reading the Daily Star]

Ben and Caroline got married! Woot! Dulwich College, black tie, all frightfully nice - check it out here...

another one bites the dust

And so it was that we celebrated His Stag-ness Mr Ben Mitchell last Saturday, with fast cars (13 souped-up go-karts), hot food (1 chilli-spiked onion bhaji) and loose women (no comment).

Brilliant effort, chaps - Noel won the racing, Tandoori King kept us well furnished with Cobra and it all ended at 5am in The Key on the fancy light-up-dancefloor wearing Russian hats (cheers, Will!).

fearon low thing

Nic and Ella's wedding last night, in Putney at one of the 271 rowing clubs on the river (we found them on the fourth attempt) which was a joyous occasion, with some excellent cheese in both musical and fermented curd form. Well done.

happy mondays

Hallelujah! Went and got Loaded In The Park with The Happy Mondays on Clapham Common - sun and baggy tunes all round, excellent stuff, even if Shaun did forget the opening line to, er, all the songs.

Bez was, of course, Bez.
And (for once) I remembered the camera so twist your melons here (man).

ring ring

Newsflash! Our excellent friends Katie and Paul have got engaged!
Paul (the old romantic) went down on one knee in a gondola (tricky, that) having whisked Katie off to Venice to celebrate their anniversary - bravo, Sir, champagne all round!

happy birthday cameron

My nephew Cameron is 2 (two) today!

Check out the birthday cake here