Another Friday another weekend

So what is new in blogland?

My car had yet another visit to the mechanics in the week. No stop lights! However this was actually the cheapest repair the car ever had at £75 for parts and labour fitting a new switch on my brake pedal.

I had the day off and due to the remoteness of the garage I was had to get a couple of buses to get home. The buses around our way are pretty good on the whole. The journey back From Esh Winning to Durham was probably the second most frightening bus journey I have ever had. Most seats on buses face forward but today the bus I was on had a couple of rear facing seats that created a decent space to achieve access to an emergency exit.

As ever with bus drivers there seems to be only 2 speeds. Stop and as fast the the damn thing will go.

It has long been a long held tradition since the days for steam that the most favourable seating on a train were those with their back to the engine. It lessened the risk of hot cinders being blown in you face. However on a bus it is definitely not a good position. You are unable to anticipate the lumps and bumps on the road for instance, nor corners. I wasn't terrified but I have to say there were definite moments of panic accelerating around unseen bends. Experiencing free fall whilst travelling backwards is not something I could recommend in all seriousness.

After 25 minute of hanging on for dear life we arrived in town and I made my way to a cafe for a steadying bacon sandwich and coffee. I sat at a table and picked up a copy of the Daily Mail because that was all there was and spent the next ten minutes regretting it.

Of all the things going on in the world, Libya, Afghanistan even the massive storms reducing vast areas of the Midwest US to mangled heap. And what did the Mail think was of greatest importance? What was the most earth shattering news they could lay their hands on? what new levels of depravity could a Premiership footballer reach?

Well I'll tell you. On Wednesday the 25th of May the news most likely to herald the end of the world as we know, the event that would shape our lives for all time was that no one might be able to go on holiday over the Whitsun weekend. Yet another Icelandic volcano was blowing up all over western Europe and the mail felt that the fact that we might not be able to fly to the Costa Del Sol for a few days was THE most important item of that day.

To be fair it wasn't just the mail. It was also the Star and The Express. Not going on holiday was more important than any other kind of miserable event the world had to offer.

I forced myself to read on - pushing through i nthe hope some proper journalism would get going. I found myself being a littel sorry for Ryan Giggs. It was all to do with these so called super injunctions.

These came into being with the advent of the European Human Rights legislation. The injunctions (for those not in the know) are so Draconian that the press aren't even allowed to report on the existence of the injunction never mind what it is all about.

The reason I felt sorry for him is that he, like many others before him have effectively been taken for a very expensive ride by their very expensive lawyers. The problem is the good old Internet. The injunctions have no power to suppress the Internet as it is only valid in this country. So to blow the gaff all you have to do is get someone to go on sites like Twitter and spill the beans.

These Celebs have handed over very large sums of money for an instrument that is almost but not quite entirely unenforceable. And the lawyers get a lot richer.

Enough soap box

Sport!

Manchester United Vs. Barcelona on Saturday night. My money is on Barcelona. It has the potential to be a really fantastic game. Manchester United aren't called the Red Devils for nothing and Barca have a stella line up including Lionel Messi. the potential is there for an incredible spectacle of dazzling skills and goal mouth action. But...!

The But is that both sides are of course extremely tactically aware and neither will want to blink first, so in all probability it will be a stale and "technical" game (read boring) with the winner winning by the one goal in a 1-0 fest. If Barca get away for a couple of early goals settle down for an exhibition of possession football where have the ball do absolutely nothing with it but never give it away. At present it is the staple of the Spanish national team.

As an impartial observer I wondered how Spain gets so passionate about football when they play such a controlling game. Their ball skills and organization make them worthy world champions but it can be like watching Arsenal, a side who are not averse to a back pass to their goalie if no clear opportunity to score presents itself.

I watched a game where the Spanish took the ball from the goalies hands and with great skill and finesse passed and dribbled all the way to the edge of the opposition Penalty box. Then rather than do anything so risky a put in a cross lest you lose possession they did the whole thing in reverse and it ended up back with the goalie. And that was the pattern for the match. Opposition didn't get a look in but there was precious Little to cheer about either.

As an England supporter I should keep my gob shut - people in glass houses etc.

OK politics, Sport, Religion? Nah maybe not, no point upsetting that section of society too!

Well enjoy the weekend everyone

Back to work Tuesday. Yay!