This week's hotel room - the Lansdowne, Hastings

Right on the sea front.

This week's hotel room: Ritz Carlton in Kuala Lumpur

Very nice.  The only thing to complain about (since someone else is picking up the bill) is that like many hotel rooms it is pretty difficult to keep it light and bright.  I think they want us to be in the bar.

Justice for the 96.

Thatcher's Britain was a different one to now. It's taken a long time, but at last we can start to have a reckoning for hillsborough. At the memorial at anfield it is clear how many of the victims were the old and young, so should never have been accused of hooliganism. Those days many people loathed football fans - now it is mainstream. It took so long because people doubled up on the lies. Without that it would have been seen as a terrible tragedy caused by some errors of judgement. A few people would have been disciplined and maybe lost their jobs. Instead some face gaol and the families have had a generation of undue pain. Oh so avoidable.

First day of autumn

I woke this morning and wrapped the duvet round me. Temperature has dropped, and summer is really on the way out. Oh, and more rain.

after the gold rush

Well done to Andy Murray for wining the US Open Tennis, his first grand slam.  We are in the brief period between a golden summer and resumption of a gruelling winter of football.  But what a summer.  The Tour de France, the Olympics and Paralympics, Andy Murray.

There has a been a spring in the step of Brits this summer, when it finally dawned that Olympics was not going to be a fiasco but was going to be brilliant.

I wonder if there will now be a political knock on?  The coalition themes of broken Britain, a can-do-nothing country, with all of our glories in the past seem completely out of step with how Britain feels at the moment.  The coalition has traded on misery to excuse any policies they think appropriate.  I wonder if these policies will be accepted in can-do, after the goldrush Britain.

September 2012/3

The past year has been one of stagnation. Of illness, drift and just getting through. Hoping the next 12 months will be better.

and that's the season

once again by the start of August we are out of the Premiership running.  Attractive though Brendan Roger's style of play is, and difficult though the early fixtures are, this is not good enough.  We have offloaded a bunch of players, so the wages bill will be reduced.  But we have bought sparingly, and the team is basically not good enough.  Promising though some of the youngsters may be, we are now down to one world class player in Suarez.

I suspect that the owners are playing a long game and waiting for FIFA rules to impose a level playing field on finances.  But that is still years away, and we wait to see whether it will actually happen.  In the meantime, we are restricted to playing for cups again this season.

It is now a long time since under Rafa Benitez we were pipped at the post for the Premiership.  This will be 4 uncompetitive seasons in a row.  We are now a (top of ) mid table club playing on our history, and no longer real contenders.

last week's hotel room

The Saraha Beach Hotel, Skanes in Tunisia (near Monastir).

Not what I am used to, but i was on holiday.

The last word

The word magazine has closed. I only subscribe to two magazines; the word and the economist. Now it will be just one.

9 years was a good innings for a niche music and lifestyle magazine. It was a great read and a great online community. I shall miss it

This week's hotel room Hilton Istanbul

Very nice in a 1960's sort of way. Huge with amazing views of the Bosphorus. But not from my room. Really what you think of when you think of a Hilton. But with Turkish electrics.

This week's hotel room

Radisson Blu Kennilworth, in London.  Not quite as big as this picture makes it seem.  But it is London.  And outside is the British Museum.  And a lot of rain.

This weeks hotel room Radisson blu Palais Vienna

Gosh it is hot here. And they have run out of power adaptors - my fault I should have brought my own. It is on my checklist, but I thought "they are bound to have one". Otherwise jolly nice. Free minibar - with one coke, one water, one beer. Again not to complain=free.

Banks

It is not just Barclays illegally colluding to fix bank rates. The same is going on in the USA.

When are people going to get jail time for this rather than just corporate fines, that customers end up paying? Jail is the deterrent, not the loss of a bonus.

After the collapse of the banking system why has no one been charged with fraud? It is about time.

Euro 2012

That's us out on pens again. The two Ashley's wont be hounded - there are now too many penalty missers for them to be special.

3 days of sunshine

The British summer.

This week's hotel - holiday villa hotel and residence Qatar

Ok, but without the attention to detail that makes a truly good hotel. For example the safe not working, and the Taos only running hot (no cold). Minor stuff, but enough to knock it out of the top notch.

This weeks hotel room

Millennium, Abu dhabi. Generally I can't complain, though th 8 hours without electricity yesterday was a bit of a blow. Or rather not, as it meant no air con. Otherwise perfectly fine, if a little anonymous.

Bio bank

I do a survey for them. But every time they ask
Me to report it is after an unusual
Day. Yesterday I had my first alcohol for a week- do of course they have asked me about yesterday!

This week's room

Crowne plaza Amsterdam city centre. Very nice. Gym a bit poky, but the rest is lovely including a lounge you migh actually want to spend some time in.

Citeh!

Bloody City!  It's always drama.  2-1 down at the end of 90 minutes.  Win 3-2 to win the Premiership.

Gordon Bennet - it cannot be good for your health to support Manchester City.