citizenED

Almost certain to cry off any rematch, Keef - I am one bitter loser and am still seething from the defeat. Actually, days out are at a premium. As enjoyable as the day was if the choice is between a pub crawl and a cricket match, the former has it.

Changes for the better sometimes come at a price and the increasing freedom in society, the increasingly equal treatment of women and ethnic minorities, the acknowledgement that children are human beings deserving of their own rights and the general move towards opportunity for all and social mobility, benefit us all. We have to manage the change and there is some fallout over it. Some impoverished, disenfranchised people often suffer from the increases in freedom but as sad and worrying as that is, it should not be used to halt the progress. Knee-jerk reactions regarding youth crime, suggestions that we go back to national service and the such like, are such a retrograde step. All suffer for the crimes of the few, without any guarantee that those solutions will work.

for he has something about which to shout

"the measure of intelligence is the capacity to hold two seemingly conflicting ideas in your head at the same time" some bright spark wrote something like that somewhere at some time. I thnk it pertinent here. I'm impressed by people's attempts to make an even handed assessment of the effects of homophobia and racism. a tricky equation if ever. I'm less impressed by any post that seems to want to diminish the effect of either.

Please, Jesu, no infernal name-tags! The Vale was all the better for their absence. all the newbies used the simple device of speech to find out who people were.

then he lines up some coke which he snorts

Keef, was that you talking, or your good angel? As for me - might be along late for a sly couple.

an obvious set of dimwits - it should be "wow, she's pretty for an African-Caribbean woman". Muffintop, Mockneys retort was perfect, but you have to be damn confident to deliver something like that (reminds me of the scene in Notting Hill wehe Hugh Grant defends Julia Robert's honour in the restaurant when a bunch of besuited types are glibly judging her). As others have said - concentrate on the first part of the sentence, rather than the second. Oh, and come along to the drinks on Fri at the Herne. Citizen

Thanks for the Nick Drake, DC As it happens I posted a Drake song "Northern Sky" in a thread called "Songs that bring a tear" some time back. Obviously have to get onto that lazy Admin guy to get him to sharpen up his lazy-arse act with that search box thingummy.

I resorted to lurking

When my workload prevented me posting....

Torres goal was sublime

Can someone please kick Cesc before he goes and plays brilliantly in the final. Not that I wish him any ill - I just don't want anyone to get the idea thay might buy him.

*suitably be-stubbled at last, finally walks over the threshold and heads for the bar* *orders milk and cookies - Dag gannet! - I meant bourbon and baccy* *worries at the amount of flesh on show and looks round for a distraction* * is that a copy of the Dandy on the bar?*

I love the somnambulent sound of leather on willow, the taste of warm beer, the sleepy delivery of Aggers and Boycott on the wireless, those slow sunny/rainbreak days that make the English Summer - and the ripspeed of Graham Napier thrashing 16 sixes in a twenty20. What is going on.

...er, yes, Asset - but only because Radio 5 has been taken over by the plummier facade of the Beeb.

*licks lips - thanks for the food, Sean* *clicks spurs* *rubs chin* *............still waitin'*

*...Don Quixote* *stands on the threshold of the Rancho, enviously watching Sean drink* *just waiting for my 5 o'clock shadow to appear so I can join him* *I may be a while*

Maybe the honeymoon period is over. Just wait until the 7 year itch!

Sorry to hear about this, sazzle - not a very nice thing to have happened. I trust you are not too shaken. regards.

Jimbo - I was referring to Chris Eaton who won yesterday with about 30 odd aces. so it did happen.

Not tennis! Why the crazy national ob-bloody-session with Wimbledon. Two weeks of the BBC getting all strawberries-and-cream and then nowt. A chipper Brit wins by firing a shedload of boring aces and R5 go demented. No thanks.

When the limer-ricists lost their beat...

Crikey, and to think, Keef came back to the Lounge to get away from the Racial knockabout over in the Gossip.

*oi, don't peek*