Falling Down

Full of anticipation I drove past Frank Gehry's Marta building with 'wordy' pavement on the way to pick Lisa up from Herford hauptbahnhof on her return from Cyprus. Made me think of going there and shooting it now that it is finally completed. I also notice that Autumn is arriving with the first leaves beginning to fall.

Important choices

Going to chill out and a watch a UEFA Champions League game live this evening .. With two satellite sytems I have so much choice.. now let me see???Hmmm?
Ajax v Arsenal
Bayern Munich v Club Brugge
Man Utd v Benfica
Panathinaikos v Werder Bremen

Double Act

Blair's writers are outdoing themselves with his statement today that the terrorists were fighting a "pre-medieval religious war alien to the future of humankind". So is there any hope left for civilised debate on an equal footing regardless of race or beliefs?

Speaker's Corner, Hyde Park is still up and running with active democratic talk amongst all other kinds of sideshows and gimmicks. A great place to visit on a Sunday morning...

Heaven on Earth

Heaven could be round the corner where we shelter!
See you on Friday

Graf Numero 7

Location: Clerkenwell, London
Artist: Banksy

onions are us

Germans love festivals..Any excuse to have a festival! My town has been celebrating it's annual onion festival since Thursday and will continue to do so until Monday when it is scheduled to run out of Beer and onions.

I predict a riot

I know the reputation of the German polizei is not necessarily pretty but I must say I was not impressed by the one hundred( predominantly male) green suited officers on duty at the game. Seventy five of them fronted the Gladbach section of the crowd. Leaving a sorry looking twenty five in front of us in the Northern Fanblock. They seemed far too casual; listening to Ipods and eating bratwursts, I wouldn't fancy their chances against any well organised British firm of equal numbers. The World Cup may present them with some interesting and challenging situations.

DSC Arminia Bielefeld

Phil went down to the Munich beer festival so I went to the Bielefeld V Borrussia Monchengladbach match on his season ticket with Keith, Jorg, Andreas and Fritz. Despite a loyal home support DSC' s challenge fizzled out and a Gladbach inspired by Kasey Keller and Neuville ran out 2-0 winners..nevertheless we had a good day and sank a few Krombachers whilst standing on the terraces.. Not disimilar from the heady days of the eigthies on the Kippax at Maine Road

ICE ICE Baby

Took Lisa to the station at 7.20 this morning and she took the I.C.E train to Amsterdam before flying onto Cyprus..She's away for ten days so I'm gonna be a lonely boy.. It's a good job I've got thousands of images to work on then...!

Cash Register

Went to the Borse again today. Last Saturday I bought a superb fibre optic lamp for €5 and today was even better.. I purchased a 1950's heavy duty cash register for €35. It was made by the Anker company in Bielefeld and It is in superb condition and mega-heavy, it took me and another guy to lift it into the boot of my car.. When I got it home I opened it up to find a till roll still inside and the last date it was stamped was 1961.. that's an incredible 44 years ago.. I refitted the roll and have got it fully functioning.. What a piece of kit.. It'll make a great household ornament and an excellent prop for stock shots.

Victory in Europe

Bolton Wanderers produced a last minute win against Plovdiv . Coming from behind in the clubs inaugural UEFA tie to win 2-1 with goals from Diouff and Borgetti. Everton were hammered in Bucharest 5-1

Monster Munch

Lisa is working away in Monchengladbach.. So after a busy day I'm downing tools and watching Bolton Wanderers against Plovdiv in the UEFA cup on Channel 5.. Not much else to do on a rainy night in Nordrhein-Westfalen... Where's the diet coke and the pistachios?

Not even Klose

Completed work on a series of images for a new agency then watched the Champions League on Sat1.
Werder Bremen despite their best endeavours were outclassed at home by Barcelona with strikes from Deco and a robotic penalty smashed home by the excellent Ronaldinho. Werder's forward line of Valdez and Kladzic was sadly missing someone with the threat of let's say Miroslav Klose.

Nothing Compares

Nothing compares to U.

Great little Urner

Triumphant England reclaim Ashes Fifth Test, The Oval:England 373 & 335 drew with Australia 367 & 4-0England win the Ashes series 2-1
Kevin Pietersen battered his first ever Test century to earn the draw that gave England a 2-1 series win and the Ashes for the first time since 1987.
Pietersen(Skunkhead), who was dropped twice, hit 158 and Ashley Giles 59 before England were bowled out for 335 at The Oval, to blitz Australian hopes of victory. This series win should raise the profile of the sport in the UK. Despite my lack of real interest in cricket it is still pleasing to see England defeat the Aussies and regain the tiny urn.

The spoils of war

Not smiling now! Eh Gerrard? Liverpool Captain lookalikey Howard Harrison holds aloft his season ticket with a grin on his kite.. Not the same sentiments today though after the indomitable Blues steal a one all draw and could have nicked it at Old Stratford...Badboy Barton had the audacity to meg Franz Ferdinand on the line after an excellent strike from Vassell and Nat King Goal could have pinched it for us if Edwin(Edward) Van Der Sar(Scissor hands) hadn't made a fortunate save... So Gerrard's smile is well and truly wiped off. Phil(UTD)and I sneaked into Keith's Cellar Bar to watch the match and we didn't even plunder his top shelf of fine whiskey.. I had a few Caipirinhias with Wild cherry kirsch added to the mix. Nothing beats Derby day... City march on.. above United and third in the table with Psycho winning the MOM again... Oh Happy Days I'm in a happy daze.

Funk to Funky

Mad hot day here in Germany. Escaped the sun and watched the brave stand made by Flintoff and Straus against the prowess of Warne's bowling. It remains to be seen whether England can really secure the Ashes.

Diabolical

Northern Ireland 1 - 0 England... After the Denmark debacle I said don't believe the hype.. Ericsson believes the hype.. He persists with his popular established stars despite their current inadequacies... Howard(Gerrard) is clearly unfit, Lampard is way off-form, Owen has just left Real Madrid to join Newcastle and after the disappointment of missing out on a return to Anfield is clearly despondent and stressed. Rooney is volatile and spoilt, Beckham wants to manage as well as play... Too many big egos getting in the way of success.. England's best players in recent matches have been Joe Cole and SWP but Sven is quick to sacrifice these less powerful voices in the squad. Once again Ericsson displays tactical ineptitude by making bizarre substitutions and moving players all over the pitch.... What was the point of playing Defoe, Owen and Rooney up front together? Was Hargreaves going to provide a match-winning pass? I would have played 442 with the midfield made up of; J.Cole(LM), Beckham(CM), Lampard(CM), Wright-Philips(RW).. My front two would have been Defoe and Rooney... If Sven cannot regain control and truly manage the side then he must go as we are in real danger of poor results against Austria and Poland...

E for 50p

In the early eighties A lad and twocker I knew in Salford rode around for months on a stolen motorbike evading the police despite having replaced the number plate with one he'd fashioned himself out of cardboard with the registration, LSD4 50P. At the time I found this to be quite an amusing situation which I am reminded of as I hear the sad news that Ecstasy is being sold on the streets of Camden for as little as ten bob(fifty pence). Having seen the mental and physical devastation that drugs can unleash to friends and family over the past quarter of a century I now realise; ..."that joke isn't funny anymore!"

Graf Numero 6

Artist= Barf? Location = Plaka, Athens

Going Dutch

6am Dutch time.. it was off for a full English onboard… then I shot the sunrise as we steamed into Europoort. Shot the morning away in Den Haag and then lunched in Arnhem… Finally arrived back home in Germany after 5pm.

Last day in UK

Watched England defeat the Welsh in a less than convincing affair..Howard (Gerrard) was clearly unfit and not up for it. Lampard looked off form.. Beckham’s distribution was outstanding.. I think he has been learning from Zidane in training at Madrid… Rooney was as keen as mustard and Wright –Philips was busy and helped make Joe Cole’s goal. I was once again displeased with the tactical ineptitude of Sven in the second half as he ransacked the midfield by removing SWP, J.Cole and Gerrard.. In my view it would have been better to simply replace Gerrard.. Straight after the match it was off to Hull on the night boat to Holland on the Pride of Rotterdam.. Lisa and I had a few drinks in the sunset lounge.

Real England

Went for a magical mystery tour with Dom and Sill..On a beautiful and real summer day..We had a lovely lunch in the garden at the Calf’s Head in Wurston village.. I had Wurston whale, Chips and Mushy peas…8 out of 10.. quality food and a great ambience in the sunsplashed beergarden…Shot some images in the picturesque village of Downham had a coffee outside the post office and then went for a stroll around Clitheroe. Watched England U-21 batter Wales 4-0 with good performances by Reo-Coco, Whittingham and Nugent.. Then Rick and I laughed our heads off at two episodes of Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere.