Starts tonight with a cracker of an opener with hosts France taking on New Zealand. Wish I was neutral so I coud properly enjoy a game that could well prove to be a classic.


Instead of course I'll be rooting for France. I'll be delighted with a 9 - 6 game as long as les bleus win

Just read this piece written by Orwell.  He had planned to use it as a preface to Animal Farm but didn't in the end.  It was a response to the continual rejection he was getting by publishers for the seminal piece.  What a brilliant mind!  Fiercely independent and desperate for the truth.

It really resonates with the current day too.

https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/the-freedom-of-the-press/

Sesson 4, the last😓 of Succession starts on Monday. I re-watched the last 2 episodes of S3 in preparation.

I absolutely love this show. The Roys must be the most dysfunctional family out there but also the most entertaining. Who will come out on top? How much more humiliation can Kendall take? Will Rome survive sending a dick pic to his dad? Will Shiv come on top despite her brothers' and husband's best efforts. Will dim but relatively mild mannered Greg continue to survive in this nest of vipers. Will the slightly deranged Connor end up US President. And will ready for the grave Logan outrun them all? I can't wait!

No rugby thread?

Have to change that!

What a remarkable game, I thought it was going to be a lot closer. France hadn't won in Twickenham since 2005 and they haven't really hit the highs of last season, so to win by 43 points is quite exceptional. Hopefully the French team can give Wales a similar trouncing in Paris next week.

Tomorrow could be the game of the tournament with an exciting Scottish team at home against the current best side in the World. Think its going to clash with the Arsenal game though so won't see all of it

The wife often listens to audiobooks on her travels but it never really grabbed me.  I tried this narration of Brave New World and it's brilliant.  I think they rise or fall on the quality of the narration and this is absolutely excellent.  I can't find a credit but it sounds like Michael York...

So Musk is going ahead with the 44 billion dollar purchase of Twitter.

He must have very poor research. Has no one told him? Its completely free on the Play store

Just joined this group on Facebook, talking about and reviewing serious non fiction books. Early impressions are that it is excellent. I know for sure that I won't read too many of the books talked about, but the sheer quantity and range is something to behold

https://www.facebook.com/groups/seriousnonfiction/?ref=share

Thought I'd start a thread for Arsenal as I'm feeling quite optimistic for the season ahead. A young squad that showed plenty of promise without actually achieving anything is being bolstered with some astute purchases.

Gabriel Jesus is a very astute signing imo. I don't see him as a City cast off. Guardiola, though undeniably a fantastic manager has issues with centre forwards. Even Aguero wasn't a guaranteed starter and I think the young Brazilian has fallen victim to that as well. Guaranteed a starting position and he should really thrive.

I don't know much about Vieira but his name promises  greatness!

Zinchenko is another excellent City player and if Arteta can entice him to Arsenal with the promise of a guaranteed starting position that's another amazing addition.

The only fly in the ointment is the fact that in Conte, spurs have finally found a serious manager and one who seems able to get Levy to open his purse much wider than usual. They have brought in some excellent players and will provide dangerous competitors.

Of course the crucial question is how close we will get to City and Liverpool. Closer perhaps but not close enough. Chelsea will be stiff opposition too. I predict the United car crash to continue!

Today was what Le Tour is all about.  Pogacar took a hell of a beating today but you never know with him. Tomorrow he could leave the others standing.

Nice to see Bardet finding a bit of form. Thomas had a good day too. 

As part of the Taylor Hawkins tribute at Wembley Stadium on 3rd Sept,  both Geddy and Alex are lined up to appear!

Looks like its to be a Foo Fighters concert with lots of special guests appearing.  As well as Geddy and Alex, the likes of Brian May, Stewart Copeland and Liam Gallagher are set to be on stage.

https://consequence.net/2022/06/taylor-hawkins-foo-fighters-tribute-concerts-special-guests/

Absolutely love this woman. Her musical (particularly vocal as an opera singer and coach) combined with her infectious enthusiasm makes her videos highly enjoyable.  She manages to get me to see Tom Sawyer in a new light despite having heard it thousands of times.

https://youtu.be/BZbzz47vjbk

Over the last couple of years, I occasionally get a strange sensation. It usually happens if I pick up the pace a bit to get the green man at traffic lights or maybe after going up a couple of flights of stairs. Bizzarly enough though never on the bike even though that can be more strenous than those other activities.  It feels like a wave rising from the pit of my stomach up my body. It feels like if it were to reach my head I would black out. After it happens I feel a little weak but then I'm able to carry on.  Last October I did actually black out. I spent 3 or 4 days in hospital having assessments and they picked up something when my heart was put on a stress test.

As a result I'm here at the Bon Secours in Dublin where the cardiologist has just carried out an angiogram and picked up significant narrowing on a couple of arteries into the heart.  One is 90% blocked. Quite surprised as I've never measured high for cholesterol.

Two stents to be inserted and wire cleaning? on another couple of arteries.

No cycling until after the procedure is carried out. He doesn't want me having a heart attack in the middle of nowhere. Quite sensible really!

A little shocked tbh but pleased its been discovered before something serious happened.

Just had a quick look at t-n-m-s and it's gone!  Checked at 12.13 and there is a note stating that it is temporarily offline.  Surely that is permanent.  They didn't mess about in the end.

It's really great that things are continuing on here