The death of music?

Now, I'm not sure what the overriding factor in this is, it could be any one of the following:

* I live in Australia now
* The changes in the music industry mean that bands come and go too quickly
* All the musicians I like are over the hill
* The remainder of them are dead
* I am far too old and should be 'discovering' classical music

But I am genuinely of the opinion that the current crop of music and musicians are not up to the mark.

However, the following artists/tunes do officially still make the world a more wonderful place to explore.

Scritti Politti - Robin Hood
Aretha Franklin - Chain of fools
Burial - Untrue
Marcos Valle - Summer Samba
Antonio Carlos Jobim - Waters of March
Dexy's - There there my dear
Traffic - Feelin' Alright
The Clash - Complete Control
The Last shadow puppets - My mistakes were made for you

The Global Credit Crunch

Having studiously avoided almost anything to do with banking I suddenly feel somewhat out of my depth coming to a view on the current situation. Although an underlying sense of 'the smug bastards deserve everything they get' does sprinkle itself across my senses on a fairly regular basis.

Anyway, seeing as I have nothing to say on the subject. Why not go to this link and read someone summing up their position quite well. www.wherediditallgoright.com/BLOG/2008/09/global-financial-crisis-laymans-view.html

We won't be druv - (Part 4)

The mighty Sussex have only gone and done it again! Murray Goodwin hit a six off the last ball as Sussex secured the Pro40 Division One title after a two-wicket win over Nottinghamshire. The Zimbabwean's unbeaten 87 from 64 balls ensured Sussex edged past the hosts' 226-7 in a nail-biting finale at Trent Bridge.

Goodwin and Mohammad Sami (32) shared a stand of 99 for the eighth wicket, blasting 57 off the final five overs. It rendered Samit Patel's all-round effort of 78 and 3-36 fruitless - which was a shame!

The win was made all the more emotional for the visitors when the magnificent Chris Adams announced his retirement as their captain immediately after the match. Sussex's success was the fifth trophy Adams, who steps down at the end of the season, has helped the county win during his 11-year tenure at Hove.

"It's been a fantastic journey and it was really important for me that we won this particular trophy for the development of the club," said Adams. "That's the third different competition I've won while I've been captain here and it's a great time to bow out with that under my belt."

The two sides went into the game knowing the victors would be crowned as champions and the England all-rounder's excellent performance with both bat and ball looked to have led Nottinghamshire to the victory that would have led them, not Sussex, to the title. He struck five fours and two sixes in his 83-ball knock, with good support from Ashwell Prince (33) and Chris Read (31) - Eastbourne stalwart James Kirtley Sussex's leading wicket-taker with 3-39.

That left Sussex needing 5.66 runs per over to overhaul the target and snatch victory, and they got off to a stuttering start when big hitters Matt Prior and Luke Wright were dismissed with less than 33 on the board. However, that brought Goodwin to the crease and the batsman timed his innings to perfection, despite wickets falling all around him.

Graeme Swann and Patel bowled beautifully in tandem to seemingly swing the balance Notts' way, the former taking 3-33 off his eight overs. But Goodwin found the perfect partner at the perfect time in Sami, who betrayed his reputation as a part-time batsman with an excellent 25-ball effort that provided Murray with exactly the support he needed to see Sussex to a fabulous victory.

Needing 15 off the final over and, eventually, three to tie the match - and secure the title - off the last ball, Goodwin stepped back and hammered a half-volley over the long-on boundary for a maximum - sparking wild scenes of delight from the travelling support. Cue delirious versions of good old Sussex by the sea!

Adams intends to play as a batsman only next season with Mike Yardy set to captain Sussex.
"I felt the wind of change was blowing about six or seven weeks ago and I know it's the right time to step down.

"There are a lot of good young players coming through the system now. Mike Yardy is his own man who will bring a lot to the side and to the development of the cricket club."

Grizzly will be greatly missed as skipper but hopefully he will bat on for another season or so. Although from Yards' point of view he might fancy having the dressing room to himself but we shall see. Whatever happens Chris Adams is the most successful captain of Sussex CCC ever and that is good enough for me!

Ain't that grand!

Mosman Barbarians 5 v 2 Wakehurst Tigers

On the pitch at the start, on the pitch at the end. Victory secured!

Pre-match nerves (3)

90 minutes before kick off, just getting ready to leave the house, like I have so many hundreds of times. Nurofen popped, Voltarin applied, boots polished and ready to go!

C'mon!

Pre-match nerves (2)

My fitness levels are on the rise, I'm at about 90% now (although my right achilles is still about only 15%). From now through to kick off I will be taking copious prescription drugs, having yet more physio and strapping up the few remaining bits of my body that are currently uncovered.

Pre-match nerves (1)

The Grand Final has been put back a week because of the torrential rain, it has given me an extra 6 days to let my calf recover and has opened a can of selection worms for the coach. On the one hand I'll be gutted to be on the bench, on the other it means I might be able to survive until the final whistle.

Quiet nights of quiet stars, quiet chords from their guitars.

50 Years of Bossa Nova at The Opera House

Just got back from a wonderful concert at the opera house, where I saw Vinicius Cantuaria, Marcos Valle, Wanda de Sah, Roberto Menescal and João Donato deliver a beautifully gentle set of Bossa Nova. In Brasil, to do something with "bossa" is to do it with particular charm and natural flair, as in an innate ability. That is exactly how it was this evening. From Roberto Menescal’s “Bye Bye Brasil” to Marcos Valle’s “Summer Samba” every gentle note pushed back the tide and let the sun shine through.

All of which goes to prove a world without Bossa Nova isn't a world at all.

The forces of oppression

Who guards the guards? Who Polices the Police?

Fans of The Pop Group might well be familiar with the above. The paranoic rantings of Mark Stewart or a stark reminder to us all? Given the gung-ho revenue generation tactics of the local police it might be a question worth investigating a little further.

So far, the police have managed to sting me for in excess of $2500 over the last 18 months. There is little or no recourse to these roadside muggings. And when questioned the common response is "Who's the judge going to believe?"

Of course my quibbling fades into insignifigance when put up against other peoples circumstances but I can't help but feel that something is ever so slightly rotten in the state of ...

Peter Kenyon

Just not good enough!