Match Fixing Allegations

Disheartening. Disappointing.

England Continues to Surprise

I went to bed last night feeling pretty sick for the England Test team who are playing the 4th Test against Pakistan at Lords. At the end of 54 overs England were 7 for 150 (Amir 6-73)! The middle order had collapsed like a pack of cards - Pietersen, Collingwood, Morgan and Swann all out for ducks - and I'd be happy this morning to see England had managed 200 runs (although "happy" isn't really the correct word). 

Wickets begin to tumble

Imagine the smile on my face when I logged onto cricinfo.com this morning to discover that Trott had scored 149* and Broad had finished on 125* (11 fours and 1 six). It's Stuart Broad's maiden Test century - he's no Flintoff replacement, but his batting is improving hugely. At stumps: England 7 for 346. Brilliant!

Broad digs in and saves England

Questions still remain, about England's soft middle order, about whether Cook should be dropped and Trott pushed up to open with Strauss (who would occupy number 3 is anyone's guess), and whether England will mount a tough defence of the Ashes.

Only time will tell - STAY TUNED!

Amazing

This Used To Be Me:

I have lost 8 kg in the last couple of weeks.

Where I Work

I have some photographs of my workplace: the High School Library. They are a bit small and you may need to zoom in. In the external view one can see the new door in the process of being installed. The old door used to be at the end of the library on the right, under the dark roofing.

The internal view shows downstairs (part of the fiction collection). The new circulation desk in the far distance has been roped off ready for varnishing. My personal office is directly behind the new desk.

Fighting Fit

Yes, I realise he plays for Bermuda, but he IS an international cricketer!

Sons and Lovers

I've just finished reading "Sons and Lovers", by D.H. Lawrence.

Written in 1913, it tells of the Morel family, more particularly Paul Morel and his relationship with Miriam (religious, repressed), Clara (older, centred), and his mother Gertrude. Heavily autobiographical, Lawrence's relationship with his mother must have been deeply dysfunctional. Even allowing for autobiographical artistic license, the mother-figure in this novel is restrictive, cloying, suffocating and imprisoning. Lawrence is at his best when he conveys the natural world: his descriptions of animals, plants, and landscapes are breathtaking. Impressive in places, but an uneven novel.

I look forward to reading "The Rainbow" and then "Women in Love", but I've just started Anna Karenina, so they will have to wait!

My first blog

Hello world. This is my first blog. It's short, but it's a start.