Well, that's got to be some kind of record. 4 months and no posts in here. Oh well, so much for good intentions.

So, I better start with some updates.

Firstly, Sarah and I bought the house. We completed on 18th August, so we've now been living together for about 3 months. Living together is great. It's the daily commute to York that is killing me. I leave the house at 6.20am to catch the 6.40am train to York from Cottingham station. I catch the 5.27pm train home and generally get home around 7pm. Roll on the weekend.

The house has been OK, although we've not had a cooker since we moved in. We've now got a new cooker from Stoves, but we need to get some remedial work done on the gas pipe before the cooker can be fitted. Since we've got friends coming for Christmas dinner in about 3 weeks, the clock is definitely ticking!

I've also been having an on-going problem with Sky. We got Sky+ and Sky Multiroom fitted when we moved in but the Multiroom box has never worked. More on that another time.

I've taken over as the Musical Director of the Cottingham Band. I'm enjoying standing in-front of a band again. It's far more rewarding than playing has been for a while and I'm looking forward to hopefully taking the band to the North of England Area Finals in March next year.

I've also left the East Yorkshire Motor Services Band. I haven't enjoyed playing for a while and I think having a bit of time out is going to be in my best interests. I'm not sure what my next playing move will be (there have been a few offers), but I would hope to be contesting again as a player next year. I'd like to wish the band all the best for it's assault on the Areas and the Senior Cup next year.

I'm over the moon that United are top of the league. Their league form this year has been fantastic in the main, and I'm sure that they can build on the good start they've made. It's a pity that this form hasn't carried over into Europe, or the League Cup. I can't describe my anger at them being knocked out by Southend. No disrespect to Southend, but they shouldn't be beating a side that features players like Heinze, Ronaldo and Rooney and there were several players who must now be surely playing for their futures at Old Trafford. On a positive note though, I do hope Freddy Adu comes over to the Theatre of Dreams. He's one hell of a prospect and I'm sure he will only improve the team.

I'd like to pay tribute to the 20 years that Sir Alex Ferguson has been at United. That's a long period of time in any job, and especially one which is as high profile and as stressful as the manager's role at United. He has re-built the club from nothing to one which has consistently challenged across the board for the last 15 years. It would be truely fitting that United win a trophy in this historic season.

Well, I’m starting to slip again aren’t I! It’s about two and a half weeks since my last entry.

The concert at St Matthew’s Church went OK. There were a few hairy moments especially in the cornet solo, La Belle Americaine. However, we emerged unscathed.

Band-wise, it’s been a busy time. There was the Whit Friday marches, followed by the Christmas CD, followed by this concert. I missed a concert the following weekend (25th June) as it was my dad’s 60th birthday and we all congregated in Leicester to celebrate. However, this weekend, it was a return to form as we spent the weekend in Cockermouth opening the annual Cockermouth festival. It wasn’t the greatest timing in the world, given that it was the quarter-final weekend of the World Cup, the 5th One Day International at Headingly and the middle Saturday of Wimbledon, but the audience was appreciative enough. The venue was the United Reformed Church in the town centre which was a hot place to play in with an average acoustic, but the concert went well. The soloists were in good form and the playing from the band was good in the main. The programme was a varied one, ranging from the candyfloss of “Pop Looks Bach” or “Hello Dolly” to the virtuosity of “La Belle Americaine” and the power of “The Pines of Rome”. The band celebrated in traditional style afterwards, heading out for beer and curry, despite the football result.

Football seems to have dominated the agenda over the last couple of weeks. I suppose that’s not really that surprising when you consider that it’s the World Cup. I can’t begin to describe the anger I feel towards Cristiano Ronaldo. His behaviour towards Wayne Rooney, considering that they are team-mates at Untied, was unforgivable. The kid might be a good footballer, but he’s not the finished item by any stretch of the imagination. He’s too cocky, too arrogant and it’s about time United sold him. I’d rather have the £25 million in the bank than a blood-bath at Carrington anyday of the week. I can’t see Rooney forgiving him in a hurry, and I suspect a lot of the other United players will feel the same way.

Personally, I can’t blame Rooney for England’s defeat. Yes, it was an indefensible action, but if he’d gone down, he would have won a free-kick and maybe Carvalho would have been booked. Instead he sees red for a stamp that isn’t an acceptable part of his game. However, the blame doesn’t lie there. Nor does it lie with the inept penalty taking of Lampard and Gerrard, or the over-enthusiasm of Jamie Carragher. For me, the blame for England crashing out of the World Cup lies with the English media. For weeks, they have built up pressure on the team, especially concerning penalties. How many times have we seen Lampard and Gerrard bang penalties away for Chelsea or Liverpool without a care in the world? However, because we have such an appalling record in penalty shoot-outs, the pressure is immediately applied by the journalists. You can see it in their body language the minute they stepped up to the spot. They were absolutely terrified of writing themselves into that book which already contains the names of Waddle, Peace, Southgate, Batty, Ince, Beckham, Vassell etc. They envisaged failure before they struck the ball, and as such, were always going to miss.

I dislike the sports journalists in this country anyway, because they would rather attack our sportsmen and women than sing their praises. This from overweight, pompous windbags who know nothing more about sport than your average arm-chair fan but who get paid to write about it. This World Cup campaign has really sealed the deal for me though. I think in future I will read ESPN.com more closely. At least I can get well-balanced views there!

On a final note about England, what a waste of time picking Theo Walcott was. Michael Owen got injured, but instead of using two strikers, Erikkson dropped any extra man into midfield. Thank goodness he’s gone, and thank goodness Beckham has stepped down as captain. I’d like to see Gary Neville take over. I think he’s got the tools to do the job. He’s done a great job at United and I’m sure he could lead England as well, especially when he’s appeared in nearly 100 games. However, I think McLaren will give the job to Terry or Gerrard. I do think that most of the squad will stay in contention though, with the possible exceptions of James and Campbell. I’ve been really impressed with Owen Hargreaves during the competition. He’s taken a lot of stick from England fans and the media but did a great job for England during the tournament.

Now that the World Cup is coming towards an end, I’m hoping that United will buy a player or two. I’d like to sign Torres, but given that he has a release fee of £41m in his contract, I’m not sure that will happen. I’d also like to sign Hargreaves, Carrick or Maschereno. We need to challenge Chelsea next season, and given that they have added Ballack, Kalou and Shevchenko to their line-up, that will be a hard task.

On the house front, we’re hopeful that we will move into our new house in the middle of August. I’m really looking forward to being a family under one roof. I’m also looking forward to our holiday to Majorca which will give us all a chance to relax and unwind. I’m hoping to get some diving in and maybe take my Advanced Open Water certificate. I’ve just started running and exercising a little bit. I’m running in the Sport Relief Mile in a couple of weeks and it would be nice to do the mile in about 8 or 9 minutes.

Big Brother ticks on. I’d like to see Pete or Glyn win. I’m glad Grace and Lisa have been evicted, and I’ve been really amused to see Grace, who slagged off Nikki for posing in Zoo, has been getting her tits out in the mans mags. The sooner she disappears of the face of the planet the better. A sexual Ferrari? More like a Renault. She reckons she’s experienced when she’s 20 and has slept with 6 men!?! Get real dear.

Anyway dear reader, stay tuned and I’ll write more soon.

Well, I certainly wound the clock back last night. 11 years ago, I went to see Bon Jovi at Wembley Stadium. They were supported by Van Halen, Thunder and Ugly Kid Joe. I’d toyed with the idea of going to see them play at the new Wembley when the dates for the “Have a Nice Day” tour were announced. However, I decided against it and didn’t give it a second thought until it was announced that they would play at the KC Stadium in Hull. Since Sarah only lives about a 15 minute walk away, I bought a ticket in the standing area. I don’t listen to Bon Jovi quiet as much as I used too and I certainly don’t know the tracks on “Bounce”, “Crush” or “Have a Nice Day” as much as I do on the earlier albums.

Anyway, the gig was last night in Hull. I missed the opening act and only caught a bit of the second act. Bon Jovi took the stage at about 8pm and all of a sudden I was 21 again. The band and I have grown old together, as Jon Bon Jovi reminded me. Tico Torres now looks middle-aged and Richie Sambora has certainly put some weight on. Mind you, I suppose I now look middle-aged compared to the teenager who discovered “Slippery When Wet” on a coach en-route to France in 1987. The only reason I had the cassette was because I’d taken a shine to “The Final Countdown” by Europe and a friend had copied the album “The Final Countdown” on one side of a C90 and “Slippery When Wet” on the other. The first half of the album was an instant hit for me and “Wanted Dead or Alive” is one of my favourite songs of all time, along with “Beds are Burning” by Midnight Oil.

The rain eased off just after Bon Jovi took the stage amidst a fully illuminated display. They opened with “Last Man Standing” before heading into “Rockin’ Around the World” by Status Quo and following it up with “You Give Love a Bad Name”. A lot of the classics got an airing tonight including “Living on A Prayer”, “Runaway”, “Raise Your Hands”, “Blood on Blood”, “Keep the Faith” and “Bad Medicine”. They also played some of the songs I don’t know so well like “Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars”, “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” and “Have A Nice Day”.

The tempo didn’t drop during the night and neither did the lights. The band kept going right to the end and I have to say that it was the best gig I’ve ever been to and I’ve now got to decide whether I go to see any of the other gigs I’d like to see before the end of the year; Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Status Quo, Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings or Billy Joel.

I’d forgotten who good a good gig is and I can’t wait for the next one.

Anyway, tonight sees me playing at St Matthew’s Church in Hull. I’m sure the audience will be massively different, even if the venue is only a stone’s throw away.

Friday 9th June saw the Greatest Free Show on Earth once more in Saddleworth and Tameside. The annual Whit Friday Marches attract bands from all over the country. I guess it was because I never took banding seriously until 1999, but the first time I ever played at the Whit Friday Marches wasn’t until then. Since then I’ve only missed one Whit Friday, in 2002 when Imps played at the Masters two days later. This year was a first for me though, as it is the first time I’ve played for a scratch band.

Back in February, I played at the Brass at the Guild contest for Jackfield Elcock Reisen and was asked if I fancied playing at the Whit Friday Marches for a scratch band which was being put together. I agreed and also volunteered to guide the band around Tameside. I guided the Ransome Band around Tameside last year and we managed to play at all 11 venues. The scratch band was born and swiftly named Hawaiian Brass.

Friday saw 44 of us marching around Tameside dressed in Hawaiian shirts, hula skirts and sandals. We marched to the theme from Hawaii Five-0 and played the march “The President” on the stand. At the time of writing, I’ve not heard of any of our results, but we certainly entertained people. We were the fourth band to play at Denton Cricket Club, traditionally the start of the Tameside contests. After that we played number 2 at Dukinfield. As the night progressed, we brought the audience onto our side, with our antics on the march. We got huge cheers as we marched down to the stand and this translated into big cheers when we finished the contest march. Sadly, I’m sure this won’t translate into great results, although we may get a few good places.

We arrived at Broadoak, our last stop for the night, at just after 10.30pm, the closing point. However, the reputation we received all the way around meant that we were able to talk our way onto the contest card, playing the last band and getting a great cheer from the crowd. Talking to some of them, they had been waiting from 6pm to hear us play, which was a great testament. It wasn’t that they thought we were a top band but they had heard that we were something to watch on the march down to the stand.

Friday was also the start of the World Cup, I’ve managed to catch some of the games, most notably the England / Paraguay game. I’ve seen parts of a few other games, but I have to say that I haven’t been impressed with England so far. There seems to be too much hype and not enough action. Cote d’Ivoire impressed me, but I still fancy Argentina to win the tournament. The Czechs are dark horses for me, but it’s still only 3 days in.

I’ve spent most of the weekend recording a Christmas CD with the band. It’s got fifteen tracks on it, including “Ukranian Bell Carol”, “The Little Drummer Boy” and “Fanfare of the Bells”. It will be out later in the year and although it’s been a little surreal recording a Christmas CD in the middle of the year, especially when it has been so hot, I’m sure it will go down well. That said, our last CD still hasn’t been released. If I can get some excerpts from the tracks, I will try and put them up on my website later in the year.

Anyway, it’s quarter to midnight, I’m at work in the morning and “The Dirty Dozen” is about to start so I’ll sign off for now. Hasta luego.

OK, so I’m slipping back into bad habits. It must be about 6 weeks since I last made an entry into my blog. I say 6 weeks because I’m not online as I write this.

There is a simple explanation for why I’m not. Basically I don’t have ‘Net access at home anymore. I sold my house at the start of May (May 5th to be exact). Technically I’m now homeless; at least that’s what George keeps telling me. Most of my worldly goods are packed in boxes and stuffed into one room at my parent’s house. Sarah has also sold here house and we have had an offer accepted on a house in Cottingham, just outside Hull, so with a little luck, we will be all together under one roof before the start of September.

The last couple of weeks haven’t been the best in my life, and I’m looking forward to a break at the end of July. I’m not going to dwell on that too much, suffice to say that I don’t want to be back here again in a hurry.

The band went over to Blackpool in the second week of May to compete in the Senior Cup. As I’ve said before, the test piece was Phillip Sparke’s “Harmony Music.” I’ve played it before and going into the contest, I felt that our performances promised something extra special on stage. We hadn’t had a perfect run-through but there were glimpses of something extra-special. However, one player in the band decided that contesting wasn’t really a team sport and made such a bollocks of the beginning of the piece that I was surprised when we managed 6th. To be honest, I’m not sure that I can ever forgive him for his attitude. He resigned after the contest but asked to be allowed back the next morning. Personally I wouldn’t have let him back in. Jim Davies is a far more forgiving person than I am. The band played a concert at the Plowright Theatre in Scunthorpe a couple of weeks later, which I missed (see above). We go back into the studio this weekend to record a CD of Christmas music. I find this a little ironic when our last CD hasn’t been released yet.

Anyway, moving on, it’s also one of my favourite days of the year on Friday, with the annual Whit Friday marches taking place in Tameside and Saddleworth. I’m playing for a scratch band this time, “Hawaiian Brass”, which is mostly players from Desford, GUS and the CBSO. As well as playing, I’ll be guiding the band around Tameside. I did it last year from Ransome and I’m looking forward to it again this year. Hopefully we can get around the circuit as quickly as Ransome did last year and then we’ll have some time to do some of the contests over in Saddleworth as well. That said, there are 11 contests in Tameside so maybe we won’t have anything left by the time we get to Delph.

The Whit Friday marches are the same day as the start of the World Cup. I can’t believe how quickly it has come around again. I met Sarah just after the end of the last World Cup, which reminds me that it will be our 4th anniversary on 2nd August. I do think England have got a better chance this time than at any point that I can remember (which is 1982). The defence is solid, but the midfield is truly world class. I’m backing them to reach the semi-finals at least, possibly even the final if results go their way. However, I think Argentina will win the World Cup. I know that’s not the most patriotic thing to write here, but since I don’t see myself as totally English, what does it matter. The truth is that my grandmother is a German Jew who immigrated to the UK in 1932. I also have a Welsh grandfather and an Irish grandmother, so apart from being the living embodiment of the United Nations, I always find myself with mixed emotions at the start of international tournaments.

I must confess to finding myself a little baffled by Erikkson’s selection. I would have selected his original 3 ‘keepers, although I would have picked Ben Foster over Scott Carson when Robert Green got injured. My real gripe is up-front. I don’t think Crouch is an international calibre striker. Sure, he can get a hat-trick against Jamaica and a goal against Hungary but I don’t think he has what it takes against the better sides. Personally, I would have selected Andy Johnson ahead of him. I also wouldn’t have taken Theo Walcott. In four years time, he will be a class act, but the fact of the matter is that he is only 17 years old and has not played one minute in the Premiership for Arsenal. Yes, Michael Owen played in France aged 17, but he had played for Liverpool in the 97/98 season. Wayne Rooney played in Japan aged 17, but he had played for Everton in the 01/02 season. Walcott is not ready to go.

Sticking with sport, I’m please that the John Obi Mikel saga has come to an end. Personally, I wouldn’t want a player playing for United who is so fickle as to swap clubs as soon as a bigger contract is on the table. Yes, he may be an exciting prospect but he is also greedy. That said, Chelsea are fast assembling the best squad on the planet. For me, Barcelona was the side of the 05/06 season. They have the best squad in Europe, but I think they will be pushed hard by Chelsea in the new season. A squad that can boast of Ballack, Lampard, Shevchenko, Cech, Terry, Essien, Drogba, Robben and the possibility of Roberto Carlos, will be hard to beat, and even if United can sign some world class players, I suspect they will still be playing for second place.

I hope Ferguson will sign a goalkeeper (I do think this lad at West Brom, Kusczak would be a good back-up for Van der Sar and will push Howard). I’d also like us to pick up a couple of midfielders. Diarra from Lyon would be a good one, as would Beckham or Joe Cole. I do hope we hang on to Van Nistelrooy. I know that he’s had issues with Ronaldo and vice-versa but he is also a proven goal-scorer and if one of them has to leave, why not Ronaldo who keeps talking about a move to Spain.

I’ve been watching a lot of Big Brother recently. I have to admit that I voted for the first time ever. I voted to evict Sezer. The guy is a complete arsehole. He has no redeeming features and I hope that the UK has seen him for what he is. The arrogant wanker should be left to rot now. There are a few others in the house that should go the same way. That little group of never-be celebs is irritating in the extreme. I’d love to evict Grace, Nikki, Imogen and Mikey before the programme goes any further. They don’t deserve the chance to inflict their self-centred, proctological rantings on the rest of the world. The sooner we get rid of them, the better.

Anyway, that’s my musings over for now.

I'm never moving again after this time. I've got a headache from the stress of selling. My buyer is wanting to come and measure up, but he's not even signed the damn contract yet. This whole process has been a pain in the arse from start to finish. Let me tell you, you know whether you love somebody or not if you are prepared to sell your house for them!

I've spoken to the Estate Agents, who tells me that he wants to come tomorrow and measure up. He also wants £2k off the asking price because the surveyor reckoned it was over-valued. Sure, the surveyor also reckoned that the chimney breast needed supporting properly and that the chimney stack needed repairing. So, I'm paying for the chimney stack to be repaired, and a structural engineer looked at the chimney breast and reckoned there was nothing wrong with it, so how does that equate to a reduction in price?

On a more positive note, I took George to see Hull City play Preston at the weekend. Considering he is only five, he really got into it. City were unlucky not to win the game. As a neutral, I really wasn't impressed by Preston. I can't see them even getting past Leeds in the play-offs. God help them if they got promoted to the Premiership. They won't last five minutes and will come down with fewer points that Sunderland got this season! Anyway, George led the DeVries family stand in cheering. There were so many sullen faces around the stand it was untrue.

On the way back, we passed the cemetery. George asked me whether I believe in Jesus. I answered that I didn't and was rewarded with "Why not?". How do you explain relative theology to a five year old?

Band last night was more enjoyable. The band are making steady progress with Harmony Music and I've every confidence that we can get a good result. There will be some other bands there who are capable of doing well, especially Newstead Welfare and Jaguar (Coventry) who did really well at the recent Midlands Area Finals (coming 1st and 2nd) and Wingates who came 4th in the North West Area Finals against a very strong field, but I think we will surprise a lot of people and I'll be disappointed if we don't get back into the Grand Shield next year. Apparently, we will be going to the Leicester contest in the middle of November which will be strange since it is held at Guthlaxton College which is my dad's old school.

Speaking of my dad, he ran the London Marathon yesterday in a little over 5 hours. We're all very proud of him, especially George who has been telling people that he is going to win it.

On a sporting note, I see that the Habs won their first playoff match against Carolina 6-1. What a a great start. Most of the other series' have been levelled at 1-1 in the the second game so here's hoping that we don't go the same way tonight. The Yankees did well though over the weekend, winning 2 out of 3 against Baltimore (who are top of the AL East). Maybe the Bronx Bombers are kicking into life? I certainly hope so as I need something to cheer me up over the summer, with United's season effectively finishing in February (OK, so one cup is better than no cup at all.).

I can't believe West Ham will be in Europe next season. They need to spend some serious money if they want to progress. I was really surprised to hear that they beat Boro, as Boro are a far better team. Maybe it was a case on one eye on Europe?

No posts in two months and then two in a day. I've just re-read some of my early posts, and I think I better tidy a few loose ends up.

I'm delighted that the Habs have made the post-season. It's looked like they would for the last couple of weeks, especially when they were winning games. For a while, I thought that they may be unlucky and end up meeting the Ottawa Senators in the first round, but we'll meet the Carolina Hurricanes instead. I've every confidence that the Habs will win, albeit in 7 games.

Speaking of form, I'm pleased with the form that United have shown in recent weeks, even if they couldn't beat Sunderland on Good Friday. They've started to show some of the character of former teams, and with a couple of good signings during the summer, I'm sure we will be challenging for the Premiership next season. I can't see Ruud Van Nistelrooy leaving Old Trafford in the summer. He's a class act, and I think we will only be successful with 4 strikers in the squad. With Solskjaer coming back from injury and Rossi in the wings, I think we have more than enough class up front, although who would turn down a fit Ronaldo from Real Madrid. Personally, I'd like to see us sign a couple of midfielders. I like Riquelme, who's with Villarreal at the moment, Nolan (Bolton) and Makelele and Joe Cole (Chelsea). I'm only hoping that Sir Alex Ferguson shows some of his flare in the transfer market and that we don't end up going after dross (like Djemba-Djemba or Kleberson). I'd love to be at the Roy Keane testimonial, but sadly, it's the week before the Senior Cup and I'll be at band almost every night that week, so I think I'll spend my night off with Sarah and George rather than 70,000 people at Old Trafford.

What has been disappointing is the Yankee's start to the season. To be 7-7 after 14 games, having lost series' to Oakland, Los Angeles and Minnesota is not how a lot of Bombers fans had envisaged it, I'm sure, especially with Damon arriving in Centrefield. He's only hitting 0.293.
I'm sure things will improve, but we need to at least make the AL Championship final this year.

On a banding note, since the concert in Wigan, I played a concert with the Northern All Stars at the Sage Theatre in Gateshead. What a concert that was. There was a very receptive audience, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The highlights for me had to be Joe Cook's solo (Czardas) and Gregson's "The Age of Kings". I've been asked to be a member of the band again next year, and provisionally I've said yes, as long as EYMS don't have a concert on that night. EYMS have also played two concerts; one at the New Albermarle Centre in Hull where I thought we played well, apart from a few small slips, and one at Wakefield Cathederal, where we played well, even if the band sounded a little tired. Our next concert isn't until the 27th May when we are playing at the Plowright Theatre in Scunthorpe. We also have a CD recording coming up (even though our last CD isn't out yet!) and I'm playing at the Whit Friday marches with Haiwaiian Brass.

I'm also working on some more arrangements. I gave Jim Davies (our MD) a few scores to look at and hopefully one or two will make it into the EYMS concert programme. One of my arrangements (a version of Noel Rawsthorne's wonderful Hornpipe Humoresque) was played last October by the band. Some of the other pieces include "Ben Hur's Chariot Race" (Paull), "Prelude" (JS Bach), "Three Little Maids" (Sullivan) (this is a bass trio) "Deus in Adetoreum" (Monteverdi) and "El Diablo" (Cezar). Fingers crossed eh!

Well, I've done it again, I guess. 2 and a half months without writing anything. Now, write out 1000 times, I must update my blog.
OK, punishment over. Let's bring the last few weeks up-to-date.....

I've agreed to sell the house, for nearly the asking price. Actually, the sale agreed weeks ago, but with one thing and another, it's taken it's time. Hopefully though, I should be out of there in a little over two weeks. Sarah's house has also gone on the market, so with a little bit of luck, we could be buying somewhere by the summer. We've seen a couple of houses which we like, but neither of which was "the one". We'll keep looking though, and I'm sure we will find the right house.
That said, it's amazing what some people are asking for their homes. I saw one property the other week which I reckon was £20k over the asking price. It does make you think.

The band played at the North of England Area Finals in the middle of march. We played very, very well on the stage and came 3rd. Sadly, this means that we miss out on a place at the National Finals, which was very disappointing. There were a lot of people in the hall who thought we should have finished higher up the placings, but that's competitions for you. We're now looking forward to the Spring Festival and the Senior Cup in Blackpool on 13th May. Hopefully we can finish in the top 4 and get promoted back to the Grand Shield for 2007. The test-piece is Harmony Music, which isn't easy. It will certainly sort the wheat from the chaff.

I spent a large part of March on the road with work. The end of March sees the end of our Financial Year, and so I was busy with stocktakes. I covered about 3500 miles in 3 weeks, covering sites from Millerhill and Portabello near Edinburgh down to Westbury in Wiltshire and Eastleigh on the South Coast. I did see some fantastic scenary. I'd forgotten just how beautiful some parts of our country can be. That said, I was happy to hand the car keys back at the end of it all. I'll be starting my travels again in the middle of next month.... I can't wait!!

Well, the house is on the market, and I've had 3 viewings and 1 offer so far. I've not sold it yet, but it really is a strange feeling to be trying to sell something that you've put so much time and effort in to. The first offer wasn't anywhere near enough.

I have to admit that I find this way of doing business a little strange. I mean, I ask for a certain price and then someone else offers 5% below the asking price. I didn't take too long to think about my answer.

Anyway, I'm still gutted about last weekend's results. Firstly, the Redskins got eliminated from the play-offs by Seattle. Still, at least we are getting stronger season by season and maybe next year Joe Gibbs can take us to the Championship game. More importantly though, I can't believe that United lost to City, and Ronaldo got sent off! I just hope we can restore some pride by beating Liverpool tomorrow. Although Ferguson strengthened the defence, it still didn't look stable against City.

The band played a concert over in Wigan last Sunday night. We enjoyed it, although there were some silly little slips in places. However, I get the booby prize for forgetting my music. I can't believe I did it, but there we go. I was rushing to get my stuff on the bus and forgot that the pad was on the front seat. Prize idiot! That said, I was rehearsing with the Northern All-Star Band at the Reg Vardy bandroom on Wednesday night. I must confess to looking forward to playing at the Sage on Sunday afternoon. The band sounds really good in places, albeit a little under-rehearsed. These are the kind of events that I play in a band for, so I'm going to make the most of it, even though it means a whole day banding, when it could be better spent with Sarah.

I can't belive my prophetic post. Within hours of writing about Charles Kennedy, he's resigned. I do feel for the guy, and I wish him well. I'd like to see Menzies Campbell replace him. Actually, I'm not really that bothered. I'm a card carrying member of the Labour Party and a Socialist.

Well, it's 4.30 in the morning, and I'm up to tidy up my house. I've got the Estate Agent coming to take photos in about 4 hours and I still need to get a few things straight. The things we do for love!?!

I'm over the moon that the Redskins managed to beat the Tampa Bay Bucs at the weekend. We've moved on to the Divisional playoffs where we'll meet the Seattle Seahawks. Can Joe Gibbs work his magic again? I certainly hope so. On top of that, the Habs managed to snap their 4 game losing streak by beating Ottawa 4-1. They've dropped out of the play-off spots but we're only half way through the season. The only down side was United failing to get past Burton Albion in the third round of the FA Cup. A 0-0 draw was not the best result, especially with players like Rooney, Ronaldo, Richardson and Saha making an apperance for at least some of the match. Still, I can't see anything but an United victory at Old Trafford next week. Then it's on to Wolves in the 4th round.

I can't believe that I've been on a mouse hunt at Sarah's. We first saw the mouse back in October, and it's been around ever since, succesfully avoiding traps and bait. At one level, I think the little bleeder has done enough to be allowed to live! I mean, if it can avoid everything that we've put out for it in the last 3 months, then maybe it should see another spring?

Talk about lucky! The fuel cap on my car (I've got an 11 year old Ford Escort) got jammed on Saturday night just as I was setting of for Hull. Try as I might I couldn't get the cap off, so I phoned my parents for help and my dad arranged to come up with some tools. Heading over the road to the recycling plant, I found four (yes, 4!) AA vans. Since business had dropped off, they were only too happy to help. Sadly, the outer part of the lock was broken, but what are the odds?

Band was better on Sunday night. At least we've managed to sort out the sectionals for the upcoming Area finals which should make life easier. I should point out that the brass band world is arranged into 8 Areas (Scotland, Wales, North of England, Yorkshire, North West, Midlands, London and Southern Counties and West of England). Each Area has 5 sections (Championship, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th). Every year bands in each Area come together and compete against each other by section. Generally, the winners and runners up go forward to represent the Area at the National Finals, which are held at the Royal Albert Hall in October (for Championship section bands) and Harrogate in September (for the rest of the bands). There is also a promotion / relegation system in place which averages results over 3 years. Since 2000, I've played for bands in the Championship section. Firstly, the Yorkshire Imperial Band (in the Yorkshire area), then the Ransome band (in the Midlands area) and now the East Yorkshire Motor Services band (in the North of England area). At the Area Final, each band in a section plays the same piece. This year, the Championship section test piece is called "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" by Peter Graham. It's hard work in places, although not as hard (in my opinion) as "Harmony Music" which is the test piece for the Senior Cup in May. Anyway, like I say, band was better, even if my hand hurt like mad because I'd been trying to change a toilet seat before I left Sarah's.

And finally.... I was sorry to read about the passing of Tony Banks. He seemed like a nice guy who was a good politician.

What's the deal with everyone having a pop at Charles Kennedy? Does it matter that he has admitted to having a drink problem? Surely the Liberal Democrats should be supporting him and praising him for having the courage to stand up and admit he is ill, rather than demanding that he steps down as leader.

OK, the guy is an alcoholic, but it is possible to beat this addiction. What kind of a message does this send out?

OK, New Year and I will do better at posting into my blog. It's been quite a hectic start to the year. Sarah and I took George for a walk at the White Horse (near Kilburn, North Yorkshire) on New Year's Day. It was cold and wet, but we walked up to the top of the hill and looked out onto the Vale of York.

I've wandered around the Railway Museum in York as well during the Festive season. You would have thought that someone who works for Network Rail would have tried to get as far away as possible from the railways when they're on holiday, but George really wanted to go, and who am I to refuse?

It was back to work on the 3rd January. Nothing has changed. We're straight back into period end and with the budgets due as well, it's been a fairly hectic time. I caught the United / Arsenal game on Sky on Tuesday night. I think it's a bit harsh to dismiss it as a bore-draw. Both sides lack something in comparison to Chelsea but they are still two of the best four teams in England at the moment. United should improve defensively with Vidic joining (and hopefully Evra too), so if we can just sort out the midfield, we will have a good / great side again.

On a sporting note, I'm over the moon that the Washington Redskins have made the post-season. I don't rate our chances at any more than 50-50 against Tampa on Saturday (that should be interesting, since the Glazers own Tampa as well as United!), but it's a major improvement on the last few seasons, especially winning 5 on the bounce at the end of the season to make the post-season.

The Montreal Canadiens seem to have slipped up of late. Things started so well at the start of the season, but another loss to New Jersey last night, and we have now lost 4 on the bounce. With a bit of luck we can turn things around.

Finally, I'm a little disappointed that the Yankees haven't added to the starting pitcher roster. I don't think Wright or Pavano are up to the job. Johnny Damon will add to our production, but we need another pitcher who can win us some games. The Big Unit and Mike Mussina should produce as should Chien-Ming Wang. I'm not convinced about Shawn Chacon but Dotel and Farnsworth add to the bullpen and who can argue with Rivera?

Anyway, back to the plot. I put my house on the market on 4th January with Your Move. It's on for £129,950. The fees that some of the agents wanted were crazy. Why should I give some one nearly £3k to sell my house? It's just not on. There's greed and then there's GREED!

We started back at band on 4th Jan as well. I played like a complete twat. It doesn't help that I've not played much since our CD recording (19th / 20th November) with being laid up, but I should have known better. Anyway, the test piece for the Area Finals (Journey to the Centre of the Earth) was on the stand for a lot of the night. We've got a fair bit to do to turn it into a winning performance, but it is possible. The band sounded like it had had two weeks off for Christmas. Still, I'm sure we will be in top form when we take the stage at Atherton on 15th Jan.

Laters.