The weather has been glorious and at the weekend I took the opportunity to get out on my favourite lake in Suffolk after pikey. I caught nine pike and a huge perch in blazing sunshine. The jack pike above was one of the smallest and was returned to water immediatley after the photo was taken, as always. Although the weather has been lovely , as I wrote last year, I am not sure we can really say it is any thing like normal or healthy for the long term prognosis on global warming. Although some people have been saying, correctly, that there has always been fluctuations in warming down the centuries this is another warmest month since records began in the seventeenth century. This ends a long lean spell of not catching fish a bit like Chelsea FC’s European cup hunt.

Tonight I am a happy man. Larry was mistaken. It never looked like a Chelsea Milan European final did it? Well it don’t now - LOL. Well Murinho you can moan and whine now with good cause and your pre match gripes will be remembered every time we taunt you with your lack lustre efforts. Sorry Chelsea you are just not European Championship winning material. Chelsea were ordinary with a few moments where we could see where the money went. Any way it’s down the pan now. I suppose that is the penalty for not being any good at taking them. Murinho's post defeat speech was very funny and deeply revealing. He is yet again convinced the better team lost. He prattled on about how "history will remember the cup winner not that Chelsea played better football than every one else". For once he is right. People will not remember Chelsea or him for playing the best football in Europe. Murinho definitely needs the Shankley Cure. Ten minutes at Anfield in the trophy room. It cures all doubters where ever they hail from. Raffa simply said he just cared about the win. The Kop choir was wonderful. We definitely sang the best as always.

Tony Blair has just circulated a self assessment of his career as Prime Minister to all New Labour MP s. I wonder if he recommends a return to any Old Labour policies. Things are so bad the suggestion wouldn’t be shouted down quite so much as it might have been a few years ago. Tonight he was described, by a colleague, as a good party leader but a poor Prime Minister. I don’t see how he can be the first and the second at the same time. First Supperists seem to have hit the nail on the head re Health Service issues in recent comments and I suggest most of your views are representative of national opinion.

There used to be four bands of care offered by Social Services. They were graded according to need. Now there are two bands. Soon there will be one and only those with the most extreme needs will be eligible for access to a social worker. Reason - cost. There are not enough resources in the service to deliver appropriate care. Social workers come in for a lot of criticism some of which is deserved but I don't hear many plaudits which is unfair. There are some skilled and deeply committed social workers but many of them are disillusioned and leaving the service because their work is not properly resourced.

Well I must not dwell on negatives we have a European Cup Final to go to in Athens four days after the EBB plays it’s first show there. I hope the ‘POOL play as well as we shall.

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