Mistletoe's Musings

The temperature was 11C this morning and so I went to the doctor's without a hat on.Let us hope I do not pay for such clout casting later. I have fed already. The spaghetti bolognese I made yesterday was so delish I couldn't wait until this evening to eat the rest and so it is in my tummeh nao.



Time to complete what we learn about Booth in Season 2. So let's head to the roundup.
( Seeley Booth the man: "You know more about duty and honour than anybody else I know". )

Stand by for Season 3 revelations.

A signing on the cards from Paris St Germain. Say nothing till it happens.
Also England became the first team in the world to win 8 T20 games in a row. Record breakers. Doesn't seem important though when you see what else is happening in Australia. I cannot imagine an area that big being flooded for so long in such a devastating way. My thoughts are with any readers in OZ land who have been affected.

I have a small garden but it is still a constant battle to keep weeds at bay. So I fail. Here's some nice things in among the weeds.

<- weeds and a hydrangea

< weeds and a wind damaged pot

<- weeds, grass and lobelia and something red in a pot.

<-weeds grass and the other side of that pot.


Great Britain won more gold and silver medals. Mo Farah became the first Briton to do the 10000 and 5000 metres double. Yay. England finished off Pakistan in short order in the cricket this morning. Paul took 2 very good catches and Jimmy Anderson took 11 wickets in the match. Sunderland won 2-1 yesterday in a pre season friendly.

Here's a British institution. One of the greatest ventriloquists of his era has died aged 79. Ray Alan was best remembered for his work with Lord Charles a slightly inebriated sounding toff, and here is an example of how good he was where he and Lord Charles operate Little Johnny.


I have been to the cricket but came home just after lunch after a shocking display by the Durham batsmen 121 all out against Kent. Terrible. Only our 18 year old superboy BenStokes and Mitch Claydon got into the 20s. Kent are 150 -5 in reply. Rumours were flying of unrest in the dressing room. The captain had stood down earlier and Phil Mustard took over. Also injuries have continued with Ian Blackwell out now. Then Graham Onions has been ruled out for at least 3 months with a stress fracture of the back and a poorly knee. Paul Collingwood can't come back and play because he is resting a sore shoulder. I tell you I am a Jonah! The weather wasn't as hot as over the weekend but it was still in the 60s and my arms have had their tan topped up.

England are playing Mexico tonight in the football and I bet Bent still doesn't get a run out even though Capello is resting key players. They have two friendlies before the World Cup starts and he'll be lucky to get 20 minutes, let alone picked for the final 23. There, that should ensure the opposite happens.

Ben Stokes now on crutches; Darren Bent has a tight hamstring and is not in contention. Huh

I received this email today. You may have seen it.


( Good for what ails ya )

Bones thoughts later, or tomorrow. One day at work and I am shattered.

Phillies lost last night. So did the Flyers. My American sports watching isn't going so well.

Here! What's going on. Checks date. Snow? Cold?  Well I am having roast chicken and pretending it's Christmas. The crazy of 2009 goes on.

In sport we got a draw with Spurs yesterday. They got their equaliser in the 89th minute immediately after we had a reasonable claim for a penalty turned down. What is it with us and penalties? Some teams get loads and we don't even get obvious ones. Anyway, we needed the other two points and Djibril missed at least two good chances so now we have to win against Wigan.

FA cup games yesterday turned up no surprises, Chelsea easily beating Coventry and Man U thumping Fulham. On to Arsenal in the previous round v Burnley now and Everton with half a team versus Middlesbro. We though Everton were going to win the cup until Arteta was finished for the season. We'll see.

Cricket has become tedious although South Africa had two players injured yesterday against Australia. Unless there is similar excitement in the West Indies today that will be a bore draw and the Windies will win a series. The pitches have been too slow.

OK that's enough erudition for one sports roundup.

Sunderland 2 Boro 0; that's more like it at home. Downing blazed a penalty over for them before we scored and we never looked back. I watched it last night and I have to say we passed it around quite nicely. El Hadji Diouf was all over the pitch while the back four looked pretty good for only the second game together. Even Gordon looked more confident and made a couple of key saves. Chopra came on just before half time when Tainio hurt his shoulder and he it was who scored in the 81st and 92nd minutes although he had been offside earlier in the move for the second one. So we score late again. Last season we gained 16 points from goals scored in the last 10 minutes + injury time. If we hadn't we would have been relegated.

The Ryder Cup looks to be on a knife edge and I wouldn't be surprised if we lost. It hasn't felt controlled at all this time around. We watched some pretty poor golf yesterday afternoon in the foursomes. The games were lost rather than won by good golf. Anyway, we'll see how it goes.

I picked my apples yesterday and while we were working in the garden my mother moved some old plant pots and surprised.... the mousies! Three of them in fact who have survived the wettest summer on record and numerous kittehs to soldier on until my mother interfered. The pots were right by the wall of the house so she trapped the mousies in one and we tried to release the mousies in the hedge so they would, you know, invade someone else's garden. Sadly, one got squished in the pot so two scurried off to renewed freedom. I bet they stay though. Pat thinks mice have some sort of homing instinct. If so, they should bugger off back where they came from, which my mam thinks is Dave the plumber's house. She thinks they hitched a ride in his van when he did the kitchen. He was apparently, infested with mice off the fields at the time. He went down the poison route which meant he then became infested with bluebottles.

Today I had pork with sauce made from one of my apples. The rest went home with my mam who rang this morning to tell me my dad may have been caught in the same speed trap for a second time. He's a tinker. No trouble until he's 83 and then speeding twice in a 30mph zone. I am a criminal's child! Anyway she had got 4lbs of apple puree and barely marked the carrier bagful I picked. Plenty of pies and mincemeat for us this Christmas.

Well what a red letter day this turned out to be: another gold at the Olympics for a total of 19. Excellent. To cap that the lads won at Tottenham for the first time since 1969. All these not done for decades moments are becoming overwhelming. The fact that Berbatov wasn't even in Spurs' squad augured well and so it proved when we took the lead in the 55th minute with a half volley for Kieran Richardson. Jenas equalised but our new player Djibril Cisse came off the bench to win it in the 83rd with an unstoppable header.

Roy was reasonably pleased, for him, although he thought we deserved something last week as well. Rub of the green he said, and that makes a change as we are notoriously unlucky when it matters. Even seeing two individual magpies on the way home didn't prevent us from winning and that's NEVER happened before. If this change in fortune continues I could enjoy some of this season. If only the England football team could play something like.

Went to Durham shopping today and got a bracelet in the sales; it's all pink and white with abalone type dangly bits. Not my sort of thing at all but it was only £3.99

4 Gold - Men's Coxless Fours Rowing, Becky Adlington 800m freestyle, Bradley Wiggins  Individual Pursuit, Chris Hoy Keirin Cycling.
1 Silver - Ross Edgar Keirin
4 Bronze - women's pair sculls, men pair rowing, Chris Newton points race cycling, Stephen Burke individual pursuit cycling.

Team GB Well Done!

9.69 the New World Record 100m and did you see how Usain Bolt stopped trying 20 metres out? It was awesome. If he ever takes it seriously I dread to think what he might run. Of course, pressure might do for him then.

83 minutes we hung on, then Fernando Torres scored to allow Liverpool to beat us at the Stadium of Light. The only cloud on the horizon of an awesome sporting day.

There now - gold medal and only the second day. I think the weather helped. Thunderstorms, torrential rain; well, the Brits are used to that, and the Welsh certainly are. Congratulations to Nicole Cooke, who not only won gold but won our 200th Olympic medal. It was great to see her crossing the line going 'Yeeeees'. She was fifth in Athens but had better team mates this time who helped keep her up in the front so she could sprint up the hill at the end.

Sadly, the women archers lost out to the French for the bronze in team archery. The rowing was called off because of the weather.

At home, the cricket is underway again and Harmy has taken a couple of wickets this morning but it's anybody's guess who'll win this. Football to watch this afternoon so I'm spoilt for choice. And Flintoff just got Ashwell Prince so they are now effectively 39 for 5.

I have had a domestic morning scrubbing oven shelves and grill pans, so my fingers are sore, but my hands are lovely and clean.

Right, off to make Yorkshire puddings and peel veg now.

Well the Games are even if Britain aren't. So, we have qualified for the next round in some rowing events but swimming, cycling, women'e weightlifting and judo have proved - disappointing. Still, I did enjoy what I saw of some tiny girls lifting 115kg above their heads. The Chinese winner was interesting. She talked to herself throughout the lifts. I wish I knew what she said. You could hear her coach encouraging her too. Tremendous.

Elsewhere, the rain ruined the cricket and the Football League season started with Kevin Phillips scoring on debut for the fourth time in his career and in the 90 and moreth minute. You can't keep a good scorer down.