The end of another week

Well….It’s been a while since I updated my blog.

A few things have happened since then. The weather is slowly but surely improving down here on the Costa Del Sol. Temperatures are on the rise and as I type this the sun is shining.

According to the Spanish Met Agency February was the wettest on record in 30 years and to be honest I’d have to say March hasn’t seen much of an improvement.

King Juan Carlos inaugurated the new Terminal 3 at Malaga Airport last week, Monday March 17^th, with Queen Sofia also present. The New Terminal has been built at a substantial cost of €1.8 Million and put’s it on more or less a par with Barcelona’s ‘El Prat’ & Madrid’s ‘Barajas’ airports.

It will be interesting to see how it copes with demand during the high summer season.

It has so far not suffered any major hiccups, unlike London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 launch.

I watched the last of the UEFA Champions League 1^st Knockout Rounds to be played this week. On Tuesday night I saw Chelsea eliminated at the hands of a familiar foe in Jose Mourinho. Despite having home advantage in the 2^nd leg I was impressed with Inter and particularly with their Dutch playmaker, Wesley Sneijder. Mourinhos tactical game plan was spot on, not surprising really since if anyone knew how to play Chelsea it would be the man who led them to back to back titles during his stint in English football.

It got me thinking that despite having a wealthy benefactor in Roman Abramovich, money doesn’t always guarantee you success but it certainly goes a long way! Abramovich’s obsession with wanting to win Europe’s top prize borders on Sir Alex Fergusons obsession before he won his first European cup in 1999

24 hours later after the Chelsea saga I watched the defending European Champions, Barcelona, thrash German club Stuttgart 4-0 at the Nou Camp. Barcelona play with a certain style and swagger that is very pleasing on the eye and Lionel Messi, whom I believe is the best player in world footballer, opened the scoring in the first 15 minutes with  a sensational goal the floodgates opened thereafter.

The highly anticipated draw for the UEFA Champions League quarter finals Draw was made today. And it certainly threw up some very mouth watering ties;

Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) v FC Girondins de Bordeaux (FRA)
FC Bayern München (GER) v Manchester United FC (ENG)

Arsenal FC (ENG) v FC Barcelona (ESP, holders)

FC Internazionale Milano (ITA) v PFC CSKA Moskva (RUS)

As a Man Utd fan I was inundated with emails and text messages from friends, some who are non-utd Supporters, with the feeling that Utd had been very fortuitous to have avoided the big guns of Barcelona, Internazionale and the only other English representation in Arsenal. Not only that but should Utd make it past Bayern Munich, a repeat of the epic 1999 European Cup Final, then they would play the winner of the all French tie of Lyon V Bordeaux.

I admit that United have been given a kind draw but like most mangers would say there are no easy ties at this stage of the competition. It’s worth noting that this is the first time in 3 years that only two clubs from England qualified for the Q-finals down from the usual 3 sometimes even 4!

Perhaps this could prove that English club dominance in the competition is diminishing. Remember an English club has reached the final every year since 2005, and in 2008 it was an all English Final with Manchester Utd & Chelsea, and I still believe that trend to continue this year.

Anyway the weekend is almost upon us and I am heading out to the local Chinese restaurant, ‘The Golden Sun’, for dinner tonight. It’s excellent value for money and always busy even in the low season

Sunday however will be the day of reckoning for me as Man Utd play Liverpool at Old Trafford hoping to avenge the dreadful 4-1 defeat they suffered at the hands of their great rivals a year ago. I get nervous when theses fixtures take place and Sunday will be no different.

I have decided to take the plunge and watch it in a local bar with a Liverpool Supporting friend. Depending on the outcome I will let you know if it was the right decision or not!

I am also looking forward to hearing the chancellor’s budget speech, which takes place next Wednesday. In the meantime I wish you all a lovely weekend J

THURSDAY BLOG

Ignore what I said about United making life difficult for their supporters in Europe. They were magnificent against Milan last night and a thumping 4-0 victory, (7-2 aggregate victory), proves my point. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/7415548/Manchester-United-4-AC-Milan-0-7-2-agg-match-report.html I have to say Milan were particularly woeful and inept and quite a few of their ageing stars are past the peak of their powers. When I was growing up Milan were ‘the’ team of the 80’s with rich talent such as Maldini, Baresi, Van Basten, Riijkard, Gullit and Donadoni that won 3 European cups between 1989-1994. It’s sad to see a team like Milan with a glorious history look pathetic in Europe but they just didn’t know how to handle the English Phenomenon, Wayne Rooney, as the International Media like to portray him. Rooney just seems to excel every game he plays for United and United certainly do look ordinary without him. I hope he stays fit for the remainder of the season! It’s also worth mentioning that Real Madrid crashed out of Europe at the 1st knock-out stage for the sixth year running. After securing the services of Cristiano Ronaldo for £80 million over the summer and other world ‘Galacticos’ for a total sum around the £200 million mark it just goes to show that money doesn’t guarantee you instant success, just ask Manchester City fans about that :)
Sports Journalist Rob Kelly of the Daily Telegraph wrote a delightful piece highlighting Ronaldos mistake in leaving Manchester United for Real Madrid. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/robkelly/100005909/wayne-rooneys-development-highlights-cristiano-ronaldos-mistake-in-leaving-manchester-united-for-real-madrid/

Moving away from the sporting front I took a look at a website called ‘My Lost Account’ http://www.mylostaccount.org.uk/, recommended by 'The Money Saving Expert' Martin Lewis, a free service that helps you trace your lost accounts and savings. It’s definitely worth looking at and if you register your details you might find out if you have some lost money that you had completely forgotten about. What you should know is that it will probably take up to 12 weeks to know an answer to that.

WEDNESDAY BLOG

I ended up going to Pegottys for dinner last night with family. This means for the first time this year I’ve done back to back dinners out or ‘Cenar Fuera’ to coin the Spanish Phrase. It was curry on Monday night and Fish & Chips last night, not exactly the ideal healthy Mediterranean diet I guess but it was damn nice. However as I don’t like fish in batter I opted for a delicious beef and onion pie with proper chips and beans. I highly recommend Pegottys. It’s fairly cheap and cheerful and the staff is welcoming and friendly http://www.peggottysonthecosta.com/ I am looking forward to the 2nd leg of the Man Utd – AC Milan match tonight with United leading 3-2 from the first leg in Milan. It should be a good game and no doubt United will make life difficult for us supporters as they usually do in Europe.

TUESDAY BLOG

I went to the local Indian restaurant, Tandoori Nights, with Ali last night. It’s the first time I’ve paid the restaurant a visit this year. As always the Patron Mr Vishnu is always extremely hospitable and you always get a tarter on the house, which in this case was a delightful chicken tandoori dish. Ali and I shared a chicken korma; great minds think alike, which as always was delicious and we complemented that with sundries of naan, poppodoms and pilau rice. The only gripes I have with the place are the prices. It worked out at €25 Euros per head which when you consider we didn’t eat that much and I was driving really is a tad extreme in my opinion.

A New Week

It may well be called the Costa del Sol but of late it feels like the Costa de la Lluvia. The Spanish Tourism Board market the Andalucía Region by promoting its image as an area where there are more than "300 days of sunshine per year". I have to raise my eyebrows at that quote, particularly with all the dreadful wet weather we're experiencing down here.
I decided to have a weekend indoors and save money for a change. It was a relatively low key weekend that largely revolved around watching the Sport on TV and reading the Weekend Papers, something I particularly enjoy doing :)
The main headline in the Sunday Telegraph was the possibility of the British Government passing a Tax on Food. I am not entirely surprised that they might have to levy such a tax on the UK Public. The United Kingdom has after all accumulated so much debt and has borrowed so much money, £180 million that it was inevitable they would like to secure means of getting money into the treasury as quickly as possible. I also believe that they will have to increase VAT from its current rate of 17.5% it’s a very sensitive political issue and will no doubt once again alienate Labours core vote of the working class sector of the British Economy. Mind you they might no have to deal with such an issue if the Conservatives gain power at the next General Election.

This brings me to my next point about the Conservative Party Leader, David Cameron. In the current climate what the UK needs is a potentially strong Prime Minister and sadly Mr Cameron does not fill me with any confidence whatsoever. His leadership is weak and his party appear devoid of strong public policy which is what is needed. He likes to portray himself as the next Tony Blair and sadly for him we don't want that!
This brings me to my next point. I was reading 'Peter Hitchens Blog in the Mail on Sunday' yesterday. He is man whose opinions bring out the best and worst in people. Personally I think he talks a lot of sense most of the time. He drew up a shortlist of 9 questions he would like to pose to Mr. Cameron whom has declined to be interviewed by Peter Hitchens, no doubt worried that his questions will be of a sound solid political nature rather than dim-witted basic populist questions like 'What is your favourite Drink?' See for yourself The 9 Questions that David Cameron must answer. The Questions David Cameron Must Answer

On a sporting note it brings me to Rugby Union and the dour state the English National Team are in, you just need to witness the performances from England in this seasons 6 Nations to justify that. As my father would put it they are "devoid of any ideas and direction" Brian Moores column, always an excellent read, in the Daily Telegraph sums up the current feeling and as my father has mentioned the failure of the Guinness Premiership to produce quality test match rugby players and depending on too many foreign imports is testament to this England fans must wake up to rugbys new world order

2nd Blog

Well 24 hours on from my 1st post I thought I would add a 2nd one.
For the first time since Monday the rain has stopped its relentless pursuit on the Costa del Sol and the sun is shining, for how long I have don't know. Appreciate it whilst it lasts I guess. Strange really as when the summer season hits I will no doubt be cursing the intense heat and wish for cooler weather and rain.

I watched the England - Egypt game last night and aside from the 1st half it was a good victory for England. Let's not forget that they were playing the current champions of the recent 'African Cup of Nations'.

Another big news story from yesterday was the death of the former Labour leader, Michael Foot. He was of course before my time but having read numerous articles and obituaries, Michael Foot Obituary courtesy of the Daily Telegraph, on the former Labour Leader I get the impression he was a great orator but his political beliefs were certainly very different to mine.

Interestingly his Labour Party Manifesto at the 1983 General Election has often been dubbed "The Longest Suicide Note in History" See for yourself what it outlined and think how it might be appropriate in today’s environment. 1983 Labour Party Manifesto

On a completely different Issue I had abrief nosey at the Spectator Magazine Website and Rod Liddle, of whom I am not a big fan of, summed up perfectly what the Guardian Newspaper is all about. I quote "By God, The Guardian is a loathsome newspaper; a local north London morning daily for Stalinist metro libtards, perpetually arrogant, snobbish, self-righteous, humourless, dull, relentlessly middle class, cowardly and cheap. You will all have had your epiphanies long before me, I suspect, reading the smug drivel of la Toynbee and Gary Younge and Monbiot, or its pathetic attempts via The Guide to be down with the kids on the street (perhaps the worst written, most cringe-inducing, supplement in Fleet Street). The horrible irony is that it possesses great writers – Laura Barton, Alexis Petridis, Sam Woolaston, Vikram Dodd and the wonderful Marina Hyde, even Tim Dowling; yet they are largely hidden away in its little pockets and niches, and not allowed to alter the feel of the whole, which is the feel of a Boden catalogue boot stamping on a human face for five minutes or so, before marching off to consume a Yakult in a Crouch End cafeteria"
The Guardian: loathsome and loathful

Very well put Mr. Liddle

My very 1st Blog

Well here it is....My first official entry into the world of blogging! I had been thinking long and hard about starting my own persona blog and after inspiration from a few friends and family, most notably my Auntie and Mother, I decided it was long overdue to start my own blog..

My blog will be a mixture of many subjects. From Politics and hobbies through to I.T. Solutions and of course my work relating to the world of Health & Nutritional fitness.

I will start by adding my own business page, Advanced Fitness & of course a link to my Auntie Barbara's blog, Back Pain Blog

Feel free to add comments along the way in my blogging adventure and if you want to send me a personal email then feel free to do so Email Me