Off to Sicily now... Back in two weeks

So we're off to Sicily and Naples for two weeks now so it is highly unlikely there will be any posts from me until Oct 1st at the earliest. But look out for great photos and stories (hopefully!) when we get back!

'the drop'

Went to see Fat Freddy's Drop last night at Koko - twice in one week and I'm becoming very partial to that venue!

Band was supreme - really enjoyed them. I'd been worried that I would miss most of the gig if they came on too late. I turn into a pumpkin around 11.30 - especially whenKoko is in Camden (North London) and I live in Southwest London! So I left at 11.30 when they were saying they were playing their last song but they went on until midnight apparently. I saw about 1 hour 45 mins so I felt like I'd got good value for money.

Ended up on the 2nd level where I had a great view and was surrounded by people who were really into the music, as opposed to most of the people on the ground floor who were more interested in talking to each other and all I could hear was people talking and I was there to listen to the music... People talking all through a gig is becoming a bit of a bug bear of mine - think its a sure sign I'm getting old!

And they won!

After yet another nailbiting game, England did manage to win the Ashes back! Watched the end of the game in the pub yesterday, and then stayed for the presentations as well. Really nice to be in a pub where everyone was interested in the after match interviews, and were also clapping the Australians as well - very magnaminous (sp?) in victory we all were!

Check out the BBC website for photos from the parade - I love the drunken ones of Flintoff. He was apparently still sat in the bar at 5.45am with a G&T. And it didn't sound like Pietersen had stopped drinking from after the game till they got on the bus!

An absolutely great series.

The Ashes - Day 1 at the Oval, Thursday Sept 8 2005

What a great day! Absolutely superb - we saw Andrew Strauss get his century (my first 'live' century), Flintoff get his 50 (so disappointing when he went out for 71 tho - the crowd would have erupted if he had got to 100...), and Shane Warne take 5 wickets. While it was brilliant to see "Warney" get 5 wickets, it was a shame it was at the expense of the English cricket team... Highlights of the day for me included:

• Brilliant sun all day - from 10.30 till 6 the sun blazed down. Incredibly lucky as every day since then has been affected by either rain or poor light.
• All of the blokes around us getting clucky and broody around Nola (Craig & Sarah's 4 month old who came along with her mum and dad). Offering the ice packs from their cool bags to help cool her down, wet flannels being lent, requests to hold her... Everyone just loved the fact that she was starting so young - one guy congratulated C & S, saying "Well done". Obviously the pinnacle of good parenting is to take them to sporting events at a young age!
• Glen McGrath giving as good as he got when he was down on the boundary. In response to chants of "You thought you'd win 5 nil", he pretended to kick a football and held up one finger, referring to England's 1-0 defeat to Northern Ireland the night before...
• Crowd chanting 'Hi ho, hi ho, its off to work we go' to Justin Langer when he was on the boundary...
• The incredibly irritating Australian woman somewhere behind us who spent the whole day yelling 'Bowl him Shane', 'Well bowled Shane' or 'Go Shane' in a very high pitched voice. By the end of the day every Englishman in the vicinity was mimicking the voice...
• The brass band playing outside when we were queuing to get in, playing 'Rule Britannia' and 'The Great Escape'.

As I type this it is Sunday afternoon and England have gone off again for bad light. And incredibly they got Australia out for six less than their innings. This has been a brilliant series!! I'll post photos when I get my film developed...

Elbow at Koko, 6th September

Went to see Elbow last night at Koko. They were really good - not as 'pipe and slippers' live as they sound on their CDs!! Played a few songs off their upcoming album which sounded pretty good. Koko was pretty amazing too - great old theatre reinvented as a gig venue and night club. Off there next week to see Fat Freddy's Drop, and I think it will be a great venue to see them at.