Month: August 2011

It has been a while since my last post and a lot has happened in that period. My broadband connection is at long last up and running, two weeks later than planned. Twice engineers who had been booked to connect me failed to show, and finally at the third time of asking I was assigned to someone who is actually based in King’s Lynn, who did the job very swiftly.

The new place is working out very well, although the move itself was exhausting. Since my last post England have been offically confirmed as world test cricket number one after two extraordinarily dominant displays to complete a 4-0 whitewash of the previous incumbents India.

THE WEEKEND has been and gone and was enjoyed by all. The russian meal at Rasputin’s was excellent, as was the barbecue that evening. Even Sunday lunch (“leftovers”) was quite impressive. Most of the quadruple size loaf of bread I baked for the occasion went, although the remainder was sufficient to provide my bread for most of the following week.

One advantage of being two floors up is that one has wonderful views as the photo with which I conclude this post indicates (the building in the centre of the shot is grade 1 listed). Now that my broadband is connected there will be no more hiatuses between posts like the last one.

On Thursday I got hold of some extraordinarily cheap furniture – a pair of sturdy dining chairs for £1, and a display unit for £16.

I had a very good time at Norwich Pride 2011 on Saturday, helping to run a stall, and taking part in the procession. The only downside was that I missed Stuart Broad’s hat trick.

England today completed a grand recovery from 124-8 on day 1, winning by a mere trifle of 319 runs! Broad kept England in it on 1st innings with 64 runs and six wickets, and added a blazing 44 in the second inninsg in a very different situation, messrs Bell, Pietersen, Prior and Bresnan having already pretty much done for India. It was very obvious from very early in the Indian second innings that the only question was when the victory would be completed. It was fitting that Stuart Broad, after such a marvellous all-round match performance took the final wicket. In my blog at the end of the first test I said that I reckoned that England would be world number one’s at test cricket by the end of the summer. Now, having witnessed this I say: ENGLAND WILL OFFICIALLY  BE WORLD NUMBER ONE AT TEST CRICKET BY THE END OF THE SUMMER. Stuart Broad has been confirmed as Man of the Match – any other decision, with all due respect to Ian Bell, would have been an outrage. Given his performance in the first match he must also be hot favourite for Player of the Series. This match showcased the current England side’s greatest asset – the ability to get through difficult situations. Twice in this match England were staring down both barrels (the second when India were 260-4, already 39 runs ahead on first innings)  and twice they extricated themselves, whereas once they were in command they never looked like letting the advantage slip. The Inidan skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has jujst received the a magnum of champagne, his reversal of the Ian Bell run out being confirmed as the winner of TMS’s Brian Johnston Champagne Moment.