RIP Dave Wagstaffe, the best left-winger in the country, in his day.

Very good wes ! All of the "Rain" songs were being dug up yesterday - especially after we got away with a draw.

So, Australia 527 declared. England 294 for 7 overnight, needing 34 more to avoid the follow on, and that target will be absolutely critical to the outcome of this match. Even if England does make 328 and beyond though, Australia will still have a huge first innings lead, and it looks like only rain can help England now.

Australia declare on 527 - who saw that coming ? A very positive move from Michael Clarke, but then his hand has been forced somewhat by the weather predictions for the weekend.

Believe it or not guys, the DRS system is actually okay. No seriously, I mean it. The problem is , the 3rd umpire is (so far anyway) a total shower of sh*t. If the 3rd umpire DID use it correctly, there would be no problem at all. Anyway, to balance out Khawaja's dismissal, Smith could have been gone for nothing, and he's now on 70, so even stevens.

These glorious insults are largely from an era before the English language got boiled down to 4-letter words. · A member of Parliament to Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease." · "That depends, Sir," said Disraeli, "whether I embrace your policies or your mistress." · "He had delusions of adequacy." - Walter Kerr · "He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." - Winston Churchill · "I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." -Clarence Darrow · "He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." - William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway). · "Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it." - Moses Hadas · "I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." - Mark Twain · "He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.." - Oscar Wilde · "I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend, if you have one." - George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill · "Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second .... if there is one." - Winston Churchill, in response. · "I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here." - Stephen Bishop · "He is a self-made man and worships his creator." - John Bright · "I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial." - Irvin S. Cobb · "He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others." - Samuel Johnson · "He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up." - Paul Keating · "In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily." - Charles, Count Talleyrand · "He loves nature in spite of what it did to him." - Forrest Tucker · "Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?" - Mark Twain · "His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork." - Mae West · "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde · "He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang · "He has Van Gogh's ear for music." - Billy Wilder · "I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it." -Groucho Marx

LAWYER STORY OF THE YEAR, DECADE, AND POSSIBLY THE CENTURY! Source: Facebook – Anton de Vrije Author: Unknown This took place in Charlotte , North Carolina . A lawyer purchased a box of very rare and expensive cigars, then insured them against, among other things, fire. Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of these great cigars, the lawyer filed a claim against the … insurance company. In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were lost ‘in a series of small fires.’ The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason, that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion. The lawyer sued – and WON! Delivering the ruling, the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was frivolous. The judge stated nevertheless, that the lawyer held a policy from the company, in which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable and also guaranteed that it would insure them against fire, without defining what is considered to be unacceptable ‘fire’ and was obligated to pay the claim. Rather than endure lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the ruling and paid $15,000 to the lawyer for his loss of the cigars that perished in the ‘fires’. NOW FOR THE BEST PART… After the lawyer cashed the check, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of ARSON!!! With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous case being used against him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000 fine. This true story won First Place in last year’s Criminal Lawyers Award contest.

George Thorogood and the Destroyers. Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Sunday 23rd June. Great gig, and visually stunning as well.

You may already be aware, the tall building on the cover of the 4th album is called "Butterfield Court", in Dudley. It is still standing, and has been upgraded over the years, unlike other (falling down) houses you see in the picture, which have been demolished.

IRON BUTTERFLY, tonight at the Robin 2, just got back from it excellent performance.

I've always flagged up THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTFOOT as being one of my absolute favs, and much underplayed in comparison to the other Clint classics.

CURVED AIR , tonight at The Robin2

The HOLLIES , tomorrow night at the Wolves Civic

WISHBONE ASH , tomorrow night at the Robin 2

Tomorrow at the Robin 2 , DEBORAH BONHAM plus support ..... DAMNATION, just been cancelled !

JAMESON RAID, tonight at the Robin 2

Last night at the Robin 2, it was NAZARETH, supported by The DEBORAH BONHAM BAND Great performance to start the night from the dynamic, barefooted Deborah. Lively songs, and several entertaining stories and quotes. here's a few - " this next one is called I NEED LOVE ...... I definitely need a new mike-stand ! ..... I need a whiskey as well, bloody 'ell ! " " this song (The Old Hyde) is not a morbid song, I don't want it to be morbid - it's dare I say it, a song of hope. " " this one is the title track from our album Duchess, and it's called .... Duchess ! HA HA ! No shit Sherlock ! " " thank you very very much ! well we've over-run a few minutes, but ... we're gonna do one more, Fuck It ! This one is dedicated to John Henry Bonham, and it's called ROCK AND ROLL ! " I can safely say I have never seen such an audience reaction to a support band. During the interval, Deborah must have signed literally hundreds of CDs - they had to bring in more from the back, as they had run out. NAZARETH - Dan McCafferty is still outstanding. Effortless performance, and those screeching vocals have lost none of their strength. And great songs which have definitely stood the test of time. Packed audience loved every minute.

ANDY FAIRWEATHER LOW and the Low Riders, last night at the Robin 2. Genuinely nice fella Andy. Lots of chairs and tables for his punters, and he encourages people to take all the photos they want. Great guy, always a privilege.

FOCUS + Martin Turner's WISHBONE ASH + THE STRAWBS (acoustic). yes it was a triple treat last night, at The Robin 2.