Life
Left field/unusual vintage.
The wine world has moved on from expensive Bordeaux and Burgundies to Supertuscans but at a lower level there are new countries and vineyards. Today I am going to focus on Greek wines though many imbibe Croatian wines. I am ignoring Spanish wines as Albariño from Galicia is increasingly [...]
Two cup finals
Of the two Cup Finals I watched on Saturday Leinster v Toulouse was much the more gripping. As a kid the F.A. Cup Final was always the epicentre of the sporting year. Typically I would go round to a mate in the morning and we would watch on telly the road to the Final, the actual coach journey, the [...]
Middlesex v Sussex
Yesterday I went to Lords as a guest of Duggie Heath. This fixture in my youth was played on the August Bank Holiday and attracted a crowd of 10,000 but at the most there were 5,000 spectators at Lords with the Edrich, Mound and Tavern stands all closed. It was an attritional day of cricket. Sussex [...]
Atalanta 3 Bayer Leverkusen 0
When there is talk of the great managers Gian Piero Gasperini of Atalanta is rarely mentioned – certainly less so than Alonso of Bayer Leverkusen who have won the Bumdesliga and came to the Europa League Final in the Aviva Stadium Dublin on a 51 game unbeaten run. Yet it was Gasperini’s [...]
The Sunday Times Rich List
I always read The Sunday Times Rich List, which arrived with the paper last weekend, but with increasing cynicism. Firstly, how do they evaluate wealth and, secondly, debt? The Irish entrepreneur Tony O’Reilly passed recently. He was the businessman that built up the Kerrygold butter brand, had a [...]
The PGA championship
The PGA is the poor relation of the four Majors but often produces an exciting tourney. Last weekend’s finish at Valhalla Kentucky was no exception with Xavier Schauffele just holding off Bryson DeChambeau. When I worked out my staking plan I dismissed Schauffele for his weak performances on the [...]
Harlequins 28 Bristol Bears 53
It was no sort of farewell to Quins’ stalwarts André Esterhuizen, Will Collier and live-wire Louis Lynagh as we were routed by Bristol though neither side qualified for the play-offs. A more significant departure may be that of defensive coach Jerry Flannery to the Springboks as Quins have [...]
A la Colthard/The Arlington
As the saying goes: “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it …” The Arlington has the same location, decor and menu as La Caprice – the only difference is the name and ownership. It’s the latest venture of Jeremy King, late of the Wolseley. When I went there last Thursday I felt I [...]
On the trials and tribulations of modern life
Yesterday at about 3.00pm in the warm mid-afternoon sunshine – after a relatively sedentary day to that point – my “other half” and I decided to go walking at a local coastal area of protected wildlife and other things. As we arrived we were seeking nothing more than a quiet, reflective, [...]