Interesting controversy about Portsmouth being a premium game with an entrance charge of £30. PNE need to get some money in but £30 is a lot to pay.  Is football on a par with the cinema or a show.  Theatre can cost £20 outside a city but then most people don’t go to the theatre every couple of weeks.  So maybe £10 for a casual spectator to £15 for a fanatical supporter at a Championship football match seems reasonable.  Although no doubt the die-hards would want that reversing.  Maybe the charge should increase as the clubs position improves and premium games sounds a good scheme from such a base.

There are options to make a contribution to the club on the PNE website and from £35 to £48 a year there is a subscription to match highlights and live commentary with news-shots. It isn’t clear who gets how much money for this as the subscription goes to the Football League. Someone has to manage it as it would be difficult to set up as a club so it seems a reasonably priced option to contribute to PNE. 

Use it or lose it is a good adage and a football club puts a place on the map.  Blackpool are saying the advertising from this season couldn’t be bought, and is Wigan a better known place than Lancaster nowadays, certainly is. So there is value to the ratepayers for a contribution.

Entering the museum it isn’t obvious where the display is if you come in when the monitor is showing something else. It’s on the third floor.

The information is in a modern well presented display made of a number of islands in subdued light. The story is formed around 7 people in different segments of society which can still be recognised to this day in the UK wrapped in 200 years of new legislation while the changes from rural to urban industrial can be seen today in the development of China.  As a side issue, sort of worrying about where we are heading, we need some new inventors in the north west. 

For me the most interesting part was the 100 year old film of the raw cotton being processed into material in the Yard Mill.  Looking at the workers, their reactions to the camera and thinking they were walking round Preston over a 100 years ago sparked curiosity.  Ladies in shawls, men in flat caps or bowlers.  We see where the flat cap worker image comes from in the north, whereas in the south it often represents the wealthy country gentleman.  The story of the workhouse and prison reform was interesting as well.  They’re all interesting and even though it might not appear too deep there is enough, as it would be a good test to name the main characters on leaving. I’d fail. 

It would be good if this could be made into a permanent exhibition coupled with updating the History of Preston exhibition.  Having been ‘Stuarted’ which is  a term used for those intercepted and spoken to by the enthusiastic and knowledgeable museum worker Stuart, it appears that to do that will cost a lot of money and probably at this time the cash will be difficult to find.  If I win the Euro Millions maybe. Been to see this twice now and overall it’s definitely worth a visit. On until 6^th November 2010.  Website;  http://www.revolutionaries.org.uk/index.php

The flower show was a lot better than expected. Spread over Victoria Park fairly close to the centre of Southport. Lots to see including; mmmm …..flowers, stalls selling mainly garden stuff but quite a lot of fashion and food producers; had an excellent steak pie in great pastry from the food tent.  There is an arena and a bird handler had a very large eagle and vulture which were one of the high spots, incredible, as well as dog handlers and some stunt men.

The Amateur Gardening Tent was good with some excellent veg; leeks bigger than your arm. Very tasty looking fruit presentations and flowers.  All kind of horticultural displays including Robinsons Mammoth Onion, interesting modern floral displays, show gardens with an impressive winner. 

Enjoyed the Bee and honey tent, photo below of the display winner in one category. That’s a lovely old hive and the display had 4 types of hive. 

A long day arriving at 10 and leaving at 4 which is unusual for us and it seemed there was more catering at Southport than at Tatton so the queues were shorter.  Good day out, on until Sunday, not cheap, save money by booking tickets in advance.  Maybe you book ahead and pick them up at the show, check.

Southport Flower Show 2010 - Bee and Honey displays - nice hive

The case for the defence:
It is said PNE have never done well at Swansea. 
It is said PNE players are coming back from injury. 
It is said it’s early yet.

To use the words from the film ‘High Noon’.

‘I do not know what fate awaits me I only know I must be brave’.

Compare that with Blackpool who looked lost not long ago when the casino plans were rejected.  Since then the promenade has been rebuilt for £100m with more to come, a new main shopping mall built, several streets and main square pedestrianised. A light rail system and depot is replacing the trams, the Tower and Winter Gardens have been taken over by the council and a £40m grant obtained.  The Central Library is about to be given a £3m modernisation. A central gateway has been built enabling fast access to the town centre. A large sound and light effects structure has been built along the length of a shopping street with an EU grant.  The Pleasure Beach and South Pier have announced £10m of investment in the next year.  Not to mention the football team and its ground. Granted it still looks like a building site but all these are underway or done.

Blackpool has 11 major improvements. Preston possibly 3*.   Yes, Blackpool is only making up lost ground. Preston is still ahead on points overall but wouldn’t it be good to get some great new stuff. Shouldn’t those stalled projects get better attention or is it too late now with the economy needing the heat turning down.

Note:  *Tithebarn could be worth 8 points to make the score equal.

The bulls are creatures of awe bellowing at the cows, not sure what it was about but imagined. Horses, sheep, miniature goats, bantams, rabbits, dogs, budgerigars and some alpaca they’re all there.  The miniature goats had quite a following and made quite a nice squeaking sound.

Enjoyed the country tent with the vegetables, flowers, cakes and childrens work. Cheese tent as well. The children in Garstang did a great job with those displays. Especially the poems, miniature gardens and drawings.  There was a nice crocodile made from a cucumber and several excellent drawings of grandad and grandma and other good ideas.

The food tent was good as well. Nice looking pies, jams and other  good stuff. Quite fancied a hot pot in the Eden Valley tent but my wifes a vegetarian and so we went to separate stands.

The Womens Institute tent had a lot going on and learnt the Roman name for Garstang but forgot it. Had a coffee in the Methodist tent.

Overall a lot going on and stayed a lot longer than intended.

Garstang Agricultural Show 2010, childrens section

Last season PNE won all their opening games and in the end just managed to escape relegation.  This season they might lose all their opening games and get promoted.  Hope is what makes humans resilient.

As part of a personal campaign for summer relaxation, football is being almost ignored until 1st September.

Couldn’t help thinking Leonardo Di Caprio has developed a hint of Marlon Brando or was it the part.

Ashkok-Leyland is owned by Hinduja Group and has factories in India as well as the UAE and East Europe. The company began in 1948, although the tie up with Leyland in the 1950′s created the name Ashkok-Leyland. It has manufacturing and technology agreements with Nissan and Avia as well as its own research.  The tie up with Optare provides Optare technology while giving Optare access to A-L lower cost sources and wider market base.

It is forecast that the total Indian workforce will grow to be larger than that of China by 2030 and rise to a billion by 2040. If the forecast is accurate and the planet can sustain such numbers it will create a massive market that will be a magnet for worldwide manufacturers. India is training engineers at a rate not heard of here for a long time and they are generally looking to be self sufficient.  Survival in the world market requires strategic intelligence as well as technological prowess and carefully controlled costs and it is hoped that Optare can cleverly tread through this minefield to continue as a British manufacturer with design and development in the UK.

Sir Alec Ferguson is backing a winter break to the season.  It seems a good idea.  Long ago players would skate on ice and wade through mud but now they are superfit athletes playing at lightning speed and it seems inappopriate. Not to mention such conditions favouring the physical players who like to give the more skilful players we all want to see a hard time. It also means clubs need more players to ensure they can rotate and cover for injuries so a break might make those clubs more solvent and enable better players to move to lower clubs.  A break would make the fixture list more compressed so something else might have to give and that sometimes takes money away from less wealthy clubs. Not to mention the TV companies not being in favour. So overall it looks like a non-starter.