John Naughton has created a great post outlining the development of the recession in Google Trends. My suspicion is that Google Trends will also show the upturn before anything else too. I wonder which searches will be diagnostic of the upturn?

Occasionally, when the mood takes me, I read up on a topic to a reasonable depth. This time it was Brian Clough, the eponymous ex-manager of football clubs Derby County & Nottingham Forest.

The two books that stand out are The Damned Utd by David Peace and Provided You Don’t Kiss Me by Duncan Hamilton.

The Damned Utd book is to be turned into a film next year starring the talented Michael Sheen as Brian Clough. The book is a semi-fictional account of Brian Clough’s ill fated appointment as manager of Leeds United in the mid 1970s. Interlaced with the account of his 44 days in charge are flashbacks of Brian’s rise prior to joining Leeds.

Provided You Don’t Kiss Me documents the career of Brian Clough through the eyes of Duncan Hamilton, a young sports writer, for the local newspaper in Nottingham. If you only want to buy one book on Brian Clough this one is the one to go for. I read this book in a couple of sittings and thoroughly enjoyed it, even though it was the third book I’d read about Brian Clough.

As I mentioned in the Autumn switch post, I finished my sponsored cycle ride on Sunday. I only did the 25 mile run instead of the 47 mile one because my knee was giving me cause for concern. It hurts like stink this morning.

I finished the course in 1 hour 50 mins at an average of 13 miles per hour. I’ve raised £105 for Yorkshire Cancer Research.

It was uncanny yesterday. I entered the office in summer and when I left to go buy an espresso mid-morning the air had changed to an early autumn chill. The nice summer smell had gone too, replaced by a fresher autumn bite.

Oh well, that’s summer 2008 gone. Not a classic by any means. And I’ve got my 50 miles sponsored cycle ride to do this Sunday too. That’ll be nice in the wind and rain that is currently being forecast. My time last year was four and a half hours so I’m hoping to beat that. A couple of weekends ago I rode from York to Beverley (about 30 miles each way) and back on consecutive days and I did ok. On the way back my left knee went so I’m hoping that won’t recur on Sunday. Fingers crossed.

I’ve also managed to lose a full stone (14 pounds) over the last month or so too.

So that’s where I’ve been going wrong all of these years … if only I’d known this earlier I’d currently be sunning myself  on a beach in the Bahamas.

Wish I had an equivalent to the strangely compelling EyeOnWiner …

Had a really gross moment last night. I was busy pouring my evening cup of tea (organic rooibos) when what should appear in my cup but a nice big fat juicy slug. How the slug managed to get into my kettle I do not know given that there aren’t any obvious ways in (the spout has a filter over it.)

Annie just told me that slug slime is supposed to be used for anti-ageing products so maybe I’ll get a nice youthful complexion out of the whole thing.

I passed the marker buoy on the journey to middle age last week. At least according to the Collins Dictionary anyway. Of course, according to the Oxford English Dictionary definition, I’ve got a further five years to go.

To celebrate I treat my family (all twelve of them) to a play at the Theatre Royal in York to see Twinkle, Little Star.

The protagonist plays a pantomime dame, for whom life hasn’t been altogether kind, playing his last ever season.

The play was expertly played by Kenneth Alan Taylor on top form. As good a 75 minutes straight of acting I’ve ever seen.

A review is available here and here. And there’s an interview with the writer here.

You wanna do what? Ventriloquism on radio? Oh sure…sounds great. You can start next week!

Currently being re-run on BBC Radio 7 is the Educating Archie show. Which features Peter Brough & Archie Andrews his ventriloquist dummy.

I wonder if Brough used to take Archie to recording sessions? I mean, without it you’d just have a routine with Brough speaking both parts.