Doghouse Roses

So it all ended in tears on Sunday night for the Netherlands, our Dutch friends and by default us too.  You couldnt help but get dragged into the final watching with Dutch friends, particularly when they've bought you orange T-shirts and matching sun glasses, and when Spain scored, I really felt it at least for a few minutes anyway.  Interestingly it seemed that most Scots had adopted a team for the final, with the majority supporting Spain, perhaps proving that there is no real thing as neutrailty in football or perhaps proving that a quick trip to Ladbrokes or William Hills gives watching a game a little bit extra.
Speaking of the World Cup and sporting events in general theres been a few more cuts to arts funding in Scotland, probably not unrelated to the impending Commonwealth Games....I like sports and big sporting events. A lot, but there has to be a balance and unless I have this uttelry wrong, which can never be discounted, there is more to a balanced society than just high end sporting events.  I've read a lot of things before the World Cup started on a similar subject given how much South Africa had to spend to get its stadiums and everything else up to Scratch, and here's an article on the subject from a new online magazine, Aberdeen Voice focussing on the North East, of which our friend and North-east music legend Fred Wilkinson is involved.  I played in  a couple of bands with Fred when i lived in Aberdeen, not least the eclectic and off the wall Potted Heid, named after a north east delicacy of potted sheeps brains...almost makes deep fried mars bars seem haut-cuisine