[Sgt Pepper]

For my mother..

Strength, courage, compassion.. always x

THE LAZARUS HEART

He looked beneath his shirt today
There was a wound in his flesh so deep and wide
From the wound a lovely flower grew
From somewhere deep inside
He turned around to face his mother
To show her the wound in his breast
That burned like a brand
But the sword that cut him open
Was the sword in his mother’s hand

Every day another miracle
Only death will tear us apart
To sacrifice a life for yours
I’d be the blood of the Lazarus heart
The blood of the Lazarus heart

Though the sword was his protection
The wound itself would give him power
The power to remake himself at the time of his darkest hour
She said the wound would give him courage and pain
The kind of pain that you can’t hide
From the wound a lovely flower grew
From somewhere deep inside

Every day another miracle
Only death will keep us apart
To sacrifice a life for yours
I’d be the blood of the Lazarus heart
The blood of the Lazarus heart

Birds on the roof of my mother’s house
I’ve no stones to chase them away
Birds on the roof of my mother’s house
Will sit on my roof someday
They fly at the window, they fly at the door
Where does she get the strength to fight them anymore
She counts all her children as a shield against the pain
Lifts her eyes to the sky like a flower to the rain

Every day another miracle
Only death will keep us apart
To sacrifice a life for yours
I’d be the blood of the Lazarus heart
The blood of the Lazarus heart

STING

[Sgt Pepper]

A purposeful, confident Ireland totally back on track with a comfortable win over the Welsh (who in fairness play the game right, but just didn’t have enough today).

Scotland spirited and strong, with moments of inspiration considering their lack of true resources.

England.. Well, I think the time has come to stop giving them the benefit of the doubt.
I’m sorry, but it’s like watching paint dry ](*,)
Wretched stuff.
Johnson must go.

[Sgt Pepper]

My deepest sympathies NCb xx

May God be good to your late brother.

[Sgt Pepper]

@pete wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI19ZL5Jx4c&feature=related

brilliant

Superb film Pete 8)

Ok.. this has to be my worst nightmare, but nevertheless irresistible cinema.
Old school theatrical menace meets modern method with two of the greatest exponents of each acting form.
One of the best movies of the 1970s.

Is it safe?

MARATHON MAN

[Sgt Pepper]

THE FROG PRINCE

An old fairytale told me
The simple heart will be prized again
A toad will be our king
And ugly ogres our heroes
Then you’ll shake
Your fist at the sky
“Oh why did I rely
On fashions and small fry?”
All promises broken
Feed your people or lose your throne
And forfeit your whole kingdom
I’d sooner lose it than still live in it alone
You were our golden child
But the gentle and the mild
Inherit the earth while
Your prince’s crown
Cracks and falls down
Your castle hollow and cold
You’ve wandered so far
From the person you are
Let go brother let go
Cos now we all know

Soon someone will put a spell on you
Perfume treasure sorcery every trick they know
You will lie in a deep sleep
That’s when
Your prince’s crown
Cracks and falls down
Your castle hollow and cold
You’ve wandered so far
From the person you are
Let go brother let go
Cos now we all know

KEANE

[Sgt Pepper]

Thank you for the kind appreciation toy m8.

Alas, as stated, the victorious Irish review was not from my own hand. I was in an understandably excitable state yester-evening and unable to compose anything approaching an acceptable level of coherence.
But I can see clearly now the pain is gone :wink:

Yet another win for Ireland over England.. and this particular achievement cannot be overestimated, especially when one considers the manner in which the magnificent French demolished us. The team showed character and strength against the relentless English physical bombardment, outscoring them by three tries to one.
Ireland’s recent record over England speaks for itself, beating them six times over the past seven encounters (and three times on the English home turf). England have only managed one win against the Irish since their World Cup win alluded to above. A remarkable statistic when one considers our size and population and that rugby union is at best the fourth sport of Ireland (behind the two GAA codes and soccer).

And what about poor old Scotland?
Christ they must be wondering where it all went wrong. They were superb for the best part of an hour in Cardiff, in complete control, then the craziness set in. The Wales nightmare was a huge shock to the system and in truth the Scots still look rather dazed from it. Italy took advantage of that yesterday, but in fairness I don’t think Scotland were all that bad and certainly didn’t deserve to lose the game. It’s all rather cruel. Their confidence must be shattered.

The fabulous French march on.. despite taking their foot off the pedal for a while on friday night, they are the team to beat. Curiously enough, I just have a sneaky feeling that England could upset them on the last day in Paris, opening up a championship winning opportunity for themselves and Ireland. England’s brand of rugby is almost insulting to the French and this could be a sizeable weapon, as has been proven in the past.

But if there is any redemptive sporting justice, France should win the Grand Slam.
Another Triple Crown is on the cards for Ireland, what with Wales and Scotland to travel here to Dublin. Wales will be tough, considering last year’s titanic tussle, and a bruised and battered Scotland team may want to silence any unjust criticism with one big performance we all know they are capable of.

It’s all to play for!

God I love this tournament :P

[Sgt Pepper]

BEND AND BREAK

When you when you forget your name
When old faces all look the same
Meet me in the morning when you wake up
Meet me in the morning then you’ll wake up

If only I don’t bend and break
I’ll meet you on the other side
I’ll meet you in the light
If only I don’t suffocate
I’ll meet you in the morning when you wake

Bitter and hardened heart
Oh aching waiting for life to start
Meet me in the morning when you wake up
Meet me in the morning then you’ll wake up

If only I don’t bend and break
I’ll meet you on the other side
I’ll meet you in the light
If only I don’t suffocate
I’ll meet you in the morning when you wake

If only I don’t bend and break
I’ll meet you on the other side
I’ll meet you in the light
If only I don’t suffocate
I’ll meet you in the morning when you wake

I’ll meet you on the other side
I’ll meet you in the light
If only I don’t suffocate
I’ll meet you in the morning when you wake

KEANE

[Sgt Pepper]

THE LOVERS ARE LOSING

I dreamed I was drowning
In the river Thames
I dreamed I had nothing at all
Nothing but my own skin

I dreamed I was drifting
On the howling wind
I dreamed I had nothing at all
Nothing but my own skin

Slipped away from your open hand
Into the river
Saw your face looking back at me
I saw my past
And I saw my future

You take the pieces of the dreams that you have
‘Cause you don’t like the way they seem to be going
You cut them up and spread them out on the floor
You’re full of hope as you begin rearranging
Put it all back together
But anyway you look at things
Looks like the lovers are losing

I dreamed I was watching
The young lover’s dance
I reached out to touch your hair
But I was watching from a distance

We cling to love like a skidding car
Clings to a corner
I try to hold on to what we are
The more I squeeze the quicker we alter

You take the pieces of the dreams that you have
‘Cause you don’t like the way they seem to be going
You cut them up and spread them out on the floor
You’re full of hope as you begin rearranging
Put it all back together
But anyway you look at things
Looks like the lovers are losing

I dreamed I had nothing at all
Nothing but my own skin
I dreamed I had nothing at all
Nothing at all

You take the pieces of the dreams that you have
Cause you don’t like the way they seem to be going
You cut them up and spread them out on the floor
You’re full of hope as you begin rearranging
Put it all back together
But in the final reckoning
Looks like the lovers are losing

KEANE

[Sgt Pepper]

Match Report by Sportsbeat

IRELAND DIG DEEP FOR ENGLAND VICTORY

Tommy Bowe grabbed a try at the start and the end of the match to give Ireland a hard-fought 20-16 RBS 6 Nations victory over England at Twickenham.
Ireland made most of the running in the first half and Bowe’s fourth-minute try helped give them an 8-6 halftime advantage.

The visitors’ lead was extended when Keith Earls grabbed a score in the corner but Dan Cole’s converted try and a Jonny Wilkinson drop goal gave England a 16-13 lead.

But Bowe struck nine minutes from time in a well-worked set-piece move to give Ireland the perfect boost after their defeat to France.

Under-pressure Wilkinson made pretty much the worst possible start to the game when he made a hash of his kick-off but his and England’s opening got a whole lot worse on four minutes.

The fly-half found himself isolated in the English midfield and he was instantly set upon by the Irish pack who proceeded to strip the ball from his grasp.

As the ball went wide Irish stand-off Jonathan Sexton, selected over Ronan O’Gara, drew his man before threading a perfectly-weighted grubber kick which Bowe touched down after outpacing Lewis Moody. Sexton’s conversion was off target.

In deteriorating conditions neither team could find any rhythm and although Wilkinson was off-target with one drop goal attempt, he did get on the board with a penalty on 17 minutes.

On the half-hour mark Sexton restored the five-point advantage after Dylan Hartley was penalised for playing the ball on the floor but with three minutes remaining in the half Wilkinson replied to make it 8-6 to the visitors.

Although the rain stopped coming down in the second half, there was little improvement in the rugby on offer with Sexton and Wilkinson both missing penalties.

The match did eventually spark into life on 56 minutes when there was a coming together between scrum-halves Danny Care and Tomas O’Leary at a scrum.

Referee Mark Lawrence chose to penalise Care and after Sexton found touch with his kick, Ireland got their second try.

Declan Kidney’s side retained the ball well and Sexton was again the provider for Earls to finish in the corner although the Leinster fly-half failed to convert the score.

Just four minutes later though England launched an attack with Earls being forced to conceded a 5m scrum from Care’s kick ahead.

England had enjoyed an edge up front all game and used it to drive the Irish pack backwards before the ball was spread wide.

Although Mathew Tait’s burst was halted on the line, prop Cole was able to ground the ball with the blessing of the Television Match Official.

Wilkinson’s conversion brought the scores level and Ireland suffered a further blow when their captain Brian O’Driscoll was accidentally kneed in the head by Paul O’Connell and had to be stretchered off.

O’Connell then further blotted his copybook by giving away a penalty but Wilkinson missed a chance to put England ahead for the first time in the match.

England were now in the ascendancy and nine minutes later Wilkinson found his radar with a textbook drop goal to send Twickenham wild.

But that would not be his last significant involvement in the game. Ireland won good lineout ball and O’Leary fed the speeding Bowe on the burst who left Wilkinson grasping thin air before slinking his way inbetween Ugo Monye and James Haskell to touch down.

Ronan O’Gara could not miss the conversion in front of the posts and Ireland had a four-point advantage going into the closing stages which they defended with their lives.

[Sgt Pepper]

Well.. what a weekend it was!
It had everything!
High drama in Cardiff… with one of the most extraordinary finishes in 6 Nations history.
A true tutorial in rugby union brilliance where a sublime masterclass from the French in Paris utterly dismantled current champions Ireland.
And, almost inevitably, a flat, pedestrian yawnfest in Rome where a gormless England stuttered and struggled to victory over the gutsy Italians.

Discipline in the modern game is ever so crucial.. and all three test matches proved this as a mixture of dismissals and frustration from the losing teams contributed significantly to their downfall.
In saying that, I don’t even think two Irish teams on the field would have beaten France on saturday. Ireland performed okay in fairness, although some uncharacteristic errors, fouls and hot-headedness eroded the pack. But the French were overwhelmingly good. Truly exceptional.
Absolutely no complaints.
A wonderful advertiisement for the game.
But, as ever, will the same French team turn up for every round?

The Roman nightmare was another story. England were poor. Very poor. And the familar Italian tactic of bringing the game down to their own sluggish level didn’t take too much effort and so very nearly paid off. Despite England lacking any kind of plan B, any innovation or improvisation, a win is a win and they are nonetheless sitting second in the pile today just behind France. With a wounded Irish team arriving at Twickenham in a forthnight, the English will certainly fancy their chances. As I said above, no matter how bad England play… they are always tough to crack.

Wales v Scotland was pure entertainment. One of those crazy couplings the wonderful world of sport throws up now and again. Elation for the Welsh.. utter desolation and heartbreak for the Scots. Ill discipline was so significant here. Scotland throwing the head and subsequently throwing the match away in the last few minutes. Well done to the Welsh for never giving up. This will work wonders for confidence.
You can’t help but feel sorry for Scotland though.

Anyway… it’s hard to see beyond the French, even at this early stage.

[Author]

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