tonym

That will be a great disc. I have a live recording of this: and they're a truly great band.

I suffered from a brief bout of acute Audiophilia a couple of years ago when i created my present system but even then, I knew it was always going to be very temporary state in that once I had spent as many £ as I was able, I'd have to be happy and accept that I had a pretty good piece of kit. Building the nice rack to support it was possibly more rewarding! I think Dan A summed it up: regardless of the price of your set up, it's the state of mind that determines degrees of audiophilia. My journey onto the spectrum started several years ago when I bought my first set of Grado cans. I remember thinking how much better can a pair triple the cost actually be? I was pretty satisfied with my entry level pair although I still kept reading the reviews and browsing online. I would never baulk at purchasing an older recording that had historical importance or just plain great music (as in Getz's Roost set or Kondrashin's or Mravinsky's Shostakovich cycle) because of the lack of pristine SQ. I want to experience the music; if a good system helps then so be it. When I have time and I'm feeling very indulgent, I'll warm up the tube amp and revel in some headphone listening. For the record, I have Naim gear with two pairs of Grado cans, the GS1000 and SR225 which I use with an Earmax Pro. I invested in some decent Telefunken and Amperex PQ tubes and a Nordost Red Dawn cable to feed it.

Interesting. He was linked with coming back for Astana, a team with their fair share of... ''ahem''... 'baggage'. Now they claim it's not true as if to disassociate themselves with Armstrong. Who could say why though is beyond me.... Maybe Rock Racing should pay him; the rag tag bunch of ex(?) dopers with crash liability extraordinaire Tyler Hamilton could do with a bit of (once again...ahem...) 'positive' publicity.

Funnily i asked a friend (3 time medalist) this yesterday and he claims it was a response to journos and photographers asking that the winners do it. No other reason. I tell you what though, the medals are lovely. The Gold is inlaid with Opal on the reverse whilst the Bronze has a very tasteful jade inlay. Can't remember the Silver detail. The come in a very nice silk presentation box too!

Over the last few weeks:

Well done Guy! It's bitten you then? The competitive exercise bug? You know, this might sound daft but effort, like trying and suffering takes practice; you will go faster in your next event and probably faster in the one after that. It's amazing how far you can push yourself physically. The move to road bike from MTB will also be a huge factor. That's what we need.. the Big O' Cycling Team.

Surely that's majorly distracting during a match?

Hi Guy. From speaking with colleagues and other riders who've participates in Triathlons, it sound like the bike-run transition is hardest, in that your muscles don't want to do what's being aasked of them. What's the course like? Hilly, rolling, pan-flat? As far as bikes are concerned I suggest just getting one that 'feels' comfortable. Obviously, tyres and wheels need to be up to the job but over 11 miles on even a pretty rolling course, you're only going to be in 3 or four gears -- don't worry about all the gizmos. A decent 'road' bike will certainly suffice. Have you any friends the same size who would loan you one? If your position is OK (ie. legs not too stretched etc.) then you should be as good as poss given the training you've done. I think tri's take a lot of preparation. Worth bearing in mind if you're going to do some more. Most of all -- enjoy it and make it burn like mad!!!

It was a great competition until the finals when a combination of banal presentation and crowd pleasing pieces took precedence; the flautist and the trombonist both played solo pieces they had performed in the semi. At one point one could have imagined the young brass player quite at home in Victorian rags, soot marked knees and cheeks, riding his Hovis bike up a steep cobbled street against a backdrop of grainy black and white! I'm not doubting the kid's talent one iota -- but they played on his age and it won him the competition. During the finale's transmission we didn't get to hear the judges' criticisms, possibly due to the audience. A real shame because one thing they were looking for was a musician that brought the pieces to life and that didn't happen for me in either the flautist's pieces or the winner's. It all went a bit 'Britain's Got Talent' IMO. And if you're not familiar with that particular show, then lucky you...

You're right there, the parts played by these two were spot on. But judging by the (not trying to sound wierd here) amount of intelligent teenage girls I've heard, there is an uncanny resemblance to a 39 year old!

I loved the movie and was genuinely moved toward the end (a trait I'm exhibiting more and more as the years pass....). Exceptionally well written and mostly avoiding all the cliches that 'feel-good' movies tend to rely upon it had us both really laughing out loud. Worth the hype IMO.

Thanks Bev. I've used them once before and I noticed the bitrates were more impressive than the eMusic files. They certainly have a good choice. To be completely honest, I'm downloading because our PC's CD drive is on the blink at the mo. The large pile of discs I've recently bought is waiting to go on the iPod but obviously I can't upload them until it's fixed. So in the meantime, a bit of a turnaround on the iPod is required for some fresh listening! Your point about the short tracks is spot on. I was about to download the recent release of Rusalka then realised for all those very short tracks I could have the same amount of very long tracks instead. A true Yorkshireman eh? "..'appen".

All part of a free trial!

Well done Mrs. A. (Thought i'd say that since Jim's smoking all the cigars...!) A new baby girl for Zora to dress up at will and surely more creative fuel for a band at work; when's the new album due? Good luck and all the very best of health to all of you.

Hi Agg, hope your birthday is pretty special. Tony

Oops, forgot these:

On which, coincidentally, the solo violin part is played by my the conductor of my wife's orchestra!

Listened to BBc R3 last Friday to hear L'Ascension playing. Bought the disc below as a result. Click the link at the top to listen to the broadcast