I've learned that Phil Brown - a manager whom I previously regarded very highly - has a strange idea of what constitutes "tittle-tattle".

After having come out with his comments about Cesc Fabregas's alleged spitting at Brian Horton in front of the (tens of?) thousands of Setanta viewers on Tuesday night and then having repeated them to the millions of Radio 5 listeners on Wednesday, he had the gall to say: "I'm not going tittle-tattling to the FA". So what exactly is it that you've done Phil? Tittle-tattling to anybody who wants to listen rather than to the FA specifically, I presume?

I was also bemused by Brown's complaints about Cesc being "dressed in the manner in which he was dressed." Is there FA guidance on what constitutes appropriate clothing for currently injured players to wear while watching their team mates play? Or is it just that Brown didn't like the jeans and puffer jacket combo that Cesc was wearing?

(I should declare that I am an Arsenal fan and therefore have a somewhat jaundiced view of events. It goes without saying that if it is proved that Cesc spat at Horton he should be banned for several games. It's a disgusting thing to do. I also appreciate that this is probably of no interest to anybody else, but I've got it off my chest now!)

Mark Ellen is right about the new Decemberists' album

used to like watching TV, especially wrestling, according to an old friend, as seen on The Culture Show. Of course people had problems getting a decent picture in those days, the image could often be distorted.

I always thought this means be honest and forthcoming - in fact it turns out to mean be defensive and hide everything. Whoops.

....that the brand new cafe in my little village's Main Street makes wonderful tattie and leek soup.....

....and that the Cat Rescue charity shop next door to the cafe(also very new)has not yet been plundered of all the decent second hand cds(it now has by the way).

Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, Duke Ellington, Van Morrison & The Chieftians and an old Rod Stewart remasters for £5.

apparently comes from the portugeuse for "deformed pearl" which is not only poetic but enlightening (to me any way). Oh and from the same programme I now have a working knowledge of the colour of the "strips" of the various monastastic orders .
Oh and I had tapenade fot the first time it's like caviar for vegans!

The reason the Europeans had the edge over all the other continents in terms of civilization ( good idea if we had some ) was that we had a lot more animal species that were capable of being domesticated, ie pigs, horses, cows,dogs etc.. than other continents. You can train a horse, but not a zebra ( if you don´t believe me, try it ) Not a lot of people know that!

Football team having a sticky patch? Tired of travelling many miles to souless stadiums, and returning with no points? Can't win at home for love nor money? Forgotten what victory feels like?

Why not try playing Hartlepool United! Our yellow-bellied troupe of clowns will wipe all your troubles way! Why not ask Mr. M. Allen of Cheltenham?!

"I don't know what I'd have done with out Hartlepool United. It had been 16 games since we'd won - and so effective is Hartlepool United, we've now only gone and won again!"

And that is what I've learned this week...

Just finished reading "Agincourt" by Juliet Barker, a great read. Before the invention of local maps, an invading army, or pilgrimage would be given a list of towns along the route to the battlefield or place of worship. When you got to the first town, you asked directions to the next and so on until you got to your destination. Seems really obvious, but I'd never considered how people found places in the past before maps.

(it wasn;t actually this week I found this out, but it wasn't too long ago, and any time I reflect on it I'm still staggered)

Apparently the first Apollo trip to the moon was so desparate to be devoid of any un-necessary weight that they seriously considered not bothering taking a camera.

I don't know about you, but I get a bit miffed if I forget my camera on trip to the beach ...

We often hear the phrase "the unmistakable figure of..." - often applied to people who are all too easily missed in a crowd. What I learned today, cycling past London Bridge station, is that Kamila Batmanghelidj (can't be bothered to google the correct spelling), founder of the Kids' Company charity, truly is unmistakable. The bright clothing and headdress marked her out before I'd even taken in the Rubensesque figure, glasses and face. It couldn't have been anyone else.

Any other figures who truly merit the epithet "unmistakable"?

That the Wigan v Hull football thingy has been moved to Sunday. This makes my trip to the Wigan Beer Fest on Saturday, at a venue opposite the JJB Stadium, a less crowded affair.

Also, the JJB Stadium will be renamed the DW Stadium from next season. Owner Dave Whelan sold his shares in JJB before the market for tracky bottoms crashed.

Originates from the necessity for veterinary surgeons to assess absolutely every aspect of an animal in order to diagnose a condition (unless it's an obvious thing like a broken leg).

A human being can tell a doctor where the pain is, whereas an animal can't - hence the very thorough and all-encompassing examinations.

But he really wants to put a sock in it. And get rid of that stupid headset. And worry about keeping his team in the league rather than what Cesc may or may not be wearing on the night.