Everything is beautiful

Wiltshire is in bloom after the warmest April on record – that’s in 350 years – and our neighbour’s lambs are now with their siblings, gambolling joyfully as only a species with its own exclusive verb can.
There’s also a new colour taking over the countryside around here: the hills are awash with the colour of traffic wardens’ jackets.
It’s brassica napus or, for Archers listeners, rape-seed oil, and it’s the in colour this year. Apparently the oil is not only the most poly-unsaturated, but it’s also the most economical source of bio-diesel fuel, so it looks as if it’s here to stay. Pity it doesn’t come in a more attractive colour.

No way, Jose I mentioned last week Jose Morinho's outburst about how Man U are always being awarded penalties while Chelsea never get one. It was obviously one of those claims that could easily be proved or disproved, but I was too lazy to check it.
Now Rod Liddle in the Sunday Times has taken the trouble. (Well, he gets paid.) The highest number of penalties awarded this season went to, not Man U, but Arsenal (8), then Everton (7), then a 6 and a couple of 5s, and only then Man U (4), followed by Chelsea (3). Sorry, Jose – you doth protest too much.
As for Everton, things are not looking so good. Two weeks ago they looked a certainty for a UEFA Cup place, but they lost to lowly Watford. Then on Saturday, despite having led Manchester United by 2-0 with half an hour to go, they managed to present them with four free goals. (Far be it from me to suggest a conspiracy, but I understand that a clause in Rooney’s transfer contract said that Everton would be due a large sum of money if Man U won the Premiership – and one of Man U’s goals was an own goal scored by a former Man U player whose brother still plays for them, and another was scored by - Rooney.)
So now Everton lie only sixth, with Chelsea to play – away. Since Chelsea now can’t win the Premiership, I’m hoping that they’ll do the decent thing and lie down.

A writer in the Financial Times last week - can’t remember who or the precise wording - said that bloggers were mostly IT contractors with bad personal hygiene and no friends; who are endowed with boundless communications capability but a profound lack of anything interesting to say. I object: I’m not an IT contractor and don’t have boundless communications capability – but hey, three out of five ain’t bad.