The Lust for Life

I'm going to do my utmost to stay injury free because it might extend my life.

I missed Saturday morning's match. I felt I could have played but didn't feel I would have had that devastating turn of pace - so crucial in my angles running game.

As part of my rehabilitation for next week's game I cycled over to the radio station for a day of surveying international sports.

On Canal + Sports they were showing the English Premiership match between Chelsea and West Ham.

It made me angry. Chelsea got rid of Jose Mourinho because he was avowedly no frills. And what I saw on the box was a spectacularly workman like 1-0 victory over a defensively minded team.

I have no reason to return my support.

There was a mass of traffic on the roads in the evening to the point where I had about three close calls as the motorists failed to spot me as they tried to turn right and through the cycle path.

I'm not quite sure why the system is set up this way. Pedestrians are ushered across the road by the green man at the very same time that drivers are urged to turn right. The idea is that cars and motorbikes will give way to pedestrians.

What it often leads to is deluded flair merchants in the cars slaloming through the banks of pedestrians. Very bizarre behaviour.

After the third near catastrophe I realised that I don't usually cycle on a Saturday night during the winter because I'm invariably lugging a bag load of football kit and therefore on the metro.

Sitting out the game meant that there wasn't the agonised gait as I wended my way to the Gare du Nord this morning.

It was fluidity in comparison with last week.

On the Eurostar I finally got round to watching a documentary on Edwyn Collins. It was directed by Paul Tucker, a mate of mine from university, and charted Collins trying to recover his poise and bearing following a stroke two years ago.

It was extremely moving. The shots of all his guitars from his years of performing juxtaposed with him at the physiotherapist trying to unknot his right hand.

Playing the guitar with anything approaching his former aplomb is out of the question for the moment.

But his wife said working on the new album had rekindled is lust for life. He knows what's wrong and won't be told otherwise, she stressed.

"The great news is that you're back to being stubborn," she said to her husband. ... "The great news is he's back to being cussed ....awkward," she confided to the camera.

Laughter......

"Steady on," says he turning away. "Good God."

"So this is cause for celebration," she continues with a mischievous giggle.

It captured their dynamic of fight, tenderness and optimism.

Brilliant stuff.

Sets you up for the day.