CheshireTom

I'm sure I read somewhere that England has never beaten a "major team" in tournament play, other than at Wembley. If that's true, now would be as good a time as any to rectify the situation.

Fucking hell! That's the curse of Tom hit the Dutch, now the French. I'll go for England tonight and hope for a hat-trick!

LOL. The horse done the business (just) but I think the jockey might have been responsible for a few cardio moments down under! What was he thinking? I'm not too sure what it means for her Timeform rating - she was/is rated at least 10 lbs better than those around her at the line? [media=]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WddhTZ2FeX8[/media]

Alderley Edge? My missus used to shop at the charity shops in Wilmslow - an absolute bargain in her mind!

Err, yes. I'll still go with the French though. I thought Schweinsteiger dictated the tempo of the Greek game.

Step 1. Left click the post button. Step 2. The post to be quoted opens in the standard "edit window". Step 3. Left click and drag to highlight text you want to delete. Right-click "Cut" or press the delete key on your keyboard. Repeat as required. Step 4. Highlight any blank rows as above you wish to delete. Right-click "Cut" or press the delete key on your keyboard. Repeat as required. Step 5. Left-click the post button and Babs is your uncle.

Ah well! The day of reckoning for the Aussie lass! I'm sure some of our Aussie BMs will be helping themselves to the 1/4 that's freely available in order to subsidise their next Pattaya trip. It's hard to see her getting beat, but the 1/4 price, the stiff Ascot trip and the rain means my 20 quid will be going on The Cheka at 10/1 w/o the favourite.

Could be a cracking game between the French and Spanish tonight. After the Germans refused to bail out the Greeks last night, will the French do likewise? Will it be adios, or au revoir ... ? I'll go for France 'cos I like the two guys from Newcastle and I think that Mexes can take care of Torres. The big question is, will Davie Cameron follow in Angela Merkel's footsteps and be in Kiev cheering on Gerrard and company?

Fair one!

harro1, What did you find wrong with my post?

Things appear to have progressed somewhat. I actually prefer Don Mueang (to/from Hat Yai) but I'm not to keen on Nok Air, so it's good news for me. From the Bangkok Post ... Airlines get big discounts for move to Don Mueang Bangkok's dual-airport policy 'now concluded' Published: 21/06/2012 at 08:18 AM Newspaper section: NewsThe Airports of Thailand Plc board has approved massive discounts on airport fees in a move to attract airlines to Don Mueang airport. Sumet: Huge discounts for first two months AoT chairman ACM Sumet Photimanee yesterday said the discounts, backed yesterday, would be huge in the first two months and become gradually smaller over three years. From Aug 1 to Sept 30, when runways at the six-year-old Suvarnabhumi airport will be repaired, 95% discounts will be available for take-off, landing and hangar fees at Don Mueang. AoT will work out the exact discounts for area rents and fees on passenger boarding bridges, check-in counters, indoor services and flight announcements within next week. Discounts will be 30% from Oct 1, 2012, to Sept 30, 2013; 20% from Oct 1, 2013, to Sept 30, 2014; and 10% from Oct 1, 2014, to Sept 30, 2015. ACM Sumet said the cabinet resolved on Tuesday that Suvarnabhumi airport will be the hub airport for full-service and connecting flights, while Don Mueang will serve low-cost carriers and point-to-point domestic and international flights. However, the relocation of airlines from Suvarnabhumi to Don Mueang must be voluntary. The AoT chairman said Don Mueang could handle 36.5 million passengers annually. Transport Minister Jarupong Ruangsuwan said 14 commercial and chartered airlines had agreed to move to Don Mueang. He had asked the cabinet to adopt the resolution to ensure that the use of Don Mueang would be permanent. "Today it has been clearly concluded that the single-airport policy has changed to a dual-airport one," Mr Jarupong said. He said the relocation incentives target low-cost carriers like Thai AirAsia which operate more than 100 flights per day. Their relocation will greatly relieve congestion at Suvarnabhumi, where an expansion project will take five years and 10 months to complete.

I have only been in the place once, and probably had the wrong expectations. I like the Soi 7 Biergarden as a daytime venue to watch a bit of sport on the TV and grab a quick drink and some nosh. For me, the food menu was/is the big attraction - lots of good European specialities, so when I visited the Pattaya Beergarden I was a bit disappointed in the offerings - no different from what I could get in the Sportsman's, Queen Vic, Berts etc. That said, there wasn't a table to be had on the outside area and the sun was belting down so some people obviously do like the nosh.

She did live up to her name getting out of the stalls though! A good day for the bookies I think.

Nice pics, but I think MM set up a new section specifically for street scene pics ...

He looked kinda good and the 1/5 available on Monday seems like a bit of a bargain now. I read that Timeform rated the run at 147. Looking forward to the rest of the week and BC on Saturday. Edit in: Just noticed ... and have stuck 20 quid e/w on your Chachamaidee in the 3.05 today. No doubt she'll live up to her name. [media=] [/media]

Well, it's the acid test for the Aussies' favourite girl on Saturday. Before that though, Frankel will get the show on the road in less than an hour's time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3phvZd5heA

It's not too difficult to work out WHY he kept falling over. I would as well! Wasn't he replaced by someone not called Rio?

On a positive note - at least it's not a French Witch Hunt.

The rooooooll ... Some are better at it than others though ... [media=] [/media]

I get the impression that the referees have been well briefed about the antics of some players and lots of 'free kicks' being turned down. Ribery has sussed that and is concentrating on actually playing football - some others are finding the (diving) habit hard to break though.

Andy, It's Thai script - just a pointy font. I believe they've built a bridge over part of the reservoir which takes out the worst 15 km of the trip - it was a bit dodgy as the darkness set in. I never noticed at the time but it's fair to say that folk tend to appear on the streets from around 5 p.m. onwards. Not too different from the Arab countries really. I'll do the uni sports day for you next.

On the way back to my truck, I came across what I assume must be Thailand's answer to the Pontiac Vibe. Food The hotel I was staying in had a decent enough buffet breakfast which also provided the opportunity to cast an eye over the talent finishing their overnight shift. The town has loads of Thai/Chinese/Malay/Indian restaurants but I opted to take my main meals at a place a couple of minutes from my hotel. Huge helpings (too much for me) and fairly reasonably priced for the quality of the scoff they offered. I think that the total for this spread was around 230 Baht, or thereabouts. Unlike many Thai provincial towns where the wet market is a bit of a nightmare, the one in Betong, like the rest of the town, was pretty laid back and well organised. On the way home, I made a big mistake and decided to drive through Yala and Pattani to Songkhla. The drive from Yala to Songkhla was pretty good but the 140 kms from Betong to Yala was a bit of a nightmare drive. Some nice scenery that would compare with anything back home but you took your life in your own hands if you let it distract you too much.

Piyamit Tunnels Stuck up high in the mountains, about 20-odd kms from the town are the Piyamit tunnels. These were home to Malayan communists during the 70s and when they gave up their fight they stayed on in Thailand rather than return to Malaya and settled in five villages in the south of Thailand called Ban Piyamit 1-5, or Friendship Villages 1-5. Not only have they stayed on but they've also successfully turned their former bases into tourist attractions. An early start and I was on my way and as I approached the village a reminder of the inevitable … … but first a stop at some hot springs to sample some fresh boiled eggs … … then a drive into the mountains proper … then, finally, we reach the entrance gate to the village … … and a spot to take in the view back down the valley and appreciate some of the Chinese workmanship. Like everywhere else in the village, the entrance to the tunnel complex is obviously well-maintained unlike some other "tourist spots" that I've been to in Thailand. After a fair hike through the jungle, we stumble upon the entrance to the tunnels and accompanying displays, museum etc.

The main activity in the town is really limited to a half dozen or so side-streets leading off the main road which has a clock tower as its central point. There are a couple of other landmarks in the town that are probably worth a mention. Firstly, what is reputed to be Thailand's only road tunnel. How true that is, I have no idea, but that's what the locals claimed so I wasn't going to argue the point. The second landmark of note is apparently the world's tallest post box. Quite why someone decided to build a giant post box is anybody's guess, but it's still functioning and you can still post a letter. Surprisingly, the population, unlike the remainder of Yala, is predominantly (Hokkien) Chinese, as are the vast majority of businesses in the town and the diverse Thai, Malay and Chinese influences of the population is reflected in the design of the city's gate. Of the other sights around town, there is the obligatory mosque … … the famous "Jacky Chan" hotel …, … the, not so famous, Woody Salon … , … and the obligatory gold shop with a Harley parked in the foyer.

Getting there. Unfortunately, it's a car or nothing, so it was a trip to the Land Transport Department to get a new English transcript of my vehicle registration. That would be needed at the Malaysian/Thai border to obtain the additional insurance and transit permit from the Malaysian Transport people. I decided to stay overnight in Danok on the Thai side of the main north/south border and travel to Betong the following day. The following morning getting through Thai immigration was a breeze and I was soon on my way over the border and the welcome sight of signs written in English. What should have been a quick stop at the Malaysian Transport office ended up as a 40 minute stop as the guy decided that this time my Romanised Licence sticker didn't conform to the regulations. Not a big problem and I soon had my transport permit and was on my way. The roads in Malaysia are a pleasure to drive on and when I cut off the north-south highway to head east to Betong, I could see why my biker mate made such a big deal about the trip. In what seemed like no time at all, I arrived at the almost deserted immigration post – not too many tourists pass through, and very few farangs, it appeared. The Thai side of the border, like almost every land crossing, seemed to suffer from a significant amount of neglect compared to the Malaysian side. That said, the staff were extremely helpful and actually seemed pleased to see a farang. Betong Town It was only a quick 10km run into Betong and my hotel, being the only building of any significant size, was easy to spot and navigate a route to. The hotel is called the Grand Mandarin and the name should have given me some clues as to the make-up of the town. My room cost 1,300 Baht a night including free internet and a couple of breakfasts which I thought was reasonable and the view from the room towards the surrounding mountains was excellent.