and they all lived happily ever after. Thrillingly enjoyable as this entire tournament has been, one worry nagged away as the days, hours, minutes dwindled before the final kick-off. All memories could be spoiled, or at least slightly taintedâ should Spain somehow contrive, yet again, not to triumph.  Today Austria is the centre of the worldâ , proclaims one of Viennaâ s front-page headlines â and it feels easy to forgive any whiff of Habsburg nostalgia.

Should Manchester United, as expected, play a weakened team against Hull on Sunday and lose there will be an almighty uproar from Tyneside. Sir Alex Fergusons team selection could well see Newcastle relegated but the United managers responsibility lies with his own club and fans - and the Magpies will have no right to bleat. But how could Fergie justify playing Ronaldo, Rooney or Vidic? And forget about any punishment should Fergie .

See these alternative restaurant awards. We get Hardens, we get Zagat, we get Tatler, and we get the Restaurant Mags awards and annual ratings. But these accolades by Olive Magazine, are an intriguing bunch. Ed, Christine Hayes and her team have rustled up a playful treat of places to visit. The place that says â local produceâ and means it.

Iâ m not sure if this is some form of madness or genius, but the City Central BID group of businesses has seen fit to put 300 tonnes of sand in Williamson Square. The Urban Beach, which opened today, features deck chairs so you can sit out and enjoy the light drizzle in your lunch time. To mark the 40th anniversary of Woodstock The Arts Organisation. And Zombina And The Skeletones.

Racing through 200 million years of h.

The dog self-barking video recursion.

I finished 14th at Brands. Brands Hatch, just 30 minutes drive from my house. This is where the race took place on Saturday 15th August. I camped over the night before which meant I could not be late and hopefully hadnâ t forgotten anything. The weather was great and all I kept telling myself was not to spin the car during the race. As usual I managed to gain a few places within the 1st few corners then with great skill and some luck I managed to avoid what b.

From fully-fledged steel bands through to half-drunk destroyers of Bob Dylanâ s back catalogue, Newcastleâ s Greyâ s Monument has long been synonymous with public performances. Northern Art Prize long-list revealed. A 23-strong long-list for this yearâ s Northern Art Prize.

I donâ t mind people coming up to visit but why do they always have to arrive at 7. 30 in the morning? Stephen K Amos - The Feelgood Factor is at Pleasance Courtyard. At 940pm daily until Aug 31. Those of you whoâ ve been following my blog will know that I have several friends and family members staying over in my flat at the moment. They may have hoped to go out and see some shows today but No! At 940pm daily until Aug 31.

In an era where extra charges rule the roost and Ryanair think its appropriate to charge more to fly your luggage then they do to fly you, its nice to see a little innovation from Thomson that allows you to calculate some of the extra costs of a holiday. Whatsmore, you dont even need to have booked your holiday through Thomson to use the website. Are you pulling my finger? It has always struck me that - .