Wilke, it's Globetrotters Hostel, 46/48 Lower Gardiner Street.Don't have the number handy but it'll be in directory enquiries.Really not sure if I'm going yet, it's a bad time for me.

I see the proposed UK Airport strikes have been planned so as not to clash with our Dutch trip. That's a relief. Maybe there's a Tones fan well up in the Union. Cheers whoever you are.

Cliff - I'll be at the match but I've already arranged to meet friends beforehand. Will you be in the press box? Our seats are right by the press lounge.

I'm travelling by ferry, which Tony Blair believes are a possible target. I think one of the planned strike days is the 10th December. If I do stay overnight in Brussels I will be travelling back on the 9th and might get caught up in the disruption, particularly my flight from Stansted to Newcastle on the evening. Do Sunderland not play WBA on 21st Dec. Hopefully you will need a lot of cheering up that evening Cliff so would recommend the concert. If I could get children's flight tickets cheap I would like to take my children to Dublin, particularly as two of their favourite bands, Steps and Hear'say, have split up this year. I had to wait until I was 21 to have such disappointment.

Dublins out for me. Still havent booked accomodation for Amsterdam yet. Joe Strummer played EDinburgh last night. I didnt go but he got a 5 star review in the local paper. Did you go Doninblack or were you glued to Never Mind the Buzzcocks with JJ Burnell on it?

No, didn't go to Strummer. Saw him a while back supporting The Who and he was very good, even his new stuff. Just back from Whitehaven (Cumbria), where I saw Hugh Cornwell play a blinder. 3 piece band, playing a good mix of solo and Stranglers classics (played in the original style - not the funked up way he did them for a while). Great gig. JJ was pretty quiet on Buzzcocks and was totally upstaged by that other ageing punk rocker...Nicholas Parsons! Oh dear.

I spent the whole of NMTB wondering who the vaguely familiar bloke was-til I saw the credits! What a tragedy- JJB was such a dish 20 years ago.