A Post Worth Two Excuses

For a long while, I’ve tried to keep my personal life separate from the barçalunacy blog.

I post in a gung ho fashion, disappear suddenly and without warning, reappear.

So, today, after mulling, pondering and musing on, I have decided to write you my secret.

The first is a girl, Rania, not yet 2 the day I took this photo and a pro on the mobile phone. She speaks an “unknown” language fluently and has much to say.

Rania, 2008

I worried because we seemed to understand one another all to well.

The second secret is Nisha, just a day old when this picture was taken. I was not there for her birth but went a month later and stayed with my son and beautiful daughter-in-law for 2 months.

Nisha, 2008

Caring, listening and being attentive, ALL DAY LONG is for the young and so this old lady (older than Brittany Spears but younger than Cher) was bushed, tired and sought the mattress, diligently on a daily and nightly basis.

No matter … these 2 angels are my 5 gigabyte grandchildren. Who else better to take photos of and by whom?

So, now you know.

These 2 photos especially are @all rights reserved ... and I am not joshing!

A Fine Line

Today, I searched high and low for this picture, taken a few years ago.

I remembered the simplicity and the juxtaposition of what was real and what was not.

Today, this day, personally, I am trying to understand the difference, for the line between the two has disappeared.

Have you ever been the victim of a great love?

I have learned that there are different kinds of love … specifically love that nurtures, like the obvious, a mother to a child.

Then, there is passion disguised as love slowly tearing down what self-respect and pride you brought into a relationship, so that towards the end of your life, (if you are lucky and strong to have an end), you “abandon” the one you love to justifiably seek your own recovery and wish well the other’s healing.

We had the best of times and the worst of times. (Paraphrased from a Tale of Two Cities ... to make you proud!)

You have a tender part of my heart set aside and I will always love you.

Cesc out for 4 months due to knee ligament rupture

It's sad to say that Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger confirmed on Tuesday that Gunners captain Francesc Fabregas will be out of action for four months after suffering a partial rupture of his medial knee ligament in Sunday's draw against Liverpool.

The talented Fabregas suffered the injury in a challenge with Liverpool's Xabi Alonso and limped off at half time at the Emirates Stadium.

The popular Wenger initially hoped Fabregas would only be out for three weeks but scans confirmed the Spain midfielder won't play again before April.

"The news is not good," Wenger admitted. "It will take three to four months, we count four. He will be working hard to come back earlier but I count four months.

"The challenge by Alonso was fair and honest, I have no problem with it. It is exactly what I have said many times, it is the kind of thing you accept in the game that can happen. I don't feel there was any intention to hurt, it was purely accidental."

We must notice that the loss of his recently installed skipper and creative talisman is a massive blow to Wenger as he tries to end Arsenal's four-year wait for a trophy.

He was already short of experienced midfielders after losing Mathieu Flamini, Gilberto Silva and Alexander Hleb in pre-season, while Tomas Rosicky has been injured for the whole of the current campaign.

"We will miss him, of course, but how much is difficult to say," Wenger said. "We have to find a way and we want to find a way to compensate the fact that he is not on the pitch to give everyone a bit more.

"I'm sure we can deal with it. When he comes back he can help us get over the line in the final months. I believe we are able to do it."

In fact, Wenger team will face a crucial match at Aston Villa on Friday, and conceded Fabregas's injury may force him to move into the transfer market in January.

"It is more likely but we also have internal solutions and we are not desperate," he said. "At the moment no one is going out and no one is coming in. That gives you a perfect answer.

"Now we have a big game in front of us and before January anyway I believe it is more important to focus on our games."

A bid for Zenit St Peterburg's Russian midfielder Andrei Arshavin is one possibility for Wenger, who is yet to decide who will replace Fabregas as captain.

The experienced Spanish keeper Manuel Almunia wore the armband when Fabregas came off against Liverpool and would be the leading candidate.

"I think that it is a great opportunity to show we can deal with it and have strength," said Wenger, who played down talk of a Manchester City bid for Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure.