my hubbie's running the London marathon!!

My lovely husband Ulen is going to be running the 2008 London Marathon to raise funds for Volunteer Reading Help. This charity trains and supports volunteers to go into schools to support disadvantaged children who are having reading difficulties. If you can, please sponsor him, however little - it all helps!

Ulen's never done anything like this before so preparing and training for the marathon is going to be a huge challenge for him - you can follow his progress and leave him a supportive note in his blog at madasaboxoffrogs

You can also sponsor him at JustGiving.com/madasaboxoffrogs

Gig review - The Winchell Riots, Zodiac, Oxford

The Winchell Riots are fast becoming my new favourite band. Rising from the ashes of the magnificent Oxford band Fell City Girl, The Winchell Riots have a harder rockier edge but vocalist Phil's voice still has its softer sweeter moments that make this a band full of passion and variety.

Their second gig was at truck Festival and was marred by some dodgy acoustics in The Barn, but their third gig - at the newly refurbished Zodiac, supporting iLiKETRAiNS, was far better and really demonstrated the talent this band has. One to watch out for!

Incidentally, I didn't take to iLiKETRAiNS at all - too little variety in what they did, which was, on the whole, deeply depressing and dull, if professionally performed. Not one for me, I'm afraid, and neither was the other support band, A Girl Called Calla, who were too experimental in that some of what they did worked but most didn't. What's with the screaming because you've dropped your harmonica, FFS?!

And while we're talking music, check out The Race's new stuff ..... I'm really looking forward to their second album!