Despite coming from a family of footie obsessives, I’m not a fan of the beautiful game, or of anything sporty really. But even I’ve been swept along by the euphoria of England’s remarkable run in the World Cup. We drank through a very pleasant sunny afternoon in a local beer garden watching England thrash Panama. In truth, it was so bright we hardly saw a thing, but the wine was cold and ambience was hot. Last Saturday’s quarter-final against Sweden clashed with the Lord Mayor’s annual parade, and his worship wisely postponed the grand procession so the great, the good and the legless could watch the match in various venues across the city. We took up pole position in the Murderer’s, a local watering hole with a dark past. Thank God for aircon otherwise the overheated punters might have fainted from nervous exhaustion. When England beat Sweden, the roar could be heard in space.
The decisive win gave the Lord Mayor’s parade an added bounce – the atmosphere was electric and the word on the street was victory. With all the excitement (okay, booze), we didn’t quite make it to the fireworks extravaganza at close of play but we did manage to take a few snaps of the crazy assortment of madcap street performers.
I am quietly patriotic, though not nationalistic. To be proud of where you are from is fine but to think you’re a cut above is not. It’s just a game, after all. Will England’s winning ways continue? I really hope so. We’ll see later on tonight.
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Alas, England’s dreams of reaching the final of the World Cup were dashed by a spritely Croatia. The nation has gone into mourning.
So, there’s a World Cup being played for somewhere, is there?
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Not that I’ve noticed…
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I don’t follow sports unless the Cubs are in baseball’s World Series. So far, I’ve only once had to watch a Series, and thank the stars above, we won. I can die a happy woman. My father held out for 93 years, my mother 92, but my sister and I were the ones able to witness the event.
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We’ll see later today and then on Sunday for the final if I can die a happy man! ⚽
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This was the first time that poor England came up against what Jamaicans would call a “big” team… Thrashing Panama was not a huge victory! Then again, we in Jamaica didn’t even qualify…My condolences! Good luck with the third-place Belgium game!
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Cheered for Croatia in a room full of frogs. I was undaunted.
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Good for you!
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I can relate. Canadians and hockey. `Nuff said. 🙂
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