Ganeida's Knots

Football is all very well a good game for rough girls, but not for delicate boys.Oscar Wilde

It's back; Island soccer; mixed teams; the huffing & puffing; the pain. We haven't played since this folded when the boys got their *proper* team & could compete in a *proper* competition. People like Ditz & I, who like our run in the park but run out of puff after about 10 minutes, were discarded without a thought. Pity as Ditz & I, loathe to exercise of our own accord, simply stopped doing much of anything except hike up the REALLY BIG hill 2 islands over when we go to flute.

Now Ditz is too busy singing like a canary to take part regularly so we rocked up Saturday hoping for the best; the legs were good but the lungs were gasping within minutes. Having had pleurisy after the twins I tend to have trouble with my lungs just breathing normally. Forget huffing & puffing after a ball. I tend to get lobbed in goal until I let too many balls through then I get hoyed out to mind the back line ~ no place for me either. I'm just not as fast as I used to be & no longer willing to put my body on the line; It hurts.

However on the rare occasions I actually get the ball I can control it & place it somewhere in the vicinity of where it should go so I'm not quite useless. Not up to Liddy's standard. Goals is different. It's the only place I've ever been really hurt & today I got taken out by the biggest boy on the pitch. He's a sweetie I used to teach & finding himself crashing down on top of me grabbed me protectively as my elbow came up to shield me. I think I damaged him more than I was damaged. I can bug him on the pitch though. It's the little kids can run circles round me. How sad is that?

Just as well I have the next month to recover! Oh my!