Did you get yours? Yes, I'm still sick & miserable but as sitting at the computer is something I can do for short periods that is what I am doing & I want to know; Did you get yours?The Sunday Mail is giving away Aussie scarves because, people, the World Cup is only days away now! Yes siree, a month of madness & sleepless nights & my Dearest declaring that it's no wonder there's so much soccer thuggery when it takes so much to score even one goal. Frustration levels obviously go through the roof.
Dearest is a League man & sad to say certain other members of this household create the great divide when the State of Thuggery [oops, State of Origin] happens each year, because Dearest is a N.S.W man & all his children are Queenslanders. It makes the Battle of the Roaches & the Cane Toads something I have absolutely no desire to participate in but soccer! Ah now, soccer is another matter entirely.
I must point out that my addiction to the Beautiful Game is an acquired taste. God, in His infinite wisdom, gave me sporty children. He also gave me unco~ordinated runts. No way could I let my small & beautiful children thrash it out in League, or Rugby or AFL ~ though I do believe Theo forged my signature so he could play Union in grade 10. They put him out on the wing where his speed & nippiness was of some use until the big boys just ran straight over the top of him.
That being so soccer was the game of choice ~ & three out of five of mine were very, very good at it. Two were regional reps & the one who wasn't wasn't from choice. Hours I spent watching the kids hone their skills & face off a variety of oppositions but we live on a very little island & back in the day girls didn't play soccer. I fought for Liddy to join the school team. I fought long & hard. Basically I refused to accept the word "No" & the whole QLD Ed., law got changed just for Liddy. The things I am likely to be remembered for!!!
Anyhoo...The kids & I cuddled up together to watch the World Cup teams go down to the wire through our long bleak winter nights armed with hot chocolate, chips & dark bitter chocolate. It has become a family tradition. Even die~hard Dearest takes an interest when Australia steps up to the mark. It happens every 4 years. A bit like the Olympics, only more exciting.
This is serious idolatry on some people's part but my children have educated me well & I can argue off~sides, penalties & questionable tackles with the best of them. Rubbishing the Ref is a legitimate pastime. We have the Refs we like too, the ones who are impartial & fair & play the ball so the game plays fast & zippy without all the stop, start some Refs cause. And we have the teams [besides Australia] we like to watch. Anyone who has watched France or Italy play football understands how it got nick~named the Beautiful Game. We don't like Germany who play stodgy & stolid football. There is no point at all in winning & playing such ugly football. These are arguments never to be heard of other codes.
Dearest finds this four yearly madness a little incomprehensible but he is prepared to join the rest of us & rehash the Italian dive that put us out of the Cup last time & weigh the odds of us defeating Germany in the first round [not good I fear] & whether or not Harry Kewell is worth all the angst & makes that much difference to the team. This is a serious & time consuming business. It is also great fun. After all, we all know the spectators can do it so much better!
9 comments:
I grew up playing soccer, I'm not sure how I would go playing it now, ever since I started wearing modern runners with orthotics I feel clumsy. When I started school it was a one room affair, then we got some Italian and Spanish new kids and became a two room school with lots of soccer on our lawn between the road and our fence. Mum kept the grass nice and short and it was a nice rectangle.
Linda: I still play: mixed island teams. No~one's very good but it is good exercise & a fun time.
Well Ganeida,I of course am from Ireland...say no more....not going to win ever, ever ,ever so I back Alan's team, with the very fit Wayne Rooney and the exceedingly tall Peter somebody [no really I do watch them ] and we are sometimes in spain for it and boy does that make it more interesting!! My claim to fame is that in the year 1966 [all english men stand and take a bow ] I was working in south Germany on a building site at the time of the BIG one [for england ] and we had to watch our backs, as everyone knows that famous saying "Well it's all over now!" and the germans on site were saying, "we was robbed!!"
Gerry: Ooh. I like Rooney ~ except for that foul temper of his & we actually root for England unless they come up against us but how can you desert Keane & His leprachauns? ☺ I confess, we often watch the Premier League too. *sigh* Libby backs Spain [the kids have some Spanish blood] & I like the way the French & Italians *play* football if they actually play instead of displaying their theatrical skills for all & sundry. You, at least, get to watch most of the games at a civilized hour while we must crawl out of our warm beds in a cold dark night if we want to watch anything live ~ & of course we do. ☺
No - am not a sporty person and being married to a Welshman, soccer is not the sport of choice in our house (not that we watch it on TV).
Do enjoy watching the Soccer, I am bound to hear about it from my male colleagues at work - however I old them not to bore me to tears every morning tea!!!
I hope you got that scarf for me! I'll be very dissapointed if I don't get one to take away with me to the Alpaca farm next time around.
Jo: I'm not much for sport & soccer is certainly the only footy I can be wrangled into watching~ armed, as I have said, with some serious chocolate. ☺
Liddy: who else would I have got that scarf for? Can you seriously see me gadding round in that?!
That sounds like so much fun! I must say that I have not been bitten by the soccer bug yet, but I feel it fast approaching. Thinking of starting Cupcake in it in the Springs, when she turns 3. We are more of a Rugby family. We have tickets to my first real game-- July 10--All Blacks v. South Africa. I am so excited! I hope they have hot chocolate at the stadium.
Oooh Bonnie: Even I would turn out to watch the All Blacks take on South Africa. Should be a ganme to remember. Enjoy!
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