Finger tips

Nervy times: I am clinging onto a good week by my finger tips and England have their finger tips grazing that Jules Rimet trophy. If I'm honest I think that France or Belgium might have too much for us assuming we beat Croatia but I would certainly not write them off.

If we do make it to the final our holiday plans will have to change. We are due to be driving north to Scotland to stay with my niece and her boyfriend in Montrose for a week. However, neither of us can picture ourselves watching our first (and possibly only) England appearance in a World Cup Final in Scotland!

While I know there are many exceptions, the Scots are not known for their generosity towards English sport and tend to support whoever England is playing against. If we make the final, we will just want to enjoy the experience with a crowd of like-minded folk, not have to either stay at home or mind our Ps and Qs in a pub and risk some nutter picking a fight.

So, if we make the final, we will head up north on Monday instead and take the following Monday off to travel home. This is serious business!!

Yesterday was a strange day.  We had been invited to my colleague Sumera's wedding reception. She is of Pakistani heritage so the bride's day was to be an intimate gathering of 800 or so close friends at Magna Science and Adventure Centre! It was between 1 and 5pm and she said that you could come and go as you pleased within those times.

Once we discovered that England would be playing their quarter-final at 3pm, it pleased us to turn up at 1pm and leave at 2.30pm so that we could get to a pub to watch the match! Mt colleagues were largely of the same opinion so it wasn't helpful that me and my team were lead to a table directly in front of the giant gold and silver dais with sofas and chairs for the bridal party.

After an hour some food appeared so we tucked in. Curry, delicious. But after an hour and a half, still no bride or groom! We did it, we fled. We met the groom's party (100-200 strong with drummers etc) as we slunk out but no sign of Sumera or her party!!

Hey ho, I doubt our absence will be noted....

We dashed into Sheffield and made it to our football local just after the national anthems. It was a great afternoon. The thought of England finally making it to a semi-final after all these years! It is awesome. Happy days.

I had a couple of pints and there was some somewhat erratic eating but not toooo bad. We were tired out after the day so didn't make it to the pub in Hope for the Russia v Croatia game and just vegged at home. That saved me a LOT of calories!

Today has been pretty good. Lie in, 18 holes of hot and sweaty golf, pastrami melt (mmmmhmmmm), cool afternoon preserving energy, gardening as it got slightly less pppressive and, eventually, an evening dog walk over the golf course and back around the fishing ponds.

It was a stunning evening: the sounds of the swifts chattering in the sky; the golden light and long shadows; the brave wildflowers fighting the endless dryness and the shady cool.

Hazel asked how I'm running in this heat? Answer, I can't manage the evenings as, by the time it is cool enough, it is too late and I need to eat or have just eaten. I do seem to be able to run in the mornings though. It is cool from the night before and just lovely.

I'm going out tomorrow morning. I am in the office tomorrow so have a dog walker booked so I won't have to take the girls. I'm actually looking forward to getting out for a proper full on run. Who AM I???