It was Saturday afternoon before I even had a thought that England were playing a football match on that very day. I had no idea against whom nor when the festivities would start. Didn’t care. The ‘international break’ had robbed me of my weekly fix of ‘proper’ football and my love of watching my national team has declined significantly. In fact I no longer seem to have one. The love, not the national team, I still have them otherwise where would I get all my disappointment once ever 2 years when the World Cup/European Championships are played?

The cricket was very exiting and stepped up its game in the ‘national disappointment’ stakes yesterday as we lost the Ashes series to the (farkin’) Aussies. There’s one test yet to play but that’s become meaningless. Other than ‘pride’. We don’t mind being beaten by a really good side, we just don’t wanna get humiliated by the progeny of our old criminal stock.

I kind’a noticed that Serena had lost the final of the US Open, something of a pattern at this end of her unbelievably outstanding career, but didn’t think to look who beat her. On the grounds that: if it ain’t Wimbledon, it ain’t proper tennis, ergo: I don’t watch it. And I saw in the paper, en passant, that she was beaten by Bianca Andreescu. Thus I assumed that here’s another Bulgarian/Rumanian/Eastern Euro pony-tail to join the tennis ranks of the generic and totally forgettable. But I was wrong. Because my Canadian friend (everyone has one; possibly two counting wives, but never more because their aren’t enough people there to go round) was positively screaming out with joy (email type SCREAMING!!!!) that she was one of his own. A Canadian. From Canada. That nation’s first grand slam winner. And they had to steal her from Bulgaria/Romania to achieve that. Ok, she was actually born in the great frozen north, I checked on Wikipedia, thinking that I should ‘gen up’ before insulting anyone. But well done Bianca. You did it for all us Canucks (well Mel has a Canadian passport so that makes me… well, according to Canadian authorities; Nothing!).

Tomorrow night England play Kosovo. Who, in my mind, are ‘dark and dirty’, in the way they play. Based on… absolutely nothing. I just hope Harry Kane scores another hat-trick, because I love the man. But more importantly, I hope he doesn’t get injured.

Well have a super Monday

A xxxx