A day of football

Wednesday was a day of total football. We picked the Juniorette up straight from school and then headed down to Frankfurt to catch the second half of 1.FFC Frankfurt v WFC Rossiyanka in the quarter final of the women’s UEFA cup. Frankfurt won the tie 2-1 against their Russian counterparts and now advance to the semi final. After the game the Juniorette went autograph hunting and I managed to get a couple of photos of her and some of the players.

In the top photo she is with Steffi Jones who has recently been made President of the organising committee for the next women’s world cup which will be held in Germany in 2011. The middle photo shows the Juniorette with 1.FFC and German national team player Kerstin Garefrekes.

Later we went to an Italian restaurant to eat and warm up, and then drove out to the Commerzbank Arena to watch Germany play out a rather dull goalless draw with Wales in a Euro 2008 qualifying game. The stadium was sold out, and reality of the situation was that Germany had already qualified for the finals next summer. They didn’t play bad, but they didn’t play good either. This resulted in a lot whistling in the second half to signal the crowd’s dissatisfaction. The Welsh fought hard and fully deserved the point. But as I explained to the Juniorette later, to truly appreciate a very good game you have to occasionally experience mediocre ones.

The Welsh fans cheered when they heard the result of the England game. England lost against Croatia and therefore have failed to qualify for next summers European Championship. I think with hindsight this will prove to be a good thing. England have good players but consistently crap management. It’s not just the coaching staff, but the Football Association committee as well. It’s time for some sweeping changes. I just hope someone has got the balls to make them.

When the north wind blows

The first signs of winter are apon us - minus temperatures at night and the first snow flurries have already happened. Technically winter doesn’t start until the 21^st December, but when I see the Cranes flying south for winter it heralds the start of winter for me. During the past couple of weeks I have made the garden ready for winter. The grass has been mown and fertilised, dead plants cut back and the patio furniture has retired to the cellar for the winter months.

I have recently had by blood rechecked because of my thyroid condition, and all appears as well as it can be. Cholesterol and a few other things are border line, but since I developed a dodgy thyroid this seems to be normal. I exercise, hardly eat meat, and have a low fat diet. Not much else I can do really. Since the weather has got colder I have restarted going to the gym and have found it not as hard work as I thought it would be, considering my last visit was 5 months ago. I guess playing a bit of football and going jogging over the summer has really kept me in shape.

Well the advantage of my personal winter starting early, is that spring will come early as well. The Cranes will be back overhead in February, and I can’t wait to see them, as spring is without doubt my favourite time of the year. It’s like a rebirth.

7 Random things

I have been tagged by Expat Traveller for the 7 Random things meme. Check out her blog. She is an excellent photographer and a very good swimmer.

1. I have no middle name.

2. I have one grey pubic hair called George.

3. I really don't like driving. I'd much rather be a passenger. Infact cars don't really interest me at all.

4. I have an under active thyroid gland. Which can sometimes explain my sloth like nature :)

5. Whilst drunk during my teenage years I fell out of a first floor window whilst looking for the bathroom. I survived the fall with no injuries.

6. My favourite bird is the Peregrine Falcon

7. My grandfather participated in the last British square formed by the British army. Quite ironic really as he was in the Navy at the time.

Here are the rules which you must abide by if you are tagged.
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 3 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

I am tagging Fruits of my mind, Combe Martin Life, and Cheeseburgers & Sauerkraut