Let's be fair, it's been a tough week for me. Okay, the best team won on the day (that will be Monday if you're not keeping track) but there was enough there that I dare to hope that the youthful England team have a far brighter future than the more "mature" Italians (surely?). My immediate reaction following the seemingly insane decision to send a 19 year old out to take a penalty in the biggest match that my home country has seen for over 50 years, was one of resignation. Ignoring the disgusting reaction from some of the planet's bigger morons online, however, the decision to send the youngsters out might have seemed odd to many, but I guessed (correctly as it turns out), that the spot-kick-takers would have been decided prior to the match and the choice based on their performance in training. Of course training and practice are no substitute for the real thing, and so it proved on Sunday night/Monday morning (as a side note, hats off to Jazz Janewattananond for practicing bunker shots on his knees, as if it wasn't difficult enough as it is - the practice paid off at the Open when he parred the 11th hole from his knees out of a greenside bunker) Of course it might also be pointed out that my passing interest in 22 prima donna's flailing about as if they had lost a limb at the slightest touch, could potentially be less knowledgeable that a Team Manager who has literally lived the sport for 30 or 40 years? Doubtful, but possible, I suppose. The week then descended into the more unpleasant sort of headlines that we are all so used to: "Disappointed England fans behave abominably"; "Prime Minister has priorities all wrong, gives money to hard-up gang members in hope that they will reform" (to be fair I suspect this is more of a messaging mishap, but still); "Climate Change causes catastrophe (in both hemispheres this week, our thoughts go out to those in the South Island, and to those in Western Europe suffering from devastating floods this week) "Farmers complain" "Accidental Leader opens UK to Covid19 nightmare" "Qualifying for the Olympic super spreader event starts slowly" "Former US President opens mouth to verbalise the greatest ever internal angst in human history, at consistent lack of attention from rest of planet" (no-one in history has ever been ignored as badly, apparently) All of which is so typically depressing that I have decided to create a good/odd news haven here on the newsletter. Well I can report that having searched the internet for spots of sunshine, frankly, I have become even more despondent, as nothing it seems can cheer me up - not even kittens frolicking joyfully with puppies was enough to kick me out of my despondency Bugger it. None of this will have anything to do, of course, with the paltry 25 points I scored on Wednesday - I even signed for the wrong score in the hope of being DQ'd, not that it happened (I am joking, it was a genuine mind-burp). Nor has it anything to do with my 9 year old beating me (again) today on his reduced handicap - I am, though, starting to realise just how creative my father has proven to be in coming up with ever more inventive ways to kick my ass all over the golf course. On top of all this, I have succumbed to the virus that has afflicted pretty much everyone else I know, both at home, and at work. Now I could make the usual jokes about how man-flu is the worst thing in the world ever (and there have been studies to back this up - ok, probably by men), but frankly, I am too bunged up and dejected to bother arguing the point Suffice to say, if you want to stay well, staying well away from me is probably a good start Stay safe, and play well Steve (suffering in dignified silence, as all of us good men do) |