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First Under 9s football match for a while, due to bad weather or me being away on tour. It was a beautiful spring day and we were on the outskirts of Harpenden playing on astroturf. The teams seemed well matched and I was hopeful for a much needed win. Not that it matters as it's the taking part that counts. But it's much better if you win though.
The other team seemed to have the edge in the first half and then scored a great goal just before half-time and it seemed likely that another defeat was on the cards, but we (and when I say we I mean some 8 and 9 year old children from my village and nearby) scored an early goal in the second half and then got a penalty that was beautifully converted and kept up the pressure for the remaining two quarters and totally dominated. We won 5-1 which was a bit of an unfair scoreline, but it was amazing to see the confidence that a couple of goals gave us and those young tykes kept fighting and I haven't felt happier since I realised I could get 9 hours of parking for £7. Admittedly that was yesterday, but still.
I was very proud of my battling daughter who was a stone wall in defence again and bought her a Mars Bar duo that she promised to share with her brother which cost £2, leading me to tell her that I remembered when a Mars Bar was 3p. Not sure I am correct about that, but I definitely remember a time when it wasn't £1 a bar.
Sorry, I've opened the middle-aged doors now and this is it for the rest of my life now. It is, however well over 50 years since I first ate a Mars Bar and the equivalent would be someone from World War 1 complaining that a Mars Bar was no longer ten huge bars for tuppence happenny, so I don't mind too much. It was good to buy such an expensive prize for my amazing daughter.
It's a relentless week of working, travelling and socialising and I am holding up better than I expected. We went to our friends' for and afternoon lunch, where the kids all occupied themselves (largely without damage) whilst the adults chatted and drank in the kitchen and then on to the new house to try to meet our neighbour and drop off a few more boxes of stuff. Our neighbour wasn't in, so we're yet to meet the person/people who will impact our lives for the next decade or so, though to be fair I think it's likely that our family may impact on their peace and quiet a bit more than the other way round. Our future life awaits us there, but for now we remain in the past, a little decompression chamber existence, giving us a chance to get used to the idea in apparent peace, before our lives are turned upside down, shaken around and we can just hope that we end up landing on our feet rather than our heads or arses.
Very nice to have this cushion in place though, but hopefully it won't be for too long as we are now paying two mortgages and sets of bills. Hooray for us.
