You may have noticed this little football tournament that's going on in South Africa at the moment. Well, it's been noticed quite considerably over here in the UK and not just because the English expect(ed) to win it.
A massive showing of national pride by the English with flags and promotions all over the place has been interesting to watch. I've never seen a nation so obsessed by a sporting event before - and that includes the likes of the Melbourne Cup, State of Origin, AFL Grand Final and the Ashes.
I joined Mark n Row at their local cricket club for England's first game where we had a bbq before watching their somewhat disappointing game against the USA. As you can see their patriotism was definitely on show with these English flag burger buns! (right) Still a fun summer evening in semi-rural England.
Meanwhile, I joined Vanessa, Zara and Jarrett as we managed to get out and about to watch the Australian games in certain pubs and beer gardens around London recently (as you
can see). And while the Aussies have had some mixed success at the competition, the locals here have had a similar experience.
Unfortunately for them, they crashed out somewhat earlier than expected. That fateful game began while I was in a café/restaurant with Sheryl, Steve, Eileen, Mum n Dad. We would be sitting there chatting when you would suddenly hear a shout from the kitchen, followed by nearly all the staff take off at a run for the kitchen to see what happened. One waiter literally shoved the plate onto the table as he legged it across the restaurant and into the kitchen.
Sheryl and I left Steve, Ei, Mum n Dad as we headed back into Hampton and a pub that was showing the game. Funnily enough we ended up sitting with two elderly fellows, one of which was German. "We are all European Friends" he told us quietly, and once we told him we were Australian he relaxed considerably.
Anyway, as you may well know, England lost (badly) and the media and locals have gone berserk since. Below is a small sampling of the papers the next morning after they were knocked out. Quite sad how they've turned on their team. But the World Cup continues and hopefully it will continue to capture people's imagination.
A massive showing of national pride by the English with flags and promotions all over the place has been interesting to watch. I've never seen a nation so obsessed by a sporting event before - and that includes the likes of the Melbourne Cup, State of Origin, AFL Grand Final and the Ashes.
I joined Mark n Row at their local cricket club for England's first game where we had a bbq before watching their somewhat disappointing game against the USA. As you can see their patriotism was definitely on show with these English flag burger buns! (right) Still a fun summer evening in semi-rural England.
Meanwhile, I joined Vanessa, Zara and Jarrett as we managed to get out and about to watch the Australian games in certain pubs and beer gardens around London recently (as you
can see). And while the Aussies have had some mixed success at the competition, the locals here have had a similar experience.Unfortunately for them, they crashed out somewhat earlier than expected. That fateful game began while I was in a café/restaurant with Sheryl, Steve, Eileen, Mum n Dad. We would be sitting there chatting when you would suddenly hear a shout from the kitchen, followed by nearly all the staff take off at a run for the kitchen to see what happened. One waiter literally shoved the plate onto the table as he legged it across the restaurant and into the kitchen.
Sheryl and I left Steve, Ei, Mum n Dad as we headed back into Hampton and a pub that was showing the game. Funnily enough we ended up sitting with two elderly fellows, one of which was German. "We are all European Friends" he told us quietly, and once we told him we were Australian he relaxed considerably.
Anyway, as you may well know, England lost (badly) and the media and locals have gone berserk since. Below is a small sampling of the papers the next morning after they were knocked out. Quite sad how they've turned on their team. But the World Cup continues and hopefully it will continue to capture people's imagination.
Apparently, there's a lawn tennis tournament going on over here too...
1 comment:
the aussies home here weren't too impressed with our team either!!
Glad we saw Africa the month before the World Cup, felt the excitement without the crowds, stayed behind the Cape Town stadium. J & P
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