They're going home

- the English football team that is.

In fact they're probably back in Blighty already, scurrying homewards to their mansions before packing their speedos and Ambre Solaire and heading off to the beaches of 5* resorts as far away from the likes of you and me and the journalists and paparazzi of Fleet Street as possible, in the desperate hope that by the time the English premiere league starts another interminable season (in the middle of August, so I wont even get a full month without the damn game) maybe, just maybe the public and the fans will have forgotten the dreadful charade that was the England team in South Africa, having rings run around them...although I doubt it somehow.

We watched the "match" with English friends in the company of an equal number of Germans, it was a lovely afternoon - perfect weather (blisteringly hot) great bbq food and free flowing prosecco, just a shame about the entertainment really. We'd had such high hopes, even the Germans locally, prior to the match had been saying they didn't rate Germany's chances, but I should know by now that Germans tend to be reticent about things like that, preferring to downplay matters as opposed to the cocky, self-sure nature of the Brits, it's only in recent years that they've felt proud to display their country's flag (although they have gone a little overboard now).

Fortunately the late afternoon timing of the match (as opposed to evening) meant that the post match celebrations were over long before bedtime, I can do without trying to get to sleep while 20-30 scooters and flag laden cars honk their way around town.

I am planning to lie low for as long as possible this week, I have food supplies laid in that mean I don't have to go to the supermarket until Wednesday, maybe even Thursday (such forward planning eh? I knew whichever way the match went, being English in Germany this week wouldn't be fun). At least I have that option, I feel sorry for my kids who have had to go to school and face their German friends, Ben says the girls in his class were the meanest - although that doesn't appear to bother him, as in his mind girls don't count (yet - it's only a matter of time) Jas very cannily preempted any snide comments by painting the German flag on her ankle and wearing the German flag to school.