Word of the week - Football. Birmingham City FC V FC Barcelona

I was back at B9 St Andrew's At Knightshead Park this week or just BCFC, Birmingham City Football Club. Too many names, for one ground, new sponsors and a terrible new kit, that looks like you've just finished shift at the local bookies, had your tea (dinner) and not had time to change before heading out to watch the match.

Friday night was a friendly against FC Barcelona and a lot of people moaned they were just putting out their B team, it was a fairly impressive line up. 

I've got my season ticket this year and I'll be seated along the goal line on the left of this photo near the tunnel, for the this game I was 4 rows from the front and 6 seats to the right. it was difficult to see down the line.

I always get to the ground at lease 90 mins before kick off and I will often read, talk to people, get coffee and have my picnic tea.

The Vertu car delivering the match ball.

Frenkie de Jong

'He's one of our own, Jude Bellingham, he's come on home'

ELO Mr Blue Sky welcoming FC Barcelona to B9

Draw after 90 mins and we won 3-2 after sudden death penalties.

The 1875 bus was held up in traffic with 28,000 plus attendance and it was a full on run for the train home home and with 2 platform changes within minutes of getting to the station it was touch and go, but I made it. There was the last train half an hour later at 11pm, but I'd rather not be hanging around the station on my own. It would be quicker to walk/run but not safe at that time of night, in fact it's often not safe in broad daylight if I'm being honest.

31st July - 2nd August 2026 - Post Comment Love

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Bosworth.Life and I.

Post Comment Love #PoCoLo is a friendly weekly linky where you can link up any blog post you've written this week. If you're new or a regular visitor we're sure you'll find something of interest.

Please leave a comment with the host you link up with and we'd also appreciate your help spreading the #PoCoLo word on Twitter/X tag us and we'll RT. You can find us here: Stephanie - @BosworthLife and Suzanne - @ChickenRuby Please also add our badge to your post.

I'll be catching up with reading your posts, sharing and commenting over the next few days. 

Just when you thought you were safe from the football, it's almost time for the EFL to restart and I'm making my way up to Birmingham this afternoon to watch them play Barcelona tonight.

I'm not impressed with the new kit or sponsor, I'd look like I'd have just finished a shift at the bookies.

This is the shirt I'll be wearing, it was the 4th kit for the 25/26 season. The Penguin shirt from the 71/72 season, my era.

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The best bits of April 2026

In no particular order:

Our next cat. Been hanging around our house and garden for quite a while now despite Pushkins seeing it off on a regular basis, although at the time of writing not seen for a week or two.

Enjoying the sun, but why she has to sit here, I do not know.

Watching us while we do the garden.

Not helpful at all.

A visit to Brockhampton Estate.

A day out at countrytastic with child2, Dil and the grandchildren.

An easter party in our old neighbourhood with our oldest friends.

Three football matches this month. It all went a bit Peaky Blinders for the game against Blackburn.

Attendance was low against Preston North End. I'm in the yellow coat.

Last home game of the season against Bristol Rovers and I got whacked in the head by one of their players.

Great to get the washing out on the line. There has also been a lot of gardening done but too many photos to choose from.

Kath turned 50. She is the one responsible for me running the Brighton Marathon. I've got to blame someone. She is also my motivational coach who kept me going when I didn't think I could do it.

Flowers and good luck card from Kath the day we travelled down to Brighton.

Fundraising was probably the hardest part of the marathon and I'm grateful to each and every one of you who dropped something in the pot, with almost £2000 raised since last September.

Nails painted in the colours of Bowel Research UK. It's a great way to get the conversation started and now I can casually drop in 'oh did I mention I ran a marathon for them to raise funds in memory of Stephanie?'

And finally the Brighton Marathon.

Before:

During:

After:

And my final finally my support crew - Peter. He's not a big fan of featuring on my blog. In 2024 I insisted on taking a selfie a day for a year and he moaned like mad about it. At Stephanie's funeral he acknowledged how grateful he was for all the photos I had taken over the years of us all as a family as we had so many photos of Stephanie to choose from, he's just not a big fan of me sharing them everywhere.

Post Comment Love 9th - 11th January 2026

Welcome back to #PoCoLo and 2026 with Stephanie from Bosworth.Life and I.

Post Comment Love #PoCoLo is a friendly weekly linky where you can link up any blog post you've written this week. If you're new or a regular visitor we're sure you'll find something of interest.

Please leave a comment with the host you link up with and we'd also appreciate your help spreading the #PoCoLo word on Twitter/X tag us and we'll RT. You can find us here: Stephanie - @BosworthLife and Suzanne - @ChickenRuby Please also add our badge to your post.

I'll be catching up with reading your posts, sharing and commenting over the next few days. 

We had a pre Christmas visit from child 2 and family.

We took our granddaughter to the panto and then her dad, mum and baby brother joined us for a christingle service on Christmas Eve, the day itself, then hubby entertained on Boxing Day and I went to the football.

We went to Portsmouth for the New Year and I did a parkrun on New Years Day at Southsea.

All the decorations are down, there's been snow and I'm back in work. It feels like Christmas and the New Year was a long time ago now.

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and here's to a prosperous 2026.

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Week 38 One daily Positive and Project 365. Dubai to UK.

I forgot to add to last week's post that when we checked into our apartment in Dubai we were asked if we wanted a smoking or non smoking room. I hadn't realised that this was still a thing.
Smoking in Australia is pretty much outlawed everywhere, even walking through the city. In Dubai it doesn't seem to matter, yet.
I've missed being in Dubai, not the weather, it's so hot and it's coming out of summer now into winter. We did a lot of walking both inside and out but I walked through the train station's air conditioning when I could.

Sunday 

Day 256 7am and off to the beach. Peter actually went for a swim. He’s not a fan of the salt, water and sand combination. Back to hotel for breakfast, shower and off to Mall of the Emirates to do some shopping. Dinner at the Souk Madinat and back to pack ready for an early flight.

Monday 

Day 257 7am and off to the beach. Peter actually went for a swim. He’s not a fan of the salt, water and sand combination. Back to hotel for breakfast, shower and off to Mall of the Emirates to do some shopping. Dinner at the Souk Madinat and back to pack ready for an early flight.

Tuesday 

Day 258 Dubai Museum of the Future, drive by photography on the way to the airport. Flight was uneventful and I got some sleep. Train home, unpacked, Peter did a food shop while I did the washing and we struggled to stay awake going to bed at 8.30pm.

Wednesday 

Day 259 Drs, coffee, food shop, washing, reading and an early night. Granddaughter asked for Barbie in a wheelchair for her birthday ‘just like Aunty Stephanie’

Thursday

Day 260 Cat collected from mums and off to visit grandchildren. Home at 7pm and off to bed.

Friday

Day 261 Early walk to town for coffee and the post office and rest of the day spent gardening. I was in bed and asleep by 8pm.

Saturday

Day 262 9am train to Birmingham, coffee and walk to the ground. A tense game winning in extra time. Train home and lazy afternoon/evening in front of the tv.

Things to make you smile:

Video call with my grandson who said to his dad 'stand up daddy' My son asked why and grandson replied with 'I want to show Granny how big you are'

Things that made me happy:

Despite having the best time with child 3 and our holiday in Australia and Dubai, it is lovely to be home and back in our own bed. Birmingham won 1-0.

On the blog this week:
Word of the week - Brunch (in Dubai)

Post Comment Love - link up with any post written this week

Walking in Australia - Part 2

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Word of the Week - Football

Football is something we enjoy as a family. Well Peter, myself and child 3 & 4. Our two oldest grandchildren are showing an interest also.

My father was a goalkeeper and played in the late 50's/ early 60's for Barry Town.

Child 3 & 4 played football from the ages of 4/5 and child 3 took up refereeing. 

I used to work for the Football Association also.

I'm a Birmingham City fan. I started supporting them in 2006 when child 4 trained in the academy. Child 3 switched allegiance and started to follow them also. He was a season ticket holder. We went to all the home matches up till the end of 2010 when we left the UK. Birmingham bounced between the Premiership and the Championship. We used to travel a lot to Wembley for England games and attended a couple of cup finals.

When we left the UK we were able to watch all the Championship games on the TV in South Africa and when we were home there was the odd game we'd go to.

Since moving back to the UK in 2021, football wasn't a priority. I was back in work, our weekends were spent with Stephanie and the grandchildren that had now entered our lives. But I missed the football and was itching to get back up to the ground to cheer the blues on.

Nothing was stopping me so off I went, now in the First division and looking likely they would get promoted, getting a ticket was getting hard. With a stadium capacity 29,409, the matches were selling out fast. Even in the Premiership it wasn't that hard to get a ticket.

I am wearing an official BCFC item of clothing, it's just from a few seasons ago. 

The season is over now, I've joined a queue for a season ticket for 25/26. The atmosphere in the ground has been outstanding, being part of something bigger than you as a spectator is amazing.

Sadly there was a pitch invasion and things took an ugly turn at the last home game of the season when Birmingham won 4-0, won the league and were promoted to the Championship. But a handful of idiots won't spoil my enjoyment of the game and they'll be banned from the ground now.

Just another aspect of my changing life

Driving....I used to drive for bloody miles, I’d think nothing of meeting my son off the train in Droitwich after a day at work and drive to Wembley to watch England play, drive home and go to work the following day. Mid week fixtures at St Andrews in all weathers and I was in the car and off.
I’d stop and ask for directions, pull over at the services for a stretch, coffee and smoke to keep me going or even a short kip in the car.
My work in child protection would see me attending meetings, god knows where all over Worcestershire, a club house, a church hall, a pub all in the middle of nowhere, all at night and the bloody sat nav was useless. So armed with a rough direction, someone’s number should I not be able to find ‘the third track’ on the right, just past the field with cows, I’d head off into the darkness, alone for maybe a 1 hour meeting and then try to find my way home again.
We’d get in the car on weekends and drive to the coast, having only made the decision and decided to go at 1pm, we’d get distracted on route and end up at an English heritage site, where we’d picnic and walk, especially if it rained, we’d leave the children behind, once the eldest hit 18 he’d babysit our then 8 year old and we’d always be back before 10pm.
We’d load up the car and go camping or a last minute trip to France on a Friday night on an overnight ferry, returning Sunday lunch time.
I can’t do that anymore and it makes me sad, another aspect of my freedom gone. I do drive at night, but never after 8pm, if hubby is away and the kids have something on at school I organise a lift home for them. I have to plan trips in advance so I can have the sat nav (maybe it’s time we invested in another) I have to know where I am going, when I will be back and what the alternative routes are in advance. I have to make sure my phone is fully charged; avoid the townships (once I’ve worked out where they are)
There are a few townships I drive past on some of my more regular routes and I prefer heading north towards Pretoria rather than south towards Johannesburg. I’m constantly scanning the road ahead and behind me, I can’t pull over to let a vehicle past, I need to keep on going, I stop at lights and check my mirrors constantly, I never leave anything in my car other than maybe my hat on the back seat, I have to have my passport and driving licence on me at all times then I panic if I get mugged I’ll lose everything, as I can’t leave it in my car as that may get stolen.
I made a rooky mistake in my thought that I wouldn’t get car jacked if I was in a busy place as they wouldn’t be able to drive the car off anywhere, but then realised I was just a sitting target to be robbed even in broad daylight, so now I ensure I leave a big enough gap from the vehicle in front of me so I can just drive off if necessary, but the bloody taxi drivers just fill that gap anyway.