Word of the week - Football

Peter dropped me off at St Andrew's @Knightshead Stadium last Saturday on our way home from Scotland so I could watch The Trevor Francis Memorial game, we won 1-0.

On Sunday we binged watched on Amazon 'Built in Birmingham: Brady and the Blues'

On Friday night I caught the train up to Birmingham in the afternoon, had something to eat, wandered round a couple of shops, treated myself in the Stadium shop and settled in my seat for the first home game of the season against Ipswich, back in the Championship.

I'm off to watch them play Sheffield United in the Carabo Cup next Wednesday.

I've accidentally bought a ticket to the Oxford game on August 23rd, when we're away.

The next home game I'll be going to is on September 20th v Swansea, a 12.30pm kick off.

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.

Week 13 2025 One Daily Positive and Project 365

I was off work until Friday. After a trip to A&E on Sunday, a drip and morphine, I woke on Monday morning with head pain. Straight to the GP and more meds. I rattle. I'm still not feeling right.

After searching for counselling and not being dragged into places I didn't want to be, I finally found my thing. A therapist at a Well Being Centre. I thought I’d booked a chiropractor. Nope. Had phoned wrong person, but this was better. Swedish massage. 75mins of pure bliss for £60. Back, neck, arms and head. And therapy thrown in. She was brilliant. I talked, I cried and I feel so much better physically and mentally. Booked in every Monday after work for 6 weeks.

Day 83
GP first thing, more tablets. Woke with throbbing headache after 4 hours sleep. All I managed today was to cook a roast and these fabulous Yorkshire puddings which I’m rather pleased with. The rest I froze. Rest of the day spent in bed or dozing on the sofa.

Day 84

Today I found my thing. I visited a well being clinic. I found the number looking for holistic support for my migraine. I had the most amazing 60+minute massage and therapy session. I could feel all the physical and emotional tension leaving my body. I talked, I cried. Peter arrived home mid afternoon. He chilled out on the sofa, I tucked into one of my presents and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening resting in bed.

Day 85 

Literally got out of bed to eat today. I know what’s going on, I can process it, I can see the road ahead, only I can ‘snap out of it’ but it’s not that easy’ there’s nothing to snap out of, I’m having to adjust and learning to live with grief, it’s complicated, you don’t just ‘get on with it’ you don’t just adapt to it. Video call with this cutie. There will be real life cuddles next week.

Day 86

We popped out to visit Peter’s mum and drop off her Mother’s Day gift and see our niece and great nephew for his 4th birthday and drop his present off also. Called in at Asda on the way home and I weeded the raised beds. Still got a perpetual headache, but if it’s not going to shift, I might as well just get on with life.

Day 87

The 2nd Mother’s Day gift to arrive, plus flowers from another son and thoughtful cards. It’s tricky trying to acknowledge Mother’s Day as a daughter and a DIL whilst accepting that as a mum Stephanie is no longer with us. I went back to work today. Had a meeting with HR to discuss how everything is getting on top of me and its effect on my health. Work was quiet, apart from a fire drill. Maths and English tutoring 1:1 in the afternoon. Coffee with Peter after work and popped into the pub for half an hour with a friend and home for dinner and TV. 

Day 88

The day started very early as I was awake at 4am. At 9am I was planting some seeds. Peter and I then went for coffee. He dropped me at the train station and I headed up to Birmingham to watch #bcfc. Good result. Train home, read my book, bath, watched TV and early bed planned.

Day 89

We spent the day in the garden, I planted the fruit trees moving soil from the front garden to fill the pots, after I'd decided where I wanted all the pots to go. We popped out for coffee and bought a chicken which I cooked for dinner in the evening and we celebrated the cats 16th birthday. I had an early bath and had a video call with grandson and a phone call with a friend.

Things to make you smile:

We made our annual trip to McDonalds to buy a happy meal for the cats birthday, there was a present and a card.

I sent took this photo just outside St Andrews on my way to the match and sent it to the family group chat 'remember this fence?' Back in 2009, Peter had a new car with parking sensors, he told the kids that when then solid beep was heard there was still a couple of feet before he hit anything. He got a far as the word 'couple' before hitting the fence and they've never let him live it down. The two boys who were in the car that day didn't know I was going to the game on Saturday, but both recognised the fence and knew where I was.

Things that made me happy:

Gifts and cards from the children and grandchildren, finally getting out in the garden, magnolia, baking, medication to take the migraine away, Peter being home.

On the blog this week: 

Post Comment Love - You're welcome to link up with any post you've written this week on any subject.

Plans for Spring Gardening - Since writing the post, almost half the plans are complete.

Word of the Week - Triggers - I've no idea what is going to trigger me, when or where.

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Family, friends and a fun fortnight.

We see our eldest grandchild and their parents on a regular basis and our grandchild in Northern Ireland as often as we can, but it is rare these days to get any of them together in groups, let alone all 5 kids with their families/partners. The last time we managed all 7 of us together was in 2017 in a car park in Cheltenham for this photo.

This week however we've had child 3 and his girlfriend staying with us from Australia and child 2, his wife and their child have joined in where they can, as well as visits to see parents, grandparents and friends popping in to say hi.

It's been hectic, full on, I've had a migraine, the house is a mess, but I've loved every minute of it and can't wait till we can get together again in small groups. Incidentally that will be next weekend in Northern Ireland for our 2nd grandchild's first birthday with his parents child 4 and wife, with child 2, his wife and their child coming over also.

But first we have Halloween to do with child 2, his wife and their child this weekend.

Child 1 and 2.

Making the Aussie visitors Child 3 and his girlfriend 3a feel at home.

Child 1 and 3.

Child 3 and 3a with Nanna.

The Things. 1, 2, 3 & 4.

Child 3 and grandchild made this mess.

Even the dog didn't escape the chaos, however according to our 3 year old grandchild, the cat has 'gone to the pub'

Back on his home turf.

Work Experience as an adult

How did you get that job? Is something I've heard since I entered the world of work. I started working in care in 1988 and always knew I wanted to be in this line of work. I like helping people and getting results. But care work had a shelf life for me when I was injured in the work place. It happened more than once and affected me emotionally as well as physically.

I started moving away from care towards working with children and young adults. by volunteering with a Scout Group through a friend. I then had relevant experience to apply for a job as a Youth Worker in 1994 and then moved into being a Teaching Assistant around 2000. In between I worked in supermarkets and a chip shop to boost my income, before doing a NVQ through a training scheme and finally obtaining my Cert Ed around 2007. I continued working with children and volunteering to run the local football club.

Whilst training I worked as a Lecturer at the local college and finally combined everything to work as a Child Welfare Officer for the local English Football Association.

Then in 2011 we moved to South Africa and my career came to an end. I continued teaching in a volunteering capacity and became involved with a couple of charities assisitng with education and general support in several townships, from art projects to new buildings, with fund raising and obtaining donations.

On moving to Dubai I taught FS1 for 18 months in a paid capacity, using my recent experience in South Africa to show a range of skills and diversity. I had to pack that in due to a family situation but I then started volunteering on the DP World Tour as a Marshall, which turned into being offered some occasional paid work when the Tour was in the UAE. I let the Production Team know I was now in the UK, but sadly due to the fact I returned to paid work as a Teaching Assistant in a local Secondary School, I've been unable to take time off to date other than the weekend of the 22nd-24th July at the Cazoo Classic in Southport.

All of this has been achieved by hard work, putting myself out there, networking, studying and hours trawling the internet looking for jobs and opportunities. I've also accumulated quite a variety of sports gear/uniform.

The first week in August I was volunteering at the Commonwealth Games in the Athletes Village in Birmingham. I had an interview back in September through my application and experience and I was initially turned down for a role. But I'm guessing lots of people drop out so I was asked if I wanted to work with Cleaning, Catering and Waste, front of house in the Olympic Village Restaurant meeting and greeting athletes and associated personal. 

It's another thing to put on my CV as I continue to search for opportunities wherever they take me. Pay isn't the issue, it's the opportunity to do something new, different and exciting.

One Daily Positive - Week 17 Back to the decorating

I seem to have switched my weekends back into Dubai mode, doing little on Friday on Saturdays, this makes it easier for me and Peter to keep in touch as he's really busy during the week with work, so I find it easier to occupy my time.

I've been going through my dads things recently and have been scanning stuff from his football career with Barry Town FC to the club for their records. Found a letter from Aston Villa inviting my dad to play in goal for them against Stoke in 1960. However my dad didn't make the team line up for the day and this was 5 years before they had subs in the game. As a Birmingham City fan, I now appear to have gained an awful lot of Villa fans after I tweeted the photo out.

If I don't get up, breakfasted and dressed straight away I tend to lounge around in my pjs and whilst I rest, I don't feel tired at the end of the day and keep waking early, feeling tired, so I need to stick to a routine to keep me motivated.

110 Sunday Cleaned the bathrooms, got dressed and spent the morning putting the bedding plants in, washing and repotting seeds, followed by walking Bob to the local shops as I'd run out of milk, picked up some magazines and sweets to post to my mum and some ice cream for me. Took myself off to bed for an hour and slept, hoovered, had dinner and watched Grease. Random calls throughout the day. Spent the evening writing letters.

111 Monday Lifted the hall/landing carpet, sanded down woodwork and repainted, sadly I don't have enough paint to finish the rest of the doors and skirting boards, spent time in my craft room painting rocks. Wrote some more letters, starting with one to our grandchild to read when they're older. Spent the afternoon lazing in the garden.

112 Tuesday Lacking motivation to do anything today. Got dressed and finished painting the walls, relaid the carpet, cleaned everything up and started a new project, papier mache a balloon. Bob and I walked to the postbox, we seem to go most days. I had a lovely surprise through the post from a twitter friend of a felting kit. Sanded down the rest of the woodwork and hooverd up, my house has never been so clean.

113 Wednesday I had to call a plumber out for the waste pipe in one of the bathrooms, as it came loose, he fixed the guttering and the over flow on the downstairs loo. I sorted through our finances while he was here and caught up with blog posts. Used the last of the paint to finish painting the downstairs loo and main bathroom. I managed to track down some paint through a facebook group Dean commented we should practice social distancing, doh!, anyway I thanked him for his time to make the comment. I walked with Bob to collect it for free, which was a bonus and let I Dean know we'd safe distanced on the handover. Dean's reply on the facebook group was 'just trying to help you protect ourselves' The guy I collected from is called Paul and a proper painter and decorator, offering me some handy tips. Sat in the garden for the afternoon blogging, remade the bed, cooked dinner and watched some TV and made poms poms for a rug.

114 Thursday I did nothing all morning, it's the 7th anniversary since we adopted Bob, I wrote a couple of letters, walked Bob to post them. Resumed with the painting, one door, frame and bathroom skirting boards took 2 hours, the earliest Emirates are flying is July 1st, so I've plenty of time to finish the job. In the evening I started a jigsaw puzzle, watched Children in Need/Comic Relief and joined the dwindling numbers of neighbours for clap for the NHS.

115 Friday Another slow start, a zoom call with a twitter friend and whatsapp chatting Ramadan Kareem to all my friends in the UK, Dubai and Egypt for a couple of hours, left over fajitas  from last night for lunch, assembled the new mower and did the lawns, finished painting the walls in the bathroom. Walked with Bob to the local shop to buy milk and some goodies, it was a bit stressful as one woman didn't know how to social distance and I ended up yelling at her to back off.

116 Saturday I prepared the main bedroom for painting, mowed the lawn, sat in the garden with a coffee and the cat. I decided to let her out for a bit now each day, so far she's only left the garden once, but was at the neighbours over the road. I've painted all the woodwork, walls and the radiators, just leaving two doors and a small amount of skirting board to do tomorrow as I can't get all the carpet up in one go, without shutting myself in the room.

I spent the evening registering 25 facilities in South Africa with a Christmas gift giving charity.

On the blog this week:

Darren was back with #MySundayPhoto this week so I linked up with a post on what I've been doing in the garden during lockdown

How I'm dealing with lockdown

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How to survive the World Cup 2018

It's the World Cup 2018. Four weeks of football, success and failures, who's to blame and did The England Manager make the right choices.

So here is what is going to happen over the upcoming weeks and a survival guide.

1. No amount of moaning about it will make it stop. You'll only stress yourself out.

2. Your normal television viewing will be interuppted, it will annoy you, but you can't do
anything about it.

3. Everyone will be talking about the it. The TV, papers, family, friends, colleagues, social
network sites, apart from not going out and staying off line, there is nothing you can do
about it.

How to get through the month of June and beyond.

1. Try and show some interest after all there won't be an awful lot else going on.

2. Don't even try and reach for the remote and don't expect that you get it back once the ref
blows his whistle, the match analysis is just as important and yes watching the replay of all
the goals is equally as important.

3. Keep the fridge full of drink and the cupboards stocked with snacks. It'll save you getting
disturbed and being sent out for supplies.

4. Do not mock your Other Half when watching and don't pull faces at their
mates when they come over to watch the games.

5. DO NOT, EVER say 'it's only a game' this is grounds for a divorce.

6. Your Other Half would rather be left in peace to watch the matches. They will only talk to
you during the adverts so don't view it as spending time together.

7. Don't expect the rules to be explained to you more than once and if your Other Half tries to
tell you them, look interested and ask no more than 2 questions.
(see previous post 'off side' rule)

8. Football is a game of opinion and if you don't know what you're talking about keep your
opinion to yourself.

9. Keep positive, use this time to spoil yourself, catch up with family and friends, read those
books and tweet without being nagged.

10. During matches remember this is probably the best time to go shopping, as hardly anyone
will be out.

Oh and finally, don't expect any sympathy and understanding to your needs as I will be avidly watching World Cup 2018 and will be tweeting in earnest. This is my pay back for all the reality show updates the rest of you post on social media the rest of the year.

I used to be a ....... soccer mum.

I used to be a soccer mum.

My eldest started playing football aged 5, for Forest Rangers in Cinderford in 1997, the middle child joined him in 1999 aged 4 and for the next 14 years, I spent 2-3 evenings a week sitting in car parks at training and weekends spent locating fields in the middle of nowhere for matches.

My career as a soccer mum came to an end in 2013 on the side of a pitch in South Africa, when the middle child declared he was no longer fussed with football and was concentrating his last 2 years in school on cricket and rugby.

I cannot begin to image the number of hours or the mileage I've driven, the time and cost of getting lost, even in convey. The rain and snow storms I've stood in, the number of times I've dug holes in the pitch to drain the water. The cups of teas and bacon butties made at home games, first aid administered, meetings attended, training, lifts given, the amount of subs collected or the money raised and the time spent organising presentation evenings. The kit washed and boots cleaned and tears dried when games were lost. I was never just a spectator. I dread to think how much we've paid for kit.

The boys have played football and/or referred in the Forest of Dean, Malvern, Birmingham and many, many tournaments around the UK. There have been trials, there have been holiday clubs and middle child spent 2 years training with Birmingham City.

 The middle boys trophies.

As well as supporting the kids playing football we've attended professional matches around the UK, mid week and weekend games to Manchester, Arsenal, Birmingham, Southampton and Wembley. We've seen England qualifiers and FA Cup finals, as well as promotions and sadly relegations. We've appeared on Match of the Day more times than we can remember. We watched Spurs play at Ellis Park.

Chelsea

Birmingham City

Promotion back to the Premiership

18th Birthdays

Wembley and a close up of David Beckham.

FA Cup Finals

Ellis Park and the vuvuzela.

My typical week was spent at work every day. Eldest child had local matches he referred on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays in adult leagues, Training on a Friday and matches on Saturdays. Middle child had local training on Tuesdays. Training in Birmingham on a Wednesday night and Saturday morning and local matches on a Sunday afternoon. I usually juggled getting the boys to their venues, either organising lifts or driving between local matches. Local meant within a 30 miles radius of home and often at opposite ends of this radius.

Sponsorship with McDonalds and local and national trophies won.

 There was a core group of around 6 kids who played in this team for 8 years.

With Geoff Hurst and Eric Harrison

Being the goalies mum is nerve racking.

The last 2 years as a football mum were spent in South Africa at Tuks University in Pretoria. this involved Fridays and Saturdays at training where I was the only soccer mum who stayed for the 2 hours, with a book, a flask and enjoying a walk around the grounds.

Training session at Tuks, South Africa.

For many years our lives as a family revolved around football, playing, watching, supporting, fundraising and I even worked for the local FA for 2 years.

I get to Birmingham City when I'm in the UK with  a combination of kids, with hubby or on my own. I miss the football and the way of life, the socialising, the training and the matches. At the time it was hard work and very time consuming, but a great way to spend time together as a family.

How do you spend your family time?