Weekends a whole new ballgame now
MY weekends have transformed now the football season has started again.
At 7.45am on Saturday I call our Robert’s Radio 5 Live show to give my match predictions. This week I was the only one to rightly predict Newcastle would beat West Ham 2-0. I love beating the pundits – I beat Robert all last season too.
Robert and Chris Sutton asked me to predict the top four in the Premier League and I said Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United.
But when he asked me to predict the bottom four, I refused. I think it’s disrespectful to write teams off before they’ve even kicked a ball and it’s not fair on the clubs, the players or fans. Everyone has dreams. Then, I settled down to watch the run-up to the matches on BT Sport. And when I catch a couple of live games I don’t shout and scream at the screen – I’m not a hooligan. For the rest of the evening I’m riveted to the radio with all the postmatch analysis until it’s time for bed. It has taken decades for women to become the norm in football crowds and on the pitches.
And there are plenty of women – like me over 70 – who love it too.
MY neighbour Beryl called to say she wished she was somewhere nice. So I went to her house with my walker and two cafe lattes and we sat together, pretending we were in Llandudno. It’s nice to dream.
We both said if we’d known back in March we’d be pretty much at home for the next six months, we’d go daft. But as hard, scary and emotional as it’s been at times, it’s flown.
My next-door neighbour picked up his grandson from school this week and said it was pandemonium – parents without masks all too close.
I don’t like the “I’m Alright Jack” attitude. If we were all strict, there’d be no need for local lockdowns.
This Christmas won’t be the same. Going to town to see the lights and hear carol singers just won’t happen.
And I’ve started to face the fact I’ll probably be on my own. Usually I take turns going to Robert or Jonathan’s. But this year maybe Kim will deliver dinner on a tray and I’ll spend the day in my jimjams watching TV.
But lockdown has taught us that whatevers whatever’s thrown at us, we can cope and just get on with it.