Stalled again..

      I don't know why but I can't seem to move in any direction at the mo! The possibility of selling this house came and went very quickly - though it was a positive experience because all the people who came to view were very impressed with what I have done. At least that's what they said after the Agent had shown them round (should that be shewn?), and there were 6 viewings in 2 weeks with one cash offer very close to the asking price. I felt that was a good result and though I definitely felt I couldn't move in a hurry, it did reassure me about the value of my house. After all I spent a great deal of money on refurbishing it, and in the current climate (what with Brexit etc) I wasn't sure about property values, even here in the South East, close to Brighton, which is usually a "hot spot". So a positive response, and I look around and feel that it was worth spending the money to make the house "perfect". Instead of spending a fortune on moving, I'm planning to spend it on nice trips and fun!!
      Big Grandson will be pleased anyway,  because although he would like me to be living next door  to Daughter and Co, he doesn't want me to sell this house - not surprising I guess because when he stays with me he has his own bedroom and bathroom, and I simply let him be which is important for teenagers I think. Yes he plays on his XBox a lot, but we always balance that with stuff we do together, like eating supper and watching a movie :)) - sometimes even playing Scrabble -  and his Mum does limit his game time, which is good. I was listening this morning to a programme on Radio 4 about children with addiction problems related to their phones, screens and social media in general. It's difficult to deal with and obviously something to be aware of and guard against..
      The first trip I'm planning is another Barcelona jolly with the very same Big Grandson. I'm just looking at flights and we are going for a week at the end of August, the week before he goes back to school. We are planning to stay with Son and family in Barcelona and will do some lovely things I'm sure. They are five minutes from the beach and the weather should still be hot. One thing we won't be doing is taking his X Box!
      P.S. I have been watching and listening to the golf over the weekend, as it sort of helps me through my football withdrawal symptoms! One of the commentators happened to mention that "Harry Kane, England Captain" was among the spectators. I felt immensely cheered by that - there he was, apparently wearing sunglasses, enjoying some time off watching the Open. What Larks! 
   

The Heat is ON.

       What a Summer we are having, It's so hot - too hot for many people - and there's the World Cup too. It certainly is a July to remember. I'm quite  happy to stay out of the sun and watch football, but I have also had a couple of lovely days on the beach at Rustington with one of my Best Friends, and we have swum in the sea too. It's glorious and much too good to miss.
       This evening it's going to be the first semi-final of the World Cup, with France playing Belgium. It's bound to be a tough game, and I'm having a job deciding who to support - especially since we (England) will be facing the winners tomorrow in our semi-final. Throughout this tournament I have been cheering for the team which had either a Spurs, or ex-Spurs player, and in this instance both teams have Spurs connections! It's a tricky one! France have Lloris as their Captain and goalie, and as he is the current Spurs goalkeeper, I guess I'll go with France. However, just to complicate matters further, I am going out for dinner this evening too - meeting a BBF at 8pm at Cote in Brighton, which is lovely, but I'm already making plans to arrive early and pop into the Pub opposite where they have a large screen for the footie. If I time it right, I can arrive at 7pm, watch the first half there and then just pop across the road at half time for our supper. And then I'll just have to catch up with the second half later...
       But tomorrow evening, I'll be glued to the England game and unable to focus on anything else except our brave boys and their Manager. Am I the only one who was confident that they would do well in this World Cup? I was certainly in a minority but I have been optimistic about their chances from the beginning. I'm naturally positive and could see that the combination of a young. intelligent Manager with a young and very talented squad would have a good chance. And it has been good to see the pundits growing in confidence too. Lineker, Shearer and Co have also cheered up hugely and are obviously daring to hope for a trophy. There has been none of that awful negativity of previous years.  Yes, it has been a surprising World Cup in that many of the old favourites were knocked out, but maybe it's time they were. Goodbye to Ronaldo, Messi and Co and hello to Kane, Alli and Co.. Gareth Southgate may be guilty of starting a fashion in M & S waistcoats but who cares if he can lead our young Lions to Victory. Come on England!!
   

En-ger-land..

      Well, I don't suppose I'm the only one writing about the football today. Last night I was glued to the television, just like millions of other fans, and going through very hell as our team fought its way to the quarter finals of the World Cup! And fought it was - I don't think I have seen quite as many deliberate fouls on and off the ball as we witnessed last night. I suppose I should have felt sorry for the poor referee who was mobbed by Colombian players every time he made a decision they didn't like. And there were plenty of those. Our boys, though, were magnificent and mostly kept their cool.
Of course the fact that the Spurs have five players in the England Squad is a matter of great pride to me, and my family. And they all played so well - three of them scoring in the final penalty shoot-out:
Harry Kane, Kieran Trippier and the heroic Eric Dier. What an excitement it was. and what a great result. Now we have to wait for the quarter final match against Sweden on Saturday. And as I have been watching the World Cup every day since it started, I'm already suffering withdrawal symptoms.
Wimbledon is no consolation either, though I expect I will take more notice of it next week.
      The hot (boiling) weather has luckily coincided with the World Cup, so I have  had the perfect excuse to stay out of the sun. Our grass is dry and burned off, and the poor plants are all gasping. I do give them some water, but it's impossible to give them enough. At the weekend I did go to a friend's beach hut in Rustington, which is fairly near, and had a glorious swim in the sea. It was my first swim of the year and just perfect on such a hot day. We also did those traditional "Beach Hut" things like making cups of tea and chasing her dog. And she was doing mini housekeeping in the hut.  It was very funny, and we laughed a lot.
      Moving on, I seem to be undecided about moving on. I was quite sure until last week when Big Grandson said he likes it here, and as he spends quite a lot of time here, that's important. In fact he stayed with me for the week last week as his Mum and the New Bloke went off for a few days holiday to the Isle of Wight. We got on very well and didn't have a single argument which he said was a novelty. Mind you, that house is so crowded what with New Bloke, his oldest Son of 18 and the dog living there permanently, with Daughter, Big Grandson and Granddaughter. And New Bloke's daughter who is 5, comes for weekends. We only need Old Uncle Tom Cobbley and all to top it off - it's no wonder they argue when they must be tripping over each other all the time.
    Ah well, nothing's perfect, I'm just glad it's not me sharing one bathroom with that lot!