FAMILY

I had a chance to go to South Africa for the World Cup, but it was a three month stint, with Rash, the la who's sending the stuff over from the World Cup to this blog.
It would have been amazing, a true I WAS THERE memory, but...
Where do you really want to be, when matches like these mean so much to you? I want to be with my mates and most of all my Dad. I get away with murder/manslaughter with the amount of things my wife and kid let me get up to, but three months away from my 3 year old, not to mention losing my job, might have been a stretch.
I watched the first two games today as I'm sure you have. It's about the moments we share as human beings at times like this that is more important than anything. Just imagine, for a second, we win it... July 11th (my Dad's birthday), with your mates and if you've still got one your Dad, if I was given the choice a thousand times, it would be the same.
Tomorrow, I'll be at my Dad's gaff, supping beers, eating BBQ, smoking snouts and if my sister comes, have a cheeky line once the litlun is in the sack hoping and praying for an England victory.
I've had about 8 of my new home brew batch, which isn't the best I admit, and I'm feeling a little emotional. Plus I've just watched One Night In Turin about Italia 90 and spotify is playing Embrace's World at Your Feet, so it wont be long before I start welling up.
I love football so very, very much and I love the England football team a hundred times more than my club team, so every international tournament is important to me. But this one is weird and wonderful for me, It's the first one that my son will experience (although he hasn't got a scooby what is going on), I've moved back East to be nearer to my Dad in his twilight years and I wont be getting my cock out every time England score. (Pity -ed)
To all of you who read this blog and love the three lions, although most of them are total pricks, good luck tomorrow, enjoy and embrace the day and fingers crossed it's a winner.
I'm well aware that I banged on about the Dad thing, and one person who is very close to me lost his Dad not so long ago, but I hope he knows how much I love him and that he is as important to me as the rest of my family, and with hope in our hearts and the wind at our heels, we'll finally sort this aaaaaaatttt.
Lots of love you crazy kids, I for one wont sleep tonight, it could be excitement, it could be the benny I've just dropped or the home brew keeping me on the shitter all night.
If you have a couple of moments and are not feeling as patriotic as you would like, take a look at Dennis Potter's final interview before his death with Melvyn Bragg talking about how he is proud to be English, 'but not the way the Sun is', how he looks out of his bedroom window in the morning knowing that death is upon him looking at the apple blossom drift in the streets... It's pretty fucking special.
Good luck and G-D speed.
Bosh!
WE AINT NO HOOLIGANS, THIS AINT A FOOTBALL SONG,
3 LIONS ON MY SHIRT, I KNOW WE CAN'T GO WRONG.