Barbeques and World Cup Fever
Sunshine does funny things to us Brits. When hot weather hits, we’re not quite sure what to do with it! Last night we had a bbq. So did the rest of the country. Definitely the rest of Sheffield. The supermarkets were stripped of sausages, burgers and bread buns! I went to the DIY store to get gas for our bbq and it was full of people buying bbq’s and outdoor furniture in preparation for a weekend of hot weather (28 celcius/85ish farenheit which is about as hot as it gets here!) and England’s first World Cup game against Paraguay. The thing is, good weather is so unpredictable that we don’t ever plan for it. People in other countries might always have bbq’s and garden furniture for sunny days and warm evenings!
Last night, Sam manned the bbq. We intended to watch Schindler’s List but ran out of time (It’s very long!)
This weekend my friend from Uni, Jenny is staying. Instead of watching the England game, we saw it as an opportunity to go shopping as no one would be in town! We were right. The pubs were full of people dressed in red and white drinking beer. There were lots of police around. We saw a bit of trouble but that always happens after football matches when people have been drinking all day. The Police on horseback were around too. One policeman took away someone’s football and got a stream of abuse from a large crowd- it was like a school playground!
We had another bbq tonight with Jenny and another friend who we know from being at uni together - you’ve got to fit in as many as you can before the rain comes!!
I like the atmosphere when the sun shines and everyone is outside. Add some serious patriotism and passion that only football can create and there’s a sense of unity. For the next few months football will take over our lives. At least the shops will be quiet for a while - not the sausage aisle though!
bbq no. 1. Our new gas bbq!
Mmmm! Me, Chris, Helen and Chantelle - and Sam’s burger!
Bbq no. 2 at Rosie’s house. Sam took control of the cooking!
Mmmm again!
Jenny, Emma, Rosie and Me.
Come on Engerland! The football fest begins….. About 50,000 England fans were in Frankfurt for England’s first game! Even though I don’t get that into the games, I can really feel the collective passion of fans when they get together. Even in Sheffield City Centre it was pretty incredible. The game was broadcast from huge screens in most English Cities where massive crowds gather. That doesn’t happen for many other events. I don’t like the violence that often comes with it and the culture of drinking but something happens amongst people with a common vision or cause that is really powerful - for good or for bad. I can really feel that right now….
More football and barbeques to come!
June 11th, 2006 at 12:30 am
this sounds like so much fun - soccer is no where that important here in the us (at least not in pittsburgh) although i did have a few conversations this evening about the world cup at a neighborhood bbq.
June 11th, 2006 at 12:37 am
I thought about you both as I watched England this morning with my son. Glad you had some nice weather…we sorta that for granted here in sunny California.
I can only imagine the rucus! Enjoy the games! (ps I’m coaching my first football team this year! Under 6 group with my son!)
E-
June 11th, 2006 at 8:22 am
England football supporters are amazing. There were 3000 officially allocated tickets for England for this match and yet it was estimated that there were over 30,000 supporters in the stadium! And then a further 20,000 watching on a big screen outside the stadium. It was like a home game!
The whole nation just comes to a standstill for the matches. And for any England match that clashes with work time, we’re told to just go and watch the match and make the time up. It’s great!
Good to hear you were watching the England game, Eric. Supporting England I hope! And cool to hear you’re coachng a football team - that should be fun!
June 11th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
Today I’ll take a picture of our BBQ grill…I think you’ll laugh when you see it.
Go Engerland…I said that once yesterday and thought of you! Have fun in the sunshine!
June 11th, 2006 at 1:49 pm
I watched Beckham “bend it” with a little help from Paraguay to score a Goooooooaaaaalllll!
Since we have no team in the US b-ball playoffs or hockey play-offs, and I’m quite certain our very own Detroit Tigers will end up tanking by the end of this baseball season, I think I’ll watch more World Cup. Soccer (aka football) is cool.
Wow, that bbq picture looks good. I’ll have the steak.
June 13th, 2006 at 5:15 pm
Your grill is so small and cute! No wonder, it’s not like you can leave it out all summer and just store it away in the Winter. No space, and with the weather probably no point. Hmmm. How interesting. The marketing class wheels start spinning in my mind…
-Mel
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