meanwhile

I've given in to orange - just a little. Because...
We've reached the finals of the Soccer World Cup 2010!! For the third time in history!! I've been around for all of those, but this is the first time I care ;)
This Sunday, July 11th, we're facing Spain!!

orange

A mere 45 minutes left before the Dutch soccer team meets the Japanese in Durban. So I've got a little time left to show you some orange.

This is what happens in neighbourhoods all over this little country when a Cup of Importance is played. We go orange. We go crazy. 45 minutes left and I can already hear the vuvuzelas down the street. Even Squirt knows, 'vu-elas' make noise!

Seeing that Man hails from South Africa, we had options. But we're both realistic enough to know that SA is a lot of things, both good & bad; soccer-skilled they are not, over there. So we're backing the Dutch.

Orange, though? Not so much. As a colour, I've sort of come to terms with it. But as far as national mayhem is concerned, I still go for peer pressure-in-reverse. If everyone else is doing it, I'm not, basically. I think it's a remnant from my days as a sort-of-goth - a bit of subversion, the defiant little girl I wrote about before.

These are my only concessions this year. A little flowering grass - seeing that there is, inevitably, grass involved when it comes to soccer - tied with a Dutch flag ribbon, and a bracelet of plastic beads that I got for free with my toothpaste (sic!) last week. There is all manner of free, soccer-related stuff available - every single supermarket (to start with) has their own brand of give-away molded plastic. I usually say 'no, thank you' while Squirt is still too young to appreciate it - I'm grateful & well aware it won't last... - but this trinket I kept, and I'm wearing it today. Really. I am.

So, no orange madness in this house, as such. But we'll be watching telly for sure! 5 minutes till start!


Update: a 1-0 win, but definitely not a great match. Quite boring to watch: so boring in fact, that both me and Man fell asleep on the couch! In the middle of the afternoon! We have no stamina! How embarrassing ;)

umpire

Speaking of complementing colours - and the soccer World Cup of course - Squirt has mastered the art of blowing a whistle!
And me? I feel like a pendulum, swinging madly. As a human being, I'm not sure I'm amused. At all. But as a mother? I don't think I could be prouder if I tried!
It's in the small things, isn't it? I think it is. Small thing, a whistle. But oh so loud ;)