I watched an interesting audition on Wednesday evening, along with well over twenty million other Britons. I’m not sure if it was for a remake of The Hunt for Red October or for a partner for Tom Daley in the 10 metre synchro at the next Olympics, but both Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling would seem to be highly qualified for either, judging from their diving skills on display at Wembley. Kane appeared to spend more time prostrate than he did running around and missing penalties. Sterling is so adept at it that he even conned the referee into giving England the crucial penalty that saw them through to The Final on Sunday. Sadly, faking foul tackles seems to be an essential part of the modern football strikers armoury. Some call it gamesmanship; to me it is out and out cheating and should be met with a red card every time. Maybe that would dissuade the cheats. Call me old-fashioned.
Whilst shopping in the delightful little Suffolk town of Aldeburgh today I remarked that it was very crowded. Daughter Tiggy came straight back with a wonderfully descriptive phrase; “there isn’t space for it to be busy”. She’s just had her fourteenth birthday and is showing some interesting creative possibilities in photography, drama and dance. She did however admit that she thought Sherlock Holmes was a real character, that Alexander The Great wasn’t and that she hadn’t a clue what the Battle of Britain was. As she’s currently studying The Blitz in history at School, that last bit was particularly worrying. Where have I gone wrong? She did at least know that the Second World War finished before 1966, although her best stab was 1949.
We had a splendid day at Sutton Hoo this week. It’s the site of one of the most significant archaeological digs in this country. Fourteen hundred years ago an Anglo Saxon king was buried there and the artefacts that have been unearthed, most of which now reside in the British Museum are fascinating and priceless. It was particularly interesting to me to be reminded of our ancestry. With the Ancient Britons being pushed into the far outer extremities of Briton it was the intruders from Scandinavia, Germany and France predominantly who settled here. Like it or not, they are in our blood! (Frau Merkel and Monsieur Macron please take note). The other thing that became apparent was how slaves were an essential part of daily life. Our own kith and kin. Who knows perhaps you or I are descended from slaves? Should we tear down all statues and relics of our ancient history? I’m already feeling aggrieved.
Here’s hoping we beat up those nasty Italians at Wembley on Sunday night. After all, what did the Romans ever do for us……apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system and public health……? Peace?!
ADayInTheStrifeOf 