21^st June 2025

Last night in bed, while waiting for sleep to claim me and with two fans moving warm air around our bedroom – only slightly cooling it from the heat of an unbearably hot day (27 degrees! In Yorkshire!! At 10pm!!!) – I composed the opening lines to this latest blog entry.

As these gems of writing were penned only in my head, when I awoke this morning – Poof! – they had gone; disappearing into the stultifying heat of last night. I had even picked a tune on which to “base” the blog – you know, like I have been doing with all the blogs thus far. (You have been checking out all the associated tunes, haven’t you?*) But, alas, the song- and even the artist – had gone from memory.

(*Take a wander over to “The Tunes” and enjoy some carefully considered music choices. 🙂 )

So….I start again…

*Drums fingers and awaits the muse to strike.*

It was something to do with the Euros now being only a few weeks away; that much I can recall.

**Waits some more.**

***Goes to put the kettle on***

*************************************************************************

**************** TUMBLEWEED BLOWS THROUGH TOWN *****************

*************************************************************************

24^th June 2025

As you may be able to gather, the muse has proved quite elusive since I began this latest blog post on Saturday morning. It is now Tuesday evening. Thankfully it is now raining.

While she (the muse, that is) was swanning around elsewhere giving ideas to other folk, I was busy sanding and painting a front door, along with going to see an exhibition of “wedding dresses through the decades” at a local church. (It really was much more interesting than it sounds.) Then I spent a very enjoyable Sunday at Headingley in Leeds – Day Three of the First Test Match between England and India – with #WifeNo1 and our friends A & D and their two young boys. I’ve also watched much of the remainder of that match on the telly. If you’re not into cricket, then I assure you this match was a belter. It would still have been a great game even if England hadn’t won it late on the final day. They did so by recording their second-highest run-chase of 371 to beat the visiting side. Truly excellent stuff from Stokes and the boys.

But back to the football. Though I’ve still no clue as to what that late-night gem of an idea was. Anyway……footy…..

Euro 2025 is now only one week away! Hoooooraaahhhhh!

Yep, it all have kicks-off in Switzerland next Wednesday (July 2^nd). Firstly, at 1700 (1800 CET), Iceland will take-on Finland in Group A. The hosts Switzerland don’t start their campaign (against Norway) until 2000 (2100 CET). Quite why the host nation is not the very first match is a mystery to me. I’m sure that a valid and entirely reasonable reason is behind the scheduling of this match. What it is, though, I have no idea. If you know, feel free to leave a comment to enlighten me. It will save me the trouble of Googling it.

The Lionesses – c’mon England! – don’t play their opening Group D match until Saturday evening when they take on France. This is a tough prospect for our girls as the French are an incredibly good side and are currently (as of 12^th June 2025) ranked 10^th in the FIFA World Ranking. England slipped one place to 5^th in the latest rankings ,while our other Group D rivals, The Netherlands and Wales, are 11^th and 30^th respectively. Of the teams at Euro 2025, only two others – Spain (2^nd) and Germany (3^rd) – are ranked in the top-ten.

What do these rankings mean when it comes to tournament football, or one-off matches in the knock-out stages? I’m never sure, to be honest. Irrespective of current positions, it would be foolish to look beyond Spain or Germany going deep into the tournament simply based on their history and current playing styles and the talent that is in both those squads. Likewise England, as reigning Champions of Europe, should be able to progress to the later stages in Switzerland. Personally, while I would dearly love The Lionesses to retain their title, my money – were I a betting man, which I am not – would be on a Spain/Germany final with the Spanish lasses adding European glory to their World title.

So…..if Euro 2025 starts in a week….that must mean it’s only fourteen days until #SonInLawNo1 and I jet off to Zürich to watch The Lionesses play the aforementioned Netherlands.

How excited am I? I am very excited is the answer. And I have been busy prepping for our adventure.

GrumpPa, please tell us how you have been prepping for your trip? Go on then, I’ll tell you. But hang on to your hats because it’s all super-exciting, rip-roaring stuff.

Firstly, last Friday, when the sun was blazing down and making us all hot and tetchy (only me? OK.) I thought it would be a good idea to take my new England away shirt – the latest one – out of the wardrobe and hang it – unworn to date so far – on the washing line to get a good airing. This was joined on the line by the Switzerland shirt I bought to wear when we travel to Geneva  to watch the hosts play Finland on Thursday. After an afternoon wafting around on their hangers in the sunshine, both shirts went back into the wardrobe. I’m not certain hanging them on the line achieved anything at all….but it was something to do on a hot day.

What else? I have “tarted up” the little red notebook that I will be taking with me. As well as a rather splendid looking cover, it now has the DadLadTour itinerary clearly labelled in it. (See pics.) I printed the information on one of those handheld printers that you may have seen electricians use to label fuse boxes and the like. I have one of these printers that I use to identify my tool boxes and the many tins of screws and assorted hardware that can be found in my workshop…so I put it to use to prep for our great adventure. (You are now thinking that I am incredibly boring, aren’t you? You wouldn’t be too far wrong.)

I have also been busy collecting the Euro 2025 stickers that TOPPS have released this summer. YES!!!! As well as being very boring, I’m still a child too! I have a number of “swaps” yet to arrive and, if they do, I have only a few stickers left to complete the album. It is my intention to get it finished before Liam and I set off for the tournament. So…keep your fingers crossed for me. And, if you have sticker numbers 14, 22, 39, 50, 78, 94, 213, 231, 236 or 274 going spare, then please let me know ASAP!

Talking of numbers, the squad numbers for The Lionesses are set to be announced tomorrow (Wednesday 25^th June) at 2pm. I really hope that gives Foudys enough time to print my “KELLY” home shirt and get it to me before I set off on my boy’s own adventure.