I’m really too tired to say very much (despite being well aware of having a laundry list of things to cover), but I simply had to express my euphoria at SPAIN WINNING EURO 2008!

:DDDDD

It’s been a good ride – so much better than the previous Euro, where Greece choked all the life out of football. I’m going to miss this.

…and what a whirlwind June it’s been. I know no less an authority than T. S. Eliot tells me April is the cruellest month, but June always seems to go by so quickly – it fairly flies – and then what’s left but the second half, the winding down to twilight, the end of yet another year?

I have so much to say, about Christie and Kevin’s much anticipated visit, about the unexpected melancholy I felt after watching the surprisingly bittersweet Prince Caspian today, about the fabulous Euro (Spain all the way – go Casillas and Fabregas!), about the amazing beach at Alicante and all the Gaudi in Barcelona that I missed out on last time through cheapo-ness; so many thoughts to spill out about the looming end of an era in York and a farewell to this house, about the continuing job-hunt, about going home, wherever home is -

- but I have still so, so much more to do yet: 1000 words and an outline to churn out (because I really can’t push it any further and I don’t want to, it makes me sick), unpacking my travel stuff, packing all the rest of my stuff, a mountain of accumulated correspondence, photos to upload, books to collect, books to read, sleep to catch up on…

One thing at a time, and the latter first, for now.

Thoughts on the Euro 2008 opening matches -

1. The Czech team is not the same without Nedved and Rosicky… they were really fortunate to eke out a win against a very plucky Swiss side who had incredibly raucous homeground support. Koller looks really tired and clumsy upfront on his own, and they seemed to be missing a lot of bite in attack and creativity in midfield.
2. Portugal were obviously the favourite to win their match, but I have a huge soft spot for Turkey (even if Terim has apparently decided that Hakan Sukur is too old to keep playing), so – much sadness. They really did try.
3. That said, the genius of Cristiano Ronaldo is seriously undeniable. BBC writes, amusingly, that he is so good he could probably win Euro 2008 all by himself if he was in the right mood. And Portugal did hit the woodwork three times, so try as I may, I can’t say it was an undeserved win.
4. Deco is showing his age. Which is not his fault, but still saddening.
5. The BBC commentary is ten thousand times better than ITV’s, even if ITV has the rather adorable Gary Neville giving match analyses. ITV’s commentators kept making irritating judgement calls about Turkish players diving, and dwelling endlessly on every possible link to England they could find: “and here’s Tuncay, who plays for Middlesbrough!”, “Nani is down, which is bad news for Manchester United”, “Going into the second half of this match, Portugal, ranked 11th in the world – 2 behind England – and Turkey, ranked 20th – 3 behind Scotland. Make of that what you will.” Also, at half-time, everyone just talked about Portugal Portugal Portugal, and how long it would take before Portugal breaks free and scores a goal, and no one paid attention to Turkey at all!
6. I can’t say I miss Milan Baros’s play particularly – he wasn’t looking very inspiring, last I saw him – but I miss looking at him on the field. ;)
7. And finally, it really isn’t the same without my football-watching folks. Ailin and Jason particularly – you’re much missed! ♥