Shine on (The Hollies)

Post script to the UEFA Euros I had fun watching recently: Germany won the final for the sixth time in a row (I got that wrong in my initial post - they'd won it 5 times in a row before this final).

They deserved it too. Norway put their heart and soul into the game but muffed two penalties and no German side is going to ever let up in a final competition.

What is it about them that makes them so formidable on the football field? Man are they tough to beat! Every year makes the 1966 England win ever more remarkable.

Anyway - it was a great competition.

Interesting today in class with my amazing Year 9 English class.

My students have finished a poetry anthology of their own poems and ones they like. Today they began presenting their one chosen poem to the class. One student picked this poem by Sylvia Chidi about girls/women to present:

If I were a girl

'But I'm just a girl, it feels like a pitiful spell'

If I were a girl
I'll wake up each day
I'll tell myself to go and learn at school
No fancy mini-skirts, No acting cool as a fool
I'll play it safe with a boy
Simple jokes and simple joys
I’ll stand-up for only love and equality
Not for some stupid momentary flattery
These silly lines inspire only immorality

If I were a girl
I think you would understand
How it feels to be constantly disrespected
Treated as a feminine reject even if an intellect
Thought of often as a sexual object or project
I swear I’d be a much tougher woman
I'll take out my dustpan, Let everyone
Start slowly again from where it all began

But I’m just a girl
It feels like a pitiful spell
To be forever taken for granted
Whether I’m multi-skilled or talented

If I were a girl
There will be no wedding bells
Until I'm completely educated as well
I'll always take care of me
I'll always hold onto dreams
And any boy who says he loves me
Will have to work with me as a team

But I’m just a girl
And I don’t want a life of hell
I want to play with cars and not just dolls
And besides a boy I always want to be an equal

 

This led to a lively discussion afterward about the 'girls can do anything' slogan I remembered from the seventies. The girls indicated to me that while the slogan was good, things had got WORSE for girls/women since then.

I was a tad shocked by that idea and challenged them on it but they were adamant. They are a very articulate bunch and I listened to their discussion (no one, btw, thought that it wasn't worse for girls now).

Made me think!

First thing that came to mind were those UEFA championships. Guess how much time the TV ONE Sports News spent on the event. That's right - none. Instead their was a moronic story about fat, tattooed, pot bellied berks playing darts.

Guess the girls had a point!

Love and peace - Wozza

P.S. I'm off on a school camp on the weekend - Y12 and various staff and doing the Tongariro crossing. I'll report back next week when I return, inshallah.

 

She painted pictures that never dried (Teenage Fanclub)

Stensland - Norway's captain

I've really been enjoying the football on display in the UEFA women's Euro competition.

Germany are through to the final (they've dominated the Euro competition having won the last six. Yes - SIX).

They'll be up against either Denmark or Norway (can't believe France didn't make it to the semi-final but that's sport for you) - it's 1-1 at full time and they are playing extra time right now.

Norway's star player is Ingvild Stensland. She is amazing. Great players appear to have extra time on the ball to work their magic and she does. She always looks really composed, all class, and has great skills; no wonder that she's been nominated for the FIFA Women's World Player of the Year award on four occasions. She's also the captain.

Okay - still 1-1 after extra time so it's the drama of penalty kicks.

And Norway win the penalties as Denmark fail to recover from muffing their first two attempts.

Should be a cracking game in the final - Set my sky for Monday morning 1.50 on Sky sport 1.

Weird scenes inside the goldmine (The Doors)

Random notes

What's happened to the world lately?

More specifically - what's happened to our friends - the aussie battlers - lately?

They are suffering a crisis in big time sporting events; even in traditional stronghold aussie codes like rugby league (NZ are the world champions) and cricket (thrashed by England).

That's what's happened.

They were beaten by the British Lions, their tennis players and golfers are invisible, they were no shows in the Tour de France, and to top it off a non-elected reheated souffle is their new Prime Minister.

I know what you're thinking - sounds like Egypt...but it's not (sorry Hisham).

Weird scenes man.

The British teams have been winning everything - Wimbledon, The Ashes, The Lions, Kate and William's new baby (our hearts and minds people).

The only thing keeping the whole planet slipping into a completely bizarro world is the English football season hasn't started yet and the women's team were hopelessly outclassed in the UEFA Women's Euros last week by France. Lacking speed and creative flair they reminded me so much of the English sides we see at World Cups and Euros (when they qualify).

More bizarro world evidence from other news - the Tottenham Hotspur manager tells the press today that Spurs will NOT be targeting the premiership title this season. Yes we're a month or so away from a ball being kicked in anger. Excellent - means they'll definitely finish outside the top four.

You want more? Okay - back to aussies to finish:

Australian caught driving without steering wheel

The 38-year-old was pulled over in the Adelaide suburb of Gilles Plains on Monday morning for dangerous driving with two blown tyres.

On closer inspection police discovered that the white Holden sedan was being controlled with a set of pliers, which had been attached to the steering column.

Oh yeah - aussie battlers! Okay so they are alive and well - two blown tyres and no steering wheel? No problem mate!

Love and peace - Wozza

Cold wind ripping down the alley at dawn and the morning paper flies (Neil Young)

One week of my school holidays have flown by already. Here are a few random thoughts that popped into my scone:

It's lambing season again and so far it's not been mixed.

We had our second dead ewe to bury at the start of the week which is distressing, depressing and knackering work. When SWMBO and I had finished carting the poor young ewe up the hill (picture rain and a howling gale as well), digging a big hole and filling it in we looked at each other with a doh expression and wondered why the hell we hadn't buried her in the paddock where she was found!!

Off setting that is the fact we have seven healthy lambs so far who have survived rain hail and gales since they emerged a week ago. The last few days have been pearlers so no need for blankets, hotties and dry hay in the stable.

Turned on the TV this morning and watched women's football. Who knew that the UEFA European Women's Championship was on right now?? Have seen zero advertising for it or news anywhere.

http://www.uefa.com/womenseuro/index.html

I watched England lose 3 nil to a brilliant French team (centre back, Reynard, was amazing). Quarter finals from Monday!! I'll be there.

Fanfa sent me a link to a new Star Wars movie - actually it's the first Star Wars, Episode 4: A New Hope but made by fans in 15 second bits.

It's amazing. Favourite 15 seconds so far (I've watched up to 1 hour 12 mins) are the Darth Vader entrance (by some girls who recreate the Charlie's Angels pose to great effect) and the Yellow Submarine homage (somewhere within that 1 hour 12 mins).

What a genius idea - allow fans to nominate 15 seconds of the film to do what they will and then join them all up together.