World Cup review

While some of us are going through RNA conference recovery, I thought it would be fun to blog about two of my favourite things -- buff men and football :-)

So, for those who have somehow managed to miss the hype -- what's it all about? TheWorld Cup is 14.2 inches high and made from 18 carat gold and weighs in at 13.6lb so is a relatively little thing that footballers have put their heart and soul into winning over the last 6 weeks. And who among us doesn't love a man who will put their all into something they are passionate about?


So perhaps we should look at some of those men? For purely research purposes only -- to examine the type of man who spends hours training his body into a fine machine all in the name of football.

Of course, it is important that the men who take part in the beautiful game are fine physical specimens. Our first study is Uruguay's Diego Forlan. I'm sure you'll agree, he looks as though he trains very hard for his sport :-)

Next is one of England's most hated men, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo. For those who don't know, he rolled around on the floor as though he'd been sniper shot in the last European Championships and tried to get his then Manchester United team mate, England's Wayne Rooney sent off. It worked. The Englishman was sent from the field of play and English hearts were once again broken as the team crashed out of the tournament. Hence general dislike for Cristiano who the lovely Maisey Yates assures me is still well worth looking at!

Next for your viewing delight we have a few hand picked members of the Italian World Cup team. Unfortunately, they did not hang around the tournament for too long this year. But they did manage to leave a pretty lasting impression on some female fans. Can anyone see why?!

It's only fair my own nation is featured in this blog post. I've chosen one of the lesser known members of the English squad. We've all seen pictures of Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard so let me introduce, for those who haven't seen/heard of him, Liverpool and England's Glen Johnson. He's incredibly pretty but unfortunately it seems he's a little shy as I couldn't find an image of him unclothed. I do apologise, blog readers, must try harder ... I know!

There's been some chatter on Twitter regarding the teams and their players. Whilst I've favoured the Spanish, some have grumbled that they are a little short. So, especially for those who prefer tall men, Jackie Ashenden, here we have Holland's Wesley Sneijder. Again, he seems a little shy and there were no easy to find 'shirt swapping' pictures so I hope this one will do!

Next is Portugal's Nuno Gomes. For those who saw the 'Presents Hero' picture Maisey had on her blog a week or so back, I'm fairly certain this is one of the men featured.

Finally, it wouldn't be fair if we didn't finish with a player from the winning team and arguably the player of the tournament. Well, I think he was the best player in the last 6 weeks and it isn't just because he's incredibly cute ... honestly, it's not! Spain's David Villa.

While I'm devastated the World Cup has now finished, it may mean better things for my WIP. I'm thinking now I don't have the distraction on the football and Wimbledon my word count will start to soar. Let's hope so ... I have a requested partial to submit!

Monday Minx - Joanne

Because I sometimes get a bit behind on things, I didn't get around to doing the 5-5-5 thingy that many of my blogger friends did. So, I'm going to use that today as a way of introducing myself on our lovely shiny new blog :-)

1. Where were you 5 years ago?

- I was living in the same house I have now, having just 7 weeks earlier given birth (at home!) to my 3rd child
- I was on maternity leave from my rather demanding job as a legal assistant in the Family Department of a city centre Solicitors firm
- I had a rather strange on/off relationship with my husband (now the ex). My feelings were more on, his were more off!!
- I read rather a lot of crime fiction, if someone died in a book I wanted to read it! Rather fitted my mindset at the time I think
- Writing-wise I thought about it a lot, but hadn't done any writing for around 10 years and that had been non-fiction

2. What is/was on your to-do list today?

- I really need to clean out the cupboard under the stairs, you know, that space where stuff gets dumped until it's incredibly difficult to actually shut the door
- The usual cooking, cleaning, ironing and running around after the 5 kids
- Having a picnic outside in the garden (so long as the notoriously bad English weather holds out)
- Doing some writing tonight, for the first time in a fair few weeks. I want to feel WIP love again!
- Get some crits done for poor ladies who have been waiting tooooo long for me to get myself into gear (sorry!)

3. What 5 snacks do you enjoy?

- Revels! I love the different sweets you get all in the same packet, all covered in chocolate. What's not to love?!
- Fresh bread. Ok, not technically a snack, but there's no greater taste (or smell).
- Apples. Don't shoot me, people, these usually come after the chocolate--it's a delicate balancing act!!
- Dry roasted peanuts. Love those things, right up until my sister told me how bad they are for you. Actually, I still love them, but don't eat them quite as much as I used to now
- Slices of Gouda cheese, oh the joy and love of good cheese eaten by itself straight from the fridge

4. What places have you lived in?

- Munster, this is the place of my birth. Some will say it is very apt as I look a little like a Herman Munster type monster first thing in a morning. Actually, my kids will tell you I look like that a lot of the time ...
- Borden, an Army camp in, I think, Hampshire but I was too young to remember this
- Osnabruck, Bielefeld, Dortmund and possible other places in Germany I've forgotten (my dad didn't get any of the glam postings of Hong Kong or Gibraltar or other places with sun!)
- Bovington Camp in Dorset, absolutely loved living there. Went to the most marvellous school and did every sport they offered. Some of my happiest times were spent there.
- For the past 23 years I've lived in Hull, East Yorkshire in several different houses but always to the west of the City. Living in the east side is not what you do when you support the best Rugby League team in the City!!

5. What 5 things would you do if you were a millionaire?

- Build a children's home. Hmm, actually I'd like to build one in every city that needs one in the world. Think I might need to be a trillionaire for that. It's alright building them, but as I know, it's pretty expensive feeding and clothing kids!
- Go live somewhere really warm, I was never meant to suffer through English summers with my love for the sun!
- Pay someone to work out how to stop places from flooding and route the water to places that are too dry and don't get enough rain. In this day and age, that surely can't be too hard ...
- Pay off the mortgages of my close family members
- Hire a maid! Yes, on seeing my house, I may need a millionaire to encourage someone to come clean for me!!

And to finish off, I'm going to give you 5 things you may not know about me. You may not ever need to know them, either, but here we go:-

- I love to knit and sew ... but these leisure time hobbies have bit the dust now I have the writing bug
- I am a foster parent, have 3 natural children and currently 2 foster children
- I have a deep love for Elvis Presley. Perhaps because my mum took over my 4th birthday playing his records over and over again because that is the day he died ... but his music stuck with me
- I love Rugby League and it's not just the thighs, although they are rather marvellous, I love the game :-)
- I like to talk, I'm sure none of you have realised that yet ... but it's true. Just ask the Minxes, we've been having weekly brainstorming sessions on Skype ... we don't know when to stop, it's fab and I'm so grateful for all of my lovely crit partners.