I'd Wear a Mary Earps Shirt...

Golden Glove winner, Mary Earps.
Surely her shirt will be
 available now?

In theory, I'm not sporty nor a sport's fan. I've spent forty-five years avoiding participation of any activity requiring me to wear a 'kit' and tend to ignore the stuff on the telly as much as possible. But in reality, that's all bollocks. Because yesterday the Lionesses were runners-up in the World Cup, concluding an absolutely brilliant tournament. The early morning match times couldn't stop me. I was obsessed. And sure, yesterday was a highly stressful way to start a Sunday, but the edge-of-the-seat ninety minutes was thrilling. Now look, catch up with your sporty analyses elsewhere. I'm not the person to come to for that. But what I can do is remind you about representation. (Again? YEAH. AGAIN.) 

Sadly, we didn't make it to that
scoreline yesterday.

For little kids - girls or others - the Women's World Cup shows that people other than men can be exceptional and heroic. For older folks like myself, it shouts down the noisy misogynistic society into which we were born. Sexism is stupid. It makes the person being sexist, sound stupid. It proves that anyone telling a sexist joke, making a belittling comment, or teasing someone for 'crying/running/acting like a girl,' is a pointless waste of space. Their opinions count for nothing. Their input into the conversation is as useful as dead air. I mean, we all know that, right? It's just, I do still hear shite like that quite a bit. And not just from the guy that forwards the crappy sexist meme, or bores everyone in the pub. It can be women too.

Women my age have grown up in a society that has routinely given the achievements of men, a higher value than those of women. It's no wonder lots of us have unconscious bias around the issue, and continue to treat men and men's things as the default setting. The good news is, we don't need to pass it on. We can break the cycle. We can treat ourselves better than the way we've been taught is acceptable. Look at yesterday. An exceptional team of women, led by an unbelievably good manager, has set a brand new standard. For a fraction of the money and far less status than their male counterparts would receive, they dug deep, rose to the myriad challenges that the tournament threw up, and reached the final. The Lionesses know to ignore the sexists, just as we must. Tune it out, do what you love, and try your best. You may win or lose, but you'll always be proud of your efforts. What a brilliant lesson for all kids (and adults) to learn, regardless of sex and gender. 

A possible title. And a kitchen 
island full of notes.

Writing News

I am currently buzzing? Can you hear? Leeza McAuliffe 2 (working title - still mulling over options) has been edited by an actual editor. I'm full of the joys of the story once more. It's invigorating to have someone objectively read your writing. (Also terrifying, natch.) With just one or two comments, new ideas have burst into my head. Nothing life-shattering that'll change the basic plot, but enough for me to tweak and polish with a renewed burst of energy. It's been an exciting writing week.

A still from TikTok.
So profesh.

Culture

She's been on the TikToks again! Yes, in order to market the new book when it's time, I've been reminding the world about the first Leeza book. I still don't get TikTok but I think I like it. With barely any followers I've managed to get some likes and views. Now that I've more or less binned off Twitter (that's X to you) I need to up my game elsewhere. And in more traditional Culture News, the new series of Annika has started on Alibi and I love it. 

Food and Drink

I made a focaccia. Because, yum, but also because I have a glut of tomatoes from the garden. And as I only like tomatoes when they are cooked (or done like this) then I decided to stud the top of some olive-oily bread with as many as I could cram on. 

Out and About

When I wrote my first (unpublished) novel, I named the bar where my characters drank, Coriander. It's my favourite herb so I think I decided to honour it that way. I remembered this last week when I ate in Pesto. I'm a big fan of the restaurant, but I can't stand the sauce. Please keep your basil-based condiments to yourself.

Let's take it slowly, yeah. Coming down from the highs and the lows of the World Cup, that is. It's been a glorious few weeks of international football. We must remember the joy despite the disappointment. And now we get to look forward to the start of the new season. My Liverpool Women's season ticket is burning a hole in my pocket. (Well, the screen shot of my ticket is burning a hole in my Photos.) If you enjoyed the WC, look up your local team. That way, you don't have to wait four years for more class.

Have a lovely week, folks