Football
The post that I did on Saturday making a little moan about Kit's packrat habits was my first attempt at using the LJ app on my phone. I don't think I could post anything much longer than that with it!
In happier news, I saw my first local football match on Saturday.
Kit has a number of friends who hail from the... well, let's leave adjectives out of it... who come from Stevenage, in Hertfordshire, and very loyally support their local "side." Stevenage's fortunes have been in flutuation since I met Kit. When we got together (although I didn't know it at the time) they were a League 2 side.* They were then promoted at the end of two seasons running** so for a season they were in the Championship League, but they were then demoted and are now once again League 1.
Well, Kit has travelled off up to Stevenage to see a number of matches since I've known him, and he always dutifully posts a photograph of all the players out in the opening minutes of the game, with the caption "Stevenage vs Bogtown Otherside: C'mon the Boro!" And I've always intended I would go to one.
In spring this year we heard that Kit's friend Adam's son Thomas was going to be a mascot at an upcoming Stevenage match. Unfortunately, the match was due to take place the weekend that Kit and I were going to be in Sicily. Sweet as it all rather was and much as I thought it would be nice to see Thomas "mascot-ing," we both rather thought that Sicily took precedence!
Well, it turns out the pool of mascots is not so huge, and Thomas got another chance this weekend.
The journey was unremarkable. I love getting trains outside of London from Kings Cross. It reminds me of childhood holidays to England, visiting relatives in Cambridge and Welwyn Garden City. Coming back we got a lift with Thomas and his parents, and I was shocked that it took less than half an hour to get to Kit's new place in New Barnet.
What really made an impression on me at the game was the grounds. They really had a community feel to them. There are short, narrow doorways to enter all around, with old-fashioned painted metal turnstiles to go through to get in. The concession stands serve the time-honoured array of junk -- they had veggie burgers, but they were sold out by the time I got there and I didn't know if they'd have been vegan anyway, so I made do with chips!
I enjoyed it. And Stevenage beat Accrington 2-1, so I think everyone went home pretty happy.***
*I have learned during my relationship with Kit that the hierarchy of English football is:
The League
The Premier League
The Championship League
League 1
League 2
And that below this is The Conference which is divided north/south... I think.
**I have now a vague understanding of how promotions and demotions work at the end of the season, but Kit will have to explain it a few more times before I can recite it!
***Well, to be honest, I'm not sure how much Thomas cared about the football as he kept asking how much longer till it was over, but he was definitely keyed up with excitement! Kit is one of his favourite people, so seeing him, sharing a car back with him, and getting to see his new house on arrival was probably enough to push the excitement-metre over the top. ;)
In happier news, I saw my first local football match on Saturday.
Kit has a number of friends who hail from the... well, let's leave adjectives out of it... who come from Stevenage, in Hertfordshire, and very loyally support their local "side." Stevenage's fortunes have been in flutuation since I met Kit. When we got together (although I didn't know it at the time) they were a League 2 side.* They were then promoted at the end of two seasons running** so for a season they were in the Championship League, but they were then demoted and are now once again League 1.
Well, Kit has travelled off up to Stevenage to see a number of matches since I've known him, and he always dutifully posts a photograph of all the players out in the opening minutes of the game, with the caption "Stevenage vs Bogtown Otherside: C'mon the Boro!" And I've always intended I would go to one.
In spring this year we heard that Kit's friend Adam's son Thomas was going to be a mascot at an upcoming Stevenage match. Unfortunately, the match was due to take place the weekend that Kit and I were going to be in Sicily. Sweet as it all rather was and much as I thought it would be nice to see Thomas "mascot-ing," we both rather thought that Sicily took precedence!
Well, it turns out the pool of mascots is not so huge, and Thomas got another chance this weekend.
The journey was unremarkable. I love getting trains outside of London from Kings Cross. It reminds me of childhood holidays to England, visiting relatives in Cambridge and Welwyn Garden City. Coming back we got a lift with Thomas and his parents, and I was shocked that it took less than half an hour to get to Kit's new place in New Barnet.
What really made an impression on me at the game was the grounds. They really had a community feel to them. There are short, narrow doorways to enter all around, with old-fashioned painted metal turnstiles to go through to get in. The concession stands serve the time-honoured array of junk -- they had veggie burgers, but they were sold out by the time I got there and I didn't know if they'd have been vegan anyway, so I made do with chips!
I enjoyed it. And Stevenage beat Accrington 2-1, so I think everyone went home pretty happy.***
*I have learned during my relationship with Kit that the hierarchy of English football is:
The League
The Premier League
The Championship League
League 1
League 2
And that below this is The Conference which is divided north/south... I think.
**I have now a vague understanding of how promotions and demotions work at the end of the season, but Kit will have to explain it a few more times before I can recite it!
***Well, to be honest, I'm not sure how much Thomas cared about the football as he kept asking how much longer till it was over, but he was definitely keyed up with excitement! Kit is one of his favourite people, so seeing him, sharing a car back with him, and getting to see his new house on arrival was probably enough to push the excitement-metre over the top. ;)