Women's World Cup, One Week On

One week on:

The world as it was a week ago feels like an entirely different one. I was tired and pasty, had no real clue where I was headed for the next few weeks, and 6m people in the UK had never all watched the same Women’s football match.

Seven days later I’ve seen everyone I’ve ever known (or so it feels), I’m completely energised by the wave of hype around the tournament and women’s football, and I have a new found love for life in the sunshine.

I’m not sure how long this good mood and energy will last- but now’s the time to ask me for a favour, ask me an annoying question about women’s football which would usually get an eye roll, or do a negotiation with me that’s for certain.

England and Scotland’s opener on Sunday was a great game for the neutral, but I was still going on about the VAR rule that night. I think my fury was left over from Spurs’ misfortune in Madrid the week before, but it seems to me that if you’re in the box now you just chip it at the defender near the arm area and you’re onto a winner. Is that what we’re going to be coaching going forward? Never mind a well timed dive, just whack it at the defenders arm.

I was pleased for England but gutted for Scotland, who certainly took the rest of the half to recover from the early blow. On their second half showing I still think they’ll get out of the group.

We stayed in Nice while England headed to Le Havre and Scotland to Rennes. It was a work decision, honestly, as yesterday lots of clients arrived to cover the France v Norway game.

Contrary to the false reports about England v Scotland being a sell out, this France game actually is and I’m excited to watch the home nation, and particularly half the Lyon team do their thing in front of a packed stadium.

Goodness knows how we’ll get to the stadium or home as there’s no trains or a metro, just buses. And if Sunday is anything to go by they are a nightmare to try and find. We ended up picking my sister and a friend up from a remote car park after the game on Sunday after the shuttle they’d got on decided he was ending his journey there, not in Nice town. It was that or £80 in an Uber. We weren’t impressed.

If you follow @tonguett or any of my social media you’ll see we do a good job of showing the glam side of our lives. On Sunday we were challenged to do a day in the life and I hope it showed that while we are living our best lives, tournaments are 24/7, seven days a week.

The things I’ve learnt this week are:

I need some more phones. Battery life and heat mean mine crash at least three times a day.

Running along the promenade and jumping in the sea in your sweaty kit is the best way to start the day.

I might rename Tongue Tied Talent as Tongue Tom Tom as I love a bit of navigation - and fancy myself as a tour guide round these parts.

Coffees are a minimum £5 and they don’t believe in semi or skimmed milk.

I don’t like VAR.

Chloe is the don at organising lives, but also a dream roomie.

Life in the sun is better than life under a cloud. Off to Le Havre we go...