Time to get the party started.

30k fans painted Coventry pink on Thursday night as the self-styled rock chick arrived at the Ricoh Arena to perform her stunning Funhouse show. I stood by the bridge and watched the traffic queuing to get into the car-parks. There was a constant flow of gals and even guys, dressed in pink or at least having a pink accessory, walking past our casa. 

At 9 pm, I could hear the fans screaming in appreciation when the Grammy Award-winning artist made her entrance. I bet they had a good time. I had the door opened and sang along while trying to watch Huntelaar's late goal ensuring Netherlands progressed to the last 16 of the World Cup against Cameroon.

I took the afternoon off cos I knew that the evening traffic was  going to be awful. We decided to have a quick peek at Brandon Marsh. It was a lovely, sunny afternoon and we spotted lots of lovely brown birds ( cos we can’t identify them), gawky juvenile herons hunting, a pheasant and a lovely Painted Lady. We left early to avoid the traffic.

I spent the evening watching the 2nd half of the game which saw the reigning champions Italy sensationally knocked out of the World Cup by a Slovakian side. France out and now Italy…things were just getting exciting.

Oh yes…what do you think of the match between England and Slovenia? At last, England made their presence felt at the World Cup by securing the win 1:0 they needed over Slovenia to reach the last 16. And at the end of it, a clash with arch-rivals Germany on Sunday. OOH…

We can do it (finger and toes double-crossed). I will be cheering as loudly as anyone on this Sunday afternoon. The excitement and the faintly idiotic belief we can win drives me on. If England got past Germany, Argentina looked likely to be our quarter-final opponents. Remember the hand of God!!! As they say, to win the World Cup, you have to beat the best. That goes without saying. Good luck…the whole country is behind you.

I’m not a wet blanket but I wasn’t pleased that thousands of school children were allowed to skip lessons to watch the 'national heroes' against Slovenia. Cardinal Newman School in Keresley had even been given special permission from the exam board to bring a GCSE exam forward so it doesn’t clash with the game.

Is this right??  At the time when children, especially boys, need inspirational role models, head teachers thought the real education for these children was to watch 11 multi-millionaire divas kick a ball into a net and then be hailed as saviours of a nation!!! It felt soo wrong…

I’s official now. Pope Benedict XVI’s won’t be coming to Coventry in September. The church has switched the venue to Cofton Park in Birmingham. It ended weeks of speculation over the venue for the landmark event of the papal UK trip - the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman- which lies next to where he was buried.

It was a massive blow to Coventry cos the details of the Pontiff's visit to the city were released by the Archdiocese of Birmingham in March. Just imagined the preparation work undertaken by the Catholic parishes. What happened in between is what I wanted to know? Don't get me wrong. It has no bearing on me whatsoever.

But I don’t like it when the Pope failed to act over complaints during the 1990s about a priest in the US who had abused deaf boys. The Catholic Church teaches that paedophilia is a grave sin, but the evidence is that accused priests were usually moved to another parish rather than punished. The House needs to be straightened out if they want people to have faith in them.

On a different note, I’m sure you have heard this before from Snow-white and the Seven Dwarfs. Cute huh…

Heigh-ho, heigh-ho
It's off to work we go
We keep on singing all day long
Heigh-ho

And now think of the people who are now threatened by the coalition (of politicians none of us  wanted to run the country) with having to keep on working until 70. And politicians (who will be pocketing huge pensions from the state) saying the only way to reduce the debts is to increase the retirement age. Do we have to put up with this!!!

Cameron says he's going to forego his pension. Big deal. Coming from a toff, he can afford it. But there are people who have no choice and can only look at the ghastly future through no fault of their own.

And can someone please explain this to me. The welfare bill will be cut by £11 billion while the banks will be ONLY hit with a balance sheet tax to raise more than £2 billion a year. Who started this mess in the first place and why are they still getting their bonuses???

Where’s the 'caring society' the coalition kept on talking about?

S-L-O-W- breathe IN-OUT.

On a lighter note, llongyfarchiadau*(if she still remember her Welsh), there's a Sheila running Oz. The first female prime minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, had been sworn in. Born in Barry, Wales, Ms Gillard migrated to Australia with her parents when she was four. Would she be a PM if she’s still in Barry??? Something to think about…

These stunning Paul’s Scarlet Climbing rose   is for her. They are blooming profusely in the garden and now scaling the fence.

These roses under my window make no reference to former roses or to better ones; they are for what they are; they exist with God to-day. There is no time to them. There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence. Before a leaf-bud has burst, its whole life acts; in the full-blown flower, there is no more; in the leafless root, there is no less. Its nature is satisfied, and it satisfies nature, in all moments alike. There is no time to it. But man postpones or remembers; he does not live in the present, but with reverted eye laments the past, or, heedless of the riches that surround him, stands on tiptoe to foresee the future. He cannot be happy and strong until he too lives with nature in the present, above time.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

As usual after work on a lovely Friday evening, we checked out what the natives are up to. We could hear the cuckoo calling from somewhere in the middle of the reserve. At the dipping pond, I spotted my first toad, basking in the warm sun. Isn’t he handsome? Was he waiting for a princess to give him a kiss…:-)

As we continued walking, we saw loads of Common Spotted Orchids in full bloom. Whitethroats were still making themselves known. At the Wright Hide, I counted at least 80 Canada Geese and Greylags feeding. The coot was rebuilding her nest. Is she nesting again? Her chicks just hatched a fortnight ago!!!

As we walked back, we could hear the juvenile woodpeckers chasing and calling to each other. Then one of them just landed on this branch, above my head. What a wonderful sight.

It was a very lovely start to the weekend. Sunday was predicted to be the hottest day so far this year and temperatures may hit 30C. It comes as millions are set to watch England in the World Cup, tennis fans flock to Wimbledon and Glastonbury festival-goers bask in the sun. Life is just great huh…

So whatever your plans are, don’t forget the sun-cream and lets all shout C’mmon In-ger-land.

* Congratulations in Welsh