Today we went to a special kind of shop that, despite my belief that it had become extinct many years ago, still exists. If you are willing to look hard and long enough.

In this shop you can find modern and old films in the form of DVD’s. If you find one that appeals, the owner of the shop will lend it to you for a sum of money (usually disclosed on a sign somewhere within the establishment). The recipient of the (hopefully entertaining) film then has twenty-four hours in which to watch the film, before returning it to the pleasant person behind the counter of the shop from which the DVD came. If the person whom is to recieve the DVD has not yet risen to open the shop then a handy deposit box is usually available to accept and secure the film on the tardy shop owner’s behalf.

It is both quaint and reassuring that such shops operate in the age of downloading and streaming, and, in our case, we were gladdened to peruse and gain access to a DVD that we wanted to watch: UP.

It does not happen very often that we as a family sit down in front of the TV to watch a film together. The coming autumn weather will probably kindle the urge to view more films, and we hope to catch up on the many motion pictures that have passed us by the last few years.

Good film, by the way.

The world cup is well under way, and England are playing appallingly. Their first match against USA ended in a draw, their second group match also left the team with a draw against Algeria. In both matches England could not get it together and left many fans angry. I understand the feelings of those fans – we looked promising in the games running up to the competition – but this should be a time when the fans rally in support of the frustrated players who, despite the comments of some, probably do want to win.

England are not the only top team to feel the pressure: France, Germany and Spain all lost their second matches. Nearly all the groups have just one decent team, so everyone else is vying for a second place, which guarantees a place in the playoffs. It would therefore be quite natural for those teams to try and come away with a point from the matches where they play the more favoured sides. A more defensive strategy may be the reason why England (and others) are finding it difficult to score goals.

Freya and Zelda have been around for the England games. I’d like to say they were watching and supporting, though I think they enjoyed the experience more because of the popcorn and juice they got. They have donned their England shirts and kept them on for most of the games. And for the first match they had their faces painted with the English flag.

We have one more match, which we must win, on Wednesday. I remain confident that England can sort out the problems they have had. Otherwise it will be a serious let down.