Stop all the clocks, cut off the Net

Don’t bother collecting your Ladbroke’s bet

Silence the vuvuzelas; their din is done

Bring on the aftermath, let the investigators come.

Let newspaper headlines in their outrage shout

The incredulous message that England are out

Pull the nylon flags from windows and cars

Let normality return to pubs and bars.

They were our North, our South, our East, our West,

Our working lives and our Sunday best,

Our hopes, our dreams, our pride and our song

We thought that love would last for ever; we were wrong

Those overpaid stars are not wanted now; shoo them away;

Pack up the red kit and dismantle the FA

Bring on goal line technology, sweep in the new

But England, England, we still love you.

© Helena Pielichaty 2010 (not that anyone would want to copy it!)

With abject apologies to W H Auden for ripping off ‘Stop All the Clocks’

Written in the ten minutes I had spare before I pack for Edinburgh (my son’s graduation tomorrow).

Whitechapel Middle prepare to cheer on Mr Pickles (not shown to spare his blushes)

I’m going to stop doing school visits.  I have to, or I’ll end up returning to teaching and then I’ll never get my Girls FC series finished. The two schools Tom and I met today were smashing and I haven’t missed being a teacher so much in ages. I don’t know whether it was because we were in an atmospheric building - Cleckheaton Library is pretty special with a domed central area letting in lots of light, brown polished tile walls and wooden cornices over doorways - or because both times the teachers were enthusiastic and chatty and obviously got on with the kids - or whether it was because these particular  Y5s were more friendly than average (despite there being far too few Town supporters among them) but both sessions were awesome.  I learned something new, too. The legend who is Morgan Coles introduced me to the world of a pinky swear. Isn’t that the best term for a promise?  Maybe everyone knows what a pinky swear is but it’s the first time I heard of it and I’m going to use it in a book as soon as possible. Cheers, Morgan!  Adam Jubb added the ankle lock which is the same thing only with ankles instead of pinkies.  As if that wasn’t enough riches for one day Ben Ruddlesden (yesterday’s librarian-cum-keeper who was rested on the bench today) gave me - me - a KS Cracovia replica shirt to keep.  How utterly brilliant is that?  Ben, you are now in my top twenty of all time fave librarians ever and I’m not even kidding.  A huge thanks to all the staff at Kirklees Library Services - Dianne, Ben and Fiona - for organizing the visits and making us feel so welcome and three cheers for everyone at Whitechapel and West End Middle Schools.  Brillo.

Mathew, the West End Wonder

Scott takes the trophy for Whitechapel

West End Middle

Clash of the Titans

The penultimate day of Reads United’s World Cup Tour in schools and libraries saw us in Lepton on the outskirts of Huddersfield. I felt the occasion needed marking with something special as I was performing on hallowed Yorkshire ground so I wore my Huddersfield Town t-shirt and Tom wore his Leeds shirt to antagonize the locals.

We began in Rowley Lane Junior and Infant School. Here, the penalty shoot was fast and furious as you can see from the stance of  Ben Ruddlesden, today’s victim - I mean - volunteer goalie.

This was so not on the job application thought the librarian!

Our second session in leafy Lepton was at Lepton CE Primary School just down the road. The children asked some excellent questions. One girl wanted to know how Tom understood the people in all the foreign countries he based his books when he went there to research and a teacher asked if any part of me went into the stories I write. I was also asked who  my favourite Town player was (Peter Clarke). Ah!  It was so good to finally outnumber the Leeds fans in the audience.

An improved performance by Ruddlesden saw only one child qualify for the second round of the penalty shoot out - a first.  Well done Sam. Sign him up, Clarkey!

Sam the man!

Not the Germans...

England 1 (but really 2)  Germany 4. So tomorrow’s headlines have been written; the topic of debate decided.  They will be of the what if? variety.

What if the 4th official hadn’t disallowed the goal?

What if football used technology to over rule bad decisions?

What if Lampard hadn’t hit the crossbar?

What if Rooney had been fully fit?

What if the Germans hadn’t been so cool, calm and collected and better than us?

‘What if’ questions are the mainstay of a writer’s brain. What if the main character does this… what if she does that?  Life is full of ‘what ifs.’

Mexico’s game against Argentina in the evening was full of incident, too. Tevez’ first goal was off side and unnerved the Mexico team which had been playing beautiful, fast and fluid football. I loved the difference in the reactions. When Lampard’s goal was disallowed he looked aghast, clasped his hands to his head then… played on. With Mexico, the whole team looked as if they were going to lynch the officials. Tevez’ second goal was a belter, though. Argentina won 3-1 in the end.  So Germany meet Argentina next. It’ll be a cracker.

Not the Argies...

Ipswich town centre

Saturday was the first day of the IpArt Festival in Ipswich so you could say Reads United were the opening act (though the organizers might not see it like that!).  I’ve never been to Ipswich before and was really impressed - it’s an historic town with some beautiful buildings. I wished I’d had time to see more of it but being a writer on tour this week has been like being an air hostess - you get to visit interesting places but don’t get chance to explore them. By the time I’d dropped the stuff off at the Town Hall and had a quick coffee in Cafe Nero’s on the Buttermarket it was showtime.

Performing on Saturdays at a festival is different from when you are in schools and libraries. The audience is usually made up of families rather than classes and delightfully bookish families at that - who else come to sit for over an hour in a stiflingly warm room when they could be out in the sunshine, other than keen readers?  Today we also had four young writers (aged 7-11) who had entered a short story competition run by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups and been shortlisted for a prize. The topic had been ‘Wire’ and all four pieces were excellent. The winners were announced at the end of our Reads United session but not before Shirley Imlach, in her Ipswich Town top, had served as guest goalie for the day.  Hello to everyone who came today and well done to Innis, Emily, Rosie and Megan.

Shirley braces herself!

Thorogate Primary School Rawmarsh

OK. Here’s a tip. It helps to find a place if you enter the correct post code in the sat nav before you set off. If not, you end up driving through busy town centres you needn’t be driving through and arriving at your destination with barely seconds to spare before 90 children arrive and not the leisurely half an hour early you had planned. Enough said.

And so to Rotherham Children’s 10th Book Festival, organized by Rotherham Library Services. Monkwood Primary School hosted the morning event in their sunny school hall. The Y5s and 6s there were joined by St Joseph’s and Thorogate Juniors (pictured).  We had a fantastic time. I’m not sure poor David, the librarian escorting us for the day, thought so though.  He probably thought that contacting all the teachers, organizing books sales, double checking the details, driving us round from one event to another and taking us to lunch would be enough. No way. He also had to go in goal for the penalty shoot out. And a fine goalie he made too - especially against some particularly well- taken penalties. Those Rotherham kids can shoot!

After lunch in Rotherham Central Library’s swish cafe we drove to Thurcroft where we saw the Y3,4 and 5s - unfortunately Y6 were visiting their new secondary school and missed a treat… Tyler’s happy face when he won the Reading Game trophy!

Tyler the Smiler with Rotherham librarian David having a well earned rest in the background

Hafod Y Wern Primary

After the hottest day of summer in Portsmouth I couldn’t believe it when I drew back the curtains of my hotel room in Wrexham and saw that it was raining. It didn’t last long, though and the day was soon as warm and muggy as the rest of the UK.

Our first Reads United session was in the Memorial Hall in Wrexham with Y5/6 pupils from Acton, Wat’s Dyke, Victoria Borras and St Giles. After a fun filled session with the longest penalty shoot out ever we travelled across town to Hafod Y Wern Primary School. Hafod were hosts to two other schools: Gwenfro and St Anne’s. We had another great session with Tom showing off his goalkeeping skills once more. For me, the best moment came when Tom asked if anyone supported Huddersfield Town. Usually I’m the only one who puts her hand in the air, which Tom finds amusing (even though he supports Leeds and has no room to talk) but today a second hand went up!  One of the teachers from Gwenfro was a Town supporter. Yes! Get in!

I drove back listening to the Italy v Slovakia match on the radio. The last twenty minutes was so exciting. Italy, the world champions, lost 3-2 and had a goal agonisingly just off-side minutes before the end. So Italy are out and France are out. As I write, Japan are beating Denmark. Many of the traditionally superior European teams seem to be struggling. What’s occurring?? I also listened to history being made at Wimbledon. The record breaking marathon last set between Nicolas Mahut and John Isner finally ended after 11 hours with a jaw dropping result of 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 68-70!! Isner won but at least Mahut knows he’ll be a pub quiz question for the rest of his life.