#tog x football

[bewires]

Chapters: 3/3 Fandom: The Old Guard (Movie 2020) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova Characters: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Booker | Sebastien le Livre, Andy | Andromache of Scythia, Celeste (The Old Guard) Additional Tags: Minor Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko, Minor Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Nile Freeman, Alternate Universe - Football, Football | Soccer, This is a european fic and we use the european words, Alternate Universe - Sports, Semi-Public Sex, Oral Sex, Enemies to Lovers, Mixed Media, Discussion of Racism, Discussion of Homophobia, Both as related to being a professional athlete Summary:

The last time di Genova and al-Kaysani met on the pitch, it infamously ended with a red card for al-Kaysani and a media firestorm for di Genova. “Will you be able to work together?”

Al-Kaysani toys with the handle of his coffee cup. “We’re all professionals,” he says eventually. “I’m excited to see what he’ll bring to the pitch.”

Or: Rival football players Joe al-Kaysani and Nicky di Genova learn to work together on the same team.

[negotiumcrucis]

If we slow dance

Joe/Nicky, Football AU, Explicit, 8,4k

Joe didn’t know exactly what to expect when Booker convinced him to hire a male escort. In retrospect, it had been Joe’s own fault. He shouldn’t have talked to Booker about his plans for his first free weekend. But after one month of intense training with the new team, he wasn’t thinking straight. And Booker might be Joe’s best friend, but he’s also his agent and didn’t take it lightly when Joe joked about ‘hitting the nearest gay club and finding someone to take home.’ Booker didn’t laugh along; instead, he looked more serious than Joe ever remembered. Booker had been sympathetic following Joe’s breakup. He stayed sober while Joe drank himself to sleep, and after pushing a mug of well-sugared coffee into Joe’s hands the following morning, he told Joe his transfer had finally come through. ‘You will be way too busy to mope now,’ he said with a sad smile, adding with a touch of solemnity that Joe couldn’t be a rising star footballer with a boyfriend, no matter how discreet he and Markus had been for the past years. “You’re Champions League now, Yusuf,” Booker reminded Joe last week. “There will be time to romance pretty guys in the future, preferably after you bring home at least one World Cup. Until then… there are professionals we can call for you, so lemme help, please?” Joe had reluctantly agreed. And though he did look forward to not having to pretend to be into women for at least a little while, he couldn’t bring himself to peruse a catalogue of strange men’s headshots and choose someone to fuck. So he had left the picking to Booker, trusting his friend to know where his tastes lie. Booker had, after all, introduced him to Markus when he was still playing for his club in The Hague. But whatever picture Joe had conjured up in his mind in the days leading to the appointment made by the escort agency, that image didn’t even remotely resemble the young man currently standing in Joe’s hallway. First, he hasn’t dressed in the sort of clothes Joe thought a sex worker would choose. Not that Joe had much, if any, experience with that sort of thing. But well, people made assumptions. If pressed upon, Joe probably would have guessed a pair of tight-fitting dark jeans and a fancy dress shirt, maybe some jewellery and hair slicked back with way too much gel. But instead, the man in front of Joe looks… comfortable. Like a young journalist or maybe a student on his way to the university. Joe is certain he would probably look past this man if he encountered him on the street if it wasn’t for the most striking pair of eyes he has ever seen. Joe hasn’t had a chance to properly sketch since his new contract brought him to England, but suddenly he can feel his hands tingling to unpack his charcoal kit and draw those eyes framing the large roman nose, along with the half-smile on this stranger’s sharp, angular face. “Hello, Joe,” the man says, his accent going straight to Joe’s core. He feels his face heat up at once. “I’m Nicky.”

(continue reading on ao3)

[victimhood]

Has anyone ever imagined an Old Guard soccer AU? Unfortunately it might sound a bit sports anime-ish, but what about...

Andy as the football manager—first woman to lead a top tier football team

Quynh as the sharpest sports journalist around, known for fearlessly asking the Hard Questions

Nile as an ex-footballer who won the World Cup with the US women’s team but had to retire early due to injury, and now she’s trying to make a career as a football commentator.

Andy’s team—the club is nicknamed the Old Guard but I don’t know where in Europe to place them...they could be anywhere. Edit: after giving it some thought they should be vaguely Inter Milan-like. Blue and black + Italian club + cosmopolitan city were my key points for appearance.

Number 10 Booker as the playmaker. Booker has a cerebral style, and he can make passes to start plays that people can’t even imagine. Andy and Booker frequently have personality clashes but throughout our story, we have Andy cementing her place in the pantheon of Great Football Managers and Booker is one of her best protégés.

Number 6 Joe and number 2 Nicky both play center back on the defense line, and they’re like...freaking buses. Parked in front of the goal. Together they have led the team to record clean sheets, although they are sometimes Controversial for the cards they’ve racked up...on balance, while Joe gets a lot of yellows, Nicky is the one that has the WORST sort of straight reds. Nicky might have stomped on a player’s calf once...putting the guy out of play for six months, just bc the dude pulled Joe down. Joe is extremely reliable for headers from corner kicks, and has a surprisingly high goal count. Nicky can occasionally play as a wing back, and has scored long-range goals with amazing accuracy.

Number 7 Lykon is the star striker of the team, although his form can be a little off/on. When he’s off...yeah...everyone’s just counting on those clean sheets...but when Lykon is ON, oh my gosh the most beautiful bends ever on those kicks, pure artistry. Lykon’s top 10 goals compilation on YouTube have like 2828737 people jizzing in the comments.

Copley is a rival manager, and Andy’s predecessor for the current team. Copley was the one who “discovered” Booker and bought him for an extremely overinflated price so there is a lot of tension between Booker’s original loyalty to Copley, the fans resentment of Booker for being overpriced, Andy needing to assert her position as manager etc. Copley has a stellar track record and after having won the Champions League, was persuaded to move on to another team for a new challenge. Maybe he’s like a Pep Guardiola, and Andy is a bit of a Juergen Klopp.

Merrick is a billionaire who buys a football team like it’s a toy. He bought over some mid-tier team and pumped in a lot of money, and bought Copley over to his side.

Number 33 Keane is an aggressive defensive midfielder. He might have been headbutted by Joe once, for calling Joe some homophobic slurs. He was also put out of action for six months...by #2 diGenova of the Old Guard...yeah he was that guy.

[tobebbanburg]

I posted 1,171 times in 2021

205 posts created (18%)

966 posts reblogged (82%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 4.7 posts.

I added 517 tags in 2021

#art - 241 posts

#lmmbingo - 54 posts

#the old guard - 47 posts

#richard - 37 posts

#ask - 25 posts

#nicolo di genova - 25 posts

#tog fanfic - 25 posts

#luca marinelli - 23 posts

#joe x nicky - 21 posts

#yusuf al kaysani - 19 posts

Longest Tag: 132 characters

#meanwhile also picture andy in a vinyard somewhere with quynh getting shitfaced off bad fruit wine and reading the latest periodical

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Still thinking about Nicky and Joe letting the old man side come through even though they look 30 and can’t get the image of them shuffling off to bed together dressed like this out of my mind:

157 notes • Posted 2021-11-27 20:15:27 GMT

#4

A ficlet based off a post I made earlier about Joe and Nicky swapping sun/moon imagery with each other. I could imagine canon Joe with rings or necklaces with the moon incorporated into them, or AU Joe with moonstone earrings or moon phase tattoos, but I wasn’t sure what would fit Nicky. And so I wrote this:

“What’s your favourite colour?” Claudia asks, her voice pulling Nicky out of the light doze he’d fallen into as their train speeds through the countryside.

“Hmm? Oh, I don’t really have a favourite colour,” he says, offering the child a rueful smile.

“Everyone has a favourite colour,” she tells him firmly. Nicky laughs.

“How about... blue.”

Claudia grins. “Blue is a very nice colour. Probably my second favourite.”

“What’s your first favourite?”

“Red,” Claudia says decisively. “Like strawberries.”

She pulls down the little tray table from the seat in front of her and solemnly lays out a series of brightly coloured threads, selecting a light and a navy blue from her hoard.

The bracelet making kit had come from Andy, who’d been waiting for them at the train station and had clearly spent too much time in the newsagents.

“It’s a long journey, and kids get bored,” she’d said, giving Claudia a grin as she handed the kit over. Nicky decided not to mention the colouring book and ziplock bag of Lego he already had in his backpack- Andy seemed pleased with herself, and Claudia was delighted with her gift.

“I’m going to make Mama one when I see her again,” Claudia chatters as she starts to tie knots in the thread. “Her favourite colour is purple. She has a lot of bracelets already, but I think she’ll like mine.”

“I’m sure she’ll love it,” Nicky replies, silently relieved that Joe had messaged not half an hour earlier to say that he’d already taken Claudia’s mother to the safe house. Claudia seems blissfully unaware of the danger she and her family are in, and Nicky would like to keep it that way.

Claudia hums as she twists the threads together, and Nicky is almost on the verge of drifting off again when she asks: “What charm do you want?”

Nicky opens his eyes to find that she’s upended the small box of brightly coloured plastic charms onto the table. There are hearts, and rainbows, and animals, and...

“Could I have this one, please?” Nicky asks, pointing to the charm he’d like.

Claudia nods, and threads it onto the bracelet, tying it into place.

“Here we go,” she says triumphantly, holding out the finished bracelet. “Gimme your hand.”

Nicky obligingly holds out his hand and lets her ties the bracelet around his wrist, thanking her as she sits back to already start work on another. He smiles, watching her grab the purple threads, and touches the yellow smiling sun charm on his bracelet as he closes his eyes once again. He’ll be with Joe again soon.

159 notes • Posted 2021-04-22 20:13:08 GMT

#3

Today in niche content no one asked for: The Old Guard as crimes and misdemeanours of my family over the years

Andy: Forged Lebanese driving license that turned into an underserved British license

Nile: Smuggled a shot of vodka into a football game by disguising it in a tampon wrapper

Joe: Scaled the walls of the British embassy in Egypt in order to steal their flag and humiliate them

Nicky: Accidentally stole a hymn book from Church because he got distracted and forgot he was holding it

Booker: Started a Victorian dating agency that scammed people by promising to find them a perfect match but in actuality just took their money and ran

Quynh: Diamond theft

203 notes • Posted 2021-04-27 17:38:37 GMT

#2

@kiaya mentioned that between Marwan’s pecs and Luca’s thighs they make a top+bottom pair, and so pyjama sharing happened:

Andy, Nile was pretty sure, predated shopping lists. Which went some way to explaining why the scrap of paper she handed to Nile a) wasn’t even a list and b) made no sense at all.

“Okayyyy...” Nile mused as she turned the paper round, making sure she hadn’t missed anything. “Well first of all, you don’t just ‘buy an internet’.”

Andy made a dismissive noise and handed Nile another 500 Euro note as if that solved the issue. Nile didn’t have the energy to argue the point, and instead moved on to her next question:

“I’m not sure I can get Pirozhki here either, this village only has one store and it’s pretty tiny. And French.”

“Just do your best,” Andy said warmly.

“And,” Nile continued, hitting her stride, “you’ve written ‘2 pyjamas’ when there are, in fact, four of us.”

“Yes, but I don’t wear pyjamas,” Andy pointed out.

“That still doesn’t add up.”

“Oh you don’t either? Make it just the one set then.”

Nile took a long, slow breath. Maybe either Nicky or Joe already had a pair, or like Andy didn’t subscribe to the notion of night clothes. Either way, asking questions about the ‘list’ only seemed to confuse things further, so she grabbed her jacket and headed out into the cold.

*****

Joe was only wearing pyjama trousers. Nile felt a little bad.

“I’m sorry, did the top not fit?” she asked. “Sometimes people try things on and put them back in the wrong places, I should’ve checked the label instead of trusting the hanger.”

“No, no, it fits perfectly,” Joe reassured her with a smile. “Thank you, Nile.”

Maybe Joe just didn’t like wearing tops in bed. Nile had an ex like that- he always complained about overheating and never wore any sort of tshirt to sleep. She settled back onto the sofa and thought no more of it, working her way through a bowl of what she thought was granola but may well have been bird feed. Her French was a little rusty and the store had been laid out in a similar fashion to Andy’s list: anything and everything spread out in a jumble.

“Good morning, Nile,” Nicky greeted her as he ambled into the kitchen.

“Mornin’,” Nile replied, then froze for a second as everything finally clicked into place: Nicky was wearing the pyjama top. Ah. That made sense.

“What makes sense?” Joe asked, handing Nicky a cup of coffee.

Damn, Nile hadn’t realised she was thinking aloud.

“I just thought it was weird, initially, Andy telling me just to buy one pair of pyjamas for the two of you.” Nile swallowed her bird feed. “But this makes sense. It’s kind of cute, really.”

“Mmm,” Joe agreed absently, his eyes firmly fixed on where Nicky’s top rode up as he reached up for the bowls on the top shelf. He was wearing boxers underneath, thank goodness, but the way Joe’s eyes glazed over it was like Nicky was wearing nothing at all.

“Told you the top fitted perfectly.”

448 notes • Posted 2021-02-08 16:28:20 GMT

#1

Bingo prompt 5: pasta. Make of this what you will.

804 notes • Posted 2021-06-06 11:05:03 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[julemmaes]

Congrats! "They should have known that fake dating never goes according to plan." for Rowaelin please 😊

He Truly Loves Her - October 8th

Rowan Whitethorn x Aelin Galathynius

A/N: Same as before, I’m really sorry I didn’t post it yesterday, but I couldn’t find the time to write this and didn’t want to post some shitty stuff just because. I hope you like it, enjoy!:)

Word count: 1,502

Elide was watching Lysandra desperately trying to get Aelin away from the bar.

She and Nehemiah had sidelined with Lorcan when the songs had become too slow for them to keep on going and now couples on couples were swinging like a herd of dying cows.

Elide laughed at her own thought, only slightly drunk. Lorcan looked at her confusedly, arching an eyebrow, "What are you laughing at?" he asked her by putting his arm around her hips and pulling her to his side. Nehemiah looked at them with affection and Elide winked at her, smiling slyly.

She turned towards her boyfriend, taking his nose between two fingers. Lorcan moved until he was free from her grip, and squeezed her wrists to hold her still while she giggled. Elide knew full well how much Lorcan loved the drunk her.

"Nothing, I like that you and I are not cows." the boy burst out laughing, asking her what he was babbling about, but Elide was no longer watching him. Her attention was once again captured by Aelin and Lysandra.

Nehemiah squeezed in her shoulders next to Elide, "I feel so sorry for her." she murmured as Alein struggled to stand on those heels, then her expression got sour, "And I'd really like to talk to him about what an asshole he is."

Elide's gaze shifted to the center of the improvised dance floor in Dorian's house, where an equal slightly drunk Rowan was dancing with a girl they all knew very well.

Lyria Ballard had been with Rowan for more than four years. They had met at the end of high school and had been together all through college, making everyone believe that once they were out of school they would live together in one of those mansions you see on TV, with a perfect, large, happy family. No one would have expected that once back from summer vacation they would announce their breakup.

It hadn't been difficult to keep the group together, Lyria had moved to another state shortly afterwards and Rowan had met other people, including Aelin.

The blonde girl had been a thunderbolt for the boy and a burst of life for the whole group. She had brought so many new people into their small circle that sometimes Elide forgot how many they really were.

"Maybe I should go talk to him, this story is getting too complicated," said Lorcan interrupting her thoughts.

She shook her head, "Ae asked us not to say anything and we will do so. Rowan will realize the mistake he is making on his own."

In front of Lorcan's upset but determined face, Nehemiah added, "We mean it Lor, Aelin says that if he doesn't realize it himself, it's not worth it. If he really has any feelings beyond friendship for her, he should act of his own, not because a friend of his has pointed it out."

Lorcan turned to her at that point, "So should we just stand here and watch while those two destroy each other?"

Elide was inclined to support his point of view, but she took his hand squeezing it, "Aelin asked us not to interfere and we won't."

Nehemiah sighed next to her and then they fell silent again, watching Rowan laughing at something the girl in his arms had just told him.

When Lyria had returned it had been embarrassing to say the least.

Aelin and Rowan had never been together and there had been a long period, at the beginning of their friendship, when they couldn't stand each other for more than two minutes before one of them lashed out and started to insult the other badly, but once they got over that cliff, they started acting like an old married couple.

Elide still remembered when Fenrys had gone to her completely euphoric and gave her a speech about how he had never seen Rowan so happy with anyone, not even Lyria.

So when she had come back from Hybern only a few months later with the intention of staying in Adarlan forever and Rowan had proposed to Aelin that she pretend to be his girlfriend on some occasion to make Lyria jealous, the few who knew about it were shocked.

And they were even more shocked when Aelin had accepted the deal, saying that she, too, could use this to make one of the guys in her class, Sam Cortland, jealous.

Elide had read enough books to know where the bullshit was going.

Manon approached the trio with a clever smile on her face and patted Elide on the shoulder before asking, "What are you looking at? You guys all look like creeps."

When no one answered, she frowned, following the gaze of her friends to the massive figure of Rowan, "Ah, yeah." she whispered, taking a sip of her water. Manon was the designated driver that night, " Would anyone care to tell me what Galathynius' boyfriend is doing, or?"

Lorcan snorted, "They're not really together M, they were just fake dating."

Manon's head snapped in Elide's direction, looking for confirmation, "Fake dating? You're joking."

Nehemiah shook her head, "I'd rather."

"Rowan really got everybody. Aelin especially," added Elide, sitting on one of the chairs against the wall.

Manon laughed, "No guys, mine wasn't a question. You're joking, period." she said. Elide looked at her with a confused grimace, "What do you mean?"

"That they're not fake dating," Manon pointed out, taking her seat next to her.

Aelin, from across the room, burst into tears, and although Elide could not hear her, she knew it must have been a desperate cry, because all the people around her turned around and looked at her worryingly. She was about to get up and go to her, but Lysandra was already escorting her out of the room.

Elide turned again towards Manon, "Yes, they are."

"No, they're not."

"Yes, they really are." Nehemiah meddled.

"Are you trying to tell me that every time we went out and Lyria wasn't there or that Sam wasn't nearby, those two were making eyes at each other for fun?" asked the white-haired girl, "Or that every holy football game we've seen in the last few weeks when Aelin ran out onto the field to hug Rowan and kissed him in front of everyone, it was just practice?" Manon puffed, irritated, pointing to the dance floor where an upset Lyria was standing motionless in front of Rowan. Rowan, who was looking around alarmed.

"I have known Rowan since we were children. We grew up together and in the last few months he has done nothing but talk about Aelin." she started, "Aelin this, Aelin that." she huffed a laugh. "Yeah, it's true. They think they're faking it, but that-" she pointed a finger back at Rowan, who was now talking to a not-little-irritated Aedion, "Well, that's not faking it." she took a sip of water, "And believe me when I tell you I haven't heard Rowan say Lyria's name half a time in the last ten days."

Fenrys approached the two boys, an equally pissed off expression on his face. Elide managed to pick up the words "Lyria" and "piece of shit" from his speech. Rowan looked like a clubbed dog desperately trying to hide his tail between his legs.

"No one looks at anyone else the way he looks at her unless they promised eternal love to each other." Manon concluded, crossing her legs. "Those two are not faking dating. They just don't know it."

Rowan ran his hand over his face and Elide almost snapped when he turned around and walked towards Lyria. He took her by the hand and pulled her off the dance floor.

Lorcan did not seem to be in a more controlled condition than she was and Elide was amazed to see such outrage on his face. After all, Rowan was his best friend, but she was happy to find out that if Rowan did something stupid he wouldn't just blindly support him.

"They should have known that fake dating never goes according to plan." Nehemiah murmured, she sighed and walking away shortly afterwards towards the bar where Fenrys and Aedion were still talking.

Lyria was nodding disoriented, but she smiled at the end when Rowan seemed to apologize and put her hand on his arm. He smiled apologetically and she stood up tiptoeing, leaving a kiss on his cheek and pushing him towards the exit.

Manon got up at that point, looking at the couple sitting next to her. "Trust me guys, he truly loves her and if I know Rowan even a little bit, we can all trust that tomorrow morning Aelin will be the happiest person in the world," she smiled like one who knows what they're talking about and walked away.

Rowan was nodding, looking more scared than anything else, and ran towards the door of the house, towards Aelin.

Perhaps Manon was right. Maybe the next day Aelin would finally be happy.

tog tag list (if you want to be added/removed just send an ask or dm me)

@tottenhamboys20 @maastrash @ireallyshouldsleeprn

[gamebird]

Lazy Sunday in front of a three-day work week for me. :D There’s also no jujitsu this week, so not only do I have evenings free, but I don’t have to feel guilty about skipping the gym.

One of my partner’s relatives gave us a gift card to Netflix, so I’m going to binge through Witcher, Season 2. My dad gave me a huge bag of cracked pecans, so I’ll pick them out during it. I can’t watch at the moment as my partner is watching a soccer/football match. Hence, I’m writing this.

I’m expanding my chicken pen by building a second run. The idea is that I can separate chickens if necessary. It’s not a quarantine, but like if I have two hens hatch chicks as I did this summer, I can keep them penned but separate and thus safe. There was a disaster this summer because I was leaving them out, unsupervised, because I couldn’t safely pen them up together without risking them attacking each other in an excess of mommy hormones. Instead, they were attacked by a dog and I lost one hen and fourteen chicks. So the pen situation is being updated. This will also allow me to rotate the chickens from one run to another, which might allow them some green grass if I don’t let them overburden the ground.

I’m enjoying writing an ongoing Gingerpilot story. I have 14k words published and I think I’m about a third done. I must say, I really enjoy the nice comments, kudos, and hits in Gingerpilot, instead of the relative silence I get when I publish something in TOG.

I’ve been watching the latest TOG drama from afar. I made one comment to start with and have otherwise kept my mouth shut, because it’s hard for me to tell when I’m supposed to say something to be supportive, and when I shouldn’t speak because I’m ‘taking up space’ or ‘distracting from the people who count’. The arguments in question being 1) are Italians white in the way that the US considers white? 2) is it morally wrong for Luca Marinelli to promote a charity that would help non-white people (ie, he’s being a ‘white savior’, but on the other hand he’s trying to help people)? 3) regardless of history, should we pretend the Crusades were race-based just because most Americans think it is? 4) should an American movie promote American views on race issues or should it reflect those of a more global take? And if so, which parts of the globe, and which fans get to decide that?

At least, that’s my take on it. There are probably a lot of posts I’m not seeing because I’ve blocked so many people. The core of it in this case still seems (to me) to be about control and not racism, as well as ship wars - ‘joeicky is gross, so I hate anything that isn’t related to the ships I approve of’.

I’d blow it off as TOG drama, but I see echoes of the same stuff in other fandoms. By echoes, I mean the same basic argument about the American take on race issues used to promote some ships and actors, and disparage others. So, again, it’s not about specific actors, pairings, or fandoms. Not even the same fans. Did Stitch put out a new article or something instructing people to assess their fandom for X signs of racism and then start shit about it? It’s like there’s one central media source giving instructions for this stuff, like how most of the antivax crap comes from a only dozen accounts.

Eh, I think I’ll go back to my good life and ignore it. I have food to prepare for the next week, laundry to fold, and Christmas lights to see tonight after dark. We might stop at the Krispy Kreme and get our free donuts due to being vaxxed. I think I’ll get out there and start driving nails on the chicken pen. :D

[bighandslittlefeet]

Hello Everyone!

So we left Sydney in Val the Van and have been on the road for six days now! It's been marvellous. We’re not sad to see the back of Sydney, serving coffees and running escape rooms can only hold your interest for so long, and I think we packed in all of the good touristy stuff in the first two weeks, so by the end of two months we were definitely hankering for something new! We’re sad to say goodbye to our friends and new work colleagues of course, but the open road beckoned, and on Sunday we set off in a freshly packed Val. We made a short stop for coffee at Four Brothers for Espresso and had a cheeky egg and bacon sarnie and then began the journey properly.

We headed south to go north, hitting up Jervis bay as we had been told by numerous folk that it was truly unmissable. It took us a good five hours to get down, owing to bad traffic on the main highway, it looked to us in passing that a lorry driver had had a serious near miss and was on the side of the road shedding tears to a police officer, meanwhile, we were all diverted down into the valley and onto the b roads. A lot of traffic wound its way through two very picturesque, but very small, seaside towns. Eventually though we made our way out of Sydney and further and further south.

Jervis bay is a nature reserve park with stunning beaches known for their high silica content which keeps them cool and makes them brilliantly white to look at. As we arrived at the park boundary we decided to buy a two day pass, after talking with a really nice park keeper who was sure that the campsites inside the park were a rip off and we’d do much better commuting in and out. So we drove in, the road becoming less and less sealed, further and further, the bush growing more and more tangled and dense. We came to the end of the road. The far end of the peninsula. The furthest beach. We did the obligatory suncreaming and made for the nearest beach. The view was stunning. A sweeping bay with white sands as far as could be seen interspersed with pockets of green and rocky outcroppings encroaching on the shore. We soon realised that this particular edge had quite a lot of rocks and weeds in the amazingly clear water and made our way back to Val, and proceeded to the other side of the headland. This beach, similar in beauty, was replete with a smattering of folks, swimming, eating, sunbathing, and so we felt more comfortable getting out togs off and jumping in. Val came with a full face mask snorkelling kit and two other normal snorkel masks and mouthpieces, so we took the opportunity, as recommended gain by friends, to do a bit of snorkelling. It was chilly water, but gloriously clear. We could see small silvery fish about a handspan in length, and a few jellies here and there. The sand quickly dropped away into the bay and we stuck to the shallows. Later, reading a pamphlet on the beach we would find that we were meant to always face the sea, as sharks were regular guests of the bays! Luckily we were spared any sightings that day!

After a short nap on the sand and a dry off in the early afternoon sunshine we made our way back out of the park. We drove to Hyams beach, another stunner, but the sun was beginning to get low on the horizon and we were starting to get peckish. We made our way to a shop to pick up foodie stuff, the plan was to make a bit of a mexican feast, poached chicken, smoky pepper mole, quac, salsa, blackened corn, and warmed mini tacos. We then made our way over to another site we had identified at bream beach. We couldn’t have done any better, well priced, on the edge of a lake and the people who greeted us were so super friendly. And the kangaroos. They lived on the site. 15 of them, just out of season, so there were some very small young ones! Very cute and very friendly. We watched the sunset with a glass of wine and had leftovers as it was too late to cook.

The next day we headed back into the park. We headed to steamer’s bay, a secluded beach a bit of a hike from the nearest parking spot. It was recommended no swimming, and as we crested the hill we could see why, the beach ran long and shallow and must have had quite a significant drop off as the swell was immense, waves taller than our heads relentlessly crashed onto the beach. We descended the steep staircase into the bay and walked the beaches length and breadth before turning back to the staircase and the walk back to Val. That night we made the feast and ate very well indeed. The next morning we set our sights on hunter valley, a location renowned for its wine and more importantly north of Sydney. We set off and broke the journey for a coffee and a bite in Wollongong, a small seaside town just south of Sydney. A lovely cafe playing Paolo Nutini, served great coffee and a bacon and egg roll - scrambled this time, not fried, and with a nice tomato relish. The BNE as they are called here, seems to the staple of cafes rather than the BLT, as in the UK. I think it is rather excellent. The time in Wollongong was rounded off with a walk up to a lighthouse and along the coast for a little stretch before once again we headed back towards Val. Some of you may know that Becca and I have a collaborative Google map on which we have been bookmarking places to see and go on this trip and we actually had one marked for this town. As we walked back through town to the car park, we passed Chicko’s a fried chicken hut - we couldn’t remember for the life of us why we had tagged it but it looked like it was doing roaring trade. We would have had some had it not been for the lovely food we had just had! And also, fried chicken mid morning seemed a little odd!

Back on the road we blasted the tunes until we climbed the foothills, into the mountains, and finally the valley. An uncanny sense of deja vu took over as it seemed we were transported into the South of France, vineyards and gateways with no fences, lined the route sporadically. Until we hit the towns which were a strange american cultural mix, I could have been in France, although driving on the wrong side of the road! We pulled into the campsite we had booked and set up camp, the temperature was cooler here, and so we shrugged on some jackets and walked across the way to a brewery. We got a tasting platter of local brewed beers, reasoning that tomorrow we could do the wines. We sat and chatted as the sun gto lower and lower in the sky and decided to have a bite to eat at the brewery. A very satisfactory fish and chips and chicken parmo later, and we were contentedly strolling back to camp for a deep sleep.

The next day we did our first campsite wash. The temperature was up so the clothes hung in the sun and were dry in no time. We were soon picked up by our tour which we had booked in Sydney a few weeks ago as a sort of early Christmas treat to ourselves. When in Rome… The tour had been recommended by a friend and was run by a winery/restaurant known as Two Fat Blokes. Julie, our van driver came picked us up at the gates of our site and warned us that today we would be drinking around a bottle and a half of wine each and so had plenty of water on hand - we rubbed our hands with glee. The other couples on the bus were Swiss and American and we picked up a trio of Irish women before making our first wine stop at Leogate. The nine of us sat at a long table outside under a shaded canopy and we were served a flight of 10 or so wines of varying styles and ages. They were all young and fruity and really quite nice. My old world sensibilities have definitely been eroded by this experience. We barreled back into the van, after a few obligatory photos of the vines with the mountains in the background, and began the drive to the next cellar door. Conversation was much more lubricated, thanks I am sure in no small part to the copious quantities of wine just imbibed on near empty stomachs, and we began to chat with the Americans, who turned out to be an Australian and an American who had been dating long distance and were here during their week together. I was asked who my team was, which I had no reply to, until Becca told me he was enquiring about football - at which point I was at even more of a loss. Grasping at straws I related how many people in the UK seemed to be interested in the NFL now, and I myself had picked up a t-shirt at a charity shop which I had been reliably informed was to do with an american sports team, but which I had bought because of its florid tie-dyed aesthetic.

The bus rounded the corner and we were suddenly in a spanish villa. An uncanny sense of deja vu washed over me again, as were were ushered through large oak doors into a high vaulted room. The dude who lead our tasting this time had a very nice pair of DMs on and was a pretty chilled and nice guy. Another flight of wines and we were soon in the van on our way to the two fat blokes pop up restaurant where we had been promised not only nine more wines to taste but also a flight of tasty cheeses to accompany them. The cheese was phenomenal. I’m proud to say the best of the cheese was imported from good ole europe! It was stunning. A real range, and all of them worked very well together on the palate. A new cheese, which I had not had before - a labna, was incredibly creamy and flavoured with a light floral tang. The smoky, the creamy, all went together with the light, the fruity, the well bodied, the red, the white, the rose, and the liqueurs that were placed before us. Placed by, frankly, our alcoholic guide, who admitted to always having at least ten of such and such a bottle on standby, and could happy put away a bottle or two of x and y wines by herself! Much respect. The tasting was made all the more hilarious by the bunch of Irish lasses who had the most amazingly over the top reactions to every cheese we had, it was either ‘the best fucking cheese I have ever tasted, oh my god, Sairosie, have you actually tried this cheese, it's incredible’ to ‘it literally tastes like, and you’ll forgive me for saying this - bird shite’. It was a hoot.

We were the first to be dropped off by the van and we settled into the van quite merrily, making our pre-planned ham and cheese toasties as our designated drunk food. But! These were no ordinary ham and cheese toasties!! As I set about making the roux to form the basis of the cheese sauce, Becca sliced the sourdough breads and began buttering every side. Soon we could begin construction. A doorstop slice of bread, a smear of the cheese sauce, a slice of edam, a few slices of chunky deli ham, a slice of edam, another smear of the mustardy cheese sauce, and finally another double buttered sourdough slice to complete the architectural marvel. Straight to a hot pan, toasted to a golden crisp on both sides, the innards, steaming and goopy. A triumph if we don’t mind saying so ourselves.

The next day we took to the road, bidding goodbye to our strange little campsite in the rolling vines of Hunter Valley. We made a stop at the two wineries we had visited prior to the two fat blokes stop and bought a couple of bottles for Christmas. We then made our way over to Nelson Bay. We spent some time durdling around on a very lovely beach and then made our way up to the headland lighthouse which had stunning views of the bay. We had a spider - an australian coke float, and shared some scones and cream. A questionable variant on the British Cream tea, to be sure. That night we found ourselves in a lovely beachside campsite next to the beach. We tried for another walk but the wind was so strong that it was like being sandblasted. We quickly gave up and turned in as the sun set. That night we found the joys of staying in a powered site, the next day all of our gear was fully charged and the fridge was lovely and cold, now flashing error signs for us as the second battery contended with watery first morning light falling on the solar panel. We set off towards Seal rocks, our next stop, having been recommended a campsite there known as Treachery Camp, by a colleague of Becca’s in Sydney. En route we decided to have lunch at the Rick stein signature restaurant. We hadn’t had any fresh fish yet and we had been looking forward to it down here. So we opted for a fancy meal to treat ourselves. We drank sparkling water on the balcony and ate spiced crab and wonderfully fried fresh fish, and bbq’d king prawns. It was fab!

Soon again we were on the road, barreling along the edge of lakes, and through winding twilight forests. Before we knew what hit us we hit the unsealed road and poor Valerie began to bounce and scream like no-ones business! We slowed to a five km/h crawl and still felt like we were sat on a giant washing machine. After a three kilometre stretch we hit the campsite and found ourselves in the midst of the remains of a festival type hangover. To top it off we were told that they didn’t assign sites we just had to find a spot ourselves. We were a little stressed and found ourselves between some trees - which we soon found out dappled our solar panel! We set out for the beach which was desolate, windy and beautiful. But alas we had no signal and had not expected being without it so couldn’t contact family to let them know we’d be off grid for two days. We didn’t feel like decamping either - only wanting to put Val through that dirt track once more when we left. We made some cracking food though, a very tasty cassoulet, and soon the rabble rousing crowd left and it became a much more young family beach vibe place. We grew more comfortable and relaxed.

We rattled our way back down the unsealed road two mornings later and were soon back on the road towards Port Macquarie. And I’ll leave you with this little tidbit of the next installment - koalas, friends and drinking - oh my.

With Love, Hugs, Spotty Signal and Low Battery Level Power Packs,

Sam and Becca

X

[neckpaintreatmentingurgaon]

Cervical Myelopathy

Tags:

Causes Of Cervical Myelopathy

,

cervical myelopathy

,

Spine surgeon in Gurgaon

Symptoms Of Cervical Myelopathy

,

Treatment Options For Cervical Myelopathy

Introduction

Cervical myelopathy is the compression of the spinal cord in the neck region. Because of the compression, the upper extremities like hands and arms have weakness and numbness along with neck pain and stiffness. Diagnosis is through physical examination and imaging techniques. Surgery is often the treatment for cervical myelopathy.

What Is Cervical Myelopathy?

The spinal cord starts from the brain and passes through the spinal canal. The spinal cord forms a network of nerves throughout the body. The fluid surrounds the spinal cord to protect it from trauma and other injuries.

The area of the neck is the cervical region. Myelopathy is the compression of the spinal cord. Cervical myelopathy is, thus, defined as the condition in which there is a spinal cord compression in the cervical region. It is a degenerative and progressive condition. In the absence of treatment, the patient may have a loss of function and paralysis.

What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Cervical Myelopathy?

The cervical myelopathy generally affects the patient’s upper extremity. The lower extremity may also be affected, which is characterized by weakness and wide gait. Following are the signs and symptoms of cervical myelopathy:

Radiating pain in the neck

Limited motion of the neck

Neck stiffness

Limited motor tasks including combing hair or buttoning shirt

Weakness in hands and arms

Numbness in the upper extremities

Hand clumsiness

Poor hand coordination

Not able to walk normally

What Are The Risk Factors Of Cervical Myelopathy?

Following are some of the factors that increase the risk of cervical myelopathy:

Age: Elderly are more likely to get cervical myelopathy.

Smoking and alcohol: People who are obese and indulge in drinking alcohol and smoke are at increased risk for cervical myelopathy.

High impact sports: People who are involved in high-impact sports such as football are at risk for developing cervical myelopathy.

Profession: People who are into a work that requires putting a heavy burden on the back for a considerable period are at risk of having cervical myelopathy.

Underlying medical conditions: Underlying medical conditions such as infection, ischemia, and autoimmune diseases may increase the risk of cervical myelopathy.

What Are The Causes Of Cervical Myelopathy?

Following are the various causes of cervical myelopathy:

Slip disc

Neck dislocation

Neck fracture

Bone spurs

Arthritis

Spinal infection

Tumor of the spine

Cervical Spondylolisthesis

Traumatic injury

Autoimmune disease such as multiple sclerosis

Normal wear and tear of bone and spine

How Cervical Myelopathy Is Diagnosed?

The techniques used for diagnosing cervical myelopathy are:

Physical examination: The doctors perform a thorough physical examination to determine the presence of cervical myelopathy. The doctor performs Lhermitte sign, Hoffman sign, Finger escape sign, hyperreflexia examination, crossed radial reflex, balance and spasticity issue examination, and Inverted radial reflex.

Imaging technique: The imaging techniques used for diagnosing cervical myelopathy include X-rays, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Computed Tomography Myelogram, and determination of the Tog ratio.

Other tests: The other tests used for diagnosis include Somatosensory evoked potentials, Electromyography (EMG), and Visual evoked potential test (VEP)

What Are The Treatment Options For Cervical Myelopathy?

Cervical myelopathy is a progressive condition. Surgery is usually the option to avoid further deterioration. In case of structural pressure on the spinal cord, neurologists recommend immediate surgery. There are various types of surgery for cervical myelopathy including Laminoplasty that is performed to expand the spinal canal, Cervical decompression surgery, vertebral fusion surgery, and Laminectomy.

About Doctor

Dr. Vikas Kathuria is a dynamic Neurotherapist or Neurosurgeon specializing in brain and spine related surgical and Non-surgical Procedures. He Did graduation and post graduation from PGI Rohtak, Haryana, India and further did super specialization in Neurosurgery from Sheth Vadilal Sarabhai General Hospital and Medical College, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.

[tricksters-captain]

Young!FP Jones/Riverdale imagines - Small towns part 3

AN: Thank y’all for being patient with me, here’s the next part you’ve been waiting for!

Catch up here: (Part 1) (Part 2)

Overall Summary: Being the new girl is hard when all the attention seems to be drawing back to you even when you’re determined to stay under the radar. 

Pairing: FP Jones x reader, Alice x FP, Alice x Hal, Fred x Hermione, Fred x Mary, Hermione x Hiram, basically a lot goes on in this fic

Word count: 1,155 (sorry it’s short!!)

Warnings: None

After first period, you soon found yourself with a shadow. In fact, multiple shadows. 

FP and Fred were closely following you and murmuring to each other. FP was clutching his folder in his hand as he dodged through the crowds of students to be closer to you. You had to pretend that you didn’t notice him behind you. Especially since you were in a crowded hallway. 

All morning you had to get used to your fellow students staring, you seemed to have caught their eyes when you were spotted talking to FP and now it’s like you have some neon sign above your head telling people to watch you constantly. 

You managed to escape a second conversation with FP that day by B-lining to the girls bathroom. You dumped your bag on the ground and leant against the bathroom sink. You were the only one in there which meant you could let your guard down. 

You peered up at yourself in the mirror and laughed weakly. 

Way to go at keeping a low profile. 

You touched your forehead and closed your eyes, inhaling deeply as you prepared yourself to return to the outside. 

“What’s got you all worked up?” Alice’s voice rang through the bathroom as she somehow managed to sneak in without you realising. 

“Nothing... Just sucks being the new girl, I guess.” You lied, leaning back off the sink and scooping up your bag. 

“Yeah, nothing’s worse than that.” Alice smiled as she pulled out a cigarette and lit it, standing closer to the window of the girls bathroom. 

She seemed to be observing you carefully as she exhaled a thick cloud of smoke. 

“I should probably get back to class.” You excused yourself, feeling slightly uncomfortable under Alice’s stare. 

Alice narrowed her eyes as she watched you leave. She was very curious of you. 

When lunch hit, you found your place on the bleachers outside and sighed with relief since you were finally alone. Or so you thought. 

You were soon interrupted by the boy you had been avoiding all day as he had noticed you watching the cheerleaders practise outside ready for the pep rally tomorrow. 

“Cheerleading your thing?” FP asked, as he made his way up the bleachers to be nearer you. 

“Not really. Too much enthusiasm and split kicks.” You smiled coyly at the boy and he chuckled. “Guessing you’re a football player?” 

“Why’d you think that?” FP asked, sucking on his lower lip as your eyes met his. 

“You’re just the type.” You said, forcing yourself to tear your gaze away. 

FP nodded his head and sat down one row below you, digging his hands into his pockets. 

“So, are you gonna tell me why you’re avoiding me or will I have to ask one of your friends?” FP asked. 

“I don’t have any friends.” You said as you rolled your eyes to avoid meeting his eyes again. 

“You have me.” FP shrugged. 

“No offence, FP, but I’m trying to stay under the radar and from the look of you and how this school treats you and Fred, you two are definitely not under the radar.” FP laughed when you said this. 

“There is no radar to be under, (Y/n). Everyone knows everyone whether you want to or not. It’s the con of being in a high school in a small town.” FP explained, smiling up at you. 

You groaned and closed your eyes. 

“So no matter what I do, I won't be invisible like I intend to?”

“Not unless you physically turn invisible.” FP teased, you smiled at him and shook your head. 

“That’s just great.” 

“You know, working at Pop’s isn't really being invisible. Half the school goes there.” FP informed you, you nodded and pursed your lips into a thin line. 

“Yeah, well, I soon found that out last night. But money is money and we really need it at the moment.” You admitted openly to the boy you barely even knew. 

“Yeah, I get what you mean.” FP leant back. “I’ve been working at the garage with Fred ever since the beginning of summer.” 

“Are you two close?” You asked the obvious question. 

“Ever since we were kids.” FP told you. You smiled at the idea of having a life long friend and FP took this chance to sit on the same row as you. “You at the rally tomorrow?” 

“I’ve got work.” You shrugged your shoulders and for a second you swore you saw a flash of disappointment in the boys eyes. 

“Well, if you’re ever not working, maybe we could....” FP’s words started to fade and you decided to butt in. 

“Are you trying to ask me out?” You smirked, 

“I mean, only if you wanted to.” FP stammered, trying to swallow down his jitters. 

“I––” You went to answer when Fred called FP down and it sounded urgent. 

“I’m sorry, I should––” FP went to apologise as he started descending the bleachers but Fred’s call stopped him. 

“Just go!” You laughed as you watch him stumble backwards then flee.

You didn’t see the boys again that day, you half expected FP to be waiting to offer you a ride home again but you had only got your hopes up as he wasn’t there waiting like some romcom. 

You walked home and found an empty house, meaning your mom was still working.

You were just about to start changing into your works attire when you heard the house phone go so you rushed to the kitchen and took the phone of the wall. 

“Hello?” You answered, slightly confused to who’d be calling as you’d only been here a couple days.

“(Y/n)?” FP’s voice reached you. 

“FP? How did you get my number?” You furrowed your eyebrows but smiled nevertheless. You really weren’t expecting this. 

“I’m at Pop’s, they have to have your number just in case something happens.”FP chuckled lightly, scratching the back of his neck as Fred stood close by, trying to listen in. 

“Okay, so why are you calling me now when you should know I have a shift that starts in an hour? Could your really not wait an hour?” You teased the boy for calling you but didn’t really mean it. It was no lie that FP was an attractive guy and with the news of the fact that you will never be invisible you might as well enjoy the limelight you’re getting instead of depise it. 

“Actually, I was calling to see if Pop gave me the right number.” You practically hear the smirk that FP wore through the phone. 

“Alright, well, now you know it’s me, I’m gonna go get ready for work.” You hung up as FP said bye and found yourself smiling. 

You quickly shook the goofy smile from your face.

“Get yourself together.” You scolded yourself before heading to your room. 

New (and better) Part on Saturday, sorry this is lacking a little. 

Small town tag list 

@thealipower @angelicaleonamichelle @xsnak-3x @enchantedlana @akamegakillme @princess-lucifer @wckedheart @asouthsideserpent @shannon-posts @fandom--0verdose @pho-tog-raphy @bugheadauthor @iwannadiehere @twigleektribute23 @fpjonxs @5secondsofren @isak-lovelies @itsall-inmy-head @ffremontt @baasooreexiiaa @amycarstairs @wallxflowerme

[togbyemma]

Custom made team light blocks made to order. See our Etsy page for more info & pricing: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/648903290/team-light-block-custom-made-to-order?ref=shop_home_active_1 These beautiful light blocks make excellent decorations for around the house, office, garden & more. Hand crafted to order they also make great gifts for all occasions. They come complete with your choice of either battery operated (batteries included) or solar powered lights. The blocks are wrapped in a complimentary ribbon in colours that match the selected design (See 3x samples illustartion photos). If you require specific coloured ribbons/print then please contact us prior to completing your purchase. Weight: Approx 2.5kg Dimensions: 8"w x 8"h x 2.5"d #oldstreetoniansrfc #TogsByEmma #OfficialDSA #LondonBlitz #KWearables #custommade #customgift #customclothing #personalised #xmas #corporateclothing #corporate #company #team #party #stag #hen #birthday #football #americanfootball #hashtagyoulifestyle @tntprodsuk @viplondon2017 @londonblitz @officialdsa @kwearables (at TOGS by Emma) https://www.instagram.com/p/BquYKFrAMKx/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=3qa0cmvo805f

[victimhood]

The two captains exchange jerseys at the end of the semifinal between the Netherlands and Italy at the 2026 World Cup.

(From chapter one of The Beautiful Game)

[image description: Yusuf Al-Kaysani, captain of the Dutch NT, wears a blue shirt bearing the name “Di Genova” and the number 2. He has one arm around Nicolò Di Genova, captain of the Italian NT, who is wearing an orange shirt with the name “Al Kaysani” and the number 4. They are standing on a soccer pitch and there is a soccer ball lying around to emphasize this is about soccer.]

[daviesshaw9-blog]

Azure Apple View Cost, variety?

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[olwog]

Today is interesting! The weather is projected to be wet and I’m togging up for some serious double drip rain, Gortex on top and some leggings together with my best hat bought ‘cos it has a wide brim. I look a bit of an arse but it keeps the rain off my glasses.

The Pilgrim has taken a more conservative approach with Gortex jacket and shorts, yes shorts! I suppose if you’re going to get pissing wet through then at least shorts will expose less material to the elements and ends up with less weight, this is the one thing with which a pilgrim becomes consumed.

We stayed at a casa rural and if they’re all like this, you’d do well to add it to your preference list. It’s a large converted property that looks like a Swiss chalet. This one has 6 rooms all ensuite and very comfortable. They don’t have a reception as such but once you’re booked in, who needs one?

The exit is via the lovely steps that could be both a feature and a challenge if you’re disabled. We walk along the river towards the coast with the intention of finding a cafe for our usual morning caffeine injection.

The rain that is promised hasn’t materialised yet but the sky is heavy with cloud, I’m feeling overdressed!

We decide on a detour to the breakwater but a stroke of luck intervenes in the form of two lovely Spanish ladies out power walking who recognise us as perergrinos and tell us we missed the Camino way. We ask about cafes at the estuary and the reply is negative so we revert to plan ‘B’.

Turning back, there’s no need to look for the yellow arrows, the ladies are pointing to the track and we begin what will be our first ascent of the day. The track meanders through vineyards and pastures, all on slopes. There are valleys but no flat bits at the bottom. At the top there is a camp site that we hope will have a cafe but no. It looks like we’re doomed to water for the first 6 kilometres and settle ourselves down to it.

As we emerge from the detour we see Danial and Susan the Swiss couple we met on the tops yesterday. The Pilgrim points out that this is going to be a regular occurrence and by the time she was on the closing stages of the other two Caminos that she’s completed, there was an army of people who would respond and greet others at cafes and bars along the way.

This is like Heidi country, there are sheep and goats with bells around their necks and the meadows still have a few perennial flowers that they’re gently chewing. There’s the occasional abandoned plough left to rust from a different era and a field full of donkeys. It’s all very rural and all quite beautiful.

We begin the descent to Zarautz where we’re bound to get coffee. This is a small town with a pristine sandy bay. There’s a local, sitting on a wall with the inevitable ‘phone pinned to his head. The Pilgrim asks him where there are cafes and he gestures to a sign that indicates the playa (beach) so we head in that direction arriving at a delightful hotel based cafe adjacent to the beach.

The food is simple, toast made with fabulous brown bread, and a choice of quince jam or a tomato. OK, so the tomato may not jump straight into mind when eaten with toast but with a bit of top quality olive oil to drizzle onto both, the result is a simple meal that’s divine.

We have a discussion regarding the route and decided on the coastal alternative that takes in Getaria, a small town with a big tale to tell. Apparently, the guy that did the first circumnavigation of the world was from this little town. His name was Juan Sebastian Elcano and, whilst not in charge when the voyage commenced, he assumed command on the death of Magellan and took the journey to conclusion. He was born in Getaria, Basque region in 1476 and died, sadly, of malnutrition in the Pacific Ocean in 1526. The Basques, quite rightly, are extremely proud of him. Mind you the Basques are extremely proud of anything in this region including the meat and beer. I got a bollocking from a Basque waiter for referring to some Serrano ham when it should have been Bayonne ham . The guy took a real issue with me and refused to speak or serve me, fortunately, the lady that was in charge and clearly a south of Spain girl got me off the hook, I gave her a big tip whilst he was watching; childish, I know but I left with a smug smile!

The weather continues to be generally kind although we have had a little rain as we make our way past St Martin where a group of school kids are playing in the square. I overhear, “Los peregrinos” as one of them spots us and points at the idiot wrapped up like a Michelin man. They’re playing lots of games that I remember from school and, like us, are split by gender. The boys and the odd girl are kicking a ball around (actually, it’s a tennis ball but they’re kicking it with their feet so, if I’m being pedantic, it’s a football) and two girls are hidden from the rest and are practicing dance moves whilst singing the appropriate lyrics almost under their breath. It’s a gorgeous site and makes us smile as we vacate the square and begin some more ascent through sheep farm land complete with a few goats.

After some really serious ascent we begin the descent into Zumiai. The Pilgrim seems to think that you can only experience The Camino if you stay at an albergue, An albergue is a sort of bunk house with shared dormitories and shared toilets. I’ve stayed in bunk houses many times as a diver and enjoyed the camaraderie so its not exactly new; however, everyone seems to be asking if I’ve done it yet and what did I think of it. Soo we just walked 20 kilometres but need to walk to the albergue so I can become a Pilgrim. We know it’s on the outskirts of Zumaia so we follow the yellow arrows leading out of the town.

This is without doubt ‘up’. In fact it’s seriously ‘up’, more serious than the rest of the day but this is the end of the day so it feels worse. Even The Pilgrim thinks it’s ‘up’ and she’s not sure how far ‘up’ it’s going to be so we keep walking. It’s been a good walk so we’re both up beat – the last two words were not meant to be a pun! And we reach a lovely church of Nosta Senora. A lady emerges and The Pilgrim approaches her to ask about the Santa Klara albergue. Fortunately, she knows about it although I don’t think either of us would agree with her ability to assess distance. It’s not far she says, the entrance is opposite the Casa Blanca (White House). There is a white house but it is a mystery to us just now so we continue walking around a couple more bends and we can look back into the bay, such a fabulous view. We’re thinking it’s just around the next bend and the land profile implies we’re nearing the top. As we round the next bend there it is… more ‘up’!

We can see what looks like a Swiss Chalet about a kilometre further and another 500 feet up. There’s no doubt it’s a long way up but it probably has some great views.

We get to a couple of hundred metres of it and stop on a corner to catch our breath and look back down the coast.

As we’re looking at the albergue The Pilgrim says, “It’s a long way out of town”.

Then there’s another change of heart when she says we’ll just check it out.

So, off we go on the last leg and it’s tough. We reach the top and manage to catch our breath then approach the door that looks like it’s closed for the winter.

We ring the bell and there’s no answer so we ferret about for a while.

We ring again and just as we’re about to leave there’s noise from inside and then the door opens. It’s a young girl who looks at our attire and assess the situation, quite correctly, as two peregrinos wanting accommodation in the Albergue San Klara.

“Albergue San Klara is no more”, she says, “It is closed but we are a Casa Rural”.

‘No”, says The Pilgrim, “It’s too far out of town, but thank you…”

…The view from up here though, is really quite stunning! 😀

Enjoy the photos…G..x — with Cecilia Kennedy.

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Camino – Orio to Zumiai – Day 3 Today is interesting! The weather is projected to be wet and I'm togging up for some serious double drip rain, Gortex on top and some leggings together with my best hat bought 'cos it has a wide brim.

[victimhood]

Joe and Nicky for UEFA EURO 2028: NED vs ITA

Now we skip to June 2028. The European Championship is once more taking place in Italy. There are twenty four teams divided into groups, followed by a knockout stage. There is no third place fixture on the schedule. Di Genova, the much-beloved Italian captain, takes his team on a blistering dream run, in front of an adoring home crowd, beating a well-regarded Portugal and incumbent holders Belgium along the way. He has declared his intention to retire for good, once this tournament is over.

From chapter 106 of The Beautiful Game, the Euro Championship chapter (aka The Old Guard football!AU)

[victimhood]

THIS??????

This is the perfect TOG FC Joe x Nicky wedding song???????

The singer is Moroccan Italian and can you imagine this wedding taking place in coastal Liguria????

And imagine Joe and Nicky wearing the most beautiful burnous + jebba combos

[victimhood]

(x)

[Image descriptions: Picture 1 shows a photo of the old San Siro stadium in Milan, with the caption “ITA vs NED, 8 July 2028″. Picture 2 shows a photo of Nicolo di Genova, captain of the Azzurri (Italian NT), with the caption: “Of course, it is a little unexpected*, but it is a great honor to represent my country in the third place playoff”. Private side note: *unexpected as in, “I have been cockblocked by my entire country”. Picture 3 shows a photo of Yusuf Al Kaysani, captain of the Oranje (Dutch NT), with the caption: “The third place match is the purest expression of love for the beautiful game. The third place match you play for love and honor.”]