Fifty years of hurt...

Today, July 30th, is, gulp, the 50th anniversary of England winning the World Cup at Wembley (the only international tournament we’ve ever won). Aged fifteen in 1966, I was in the lakes with my dad, and we didn’t have a TV. So we walked up Ghyll Head Road and called in on elderly neighbours to watch the match. He was diabetic and, halfway through the game, complained of double vision (he could see 22 players on either side). His wife reacted quickly, gave him a couple of sugar lumps and he was soon back to normal. I can’t remember anything at all about the game itself: the hat-trick by Geoff Hurst, the famous commentary by Kenneth Wolstenholme, the toothless grin of Nobby Stiles, or the post-match celebrations. Good anecdote, eh?…

The high-maintenance gardens at Levens Hall..