Drama

The Drama of the Skies v the Drama of Sport. 

One puzzling feature of lockdown for me has been how little I've missed the sport. The summer sees the climax of the football season, the cricket season, Wimbledon, the Tour de France. I'm a sports nut. Every year, sport sets a pattern and a structure to the months and weeks and days. I love the human drama of the big events. For me, a great match ranks up there with great art. It's better than theatre because there's no script.

But I haven't really missed it. I've won back a lot of time as a result. I now wonder how I ever got anything creative done before lockdown. Having Forrest living with me and access to almost all the great sport going, it's very hard to resist when it's there at a click of a button. I liken it to chocolate digestive biscuits. I don't miss them when I don't have them around but, once I've bought a packet, it sits there nagging away at me to have one. I dip into the packet and, before I know it, a few more have disappeared. Sport feels a bit like that.

Wimbledon has been cancelled for this year, the cricket is due to start next month, but the football is in full swing. It's odd watching games with no crowd presence but, like every aspect of lockdown, you get used to it pretty quickly. It has meant renewed fraying of the nerves whenever Leeds play. They lost their first post-lockdown match and Roam was shredded. Today's game against fellow promotion-chasing Fulham was massive.

Just before the game, he texted me ...

Roam: I FEEL SICK TO MY STOMACH! Trying to work out why I actually missed this. Bloody torturous levels of nerves.

Me: Oh god. It's all my fault. I should have taken you to see the Palace!

Roam: No no, this was the best thing you ever did for me. But Christ it gets my ticker going.

Just as I settled down to watch the match, the rain stopped and some mighty impressive cloud action started to build. The forecast was for more rain later so it was likely there was just this one opportunity for some good photography. I was caught between the two great dramas. But then we scored and then I felt relaxed enough to leave. Our record having scored first under Bielsa is amazing (W45 D4 L1). I returned with some good photos and Roam in my ear telling me Leeds had been playing their worst football of the season. I was happy to have missed that. 

And then we scored again. And then we got another. 3-0. I texted Roam again  ...

Me: And ... breathe :)

Roam: WOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GET IN!!!!!!! YES YES YES YES YES YES. But no ... I never relax. I'm still nervous.

Me: You're a hopeless case!

Roam: It's a sickness.

Me: With no cure yet to be found.

Roam: Maybe when I have kids and I've passed the illness on.

Me: You bastard!

Roam: Hahaha, if I have to go through it, so do they!

There you have it.

PS I'd forgotten just how better photos look here when gone large!