"Whatever you do," said my wife, with a piercing look, "don't mention the football."
She was right, of course. Football in the North East is a touchy subject at the best of times. The colour of your shirt matters hugely. You only have to read Harry Pearson's fine book called The Far Corner to understand the capricious nature of football in this region.
Today, on such a beautiful and hot day, it felt that there was a black cloud swamping the Tyne Valley as I drove along it, following recent events in Bloemfontein. Even the cows looked more mournful than usual and the sheep were huddled together by the walls and not doing their usual mass escape onto the roads. Everything seemed to be pianissimo.
The biggest change was the sudden disappearance of flags, overnight. Patriotism at its finest, some sarcastically say. But then again it is unlikely St George will be rolling in his grave. It's also unlikely that he ever visited England, let alone fought any dragons. So he might even be pleased that his flag has been hijacked by the football fraternity.
For more advice on recycling your flag - look at the Daily Telegraph article:-
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-2010/7859341/England-defeat-10-ways-to-reuse-your-St-Georges-flags.html
From a bus driver's perspective, it is fantastic not to see or hear these flapping plastic flags, perched precariously on the top of cars.
Peace at last.
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