Well I have successfully managed to start writing up my first substantive chapter. It’s been slow work but at least I have started it and hope to finish off the first section I started writing by the end of today. It’s scary to think that I am planning to write basically an undergrad or masters dissertation over the summer but that’s what I’ll do! And I’m chipping away at that 100,000 word thesis final word count.

So while the words are flowing and I am able to write, what I don’t need is distractions. Nice June sunny days make things difficult, particularly with the computer giving off heat as I try to work. It makes things difficult but I can work through that. I will doubtless do some of my writing on my laptop in the garden over the summer which will be nice. Already had two test matches of the summer too but we’ve made fairly easy work of beating Bangladesh. While it was good to sit and watch some cricket on the telly it wasn’t a huge distraction as I still got meaningful work done while that was going on. And me and my mates are going down to Lord’s in August for the first day of the third test against Pakistan. That will be something to look forward to and to make sure I have my work done by then!

But I think the football World Cup will be too big a distraction to resist! To be honest I can’t wait for it and it’s nice, if a little annoying, to see World Cup fever gripping the nation once again as England actually qualified and look pretty decent for getting to the semi-finals at least. I’m definitely going to make time to watch the opening ceremony and first matches on Friday and then England play their first game on Saturday. So I shall have to develop a routine which allows me to work (especially in the mornings) and watch the games, but most matches, especially in the latter stages of the competition, are in the evenings so I don’t envisage too many problems.

Let’s see how things go. I’m sure after England go out, doing work will seem very appealing as a way to forget. I only have one wish this time – please, please, please can we not get knocked out by Portugal!!! The last World Cup and Euro 2004 we were knocked out on penalties by the Portuguese. This makes things very difficult for me and I’m getting sick of it. So I don’t mind if we go out to the Germans or Argentina again but please anyone but Portugal!