Birthday #LXIII

First and foremost, thanks to the miracle of e-mail, Facebook and the US/Swedish postal systems, I must say TACK SÅ MYCKET, GRAZIE, GRACIAS and THANK YOU to the over 100 people who contacted me today, WOW!!!

Most of them wished me a Happy LXIIIrd Birthday.

A few were contacting me to say that they were simply stunned to find out that I was still alive after living "La Dolce Vita" for most of the past three years in Sicily and Sweden!

Again, to all of you, thanks, it meant a lot to me.

Lunch at the Golf Course

Several pigs were slaughtered to give us nourishment today. To honor them, I ate several pork steaks and slabs of bacon.

It was the least that I could do.

Elysian Fields

After our sumptuous meal, we waddled across the street to the pastoral setting that is Hässleholmsgården. We searched for a suitable place to lay down our towels, do some reading and, perhaps, even rest our eyes.

It had to have sunlight for Laurie

But it also had to have shade for the Birthday Boy

EUREKA!!!

Life is good.

Laurie's gift surprised me,

a Nikon D3000 camera!!!!!!!!!!!

I was quickly on the internet getting instructions from Jason Johnson, my photography guru.

Strangely, his first piece of advice was to buy a Nikon fish eye lens.

After a light, non-pork product related dinner at Icelandia, we sat down to watch Swedish TV's "Big Deal of the Day," Spain vs. Germany in the World Cup Semi-Finals.

The winner gets a shot at the Cup against the Netherlands, a 3-2 winner over Uruguay in the other Semi-Final match, played on Tuesday night.

Fast and Furious Action

Carlos Puyol is #5 for Spain

Spain is in the Red and Blue kit.

It was 0-0 at the half.

Who would have guessed it?

74th Minute Laser Shot

off of Puyol's Noggin

This score came off of a corner kick and proved to be the game winner as Spain crushed Germany 1-0.

After the match, the German team filed a protest with FIFA demanding an immediate biopsy of Puyol's brain cavity. They are positive that it has been corked ala Sammy Sosa's baseball bat!

The way the ball exploded off of Puyol's cranium makes me think that the Germans might have a case.

Barring the upholding of said appeal, the 2010 World Cup Final match will be this Sunday.

The quadrennial World Cup was first played in 1930 in Uruguay with the host country taking home the Cup by virtue of a 4-2 drubbing of Argentina. The 2010 World Cup is being hosted by South Africa and is the 19th World Cup Tournament. No tournaments were held in 1942 and 1946 due to World War II and its immediate aftermath.

Brazil leads the way with five World Cup Championships (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002) followed by Italy with four Cup triumphs (1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006).

Sunday's Championship match features a Spanish team that is making Spain's first ever trip to the World Cup finals against a Netherlands team that has also never won the Cup but has made it to the final match on two occasions. In 1974, Netherlands lost the Cup final to Germany by a score of 2-1. The House of Orange's favorite side returned to the finals in 1978 but lost again 3-1 this time to Argentina.

Sunday, history will be made for one of these two great soccer nations.

VIVA ESPAÑA!!!