Mexico 1 - Argentina 3

After the Festival (by all accounts a great day)(so hot!) I arrived home late and sunburned to find the tall bloke much chirpier than I had expected, after the obvious disappointment of the day. He said it was typical England and he was used to it. Well, that is very philosophical of you tall man, but what's for dinner tonight? Steak and chips was the short answer, which didn't exactly fill me with inspiration. I get the Argentinian connection, but considering the quality of research and creativity so far, I have come to expect more. However, ever the epitome of tact and diplomacy, I said nothing. What arrived on my plate moments later, was so impressive, as to make me very glad I never mentioned my inner thoughts. Tall bloke had made a red peppper chimichurri - a summery, tasty accompaniment to a perfectly grilled steak (the rarer side of medium) and home made chips.

USA 1 - Ghana 2

The match went into extra time but still, the team which topped Group C ahead of England crashed out of the last 16. Ghana scored during the first part of extra time and you could see on the players' exhausted faces, that they knew at that point, the game was won. This means Ghana is the last remaining African team in the 2010 World Cup. I've no doubt they will have wide support in South Africa.

In honour of the American "soccer" effort, the tall bloke ordered an "American Hot" pizza from our favourite, local pizza delivery place: Pizza Max. This pizza place doesn't look like much from outside, but the proof is in the deep pan Margherita, which I order without fail, every time we have a lazy supper. So good are the pizzas from this place, that I feel a slight anxiety about you getting too hooked on them. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Please cut us some slack for not cooking from scratch tonight (again) - it is the night before the Lavender Festival - an event I organise in Battersea (on Lavender Hill) every June. 10,000 people came last year, so as you can imagine, this household has been rather tied up in all the planning and preparations for the Festival!