shawThings.net : a collection of shaw things ...

A reasonably strong Australian side could only manage a 0-0 draw against an under-strength Swiss team.

In our first game since the World Cup, we were missing a few regular starters, we had a new (temporary) coach and were very rusty. We had a couple of good chances and could have stolen a draw or even a win, but Slovenia deserved their 2-0 victory.

A couple of recent snaps: the reason the Labor Party ditched Kevin and a worrisome ATM.

It's come and gone for another four years. A look back at the tournament while we wait for the decision on 2022 and Brazil 2014.

The series finale, while ultimately a pretty good episode, left me feeling a little underwhelmed by the great escape from the previous episode's predicament. On the whole, an solid upbeat finish to the season.

A review of the semi-finals, play-off and final.

Quite possibly the best cliff-hanger ever! This is the first part of a two-part end-of-series episode. It has the hallmarks of recent series-enders, ie. big, but without going over the top (into space opera territory). River Song is back as she foretold in Flesh and Stone with a warning that leads River, Amy and the Doctor to the Pandorica. But what is it? A prison for the most-feared warrior of all time? The story builds to a thrilling climax as all of the big name enemies of the Doctor unite to lock him in the Pandorica as Amy is shot (apparently fatally) and River is trapped in the TARDIS as it explodes. How on earth will the Doctor escape?

An overview of the quarter-finals.

An overview of the round of 16, the first knockout round.

An unusual episode that focuses on the Doctor (Amy being almost entirely absent) living as a human. He rents a flat (hence The Lodger) while investigating why the TARDIS can't materialise (trapping Amy in the future). There's humour, a love story, the Doctor playing football and another reference to the cracks.