The tennis and football has certainly provided a welcome distraction in the past few days. How nice to have some semblance of normality as familiar sporting competitions have taken place, and we've had something different on which to focus our attention and to feel a collective adherence.
There's certainly been something to celebrate, too, in the efforts of the young British player, Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon and the talent and team spirit displayed in Gareth Southgate's England as they move to the Euro 2020 semi-finals this week.
While it's still very difficult to plan ahead, and we've all become accepting of disappointments, the anticipated achievements of our favoured players has given us all something to hope for, a renewed sense of community, and a different topic of conversation!
It's a time when it's acceptable to adopt an allegiance to one side above another and, for England supporters, this week's recommended read may prove of interest as historian Marc Morris's surprise bestseller presents a history of the beginnings of England. Scroll down for more details.
So good luck for the coming week, and thank you for reading.