Newcastle United Head Coach Eddie Howe holds the Carabao Cup trophy
Newcastle United Head Coach Eddie Howe holds the Carabao Cup trophy
First we had the glorious reality of every Geordie dream coming true beneath Wembley's famous arch when Newcastle United smashed the best team in the Premier League to become Carabao Cup champions.
Next came the heroes' welcome home when all were wrapped in the embracing love of a grateful people . . . the city transformed into a teeming mass of humanity from packed streets of wildly cheering faces to the Town Moor covered by another 150,000 jigging for joy.
From Ant and Dec to Alan Shearer the fans and superfans hailed those who did us Geordies proud. No one parties or shows gratitude or worships football quite like black-and-whiters.
They hung off lamp posts, stood on top of traffic lights, sat on the shoulders of Shearer's statue, roared from every floor of multi storey car parks, produced a replica of Glastonbury in front of the big stage on the Town Moor. Equally those who performed great deeds embraced the party atmosphere. Bruno was irreverent as ever, Jacob Murphy did his fan interpretation, Big Dan sported a grin as wide as the Tyne, Will Osula hogged the camera as only the exuberant youth can charging centre stage, and Tripps brought a sense of professionalism to his satisfaction.
It has been wall to wall sunshine. Great expectations fulfilled. Cup winners once again like Wor Jackie and Bobby Mitchell, skipper Bob Moncur and big Wyn Davies. New names in the history books. It's there written in black and white.
Now we have to come down to earth. Must we? Well, yes I'm afraid so. We've been floating on air for longer than a kite in a high wind.
After an elongated period of celebration it's back to business. Ten games left in another glory run, this time towards the Champions League and it starts on Wednesday with three of United's next four matches on home grass which is as good an opportunity as it gets.
If a campaign of continental isolation is to be ended with something better than the UEFA Conference League then United must hit the ground running and build on the feelgood factor that is sweeping a city. The immediate fixture list reads: Brentford (h), Leicester (a), Manchester United (h) and Crystal Palace (h).
It could be argued that the easiest game is the away one at marooned Leicester but that cannot invite home failure. Neither can the fact that first up comes the best away team in the top flight Brentford with no less than five successive victories. All right two were against easybeats Southampton and Leicester but they also won at West Ham, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.
The Bees are a better team on their travels than at base and consequently offer United a large dollop of reality which they probably need after walking on water.
United must resume PL activity without three of their best players - Anthony Gordon, Lewis Hall and Sven Botman - but then it was the same at Wembley and United bullied and battered runaway league leaders Liverpool. It will be nigh impossible to keep up such phenomenal standards for the rest of the campaign but they must strive for as near to perfection as possible rather than be erratic up and down.
The truth and the danger is that United get up for the big games but not so much for the rank and file so what can look like a good run-in can hide pitfalls.
There is another factor of course - how much physically and emotionally are some players drained after Wembley and a victory parade to end all victory parades. Bruno and Joelinton suffered on the other side of the world with Brazil while Dan Burn admitted that in the second half of his England debut he suddenly felt as though he was running in treacle. Eddie Howe will be assessing every single player in training to see if anyone is physically left flat as a pancake.
Brentford will inevitably represent yet another night of swirling emotion - United's first appearance on the battlefield after Wembley though it must be channelled into an adrenalin-pumped charge for victory as opposed to a mere one and a hour love-in.
'All wi' smiling faces' - Newcastle's happiest fans as 300,000 line the streets for bus parade
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I'm absolutely delighted that among the special guests will by John Tudor's wife and family. John, SuperMac's partner on the 1974 run to Wembley in the FA Cup, died recently aged 78. His wife Anne and son Jonathan have flown over from America and will be joined at SJP by daughter Shelley. He was a lovely man, John, and no mean footballer.
After our run of three matches out of four at home Newcastle complete the season with fixtures against Aston Villa (a), Ipswich (h), Brighton (a), Chelsea (h), Arsenal (a) and Everton (h). If United can make SJP the fortress it once was then the key games will be away to fellow European contenders Villa, Brighton and Arsenal. Let us pray it turns out to be a Perfect Ten for the Merry Mags.
Jinx? Curse? Hoodoo? Exile? Naw, those days have gone. Never mind the Hoppings the Town Moor was hoppin' for joy at what has just happened and can happen again. So was I. This has meant everything to all of us.
Let us hope that somehow United can get their business head on come Wednesday night and continue the drive for the great beyond. It will be difficult but it has to be done.