Author: migrant

The Super team drag their season back on track, with a massive win in the massive cup.
So off to Wembley in April.

I hope it is screened live, or is the cost of a return flight worth seeing history made?

This is a holiday weekend in the Wellington region, hence the ability to enjoy a bumper selection of events.

On Saturday Sara scratched her seven year itch-we made it to an agricultural show. We chose th better of the 2 days to go; the weathr was much better, and the wood choppers were active, as well as the show jumping.

The axemen (women) were excellent, a fascinating talent, which Sara spent most of the day watching. Most of them were big blokes, but also fit with great endurance. The better ones managed to swing with great speed. The competitions were handicapped, similar to have a golf handicap, based on previous success. There were even two competitors from Austria and England, over here to improve their skills!

The show jumping went on all day. The horses were fantastic specimens. However, looking at the equipment on show, competing in these events appears to be a horrendously expensive sport.

Sheep dog trials were part of the action, though it did not seem to compare with “One man and his dog”.

We walked around the sheds to see the varieties of sheep, pigs, cows and birds, and watched the judging of the various categories.

A beautiful day, and I am sure will be keeping in touch with our country side again.

Friday evening was a novel event. It was a special family outing to the speedway track  to watch saloon car racing, at Wellington Speedway.

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The event was a different one: watching a variety of classes of cars whizzing around a dirt track, with plenty of nose and exciemement. It was good fun with the noise and roar of the engines producing excitement, nip and tuck racing giving drama, and a little bit of bash and crash emphasising the risks involved.
There were standard road saloon cars racing, then two classes of powerful racing designed saloons. The bigger cars must have been using a mixture with ethanol because they produced a differnet smell as they powered by.

Myself and the boys had a tip to the pits to see the motors up close. It was a realiation to see how many back up crew were needed to keep the car and driver on the track. A cheap sport I think not.

Sara had a good night, with memories of Nottingham days evoked.

It is noteworthy that no alcohol was allowed in the ground, either brought in on bought in the venue. I do not think there were too many people from Khandallah there. Lots of families, who Sara decided watched rugby league in the winter, and speedway in the summer.

We left a little early as we had been stupid enough not to bring sufficient warm clothing, but it was a good value evening. we will go again.

I have just returned from a walk arounfd the city as I neeed to go out and enjoy the sun.

I walked to Parliament where I would have had a pleasant sit down in the sunshine. However, the place was full of police, lots of police cars and the roads were blocked off. Wow! A security alert in NZ! As it transpires they is a bomb alert.

So, as my intended route was blocked off I walked along Hill St. passed Eleanor’s school and came up to a motley crew of men dressed in black suits. They looked like a bunch of accountants on the way to a meeting. As I ambled by, closely, with them not seemingly taking too much interest in me, I realised that the one in the pin-stripe suit was John Key, the PM, and the rest were his security team and an adviser.They were on their way to Premier House.

On Sunday we had a family trip to the Rimutakas, to the north of Wellington, past Upper Hutt.

We went to the Rimutaka Rail Trail which follows the original train route  between Wellington and the Waiarapa, built in the 1870s. There is an gradual incline to the summit, which I managed to overlook in the planning, and then a steep decline over the other side to the Waiarapa. Isaac and I cycled, while Joe and Shaz ran to the summit. The sign says it is 10km, but it seems longer, probably partly because of the incline for the second half.  The gradient was very much more apparent to me on the way back when I did not have to pedal for about 4 Km.

Everyone did well, particualrly Joe and Shaz. It was a very windy day, which did not help. Isaac was certainly happier on the bike on the the way back. We had lunch at the summit, and Isaac and I loooked at the summit tunnel which is 580m long. You can see the end of the tunnel, but within 30m it is too dark to see the ground. So a full trip will have to wait until next time when we bring some lights.

As isaac and I reached the car park a long time before Joe and Shaz, Isaac and I squeezed in another activity. We made contact with our ‘petrolhead side’ by going to watch karting and motorbike racing at the raceway just along from the car park. I thought it was quite good fun, but Isaac (not surpisingly) was not impressed. He thought it all too noisy, and the the cars and bikes just followed each other around. He did not appreciate the maneuvers or the smell of 2-stroke.

Even though the holidays are over I felt the need to keep some beard. So the goatee is here for now, modeled on a masterful exponent. Is it a tacit recognition that I need to make up for the decline on top? Maybe grey does not work so well?

It has to be worth revelling in. If only I knew more Australians. Was it a coincidence that it was hard to find the sport section of the ‘The Age’ website?

Last time in Australia when England were walloped 5-0 I was there for some of it. In 1994 I sat through a terrible day 1 at the Gabba, and a poor day 2 at the MCG. It has a shame that I could not witness this in person, but I have seen quite alot of coverage, so it has been good enough.

Looking forward to more of it.