A Few Quirkes

This is posting 100, so how appropriate that I had a cricket theme in mind.
Joe had saturday morning game, the last in the usual tide of events until after the school holidays in February. Summer weather it was not. I sat scoring while being frozen by the unelenting wind. The boys in the game strugled to bowl into the wind and looked like Brett Lee with it.
Joe’s figures 4 overs, 1 for 12. He was player of the day for his bowling and a fine catch behind the stumps with the gloves on.
In the afternoon we went off to the Basin Reserve to watch NZ play Sri Lanka, who it appears are always over here! A small crowd watched in the chill wind. Not pleasant, and certainly not Perth.
NZ are set to lose the game after a low 1st innings score, and Sri Lanka looked comfortable without having the need to push on. Probably too cold for them as well. We only arrived for the last session, but even Joe wanted out before the end of play.
And then home to watch the Ashes live……shite. A painful experience watching the bowling being hit all over the ground, and what opportunities came England’s way not being snaffled.
All not helped by fact that here we receive the Australian Channel 9 coverage, so I had to listen the endless gloating and laughing. Much rather get English commentary with misery and saying how shite they are.
Trip to Melbourne looking to be more of a punishment now. Though Big Al sitting through 4 days(5 looks improbable) of Perth in company of Aussie mates must be an effort.

How many times have I told myself that sport is not worth getting worked up about?

A trip to the Khandallah Fair, and a special request to have a couple of dudes dance for the locals. Three performances in total, with a larger audience than the old fuddy duddies playing country music.

My new mode of transport, which is purely functional and nothing to do with trying to regain my youth or a way of dealing with my middle life crisis. Some wife’s however, do not believe such comments, and are convinced of early death, nasty accident and disablement.
It is 15 years since I last had a mean machine, and that was a 400cc beast. Given that this is nearly new, more modern, though 250cc, it is as powerful and the old number, though possibly not so heavy.
This is a South Korean make. I think they plan to have the same impact in the bike world as they have in the car world.
Anyway, happy motoring with the wind in my flowing locks.

Back on the Saturday morning sport routine now that the sun has finally come out. Joe and the lads were able to get out and get some willow on leather-some better than others.

Good conditions and a tidy spell of bowling from Joe, 0-3 off 3 overs. As I was looking side on from the scorers chair , and soI did not get an impression of accuracy, but flight looks better and batsmen certainly not hitting him all over. Time still to work on bowling, and more so batting. Joe will be in the cauldron of cricket camp in January. We go away to Hawkes Bay, with the better and more reliable weather where he plays for his club against other teams. Upto 6 games in 4 days, dependant on form of course. Could be interesting, and I expect there will be more scoring or such like for me. I am no longer coach, due to leave to north, and so all other tasks within my remit.

This blog is a hot news item. The Ashes contest has just started, and given our global poition it is alot more convenient to watch it this time around. However, the opening day is just about to finish with a bad day at he office for England. It reminds me of the day 1 of the series in 1994, when I sat through a long day at the GABBA, surrounded by increasingly pissed and happy Aussies. The first day dominance is reminiscent.
As the is lots of tv watching to go, and I am due to attend the 4th Test , lets hope things move on up from here.

So back here in the NZ groove. Family life continues, and even work has restarted!

So what was good about the UK?

• The weather, much to many Kiwis ignorance. It was unseaonally mild in the autumn, but made it delightful. Beautiful trees and skies.
• Museums. Having not been inside them for while of ever, the likes of the V&A and Tate are great.
• London sights. Being effeectively a tourist was a great experience, especially the evening I walked along the Thames on the south bank past Lambeth Palace, St Ts, and the Palace of Westminister. On other days walking past the Houses of P, and watching the tv broadcasters do ther thing on the green. Cool.
• Friends. Seeing people and being treated so well.
• Quiz nights done the pub and occasionally being allowed “off the bench”. (You are only as good as your last answer). Training to get the gut off.
• Driving on a motorway
• Being the the sun and not being burnt instantly
• Sadly, for such a style guru-M&S.
• Ireland
• Being able to drink bitter( but not in combination with curry on a Friday night)

So what was not so good?

• Congestion, London in a car on the wrong day, or on a motorway when everyone else is.
• NHS bureacracy. The paper pushing obsessives whio think a collection of paper, and being asked for the same thing more than once helps. This is all linked in with the obsession with avoiding risk, but by using procedures that do not, but give the veneeer of “doing something”.
• Fear of Johnny Foreigner. Or is it simply fear of “Janek”. Everyone seems to have a “problem with the Poles” story, even those who in other circumstances would present themselves as liberal minded and protector of the weak. Polish appears to mean Eastern European. Everyone moans, though forgets it is those same people serving them in all the pubs they go into. This whole thing is not helped by the tone and marketing of gutter middle class newspapers.

Not much else. Great place even though everyone will tel you the place is going to the dogs. Though admittedly, Brentford are.

to all those who helped make my stay in UK a good one. I was welcomed everywhere, and helped and accommodated. Just a shame that in reality time was short and I could not spend more time or see people more often.

See you next year anyway.

Back now at the southern ranch. Finally over the lag, and back to the same time and energy as everyone else.
So what is different? Hmm. Some things are just the same-it’s windy…too windy for this time of year. Summer is apparently just around the corner.
Some things are the same-I’m a locum looking for work, but some on the horizon and no CRB to go through in order to be eligible.
Another thing about Wellington, it still has a planetarium, which Joe and Isaac recently visited and loved, and told me I must go and visit it also. So much for the place being “backward”. Not turning your planetarium into a celebrity projection centre appears forward thinking to me.
On the right day, not too many so far, the view from the deck is still great.

A big high pressure system sits over the UK currently and is giving fine crisp weather.
This morning I was up and out early to catch the Tube, and the air was crisp and the skies clear. The cars in the street were all frosted. An old experience returns. Yesterday evening walking back through Walpole Park, it was another classic autumnal experience. The skies clear with a lower orange tinge as the sun was going down, with vapour trails across the western skies, with alternating colours. The moon had risen and was low in sky, just above the tree line, looking clear with the craters visible. The trees are varied in colour now, with leaves collecting on the floor;beautiful.
Last night was reminder of NZ. Clear skies means cold nights. I slept in two t-shirts and had my pyjamas tucked inside my socks!

In my time back here some things have not been so good. Some things though should be admired. Radio for one. The quality and diversity of radio is fantastic and only seems to be so obvious when you have been somewhere else. The BBC comes in for regular criticism but the variety of music and other tastes catered for is great.
Pete Tong for the “official start to the weekend”, Terry in the mornings, The Archers, wall to wall sport and discussion on Five Live; so much and good stuff.
Commercial radio has something to offer also, with niche stations found by accident when travelling to Classic FM with its efforts.
This in contrast to back down very south, where commercial radio is amazingly bland and one dimensional with the very limited play list, save for Radioactive, in our local experience.