Tuesday 24 March 2009

A Spot of Sport

Hey there!!
We have just wound up the basketball down here, number one son didn't make finals, but number two son got through to the second round then got bumped out. (It is wrong to want to strangle coaches...????) If I was an overly modest person with enough front I would say that I could have got them over the line quite easily, but I am obviously more modest in my mind because I just wouldn't say that! None-the-less, the game had me very frustrated, with Blokey Man clutching my hand to the bench to stop me from running over to the coaching bench!! “I just want to tell them something.....” I begged. “Sit down, and say nothing!!!” The joys of parenting...

We went and watched the junior and senior grand finals over the weekend just gone, and I would have to say they were all pretty even games, with only one team getting more than a 10 point lead. Makes for very good finals, and most amusing for all those others in the crowd who knew more rules than those silly referees anyhow... The excitment factor was most impressive, and much to Blokey Man's dismay, not a single one bitch fight at all! "Not like the other night" he grumbles.... at least you get a bit of skirt at netball! Yeah, it's a man thing, but at least they had a good turnout to the games, and most spectators were well behaved! So, until next year....

I got to wave my arms around a lot and run up and down the court blowing fury in the second round of finals though, then the locals and the Albury refs did the rest. I have been up to Wang a couple of times to get some coaching, and they run a very tight ship. Their instructor refs the national league so everything is by the book. Overall they have a great system, the new refs have great support on court and the right attitudes. A vision for implementation is at this time in the back of my mind, from what I have seen this last season.

I am hoping to do more games in Wang as their competitions run all year, we only have the one "major" season here, which is still a big thing for the town. Everyone loves their basketball here. I feel I will need to bring my game up to scratch by going for my grading again............ boy wasn't that a long time ago!!!! Many moons ago good ol' Peter Rodderhan from Mooroopna graded me at a tournament in Shepparton. And, how things have changed!

Refereeing has helped me get over not playing... (just) since my dicky knee incident. I am tempted to give it another go if that bitch that left those 15kgs would come back and take them away!! Oh my, I actually meant 5kg's........ My physio would be most pleased, and display all manner of astomishment and admiration as he put me through a trial session of competency. That “thump” was me hitting the floor, seemed to have fallen asleep whilst putting on my knee brace, which really has been fantastic by the way. So, where was I? Oh, sports............

Well, soccer rego has been paid, new boots purchased, new shorts and socks next on the shopping list, and mum's new gumboots (colourful of course!) a much needed addition to those soggy winter games!!! (you remember winter mornings, ice on the pitch, a boundry of brollies and deck chairs submerging into muddy hollows?) Off we go............. Starts again the week before holidays, then the two week break and back into it. We will have a bit of a reprieve this year though with one of the teams pulling out, so there'll be a bye. Yayyyyyyy, time to dry out all the gear properly!!!!!!

Did I tell you I was volunteering at the local secondhand bookshop? The dear owner was involved in a very nasty car accident, and suffered innumerable broken bones and injuries all over her body! She is still in hospital some three months down the track, and about to have another surgery, on her neck this time. I cannot imagine how long it's going to take her to recover, or how she will fare when she does, but at lease we can do our bit for her in the shop.

Anyway, it's a second hand shop, stacked to the brim, with lots and lots of SHBooks. We all want to clear out some of the books to make more room to move in the shop, and have it looking good for her. She is lucky to have her brother, Kevin and dear friend, Joan organizing us all. They do every other day, and fill in for people who are unable to fill their roster. Anyway, in my current non-employment status I have decided to catalogue all the books in the shop and whack them into a spreadsheet. At least then we will know what we have, and hopefully where to find it. And spreadsheets are good for all manner of sorting; titles, authors etc... crime, romance, smut etc.....

Although not initially linked to sport, I feel the lead up needs to cover the recent local FIRES.
The fires were a bit scary. We got a phone call at midnight asking for our water tank to help douse spot fires at a friends. When we walked outside to have a look, not expecting to see anything, the whole sky was red. The heat of the day could only be described as "combustive", it was incredible heat, I can't ever remember a day like that. Blokey Man got the boys up and we drove just to the outskirts, at the cemetary actually, along with many other onlookers, and watched the fire raging up the Mudgegonda valley. You could see the flames jumping along the top of the hills, and all the time thinking the firey's had no hope of stopping that.

I took a few photos, but that time of night with the batteries deciding to cark it on the digital, they weren't too flash (no pun intended). Blokey Man's niece and her family were lucky, it was across the road on top of the hill, and coming up the valley behind, but the wind changed and they had firey's in there cutting firebreaks with dozers. Despite the fact that they have bush in the hills in front of their property, and pines up the back of their property, I would never have thought that that would make a difference. But now, after seeing homes in the middle of no-where burnt to the ground, I have a new understanding for how aggressively fire works. The whole thing is just devastating.

I have done nothing in my craft room for YONKS!!! (that's an old one right?) After a recent trip to the desert with number one son, I am now inspired to get back in there!! There has been little cult bonding of late, so I am also meeting up with the Border Bundy Babe on Saturday when "Blokey Man goes to test ride the BLING....” (that would be the Harley BLING...) Oh, and he's seeing the chiro too, but the rest we have to do, right? So, off we will all trot to the Border District where the big boys will fluff with the bling, the little boys will grunt with bikes at the skate park, and the girls will fluff in the craft room of the Dragon... Percieved lazyness from the men folk will be alleviated with offering of my famous spag bol for lunch, and then on sunday the troops will re-assemble at Brown's (non-burnt) Block for motorbike stunts and (non-burnt) BBQs!

And, (there is a huge sigh about here), Blokey Man wants to upgrade number two son to a YZ125 because he needs a bigger bike. Didn't we just buy one??? Little brother needed his, and I have an unreserved fear factor going into overdrive at the thought of number one son flying across the paddocks at full noise a'la' 2 stroke and hitting the power band......... and why, because he can! Uh huh..

Ok, me conceding that he does need a bigger bike........ but I can't reach the pedals on THAT one, and we'll be trading in the one I CAN ride!!! (By CAN I mean both feet reach the ground at the same time with some of the caboose sitting lightly on the seat............. too much?)

Son number two has been busy on his birthday list.......... OMG!! The IT kid has got it all figured out, all except where the money is coming from! Alas, at least now they are feining responsibility and helping with their chores........... the clock is ticking, will it last??!! We have a family roster you know, because mum likes to play on the computer and make pretty spreadsheets with our names on them, then stick them on the fridge.............. DOH! Oh, and she points and pouts in their direction whilst screeching..... DOH, saying their names, as she indicates the lack of completion for the tasks of temptation. Clearly, the temptation is on an even keel of what they'll get if they do it, and what they won't get if they don't, but probably will anyway knowing their soft-touch parents, plus get paid for it......... That's how it goes right? Oh, on my forehead, that would be sucker I think....

Well, my computer is liking to communicate with you as I have curiously written like this without so much as taking a cyber breath!! (if there should be such a thing)..... All is otherwise quite on the communication front. Still, there is mundane tasks at hand, the washing to simmer and the corn beef to hang.............. DOH! Is it too early for a chardy, perhaps I should pop open the red instead?......

Oh, just thought of something funny. Whilst speaking to the Deputy Grand Poo Bah from the Desert recently, he was somewhat reluctant to hand over the phone to the Scrapbooking Asset. It seemed she was deeply stuck down with the urge to provide and prepare morsals of sustenance for the Desert Dwellers evening meal, or maybe she wasn't even home – can't exactly remember right now. “It'll just be a quick one..” I gingerly commented, to which thunderous laughter bellowed from the phone, in reply to which “there is NO SUCH THING as a QUICK ONE with you two!!!!”. Giggle as I may, my very own response was “we're not taking about our men now, are we?” Yes, there was more thunderous laughter bellowing from both ends of the phone.

Oh, and NO I did not get to have that “quick one”, ....... “she'll call you later” and he hung up! Thank goodness for texting.......

catch you later, have a good day.

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