G'day !
I'm back - literally, emotionally, philosophically, in your mailbox and on my blog...................
Seriously, I've had a spell where the Black Dog has not been far from my door and the last straw was hovering but, I've got a strong family and good genes which meant that the strain of working on my own for 6 months simply resulted in me getting to a point where I was wishing days away. Looking back, there have been many positives and it has still been a good time but a few unexpected and prolonged calls towards the end combined with the daily demands of being pulled in multiple directions was suddenly potentially overwhelming........and it's now only 20 sleeps until we head for Hong Kong and South Africa ( not that I'm counting ).
By the way, thanks to both of you who wrote to say that you missed my emails.
What has happened in Oz over the past 6 weeks
the Melbourne Cup - the greatest horse race in the world ( am I sounding like an Aussie ? ) was won by " Shocking " whom none of us tipped. The race lived up to its reputation of being " the horse race that stops a nation " which is helped by the fact that it is run at 3 o'clock on a Tuesday.
the Opposition Coalition ( specifically, the Liberal Party ) are imploding
New South Wales has been in flood or scorchingly hot
the Wallabies continue to promise much while the Springboks continue to promise little
the Aussie cricketers are predictably paving the way for a miserable tour by the West Indies
As far as we are concerned
Jen is in serious rehearsal mode for her pending end of year concert. She has had a great year at school and we are hoping that she will get some recognition for all her hard work. She has grown in height and wisdom and has become a confident young lady.
Matt has done well to tolerate a teacher who really hasn't managed to get the best out of him and is looking forward to High School next year. He has started his cricket season well and although he hasn't really got going with the bat, he has regularly taken wickets with his off-spin including a hat-trick while taking 5 wickets for 1 run yesterday.
Bron has been busy with Jen and has enjoyed preparing for our upcoming trip. I'm not sure if she is looking forward to turning 40 in a week's time but I know that she is looking forward to sharing it with our friends the following week.
The first paragraph notwithstanding, I have had much to enjoy including my first visit to Brisbane where I attended quite a high powered Planning Conference. I took in a bit of culture and went to see " The Crucible " at the Playhouse Theatre. Walking back to my hotel at close to midnight was still somewhat unsettling. Twilight Cricket has commenced and bearing in mind that unlike some of my famous family and friends, my cricketing skills are average but given that this is the most competitive league in Australia, my average of 81 has resulted in the West Indies management asking me if I qualify to play for them. I have pledged my allegiance to The Proteas ( for as long as Mickey is coach ). It has been good to feel bat on leather again and my highlight so far was playing with Matt last Tuesday - what a special 2 hours. We were 1 short and he cracked the nod. He batted last and the Airport Alchos bowler patronised him by bowling two slow long hops and then quickly realised that that was going to get them into trouble. Matt ended up with 15 not out and took us to the " magic " 120 runs off 15 overs. He then got a wicket with his bowling - you know the guy who grumbles if the batsman isn't ready, glares at the fielder if he misfields and looks at his bat if he doesn't hit it sweet - yeah, him. Beautiful.........................
Hat-trick - the feat of taking 3 wickets in 3 successive balls. The origin is debatable - some claim that the bowler was given a new hat while others claim that the bowlers hat became the receptacle for a donation request. Whilst the term was originally a cricketing one it now includes feats in all walks of life eg. a hat-trick of on-calls, a hat-trick of disgruntled referring GPs..................
Friends around for an early evening barbie will soon round off a great day.
The Wesleys
