For generations Australia has looked down on the UK. We had good reason to brag about our weather, food, cricket, rugby, swimming and Olympic successes.
How things can change.
Now it is best not to talk about the Australian Olympic performances and just recently we have had the Australian cricket team internationally laughed at not only for its on-field performance, but also for the coach's attempts to discipline the team.
In reporting that story, the BBC played the 'Come on Aussie Come on come on' jingle click here for a clip of vintage cricket that Sally & Mark well remember from the late 70s when Kerry Packer's World series 'cricket circus' started. Those were the days when Mark would happily sit down and watch the likes of Lillee, Pascoe, Thomo, Marsh, the Chapel brothers, Maxy Walker and Dougy Walters battle against the Windies with Big Joel Garner, Clive Lloyd, Andy Roberts and Viv Richards. Speed bowling with killer bouncers were the order of the day. Just don't mention the shameful underarm incident against NZ though!
Mark seems to recall we did quite well against the Poms in the Ashes series too. Alas....
In reporting that story, the BBC played the 'Come on Aussie Come on come on' jingle click here for a clip of vintage cricket that Sally & Mark well remember from the late 70s when Kerry Packer's World series 'cricket circus' started. Those were the days when Mark would happily sit down and watch the likes of Lillee, Pascoe, Thomo, Marsh, the Chapel brothers, Maxy Walker and Dougy Walters battle against the Windies with Big Joel Garner, Clive Lloyd, Andy Roberts and Viv Richards. Speed bowling with killer bouncers were the order of the day. Just don't mention the shameful underarm incident against NZ though!
Mark seems to recall we did quite well against the Poms in the Ashes series too. Alas....
Those were the days !
Sigh.
With such sporting prowess behind us (some would say well & truly behind us) we were confident that, despite recent blips Australia would prevail in the netball championships. After all, the Australian Netball team have been world champions just about forever! It was therefore with great anticipation that we bought tickets for the UK/Australia netball final at Wembley stadium in early January.
We caught up with colleague, friend and netball player/enthusiast Bernard at the arena. The match was exciting, fast moving and quite physical. For a large part of it we scored often and were in the lead. It was looking good for Australia up until the beginning of the 3rd quarter.
The English team were just that bit faster and more athletic and their goal shooter only missed one shot in the whole match.
In the end we lost, 51-49. The enthusiastic and somewhat partisan crowd reminded us of the Olympics. There were two sisters, Sasha & Kadeen Corbin, on the English team who seemed to be the driving force behind their teams ultimate victory. Apparently they have a signature victory somersault which we only just caught the end of on video.
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| Confident on the way to Wembley. |
We caught up with colleague, friend and netball player/enthusiast Bernard at the arena. The match was exciting, fast moving and quite physical. For a large part of it we scored often and were in the lead. It was looking good for Australia up until the beginning of the 3rd quarter.
The English team were just that bit faster and more athletic and their goal shooter only missed one shot in the whole match.
In the end we lost, 51-49. The enthusiastic and somewhat partisan crowd reminded us of the Olympics. There were two sisters, Sasha & Kadeen Corbin, on the English team who seemed to be the driving force behind their teams ultimate victory. Apparently they have a signature victory somersault which we only just caught the end of on video.
Sigh.
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| Post match disappointment affected us in different ways. |
SUPER AISHA TO THE RESCUE !
One cold dark weekend in January we went into London to have a look at the portrait gallery to have another look at an exhibition of portraits of the Tudors in particular. William quite likes the Van Goughs in the adjoining National Gallery and Aisha just likes all of the paintings.
On the way out we stopped to take pictures of the adjacent Trafalgar Square with the darkening sky. We noticed a large crowd on the edge of the square so we went to have a look.
A busker was entertaining the crowds by posing volunteers and then himself in action poses. It was very simple but very clever and required a surprising amount of strength and stamina on his part.
The pictures below could be viewed with the following story line.
After a thrilling day at the galleries Will decided to pause a while and appreciate night drawing in over London ( at 3:30pm !) while contemplating his next visit to a museum or gallery of really old stuff.
Suddenly, an evil man tried to kidnap him.
Will valiantly fights back but....
without success.
Super Aisha rushes in to defend her beloved little brother.
This post is published on, 20th March, the Spring equinox. It is a bleak cold day, nothing like the fabled spring of 2011. Mark & Sally returned from their illicit 3 days in Madrid (blog to come next week) to find the kids quite well. While they enjoyed the pizza dinner provided by our wonderful neighbours Helen & James on the first night, they declined the offer to either have Helen sleep here or them sleep next door.
They bravely slept in the house ON THEIR OWN !
They went off to school the next day, with Helen popping in at 7:30am to make sure everyone was awake, then caught the train that evening down to Winchester to stay the weekend with Jane, Nigel and Big J.
They made it back in one piece, as did Mark & Sally.
A very big thanks to Helen, James, Jane, Nigel and Big J !!!!
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