Wednesday, July 31, 2013

An Introduction to Cricket

Today I want to share a post from my friend Sharon. She loves cricket and her enthusiasm for the sport has made me interested in learning more about it. So if you're like me and want to know more about cricket, read further and learn about this intriguing sport.
                                               
The scene is set. A beautiful bungalow somewhere in Wiltshire, the windows opened wide. The television is on in the lounge and kitchen and the radio on outside. The occupants are lounging in the sun, when the radio demands they rush to the window to watch the action. Its summer 2013 and the fates have combined two of my favourite pastimes, reading in the sun and cricket.

Since he was a boy my husband has taken every opportunity to follow cricket. Today we are lucky enough to have Sky Sports H.D. but when he was a lad my husband listened to test match special on the radio, bringing to life the nuances of the beautiful game and introducing him to some of the exotic locations that host it.

We still enjoy the radio commentary with Jonathan Agnew and Geoffrey Boycott sparring but Blowers, the affectionate name for Henry Blofeld is the cricket commentator who for us remains the link to the immortal voices of Brian Johnston and John Arlott. 

We married in 1984 and had two daughters in 1989 and 1992. Throughout this time the radio was a big part of our life although I never showed much interest in the game, I remember thinking ‘seriously, they play for five days and then it can be a draw? They stop for lunch and tea and the shipping forecast interrupts the commentary whatever the state of play!’ Bizarre ideas!

My husband Andy often suggested going to a game and tried to entice me with the idea of a perfect family setting, a picnic and a blanket relaxing in the sunshine... we never did. He had been to one day games but never a test match, then one day in 2004 we were having dinner with friends and he was talking about how he would love to see a test match live. Our friends expressed an interest in joining us and my first introduction to the game was at Trent Bridge in 2004 against New Zealand. I was hooked, a whole day of sitting in the sun, drinking cider and watching a game that is so fascinating with its quirky rules and traditions.

Since then we have had some amazing and frustrating days. We have sat in the rain, umbrellas up waiting for the start of play, attended Edgbaston for day 5 of the 2005 test that was the turning point for England’s Ashes victory and witnessed the only time a test team, Pakistan refused to come back on the field over a ball tampering controversy at the Oval in 2006.

Our experiences have been diverse; we have watched England in Cape Town and Galle and attended the 2013 Cornish Cricket festival in Truro supporting Andy’s boyhood team Somerset.

Going forward we would like to visit as many different grounds as possible, international venues, English test grounds and county grounds, with this in mind I thought I might set up a blog looking at the experience of attending a cricket match from the point of view of an older women.

Yes I love watching the game but it is also important to know what cider they stock, the quality of the food and that all important factor the toilet issue! We have just been to the County Ground in Taunton and are attending day four and five of the Durham test and the T20 final at Edgbaston. I’ll let you know.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Letting Go

Over the weekend I took a walk just to clear my head and relish the good weather that we've been having. We've been having a proper summer this year...complete with sunshine, warmth and everything!  Who knew that summer was supposed to be like this?  ;-)


Anyway, as I took my walk, I looked down and there was this little patch of clovers. I wasn't searching for it, but there it was...a four leaf clover.  When I was a little kid, I used to love to search for four leaf clovers, but I hardly ever found any. I guess that I was looking too hard.

When I found this one the other day, a lesson crossed my mind. I was reminded that sometimes you just have to let go and that is when the doors will open. I know that sometimes I'm guilty of worrying about things and making myself go crazy, but often when I just let go, things work out even better than I could ever imagine.

So here's to letting go...

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Beauty


Here's a quick photo that I took today. I had to catch this butterfly very quickly because he was gone in a flash. That's what I loved...that it was here and then gone. It made me appreciate capturing this fleeting moment even more. It's not the greatest picture by a long way, but he was so beautiful and I'm so appreciative that he stopped by to thrill me for a minute. Now I share it with you :-)

Saturday, July 20, 2013

The Saga Continues


Just a quick update about the plant outside. As I said in a previous post, stuff happens! LOL
 
Well, the plant is still dying, but I'm impressed with its hanging on ability. Who knew? Even though it was looking really crunchy before, right now it actually looks a tiny bit better than it did. I'm one of those people who doesn't give up easily, so even though things looked bad I decided to water it a bit more to see if some simple TLC could help it. And it did somewhat. The bugs have still been having their way with it, but at least it doesn't look quite as bad.
 
There are all kinds of philosophical things going through my head during this saga of the houseplant. Who knew that it would get this deep?  ;-)
 
Anyway, just thought that I'd share. Also I hope that everybody is having a good weekend!
 
Talk to you later...

Friday, July 19, 2013

The Hairstyles of the Ladies of Game of Thrones

Today I have a post to share from guest blogger Marcela De Vivo about cool ways in which you can recreate some of the hairstyles seen on the show Game of Thrones. Check it out!

While it's easy to get lost in a good book, it's the secret dream of any book-addict to be able to actually travel into the world you're reading about, and there are few literary worlds so rich as George R.R. Martin's epic A Song of Ice and Fire series. Martin created an incredibly intricate and convoluted history surrounding the story of his Seven Kingdoms, and it has been a delight to see them so fully realized in the series' television counterpart, Game of Thrones. Watching the show, the scenery, the characters and costuming makes you feel one step closer to stepping onto Westeros' shores for yourself.

But you can take an even closer step further with this great Game of Thrones-themed hairstyle tutorial by healthyhairplus.com. With a few nimble twists and braids and a spritz of hairspray, you can model yourself after the series' beautiful noblewomen, from sweet Sansa Stark, the enigmatic Melisandre, to the commanding Daenerys, Mother of Dragons.

HHP-illustrated

Thursday, July 18, 2013

This Moment

 
It has been a few days now since the verdict in the Trayvon Martin case and it's still hard to wrap my head around the acquittal of George Zimmerman. I haven't known what to write here about it that hasn't already been said, but I just feel that I should etch this moment into the fabric of my space here on the internet. Like many, I was hoping and praying for the best, but when the verdict came I was not surprised because of the way that the trial seemed to be going. And I'm sad to say that I just wasn't surprised in general.

All that I can say is that I pray for Trayvon's parents and his family. The hurt that they felt when they lost him those many months ago must have surely been made worse when they heard this verdict. I can't even fathom what they must feel. My heart breaks for them and I send all my love...

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Stuff Happens


Ugh! Do you see what happened to my Salvia? This is what my beautiful plant looks like now after bugs had their way with it.

Here's what it used to look like...


Oh well. It was beautiful for a while :-)

Friday, July 05, 2013

Happy Weekend

 
Today is a sunny and warm day, so I'm celebrating that summer is here finally. We've been having a very chilly spring and early summer, so I don't know how long this will last. But I'm going to enjoy this summer fun while I can :-)
 
Here's a look at what a tiny corner of our backyard looks like. This is one of my favorite plants. It's Salvia. I love the vibrant red color!
 
We are supposed to have great weather here this weekend, so I'll be out enjoying it! I hope that wherever you are that you are enjoying your weekend too...whether it's rain or shine.
 
Happy Weekend!