Not used to losing

We don't appear to be able to take a trick this week.

We didn't even come close to getting a successful bid for the FIFA competition in 2022 despite spending in excess of $40 million to just advertise ourselves.

While there is no doubt that we have safety & stability on our side; in reality we are the bottom right hand corner of the world and totally out of phase with the peak viewing times in the northern hemisphere.

Frank Lowy, Australia's spokesperson, said dismissively that "someone has to stay up somewhere in the world". The only trouble with that is there is more of them than there are of us!

We are, after all, a small nation. Punching above our weight in so many things, we don't like to lose. But some have said (David Hill for example) that the true success of Football (meaning Soccer) Australia is not whether or not we host a FIFA competition, but rather that in a relatively short space of time our team has been brought up to speed. That we have played in a final series, and that we are getting better and better.

Then there's the Second Test! Absolutely perfect weather for the newly revamped Adelaide Oval. But, the Poms, had us on the ropes rom the very beginning.

In my opinion, thank goodness that Cricket is once again a competition!

Dulce et decorum est

It's good and appropriate, that sometimes people of colour should be castigated for their racism against whites. (here)
Aahhhh sledging...should we take it seriously?

Lost balls

It was great to watch 7 out of 9 of the cousins playing cricket at the birthday party last night. Some of the characteristics included:

• great debate over the classic "one hand-one bounce-you're out" rule
• much screaming and shouting
• youngest daughter being hit on the arm with a ball (soft) and trying not to cry, while her cousin the bowler looked guilty and then bowled the next bowl into her face
• youngest nephew-shouting "No Ball" but no one paying any attention and Dad remarking "It's sad to be the youngest and the only one who knows the rules"
• And of course (at least) two balls going over the fence.
• "Oh there are many 'lost balls'" Dad was heard to remark. "The neighbours are very good and usually throw them back, and I do a scout around the perimeter in the morning"

Et in arcadia ego! (prize for most obvious modern the source...not the Poussin, too easy to Google. But think Jeremy Irons!)

Resisting temptation

It's always challenging to continue a stream of blogging, but I have resisted many temptations this week

• I have resisted the temptation to blog about either Kevin Rudd or Julia Gillard. And to say how there is a real danger that amidst all the hoo-hah about generational change, the real problem is that it may just be more of the same
  
• I have not even touched Australia's famous Test Cricket victory. Or to say how diufficult it is for a "former Pom" (and I use that expression advisedly, I think after spendiong 40 years here I am entitled to no longer be a Pom. Though it was interesting how the visit of relatives recently brings a slide back into former accentual patterns.
• Further to that I have resisted commenting on my current reading Mother Tongue by that amazing dilletante Bill Bryson , who seems to know enough about most things to keep me (and others) interested (some humourous stuff here)
• I certainly have resisted talking about the weather. Even though there have been four seasons in one week and it's going to be 38 tomorrow.
• I have resisted the temptation (because it only just crossed my mind) to remind those who need to be shriven to go to the box...because I forgot I was supposed to be going last night!!
• I certainly resisted the temptation (Vicky) to talk about Borat, which I did go to see. And I agree with David Stratton's comments that for a film that was 1 hour and10 minutes, it was about 60 minutes too long. And I am afraid I am too much of a rememberer of Auschwitz to find any anti-Semitism funny.
• I have resisted the temptation to discuss Fiji, or how it is remarkable that tourists coming back seem to have been largely unaffected by the coup.
• And I have definitely not talked about Christmas, Which is only 18 days away.
  

Cricket, poinsettias, Christmas

I had never seen a poinsettia before I came to Australia. And where we lived they seemed to bloom in the winter. So there were poinsettias for Pentecost (June) which was good because the Pentecost colour is red.
However in Mexico, poinsettias are a Christmas flower. Christmas of course being in Winter in Guadlajara!
Aunty (referred to below) gave us one as a gift of thanks for our recent little time together.
In this age where times and seasons no longer matter we often see the poinsettia (though there may be two different types). After some thought I decided to risk planting it in a "filtered sunlight" position in the garden.
Other signs of Christmas are the cricket. Soon the Adelaide Test will begin from our beautiful Adelaide Oval.
The Jacaranda have done their bit to let us know the exam season is ending. And best of all it's in the high 30s for the rest of the week.

Christmas must be a month away tomorrow!!!