Saturday, January 31, 2015

A very strange game...

Cricket. 

If you weren't born in a country which was once, or is still, part of the British Commonwealth, 
you won't get it. Trust me.



The World Cup is about to be played in Australia and New Zealand - we're sharing the running of the tournament...
We're not going to share winning it, though! It's all ours.

There are about 12 days to go before the teams from 14 countries begin the competition, 
which will take a month to complete.




I love cricket, especially the one-day form of it, which is what these games will be. Mr A was a pretty mean spin bowler in his day - he played Minor County cricket in England, quite a few years ago now, and then played 1st class cricket in Sydney and New Zealand - so he'll be pretty much glued to the television.



For the last few weeks, Sri Lanka and Pakistan have both been visiting for practice games:


We've been doing pretty well.

Did I mention that I love summer?

Monday, January 19, 2015

Places I Love: Melbourne

Today I've been playing around in Photoshop, making collages and stuff.


Melbourne is my favourite of the Australian cities I've been to. 

Right now, it has the Australian Open (tennis is the only sport I like to watch) 
- and blistering heat.

All year round, it has the Yarra River, beautiful buildings, fantastic shops, wonderful food 
- and a sense of humour!

Monday, January 12, 2015

Summer


We had a very cold and windy non-spring, but now we are being rewarded for our forbearance with a fantastic summer. Since just before Christmas the weather has been beautiful - sunny and warm, with a high most days of about 27˚ C (about 80˚ F), usually with a pleasant breeze. 

There's been no rain, and I guess if this continues much longer people, especially farmers, will start complaining. But I love warm weather, and I'm happy!

Last weekend my daughter and her family went camping at a beach not far from here. 
It's not a surf beach, so it's perfect for little folk.




Low tide, sunset:




Sunrise:






Don't you love summer?