Everybody Has A Hungry Heart

Sunday morning, 5:20 am and my alarm goes off. Why? Because someone was able to talk me into playing golf at Mt Barker, teeing off at 7:00. The things I put myself through for charity. If I was a Scottish traditionalist and wore a kilt I could have used all my digits to count the number of good shots I had. Thats right, 11. Of the 18 holes and the 4 hours I was on the golf course I only produced 11 quality shots. To be fair to myself some of those were 200+ drives straight down the fairway (but then i have to chip and those who have played with me know I prefer to putt when I get within 50m of the hole). But really, how hard is it to get a white ball into a hole without hitting water/trees/rocks/poles/bridges/people/all of the previous? I forgot to read andymanx's 'The Tree's and Me' before I played which didnt help. Luckily, though, it was this different scoring system that I hadn't played before and my handicap allowed me to score a few points (I didn't come last - I even beat someone in my group of 4, yay!). So I am sorry to say there is no inspiratioanl story of me playing golf (or any other sport for that matter - but dropping 2 catches in a cricket semi final and only playing c grade football will do that) except that I did hit the longest drive on the 16th (I think it was that hole) that one of my playing group had ever seen on that hole and he plays there a lot so I must be good.

And while on the topic of sport, when did bridge become a sport? The paper a few days ago included bridge in their brief sport rap up at the end of the sport section. Cards are not sport. Neither is fishing, chess, game hunting or soccer.

Pirate

A couple of nights ago a big rat disturbed my budgies and one ended up with a leg pointing in the wrong direction. Off to the bird doctor (Dr Wolf and Dr Bird are actually real vets (but not mine)) and on quick inspection he could see the leg was already dead. So off it came. Now, it probably isn’t a laughing matter but can you imagine a budgie with a gas mark on? Anyway, Pirate - as he is now called - is doing fine and learning to adjust to using just one leg. Seagulls do it all the time so I don’t think it will be a problem for Pirate. One of the other budgies broke a toe in the disturbance also but she is doing well and didn’t need any surgery.

I still haven’t named two of the budgies. Both are female, one bright yellow (sunshine maybe?) and one purple.

And for the mice and rats this is your final warning. I’ve tried keeping you out of the aviary but if you continue to harm my budgies I will be forced to use extreme measures of poison and traps. I don’t want to but you may leave me no other choice. Behave.

It Doesn't Get Any Better

For those of you not involved in a sporting club go join one now. Let it be football, cricket, lawn bowls or croquet I don’t care just join one. You don’t have to be good or even play just as long as you get to go on the end of season trip. You don’t know what you are missing out on. I didn’t know what I was missing out on. I have been playing sport for a long time but never went on an end of season trip until last weekend. And no words can describe the time I had. Swan Reach on the Murry with the cricket lads. People can tell you how good it is but you don’t actually know truly what it is like. Every moment is a barrel of fun. (Except for the hour I watched Rage on Saturday morning, listening to that Home and Away chick and that young blonde guy sing “Top 50” songs. I don’t know who decides they are top 50 but something needs to be done about it).

Anyway, I’ve never been the greatest swimmer or the most confident around water or ever been on a Wave Runner before but I can tell you I will get back on one whenever I get the chance. I used to think they just polluted the air and chewed up our fossil fuels but I now know what all the fuss is about. And sea biscuits!! I recommend these to anyone (minus the whip lash). The best ride I’ve ever been on in any theme park or anything. Add in BBQ’s (all that I ate bar a couple of eggs), alcohol (all that I drank bar a couple of plain cokes), football and the local pub and the weekend was my oyster.