(*) Random observations from the week that is
Hiya. How's your week going so far - positively, I hope. Here's some of the adventures I've been upto lately - at your leisure, of course! lol.
Saturday at the Aussie Rules... the local Aussie Rules footballers were having their Grand Final at a local park here, so I decided I'd go and have a look-see for a little while. As soon as I'd got there, I'd realised I'd never ever seen a game of Aussie Rules played in my life in the flesh (if u know what I mean... I'd seen it on TV, but never actually gone to see a game...). Anyway, the local Bushrangers had been undefeated all year, and were playing the Dubbo Demons in front of a small but very vocal crowd. After 2 minutes, the score was already 2-0 to the Bushrangers! By quarter-time, it was 52-11 to the 'Rangers! It looked like it was going to be a cricket score, and I'd seen enough...
The thing that amazed me (and this'll sound totally stoopid to all of you who are AFL born-and-bred, unlike me...), is the amount of sledging that goes on between the players! I expected a bit of verbal heckling and abuse from the crowd, but they were polite compared to the players on the field! That's something you never hear when you watch a game of AFL on the telly! It was really funny - it made me laugh. The other great thing about rural footy games is the fact that people can drive their cars right upto the fence, and sit in the relative comfort of their vehicles and watch the game from the sidelines. They blast their horns when their team scores, and I still find it a really precious rural quirky behaviour, after growing up as a 'city-boy'.
The other thing I noticed for the first time (and that was also because i was watching my very first game) was the fact that both goal umpires waved their flags at each other from both ends after a goal has been scored! Don't laugh - I never knew that! You don't see that on the telly either! D'oh!
I was keen to see more, to see by how many points the locals could pile on, but the sky quickly turned black from out of the west (the direction from which the storms come from), and before too long it was plainly obvious it was gonna pour all too soon. I decided at quarter time to head back towards town to avoid it - there was absolutely nowhere at all to get out of the weather at that ground.
I ended up in the relative peace and sanctity of the RSL Club, getting in the doors just as the wind changed to a freezing cold sou'wester and the first drops of rain splattered onto my glasses - good timing... I like it in there, especially at times like that when it's really really quiet - there were 10 people in the entire main bar! It feels like a really large lounge room when it's empty like that, with the footy on the large screen TV and sitting on nice comfy chairs to boot. That bars' now a no-smoking place, and it actually smells a whole lot better nowadays - noticeably so (I don't usually smoke at all - I might have the occasional social ciggie when I have a beer, that's about it). Somedays I end up down there (it's only 3 blocks from home) with my Uni books, and can sit undisturbed for hours in 'my corner' and study away. No one ever hassles me, and even if I don't end up buying some of the product, they don't seem to mind. Altho I usually feel guilty sitting there without buying a beer, or at least a lemon squash!
My corner... yes, most times I go to the RSL, there's one particular spot I always try to sit in. It's a little table off to the side around from the main front of the bar. You can still see everything - the clock, the large TV etc, but it's out of the way - no people stumbling past you spilling drinks etc! I must be getting old if I like going to the same spot in a Club all the time! lol There's a big picture of HMAS Bathurst right above my head, a corvette (a mine-sweeper) from WW2. At the other end of the room are three full-size snooker tables, and there's usually at least one table in use - by all sorts of different aged people. It's a nice quiet relaxed atmosphere, which I like nowadays for a club/pub. Altho there are plenty of noisy/party-on pubs in town if I feel like it!
I've already told you about our local 'Bogans' living in their Boganvillia. Well, walking home the other day, I did a classic double-take - I couldn't believe my eyes. As I looked up their driveway into their backyard, they have a - sheep! Yes, they have a sheep, which I guess they use to keep their grass down! Well, I guess it saves on the cost of having to buy a lawnmower - and it's a lazier way to do it, hey? Or, maybe they're onto something? I dunno - with the dog and the sheep, the backyard might have nice short grass, but at the cost of $#it everywhere!
I was sitting quietly studying away yesterday afternoon, when I heard this huge BANG! erupting from somewhere out my window down the rear driveway.
"What the hell was that?!" I said aloud, rushing out the backdoor and sticking my head over the back fence to see... I dunno what! Well, the handful of men working on a nearly-completed townhouse down the back were all standing about laughing - apparently one of the air-hoses they'd been using for their nail gun had come off with a loud BANG! It sure sounded worse than it actually was... I manages to get my heartbeat to a relatively-normal pace, and went back inside...
There's a lady who lives around about near here, and she's one of those people who just has to stop and talk to you in the street. I first saw Cathy as one of the many people who used to catch the bus into town when I used to live on the western side of town a few years' ago. My first impression is that she never stopped talking - she'd always be talking to anyone and everyone on the bus! Now I live right close to town, and somedays when I'm walking to or from town, I see Cathy walking towards me... she's one of those people who'll cross the street just to say hello, and won't let you go too easily! She'll keep you up-to-date with what her daughters are upto, or what's been happening at the local club, or... lol. She's really harmless, is our Cathy, but it's annoying when you are in a hurry or need to get home before the rain comes or something! It's not as though I even know her - she's just one of the local faces! It's funny when you see her on the street - she is 95% of the time stopped talking to someone! Ahh, the wonders of the local personalities...
And lastly... Father's Day this year turned out to be a non-event for me this year. I didn't get to see my boys, not even a card, not even a phone call. To say I was p-off is an understatement. but, with my ex's wedding only 2 weeks' away, the household is quite crazy at the moment, which I appreciate. I rang and spoke to Josh for like 40 minutes on the Monday night, and that was just brilliant. We still love to just hang out together, even if it's on the phone. Yes, I still think about and miss my three sons every single day. Not a single day goes past without me thinking of them, wondering where they are and what they're doing...
Saturday at the Aussie Rules... the local Aussie Rules footballers were having their Grand Final at a local park here, so I decided I'd go and have a look-see for a little while. As soon as I'd got there, I'd realised I'd never ever seen a game of Aussie Rules played in my life in the flesh (if u know what I mean... I'd seen it on TV, but never actually gone to see a game...). Anyway, the local Bushrangers had been undefeated all year, and were playing the Dubbo Demons in front of a small but very vocal crowd. After 2 minutes, the score was already 2-0 to the Bushrangers! By quarter-time, it was 52-11 to the 'Rangers! It looked like it was going to be a cricket score, and I'd seen enough...
The thing that amazed me (and this'll sound totally stoopid to all of you who are AFL born-and-bred, unlike me...), is the amount of sledging that goes on between the players! I expected a bit of verbal heckling and abuse from the crowd, but they were polite compared to the players on the field! That's something you never hear when you watch a game of AFL on the telly! It was really funny - it made me laugh. The other great thing about rural footy games is the fact that people can drive their cars right upto the fence, and sit in the relative comfort of their vehicles and watch the game from the sidelines. They blast their horns when their team scores, and I still find it a really precious rural quirky behaviour, after growing up as a 'city-boy'.
The other thing I noticed for the first time (and that was also because i was watching my very first game) was the fact that both goal umpires waved their flags at each other from both ends after a goal has been scored! Don't laugh - I never knew that! You don't see that on the telly either! D'oh!
I was keen to see more, to see by how many points the locals could pile on, but the sky quickly turned black from out of the west (the direction from which the storms come from), and before too long it was plainly obvious it was gonna pour all too soon. I decided at quarter time to head back towards town to avoid it - there was absolutely nowhere at all to get out of the weather at that ground.
I ended up in the relative peace and sanctity of the RSL Club, getting in the doors just as the wind changed to a freezing cold sou'wester and the first drops of rain splattered onto my glasses - good timing... I like it in there, especially at times like that when it's really really quiet - there were 10 people in the entire main bar! It feels like a really large lounge room when it's empty like that, with the footy on the large screen TV and sitting on nice comfy chairs to boot. That bars' now a no-smoking place, and it actually smells a whole lot better nowadays - noticeably so (I don't usually smoke at all - I might have the occasional social ciggie when I have a beer, that's about it). Somedays I end up down there (it's only 3 blocks from home) with my Uni books, and can sit undisturbed for hours in 'my corner' and study away. No one ever hassles me, and even if I don't end up buying some of the product, they don't seem to mind. Altho I usually feel guilty sitting there without buying a beer, or at least a lemon squash!
My corner... yes, most times I go to the RSL, there's one particular spot I always try to sit in. It's a little table off to the side around from the main front of the bar. You can still see everything - the clock, the large TV etc, but it's out of the way - no people stumbling past you spilling drinks etc! I must be getting old if I like going to the same spot in a Club all the time! lol There's a big picture of HMAS Bathurst right above my head, a corvette (a mine-sweeper) from WW2. At the other end of the room are three full-size snooker tables, and there's usually at least one table in use - by all sorts of different aged people. It's a nice quiet relaxed atmosphere, which I like nowadays for a club/pub. Altho there are plenty of noisy/party-on pubs in town if I feel like it!
I've already told you about our local 'Bogans' living in their Boganvillia. Well, walking home the other day, I did a classic double-take - I couldn't believe my eyes. As I looked up their driveway into their backyard, they have a - sheep! Yes, they have a sheep, which I guess they use to keep their grass down! Well, I guess it saves on the cost of having to buy a lawnmower - and it's a lazier way to do it, hey? Or, maybe they're onto something? I dunno - with the dog and the sheep, the backyard might have nice short grass, but at the cost of $#it everywhere!
I was sitting quietly studying away yesterday afternoon, when I heard this huge BANG! erupting from somewhere out my window down the rear driveway.
"What the hell was that?!" I said aloud, rushing out the backdoor and sticking my head over the back fence to see... I dunno what! Well, the handful of men working on a nearly-completed townhouse down the back were all standing about laughing - apparently one of the air-hoses they'd been using for their nail gun had come off with a loud BANG! It sure sounded worse than it actually was... I manages to get my heartbeat to a relatively-normal pace, and went back inside...
There's a lady who lives around about near here, and she's one of those people who just has to stop and talk to you in the street. I first saw Cathy as one of the many people who used to catch the bus into town when I used to live on the western side of town a few years' ago. My first impression is that she never stopped talking - she'd always be talking to anyone and everyone on the bus! Now I live right close to town, and somedays when I'm walking to or from town, I see Cathy walking towards me... she's one of those people who'll cross the street just to say hello, and won't let you go too easily! She'll keep you up-to-date with what her daughters are upto, or what's been happening at the local club, or... lol. She's really harmless, is our Cathy, but it's annoying when you are in a hurry or need to get home before the rain comes or something! It's not as though I even know her - she's just one of the local faces! It's funny when you see her on the street - she is 95% of the time stopped talking to someone! Ahh, the wonders of the local personalities...
And lastly... Father's Day this year turned out to be a non-event for me this year. I didn't get to see my boys, not even a card, not even a phone call. To say I was p-off is an understatement. but, with my ex's wedding only 2 weeks' away, the household is quite crazy at the moment, which I appreciate. I rang and spoke to Josh for like 40 minutes on the Monday night, and that was just brilliant. We still love to just hang out together, even if it's on the phone. Yes, I still think about and miss my three sons every single day. Not a single day goes past without me thinking of them, wondering where they are and what they're doing...
Cyalayta
Mal :o)
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mal@maljam.cjb.net
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, it's the light of the oncoming train." (Robert Lowell)
posted by Mallard at 9.9.04
Online Blog Diary of the Malster - with some of my Thoughts, Ideas, Comments, Observations, Editorials, Musings, Rantings, Ravings and Current Objective Critical Relative Subjectivism of Maljam the Loopey Mallard ... lol
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