Cricket

What is it about cricket that engenders such strong opinions?

No.  What is it about sport that engenders such strong opinions, I suppose?

In the case of cricket, I suspect that one of the major drawcards is that it is a game which rewards concentrating on good technique, and although a player with a good “eye for the ball” can dominate a match, that isn’t everything.  So a person with less talent but a drive to succeed can also prosper.  Practice is rewarded perhaps more than in most sports (a bold statement, that).

Case in point.  I scored 25 in our cricket match today, and am unreasonably proud of my achievement!  At 61 years old, my reflexes are slow.  Given my double vision, I’m very unlikely to be able to rely on my good eye for the ball, either.  On the other hand, I can try to bat with a technically good approach, and I bat with a fierce concentration.  Today’s innings was my reward.

The opening bowlers were fast, and swung the balls prodigiously.  As a left-handed batsman, though, the outswinger (to me) was less threatening, and I was content to leave the ones alone which clearly posed no threat to my wicket.  On a very hot day, their fastest bowler was clearly tired even in his third of fourth over.  A better batsman than I would have taken him apart.  However I waited it out, and in due course the second-string bowlers came on, and after a while I could score more freely.  For me, this is my (probably only) strength – by playing straight and concentrating carefully I hope to “see off” the frontline bowlers.

Like the bowlers, though, I got tired.  Eventually I was out in a way which gave me a sort of satisfaction also.  I tried to defend a lifting delivery, and the ball just “feathered” my glove on the way through to being caught by the wicketkeeper.  I “walked” off without even looking at the umpire.  He told me later that he hadn’t heard the ball-glove contact and couldn’t have given me out – so in a way which is hard to explain, I am actually quite proud of the fact that I simply walked off.

So to go back to my original question: cricket can be played by older men than many other sports, and they can take delight in paying the game by a set of rules and values which give satisfaction in themselves.  My team won today, but that’s sometimes not the point – we took part in a ritual on a weekend afternoon which gave pleasure in itself.

25 is my highest score for 30 years.

Glenbrook House 24 – Gardens (2) – and other things

It has been a while since I updated our ‘blog.  Remiss of me, I accept.

Acer japonicum Aconitifolium 1Especially as the house is coming on well, with the garden becoming steadily more beautiful.

Acer japonicum Aconitifolium 2

 

 

 

 

 

This is our Acer Japonicum Acantifolium tree, which we’ve put in the front corner of our garden.  The predecessor to this tree featured in “Landscaping (2)” blog, when it broke off.  This is the replacement tree.  It has blossomed and started to produce leaves – vivid green at the moment, with beautiful little dangling flowers.  It will change colours through spring, summer and autumn, ending up with rich red coloured leaves in autumn.  The Crimson Sentry maples in the grass outside the front wall are also growing beautiful red leaves, but we will leave those pictures for the next ‘blog.

.small 47 Park St 13th October 2018 01small 47 Park St 13th October 02.

WSU Med Ball 2018Next is a picture of Nick and his good friends at the Western Sydney University Medicine Annual Ball this year.  They will all be graduating this December, so early 2019 there will be a third Dr Coulshed on the wards of a hospital in NSW.

Nick has been allocated Liverpool Hospital.  It’s altogether a little of a coincidence (only in name of course, this is a completely different “Liverpool”).  I (David) suspect that he will have a similar experience to mine when I worked in Walton Hospital in Liverpool, UK: a very busy job, in a relatively poor area of the city.  Hopefully with the great camaraderie which I experienced at Walton – this is the sort of thing which helps you get through.

AMSA drinks

Andrew, meanwhile, is doing his research year at UNSW, and seems to be doing well.  That is, when he’s not going round the country as UNSW “AMSA Rep.” – representative for his med. school at the Australian Medical Students Association.  Yes the students have their own Australia-wide society, complete with conferences, dinners, competitions, political agendae, etc.  He went to a committee meeting in Melbourne recently.  He flew down for a long weekend, which included the rewards of going out to trendy wine bars (see picture) including one called “Naked for Satan” !!!!

Unfortunately the AMSA weekend coincided with a final rehearsal for Medshow 2018, in which Andrew had a central part.  No problem.  He flew from Melbourne to Sydney for the rehearsal on the Saturday evening, then flew back to Melbourne for the rest of the committee meeting.

small Medshow 2018It was all worthwhile.  The production was a triumph (even if Andrew and we thought the Medshow last year was even better).  The dancing was superb, with amazingly good choreography, acrobatics, music.  All from a group of medical students.  The picture is of the final bows being taken.  Andrew is in the centre, in blue “scrubs”.  He played a boofy orthopaedic surgeon.  I’ll add a link to the video if one is released (sadly it wasn’t good enough quality recording last year).

Sue?  Well all our energy has been taken up with trying to sell this house, before moving into our new one.  Not easy, with the housing marking falling, trying to sell the best and most expensive house in the suburb.  Sue v lyrebird
Sue has been fighting a battle to keep the garden in good condition to have a favourable impression on the viewing parties.  Not helped by the lyrebird.  One particular lyrebird – it has an injured leg, which makes it identifiable.  This is a not very good picture of the battle in progress.  In terms of deterrence, Sue has been on the losing side.  In terms of making the garden look good, despite Fred the Lyrebird digging it up every day to look for juicy morsels, Sue has won.  I’m afraid to say David Nick and Andrew found it very small Fred the Lyrebirdentertaining, even as we helped with the Lyrebird Defences.