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Cricket

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We lost our cricket match this weekend from an almost-impossible-to-lose position ….

This is Ninth Grade, though, and all sorts of funny things occur.  It’s all against a background of all Australian cricketers being caught up in mourning the untimely death of Phillip Hughes.  A freak accident, and much has been written about it.  Personally, I think the best article was this one:

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2014/nov/27/cricket-naked-aggression-calm-down-phillip-hughes-death

Small Minutes silence for Philip Hughes

 

We played StMarys Leagues CC this Saturday, and the two teams met in the middle for a minute’s silence as tribute.

 

 

My team then went on to fail to defend our total (from the previous week) of 172.  SMLCC only had ten men, and we had them down to the last wicket at 8/108.  However a tremendous last-wicket stand allowed them to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.  It was achieved by just sensible batting, taking no chances, and just inching towrds victory.  I was also sad that our captain didn’t give me a chance to bowl: we had medium/fast bowlers from both ends for all of the afternoon, and giving my loopy leg-breaks a chance might just have upset the batsmen’s concentration and reaped the one wicket reward that we needed.

I suspect that the problem was that a certain character from our club turned up to watch and said that it was clearly sensible to bowl a slow bowler, even one of doubtful ability.  No chance, after that statement ….

OK. John, you had your chance.

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John and I have both posted entries about my recent visit to England.

These photo.s were in fact taken by John, but I will use them because he has not, a week later.

Small Mark and David on Dalegarth Station platform

 

First, a picture of mark and myself on Dalegarth Station.

I had just walked up to Burnmoor Tarn from Eskdale.  In the rain and wind: I was soaked.  It was a wonderful walk.  However an event occurred which made me feel old.  I was stopped by a young Indian-origin lady who was out walking on her own, and clearly a little lost.  She asked me where I was going, and was pleased to hear that I was heading for Burnmoor Tarn, as that was on her way over to Wasdale, where she was to meet someone, and she had started out then turned back when she realised that she didn’t know where she was.  Fine, I could help, and put her right.  I was walking a lot faster than her however, and met her on my way back from the tarn, and provided more guidance.  Only later did I realise that I was probably safe and reassurring for her to approach because I probably looked like some gnarled old man out for a walk on his home ground.  In some ways a regrettably accurate description, even if I now life in a different hemisphere!

Small David and the Black Five at Carlisle

The second picture was taken when John and I went for a ride behind a steam engine over the Settle-Carlisle Railway.

It was a great day out, through beautiful scenery.  What more need I say?

 

 

Artwork, etc

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Miro Graveur 5I mentioned in my previous post about how Sue and I had to make investments to create a pension.  When I realised that our shares-type investments were all doing badly, I decided that the time had come to “diversify” as the jargon goes.

At about the same time, a company sent me an invitation to invest in some established-artist artwork.  Now I know nothing about this, and so was extremely cautious about the idea.  However it seemed like a good concept, after enquiries into the company (Collins and Kent) and into the whole idea.  One of the troubles for someone like me is: how does one know what an item is actually worth?  There is no easy way to tell or find out.

To cut a long story short, we bought a short series of signed prints by Joan Miro, the Spanish artist, called the Graveur prints.  One is shown above, here are the others:

Miro Graveur 1 Miro Graveur 2 Miro Graveur 3 Miro Graveur 4

 

 

 

 

 

They are each about 60 x 90cm

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are they worth?  No idea.  What did we pay for them?  Compared to the second question, I have no idea about the first.  How will we turn them into tangible assets (ie money) when the time comes?  That, I now realise, is the key question to which I have no answer!