Cricket

Last week saw our first earthquake experience, a rather pathetic 4.1 on the richter scale. Wasn’t so sure if it was an earth quake or someone rather large jumping up and down on the floor above me, but another New Zealand experience to get a tick. (4.1 is more than enough for me by the way).

Autumn in Wellington is bizarre, the weather can’t make its mind up. This morning when I left for work I fished the big winter coat out of the wardrobe as it was baltic. It started to rain about 10am, by lunch time I went for a walk and the sun was shining I had to take the coat and jumper off. Apparently it all depends on which way the wind is blowing. A southerly, brings the cold weather from the south pole (obviously) and will make it cold here, but if you get a northerly it is short sleeves and sunnies.

I like this quote from the sideline slogger’s blog regarding the IPL, my sentiments exactly.

Twenty-four tablets of No-Doz cost about $8 at the chemist – I will need to invest as it gets to crunch time in the Indian Premier League because at present I haven’t managed to stay awake for an entire match.

Clearly it is not all my fault with 10.30pm and 3am starts, and lisping Lalit Modi’s magnificent new innovation of 450 seconds of gibbering nonsense and advertisements masquerading as a “strategy break” all helping induce sleep.

These farcical interludes, which have even been enforced in reduced-overs games, are not quite as annoying as the new name for a six, the DLF Maximum. They’re not called that at Beige HQ, they’re called PFO Maximums where the P stands for Please and the O stands for Off.

Well I have spent a week at work. The early mornings came as a bit of a shock, I am more knackered now than before I took 2 months off! Haven’t really done much other than working and sleeping. Highlight of the week happened yesterday at the Test Match. A cracking days play was enjoyed from one of the grassy banks at the Basin Reserve. I took the wife with me and she, knowing a full days cricket was ahead of her,  invited one of our friends along. Very pleasant it was too! A full days play, good sunshine, a cracking picnic and just the odd beer and wine.

We had a pretty good rota set up for people heading to the bar. When it came to my  turn, I headed to the bar with Shona to help carry the drinks back. Anyway to cut a long story short, on the way back from the bar whilst holding 2 glasses of Sauvignon Blanc she was hit in the head by a 7 year old’s plastic cricket ball, but don’t fear reader, not a drop was spilt!!!!  Pride damaged she headed on back to the place we had left our friend on the bank. I led the way and managed to sit down before 2 plastic cups landed on my head from a flayling Shona. I was drenched, our friend was drenched,  and Shona was looking round to make sure the TV cameras hadn’t picked it up.

In her defence a picnic blanket on a hill is very slippery and it could happen to anyone; anyone remember this guy from the same ground last year?

No need to tell you the big news of the day. The clue is in the title.

Well it has been a while since I updated the blog because Shona has dug her heels in about the whole me having to get a job thingy and I have been busy rewriting my CV and cover letter so that it looks like I may actually be worth interviewing. I have a couple of interviews lined up for next week so we will see.

We have Sky and broadband installed now which is a real blessing because the terrestrial TV channels in New Zealand are truly awful. I have seen more infomercials in the past 6 weeks than I have in the other 28 years of my life. If you require any information on which are the best  hand held steam cleaners to buy or which stain remover will really get rid of those ‘stubborn stains’ I am your man! Most products seem to be endorsed by scientists I will have you know, you can tell which ones are the scientists in the adverts because they are the ones wearing the white coats.

Thank goodness for ‘Huey’s cooking adventures’ on the food network. I first saw this when I was in Australia in 2006 and thought it was brilliant. Here is a quote from the shows Wikipedia page.

“It has been frequently criticised for its lack of originality, unauthentic and westernized Asian dishes, his lack of high-standard and acceptable knowledge of majority of ingredients, especially those used in foreign dishes, obvious lack of proper skills during cooking sessions, for copious amounts of product placement that occurs throughout almost every episode and for the frequent endorsements given to many businesses such as Samsung. The excessive use of Campbell’s stocks in dishes leads to a majority of dishes being stews, which has lead some critics to refer to the show at “Stewy’s Cooking Adventures”.

Just to let you know, all of the above is true and is what makes me love his show (and Wikipedia). He made opening packets of food and just heating them up an art form long before Delia came up with the idea. Look him up on youtube.

Anyway, I had a busy day yesterday. I put the rubbish out. That was about it. Maybe Shona is right about this job thing.

Tomorrow the stuff we shipped over from the UK finally arrives. I know what you are thinking ‘”How did Paul survive this long without his plasma screen TV”, well it has been tough I tell you but relief is now in sight. But hang on! You know the best thing, that’s right! The golf clubs turn up tomorrow (if you could imagine music playing, maybe something like Jerusalem or something like that,  that is how I am feeling right now). My days will be filled again.

I feel sorry for the delivery men as our house in on the side of a hill and you need to climb up 52 steep steps to get to the front door. Do not fear though! I will be on hand to make cups of tea and point out where I want things to go, so you know, I don’t want to hear any complaining from them.

Here is some bad news.

Anyway, once the delivery men have finished I will be heading down to the Westpac stadium for New Zealand Vs India 20-20 International. Here is an interesting stat for any cricket fan, India have not won a series here in 41 years, believe it or not. Before the main event tomorrow there is also a bonus 20-20 match between the NZ masters captained by Stephen Fleming and the Aussie masters captained by Darren Lehmann, here are the teams in full. (note: it was announced today Tendulkar and Karthik would also be playing in this game, but as yet it is undecided if they are Australian or Kiwi!).

NZ masters!

Stephen Fleming (Captain)
Kerry Walmsley
Dion Nash
Matthew Horne
Hamish Marshall
Simon Doull
Bryan Young
Shane Thomson
Andrew Jones
James Fuller (U19)
Paul Wiseman

ACA Masters
Darren Lehmann (Captain)
Greg Blewett
Ian Healy
Greg Matthews
Brad Hogg
Andy Bichel
Michael Di Venuto
Michael Dighton
Josh Hazlewood (U19)
Mick Lewis
Greg Campbell
Wayne Holdsworth

A few legends in there. Simon Doull is lucky he is in the NZ team, see here.

Thought 6 weeks was a good time to have a quick check up on the old 6 point plan. Remember these from my first post.

1) To be able to spend more time with Shona (’er in doors)

Bored now

2) To visit every corner of New Zealand

I found the nude beach didn’t I!

3) Lose some weight (about time)

I have started the diet and so far I have stuck to it reasonably well. I have invested in a new set of running shoes and so far this week have been out a for a couple of runs. I haven’t got on the scales yet. Too scared!

4) To slow down. (This is going to be hardest to try and quantify, but I’ll think of something)

If I slowed down any more, I would be going backwards.

5) To go and watch as much live sport as I can.

So far I have attended three 20-20 games at the basin reserve (will be four after tomorrow) and one football match. Not a bad start.

6) To play more golf! (may conflict with point 1)

I am failing miserably here. But oh how things will change after tomorrow. One of the local golf clubs is offering an introductory membership package for $50 dollars a month for the first year, with full playing rights and no signing on fee. That is only £17.83 of your english money, per month! 18 holes and set in beautiful country. Pinch me!

So far a success I think you will agree.

That is about it for now. Still missing everyone.

The 7's

So, we are still without proper internet access which explains why I haven’t updated this lately, well that and laziness. Ok, first things as they say ‘first’. Update on the car situation. I am now the proud owner of a New Zealand registered vehicle. It is a 1990 Honda Accord EX (EX for executive), one careful owner, and oh yes, that’s right, it is pink……..Metallic pink to be exact. We have named it Al. 

This weekend saw New Zealand celebrate Waitangi day. Waitangi day is the celebration of the foundation of the nation, or as Wellington likes to look at it, an excuse to put on the fancy dress costumes get pissed and watch some rugby (see here). It was also a bank holiday on Friday and what better way for Shona to spend her extra day off than taking a trip to a local cricket match.

The game was held at the Basin Reserve which, for those that don’t know, is the most famous ground in New Zealand and was originally a lake that was filled in after an earthquake lifted the ground up 1.8m and turned it into a swamp. What is so nice about this ground is that about three quarters of the available seating is just a grassy hill. So we found our own little bit of the hill next to a couple we had arranged to meet. We had met at a do arranged for newly seconded people in Wellington. They happen to be in Wellington for 2 years, and have just got here from Cambridge (yes our Cambridge). Jodee works for PWC (hang on!) and does in fact work in the same office as Shona, yet they had to travel 11500 miles before they actually met each other.

Anyway back to the cricket. Lucky for Shona it was only a 20 – 20 match, Wellington vs Otago. The tickets cost $10 which is about £3.80. Included in the cost of the ticket was a coupon for a free beer (and a free banana!). So essentially it was free. Bargain! Playing for Wellington was former New Zealand international captain Stephen Fleming who has come out of semi-retirement (he has been playing beach cricket in Australia) to get his eye in for the lucrative IPL. Also playing for Wellington was the Englishman Graham Napier (nicknamed the rocket man, and yes he does come out to bat with the Elton John song playing in the background). Napier lit up last years 20-20 series in England by hitting the most sixes in an innings and scoring the fastest century whilst playing for Essex. He was unlucky not to make it into the England side as a specialist one day player because as he showed yesterday he is also a handy fast bowler taking 3 for 31, where Otago notched up an impressive innings score of 215. Napier took the wicket of the other Englishman playing Demitri Mascarenhas for 1 run and when Napier was batting Mascarenhas returned the favour and got him out for just 2 runs. It was disappointing that neither of them got the chance to get going because it could have been real good fun to watch 2 of the biggest hitters having a real go.

There was a really nice party atmosphere in the ground with everyone enjoying the sunshine and the cricket. A handful of people were in fancy dress, enjoying the cricket before heading off to the rugby in town. The highlight was watching 10 guys dressed up at smurfs sliding down the grassy hills on with cardboard boxes as sledges.

I should explain here that every year Wellington hosts a world series Rugby 7s tournament. The majority of the people attending this event put in a lot of effort in finding fancy dress outfits to wear inside the stadium (and so do a lot of people who don’t even make it to the stadium). So, after the cricket we wandered into the city. Wow. The city had really come alive; I have never seen anything like it. The place was awash with its residents in fancy dress. I’d had a glimpse the day before of how much this meant to Wellingtonians. The city had come to a stand still for a pre tournament parade through the main shopping area. There were office workers hanging out of buildings to catch a glimpse of the rugby players as they drove by on the back of pick up trucks. I never realised 7s rugby was this popular. I would say 70% of the people we saw out and about that day were in fancy dress.  People’s outfits varied from the Smurfs, The A team, Superman, Spiderman to a bunch of guys dressed up as dominoes who ran along the harbour front in a line and every 50 yards the one in front would stop so they all fell over like…well…dominoes. My personal favourites were 2 guys dressed up as female tennis players, with name badges on saying they were ‘Penis Williams’ and ‘Stiffy Graf’ (sorry mum). 

Shona

If you are interested England won the tournament, beating the New Zealand’s Half Blacks (get it, not the All Blacks because there is only 7 of them). That is actually their name, I didn’t make it up. England won 19-17 in a thrilling final, that saw New Zealand score all of their points in the first half and England score all of their points in the second. See here

Saturday saw us head off to Martinborough to a Country Fair. The drive there takes you over some steep, narrow roads with some stunning scenery and I am pleased to report that the new car (Al) handled it like a dream. The day was another absolute stunner, the temperature was somewhere in the high-thirties. At the moment New Zealand is getting the back end of the devastating heatwave affecting parts of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia which is causing some unusually hot weather here. Anyway, got sidetracked talking about the weather……onto the Country Fair. There were loads of stalls selling a wide range of goods from tasty relishes, wines, clothes, carvings and art. We only brought wine back with us, typical. While we were there I got to have my first deep fried, battered hot dog on a stick, loved it.

If you ever happen to be in Martinborough  and it is 39 degrees, I highly recommend you take a trip to a little bar called ‘Jaqs’ which is basically a barn with a bar and a pool table inside, and a few tables outside looking out to some vineyards. There also 2 barbecues that customers can use to cook their own steaks.

The Dance Off

Saturday evening saw the 7’s after show party. An area of Wellington city centre was closed off to traffic and the town went in to party mode. What better way to celebrate than with a Led Zepplin tribute act! Most of the night clubs had their music playing loud enough for the revellers to hear from the street, for as far as the eye could see there were people dancing on the streets. Now, Vicky if you are reading this you are going to love this bit and be very jealous that you weren’t there. There was an actual dance off happening outside one of the clubs. The crowd formed a circle and in the middle 2 guys were battling it out, big style. There was an MC beat boxing. So far this has won the prize for the most surreal part of the trip.

This is getting a long story so I will cut it short here. Only thing I want to add is that we went back to the Basin Reserve yesterday for our second 20-20 match in 3 days. Shona loves cricket, it is official (that or she enjoys sun bathing and drinking beer for three hours, while I sit quietly).
Missing everyone.

P.S. If you are liking this blog please leave me a comment.

(Nicked from the Dominian Post) From Iain O’Brien’s Blog on the news that he has been picked for the New Zealand one day squad.

‘ I put some Bon Jovi on, loud, opened a beer, stood on my balcony and enjoyed the world around me; little precious moments where you can feel completely happy for the work you’ve done.’

Whoaaaoooo Livin’ on a prayer!!