I know that I have posted many versions of the view from my house in Eagleton. When I returned I was disappointed to find that the weather had closed in and the view of the mainland of Scotland was obscured. In fact I’ve only seen it briefly on one day during the last week. However the sun was shining today and the view from the kitchen was transformed.
One of the first sights to greet me as I returned to Eagleton was the pond. It was teeming with tadpoles and choked with algae.
I returned to Scotland to a cold, wet, windy Spring having left 26 deg and a warm, sunny Autumn in Hawkes Bay. What was I thinking of? On the way to Glasgow Airport from Gaz’s on Saturday (yes, it was over a week ago!) we stopped at House for an Art Lover in Bellahouston Park for morning coffee.
The morning was cool but sunny and although there were plenty of spring flowers it was apparent that summer was a long way off.
I am not a great watcher of sports apart from some motor racing.
In 1975 I was a member of the Lancashire County Cricket Club and one lunchtime (my office was just opposite the ground) I went to see an hour of a Test Match. It was, so far as I can remember, between England and Pakistan. I do recall that there was a wonderful over in which (and this was exceptionally rare in a Test Match in those days) I think I am correct in saying three sixes were struck. I wish I had a Wisden at this moment.
I haven’t watched a snooker match on television for probably something like 17 years. This afternoon I turned on the box to see what time the News is (unlike NZ where the One News is always at 6pm the news in the UK varies at the weekend and it’s a bit of a lottery). The final of the World Championship is being played between Robertson and Dott – two players of whom I have never heard. The seventh game was just starting and I became transfixed by the safety play. I have no idea whether that is a usual start to a game these days or not but it was beautiful to watch. In fact I watched the whole game and I have to admit that whilst it is unlikely that I’ll watch another game it was a game I’ll remember for quite a while. And then I saw that Hazel Irvine was presenting and Steve Davis and John Parrot were commenting. I was almost trapped. But then reality set in.
