Andy in Oregon

Birthdays

26 today. Feeling like I've climbed the ladder to the top of the slippery-dip. Only one way down...

posted by Eddo @ 11:18 AM 1 comments

Ups and Downs

It has certainly been an up and down weekend.

Saturday began with us taking the lead in the Semi-final only to lose, again, I'm not going to go into details about certain refereeing decisions that everyone in town found pretty horrendous. In the end it was 16-7, our only points coming from a great team effort and captain's try to Sia. That hollow feeling of losing in the finals I haven't felt for over 6 years now. I think I had forgotten just how ordinary it is.
Try: Siaola Fifita
Con: Eddo

Needless to say the team went off in a few directions that night and drowned their sorrows where they could find solace. I ended up under a doona on the couch at home watching the NZ v South Africa game. Davey, Mikey and I all had the final installment of the NZRU Level I & II coaching course to complete 9-5 on Sunday.

The course was a heap of fun down in Timaru, South Canterbury. The last hours were spent watching the U/18's Rep Selection Game (Town vs Country) and doing technical analysis, then giving feedback to the whole group on certain topics. Oh, we were lounging in the corporate box soaking up the beautiful afternoon sun and trying to act intelligent. There was one kid out there who was the spitting image of Coyote .. He's not too hard to spot, he's on the far right with the #1 on his back.. and the sensual mullet hair-do.

Mikey - Myself - Davey on the way out of South Canterbury after a successful day.

I guess Sunday was the "Up" after Saturday.. but the best was to follow. The news is I will be home from Fri 4th to Tue 8th of August! Sturt's wedding is on but there's also talk of getting a croud together for the Swans match at the SCG 7pm. On Sunday my folks will kindly host a Barbie for anyone that is keen to catch up and break a beer with me for my 26th. If you can rock on by drop me a line, email preferrably, so I can get enough snags.. (and veges for the girls). . Hope to see some of you soon!

posted by Eddo @ 8:40 PM 0 comments

Bugged Out

We have the semi-final this saturday. It's a grudge match against Celtic who we lost to during the big snow dump. Sadly I have been struck down by yet another Kiwi bug.. I feel like the I'm getting all the bugs the indiginous folk are used to by now. Either way I will definately play, it's just a matter of how many drugs it takes to get me bouncing off the walls.

In the meantime if someone from the northern hemisphere would like to share some of that heatwave with NZ, that'd be fine with me.

To the lads who participate in the Premier League Fantasy Team Comp.. You know who you are, The 06/07 comp is online now. Get to it.

posted by Eddo @ 7:57 PM 0 comments

Hampstead vs Leeston again

We went off to Leeston today for a dead rubber game and many of the guys had decided to rest up in preparation for the semifinal against Celtic next week. Accordingly we only had a starting 15 and no reserves. Still, we did take an early 7-0 lead that we held till half time. I actually thought we could run away with the game in the second half but the forwards ran out of puff towards the end and we let in some silly tries.

Final score (I think ??): 7-18
Tries: Eddo
Cons: Eddo

Tonight the Aussies gave me some credibility back in this town by giving the South Africans a hiding 49-0. I wonder if I have a few cousins out there reading this ?? haha..

Satisi and I about to head for the bus.

posted by Eddo @ 1:12 AM 0 comments

JYG's

I've just come in from an awesome night with the Junior Youth Group. One of the families has a pine plantation on their property and I was left to design a wide game that would fill up an hour and a half. Easy enough, right, and it was. The only problem was that I thought the lower branches would have been trimmed off and at least piled up in rows or something. I was wrong and it was chaos out there. The kids turned out to be champions about it though and they went charging out into the darkness in search of clues and other leaders.. while avoiding me - the boogey man - at all costs. Twice I came out of hiding at full speed only to be blinded by a torch and total myself on a branch or three.



After we had our fun we found a clearing and chilled out for a while. It was awesome just to lie there, look up through the trees to a moonless night and pray. The verse I plucked out and cut into three for all the clues was Isaiah 55:12 " You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." So we talked about that for a bit too.

Scratches all round but well worth it.

posted by Eddo @ 9:36 PM 0 comments

Bledisloe

I have put this off for a few days so that I wouldn't write anything I might regret. All I can say is that being an Aussie in Canterbury after we lose to NZ in a Bledisloe Test is painful. Tom and I took the Canadians down to see some quality rugby,.. and it was a good game I guess, just felt a little isolated out there. Davey wore a green jacket which I did try to warn him about.

Interestingly in the Christchurch Press there was an article from a Cantabrian who believes the booing and other rah rah that is handed out by the locals here is out of line.
"..But it was disgraceful the way the most boorish crowd in New Zealand rugby jeered a hardy group of Australian fans attempting to warble Waltzing Matilda."
Definately worth a read. Especially since Dad is always telling me that Aussies are the most arrogant of supporters and commentators going around.

The main lesson has to be that there is nothing good about being second best. (Zinedine Zidane, Rocky Elsom, Wayne Rooney and Radio all being Red Card receivers in the last two weeks.) Only we didn't lose our game when Radio went storming off hurling insults at the referee two weeks back.

'Course we did go to town for a few hours after the game but I was forced to remove my wallaby jersey as the bouncers wouldn't let me into the bars, lets not discriminate here !!

Photos:
i) Pulling the Tom Pym driving/talking technique.
"nah nah.. its alright.."

ii) The green and canary yellow..

iii) The silver fern

posted by Eddo @ 4:09 PM 0 comments

Hitting out in Christchurch

Davey and I went down to Christchurch for the day on Wednesday. We both had a few things to do.. I had a meeting with Mike Dodge, head of CYS (Canterbury Youth Services). CYS is the Baptist Church's arm to assist the youth groups and programs on the South Island. Mike has been working with kids for years and years, so we had a good yarn. CYS organises Easter Camp which I went on this year with Ashburton Baptist. 3000+ kids on one campsite. Its a really impressive operation.

Anyway as the afternoon rolled on Davey and I decided the State of Origin was worth staying the night for - Timezones aren't always kind. We pooled our resources found some beds for the night and rocked on over to The Holy Grail. Not much to say for the result of the Origin match hey, nor the excessive amount of Queensland supporters. Incidently the Holy Grail is where Tana Umaga smacked Chris Masoe over the head with a hand bag. Famous incidents by now..














Highlight for today was, of course, Nandos. We waited 2 hours for the manager to open up and I have a weakness, I freely admit, for it is no secret the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Satisfaction guaranteed.

I hope you've all had two days as fun as mine.

posted by Eddo @ 9:19 PM 2 comments

Hampstead vs Prebbleton

We won 14-8 on saturday, our last away game before the finals. Things got a bit stressful during the game and Radio got a red card. Just living up to his nick name.. can't turn him off. Still I was impressed when he demolished a whole smoked chicken on the way TO the game.

Tries: Eddo, Aminio Mattaivou
Cons: B Parsons 2

Sunday: I did half of the Level I & II NZRU coaching course. Pommy Tommy was helping to run it so we had a few laughs. Got lots of reading to do before we do the second half and do the tests on July 23.

Some sad news, Mum's Mum.. Granny Bear has been in a very bad way this week so Mum is off to Johannesburg at 6am. It will be a hard trip to make on her own.

A

posted by Eddo @ 9:52 PM 0 comments