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Sunday 20 February 2011

There's a Heron On The Roof, Memories and a Famous Rugby Match

"Hey, Eddie, quick!! There's a Heron on our roof!"

"Don't be so daft, Mrs Bluelights!"

"There is!! There is - quick get your camera!"

"I'm watching the game! A rugby game, the Barbarians versus The all Blacks 1973"

"Never mind the game! Snap it quick before it gets away! Here's your camera!"

"You'll be telling me we had peacocks in our garden next!"

"We did! We did! Last year.  Don't you remember?  They just dropped in unannounced!"
 "Oh yes I remember!  I did a post on it called 'Did You Invite Mr and Mrs Peacock?'

"There, I've caught the Heron on camera - no doubt it is waiting to catch a fish from next door's fish pond! Now can I finish watching the rugby match?"

Memories flashed through my mind just after we were married.  I was watching a cricket match on the television between England and The West Indies.  The new Mrs Bluelights asked, "Are they the All Blacks?" I collapsed laughing and replied, "I don't think so! Well they may be but the All Blacks is a famous New Zealand rugby union team."

Recently I watched the American Super Bowl final on television which I enjoyed very much but I love our rugby game and the rules are very different.  Forward passing is not permitted, as can be seen by one disallowed try on the video, and the players have to run through the field and get clobbered more often than not in their attempt to cross the goal line to score a try, which is a little like a touch down.  There are no shoulder pads or helmets, just flesh, bone, muscle and blood. We have scrums where 8 players from each team push against each other trying to get the ball. When 6 front row players come together (3 player from each side) an astonishing 2 tons pressure falls on their shoulders when the ball enters the scrum, put in by the scum half.  So they have to get their heads in place properly, or else!! Anyway without going into to much detail here is a clip of the greatest rugby match ever played between The Barbarians versus The All Blacks during 1973, two months before our wedding (when I was a free man LOL).  The first try scored is noted as the greatest rugby try ever scored and a famous Welsh player, arguably the best rugby player of all time, scrum half Gareth Edwards of Wales, made a 75 yard run after some brilliant passing and side stepping by his fellow team mates..


Enjoy and tell your grand children:

The All Blacks always have a pre-kick-off Haka war dance by tradition - designed to put the fear of God into the opposition.  On this ocassion it resembles a damp swib LOL.  "The Barbarians" team is made up from top players from all over the world.  During the 1970s Wales was the dominant rugby team in both the northern and southern hemispheres and many wonderful players, now legends are in this Barbarian side.

Gareth Edwards played for Cardiff, Wales, The Barbarians and The British Lions. In the St David's Shopping Centre, Cardiff a statue stands in honour of him.
It was rather embarrassing one day because during a particularly busy shopping day my rather eccentric Welsh brother in law suddenly yelled at the top of his voice, "PASS THE BALL! PASS THE BALL, GARETH! COME ON LAD!
PASS THE BALL!!!"

Everyone laughed and we looked for the biggest hole to crawl into LOL.

21 comments:

  1. Wow. I had never seen rugby. Wild! Oh, and great photos of the peacocks and the heron.

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  2. I might not exactly be rich but I wouldn't mind a dollar for every time I've seen that try - and I actually remember seeing it for the first time because it was on my birthday, the year before I moved to NZ, and I was trying desperately to understand why my husband thought I'd be happy to get up in the middle of the night (on my birthday no less) to watch a rugby game.
    However, I do admit, having learnt to appreciate the game after living in NZ, I was a bit overawed when I actually met the great Gareth Edwards. I found him a lot more charming than his great opponent, Sid Going.

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  3. How interesting Krystal. My what a pleasant surprise to see your comment. Gareth was indeed a charming gentleman. When he retired from rugby he was team captain on a UK television show called "A question of Sport". His opposing captain was Emlyn Huges, a footballer who played for Liverpool and England. It was highly entertaining.
    There are many more glorious Gareth Edward tries on You Tube including a solo try for Wales when he ran the full length of the field to score in the corner.

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  4. hi there.
    thanks for poppin by my little CONTEMplations blog =)
    your comment made me laugh. the bravery part may be taken by me as a challenge, because i dont like being one-upped by other people. but i will let you be "the best" this time, as i have no awards to give suldog at the moment =(
    im so glad to hear that individuals actually use magnifying glasses at my place. i seem to read it fine, but then again, im not even 20 yet, and i love small letters and tiny fonts. =)
    as for the sunday roast, id be happy to participate. only thing is, it wont be this sunday. sadly. =( the saturday before this sunday was my birthday. wouldnt that be interesting? a roast on the day after a birthday...... ah well. ill have to get over it..
    i dont really think i have a great sense of humor, but since you seem set on the idea, i will graciously accept your compliment =)
    have a lovely day.

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  5. wow. that has got to be the longest (or one of the longest) comments ive ever posted :o

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  6. The herron and peacocks are beautiful! How fun that they have come to visit! :)

    The story of your new bride is so cute. :)

    And aren't you glad we have youtube and you can find cool clips like that?

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  7. Oh my goodness! What bravery! What daring! Can you imagine the strength it takes in those legs to pull off such a feat?

    Yes, that heron is amazing!

    As for the rugby game, it looks and sounds pretty much like our boring old football - a bunch of grown man falling all over each other trying to catch A BALL.

    A BALL. It staggers the imagination.

    Although I did quite enjoy the little dance (questionably a dance) that opened the game. The fear of God? I don't think so. It very much reminded me of a country line dance done by some very tipsy guests at my neice-in-law's wedding.

    Your avian visitors are rather impressive. We never get more than turkeys around here. And a family of partridges one time. Or quail; not sure I know the difference.

    My best to Mrs. Bluelights, your hip, and your feet.

    Ethelmae

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  8. Rugby is definitely wild and woolly!! Tough game!
    I enjoy our football...but the Super Bowl was rather lame this year!! Not much of a contest!
    Oh and the heron was gorgeous as was the peacocks!!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  9. Well of course if you live in an *upmarket* kind of place you would expect to see upmarket kind of birds!!!!!! LOL!
    We have 3 lone sparrows and a robin..... which explains a lot! (Being poor & impoverished!!!!!

    I can't share your enthusiasm for sport. It is all double Dutch to me.
    Maggie X

    Nuts in May

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  10. Great photo of the heron...especially since you were rushed to snap it! We get wildlife running thru the yard occasionally, and I know how hard it is to keep them sitting still for a portrait!!!

    My 'middle brother' used to play rugby at school. I went to a game or two, but stopped when I got tired of seeing him get clobbered. Of course, all those 'hits' can explain why he is the way he is today...
    :)

    xoxoxo, cd

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  11. The photo of the heron is great, Eddie. What balance it has! :))
    You have a lot of beautiful birds that enjoy visiting your place, and I'm glad that Maria saw the heron and that you got the photo. It is lovely!
    Hugs,
    Jackie

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  12. Good stuff as usual. And photos better than mine as usual. is there no end to this mans talents! Trust you are well.

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  13. Hi Eddie, I'm pretty sure I've never seen rugby played before-- I can barely make it through American football :-)

    Glad you were able to get the heron shot for your wife and us to enjoy. And the peacock-- Beautiful.

    Hope life is treating you good. Cheers, jj

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  14. thank you.
    and anytime, i think itll be my pleasure. i thought the award acceptance of suldog's was funny. its beyond me how someone can take what he says offensively. he does it in such a hilarious manner...
    well, to get the information to me without an email..... you coul find out my ip, send astalker to stalk me, find out my address and stuff..... ok never mind, dont do that. id be creeped out.
    i shall try to remember to drop you an email, so that i could have the info asap.

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  15. Which sport you like pretty much is dictated by where you grow up don't you think? I have heard people say that rugby is quite different from football. Aren't you glad you did get a photo of the heron?

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  16. Ah yes, now that was a game and a half - one of the best ever. And rugby was rugby - I preferred it to what they call rugby now ...

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  17. Fantastic photo! And great story about the peacocks, too! I don't know anything about rugby, except that it's boring! lol Cheers!

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  18. Marguerite - love it!! Is that why you don't watch super bowl?

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  19. Despite being American, I do like Rugby. It's just that we get very little opportunity to see it played over here, at least on TV. Same with Australian Rules, which I learned to love during the 1980's when ESPN would show loads of those games.

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  20. Can you imagine what life is like in this house when England play France at Rugby? And then when England goes on to win?

    Teehee. Come on England!!!!

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