AFL and Netball

We are engaging in true Ozziedom and have been to 2 games.

Our first was with my uncle and cousins, the Hawks vs Port Adelaide – Australian Rules Footy at the MCG – 33 000 people in the crowd. All dressed as their favourite team – pretty random. We were given some team regalia to wear by my dedicated family and got comments the whole day – on the tram, on the street corner and from vendors! I didn’t realise what a conversation opener wearing a hat could be! This town is mad with AFL fever.

It was a great vibe watching the game – it is a massive field and a lot faster than “real” rugby – it’s pretty cool to watch. Never did quite get a hang of the scoring though. And the men’s bodies are to die for – best of any sport!

The second game we went to was with our lovely mate Debbie and her family. Her sister plays for the Steel netball team representing Otago and Southland (the area we lived in in NZ). We watched Steel vs the Melbourne team Vixens. It was awesome and fast – a real treat for me to see high level netball. Tim loved the girls in their teeny skirts and was a very exuberant spectator!
We noticed at both games it seems to be tradition to eat a “meat pie” at the game – horrendous and only “25% meat” – really makes your mind wonder.. 13 pis per capita are consumed a year here! (No wonder 15% of the police are obese and Australia has taken over as the fattest people on earth..! Not really what we were expecting with the typical idea of a sexy oz beach babe that’s out there. But hey – it keeps me in work in these tough times).
Sadly both teams we were supporting were pummelled.. maybe it’s us?

Cycle tour..

Hey. So much has been happening I am overwhelmed with things to write about. So I picked something small.. and will put some short articles on the blog to get caught up – slowly chipping away so you are all left with a clearer picture of where we are at..!

Last weekend we had a gorgeous, clear winter’s day. There was a chilly wind but you could only feel it in the shade. We took a 28km gentle cycle over the day along Hobson’s Bay.
Our first stop was a lovely brekkie with mates only 3km from home. With full bellies we took a ride through the park and under the massive westgate bridge to the edge of the Yarra. We caught a cyclist punt across the water and continued on along the water passed the hopeful fishermen (for once we actually saw people catching things!) and happy dogs being taken for walks. We arrived in Williamstown – Melbourne’s first sea port and now a heritage area. The main street is very quaint and felt like a million miles away from the city.

We had a look around and could not resist the French creperie - lovely buckwheat crepes complete with typical glasses of apple cider! Tim had an ox tongue which was surprisingly nice.. He loves the weird stuff the French serve up! We meandered slowly back – just in time for a stunning sunset. Lovely day.

Lovely view of the city.. we live directly opposite.




















Nerd Tim - how happy is he to have a water bottle clipped to his belt..?














Happy fisherman - Westgate bridge in the background
















Sexy Tim waiting for the punt. "Lovely word punt, it's almost a swear word" (Kim's best Tim quote of the day)












Willismstown Marina


















I loved the buildings and Tim loved the bikes















Proper apple cider from Bretagne! Once a month this place offers French evenings with super - got to brush up and crepes are a great attraction.














Getting chilly on the way home












Lovely sunset - this is about 1km from home..