holiday jottings #2

On Saturday March 13th, the sun shone for a few hours and then the clouds and the blustery conditions returned. A few random snow flakes fell and I have got a real feel for English weather - it sucks! Fortunately the relatives are wonderful and the joys of companionship and friendship go a long way to disperse the gloom of grey sullen skies. Trees are beginning to bud and daffodils are everywhere. English gorse and wildflowers are beginning to bloom. Master 19 discovered that gorse is nice to look at but not to grab hold of....

English pints of beer are considerably more potent than Aussie middies, and I am letting the Australian side down badly with my inability to imbibe as much and as well as the English types.

It is a real joy to discover many Australian red wines for sale. Just do not mention the exchange rate to me. I will not want to see the mastercard bill in April.

The secondhand, charity, antique shops and flea markets are an exceptional place to browse and enjoy a wide range of English bric a brac and specials! It is always worth haggling as an extra pound or two will come off the price towards the end of the day...

A day at the races or a night at the football?

Aaah yes 'tis football I am going to write about.

Yeovil Town Football Club in action against the northerners from Doncaster.

In Australia football means Australian Rules, Rugby Union, Rugby League, Soccer or grid iron, for the staunchest Irishman it could be gaelic football.

In the UK football means football, aka soccer to the heathen masses. For indeed the true believers take their football very seriously, they are not half hearted at all. As one approaches the stadium the overwhelming sensation is an enormous amount of noise, metal grandstand walls being beaten, trumpets fanfaring and a bass drum beating out the rythmn of the chants. And chant the supporters do, for over an hour before the game. The chants are punctuated by applause as players run out run by one, during that hour and applaud the crowd by raising their arms above their head and clapping. The crowd claps back.

The fervour is almost like a religious service. The atmosphere has trappings as such: small boys aged between five and ten dart and weave in front of the goal, kicking balls to the goalie, acting almost as acolytes/altar servers. At fifteen minute intervals the names of the players are read out each name is heartily greeted by much cheering, applause,fanfare and the ritual beating of the drum. I almost feel like I am in a holy place. As the visiting teams names are read out boos are the order of the evening.

The game begins, and the chanting and applause is intensified. The chants are sung along to classical tunes, religious tunes and pop tunes - something for everyone! Everytime a goal is stopped or the ball is kicked out of play both lots of supporters applaud in full strength - cheering either the attempt by their own team or the succesful defending action. For the uninitiated it would appear that the whole stadium is supporting only one team. There are special chants reserved for the referee. Interestingly there is a total ban on any racist remarks- immediate arrest is the penalty. It is alright to chant "Go back to Scotland" though. The broad somerset / dorset accent is hard to understand at times, but vulgarity in some chants is very noticeable LOL!

The fervour dies down somewhat at half time. 'Church' notices are now read out - supporters birthday greetings to one another, engagements and weddings! I joke not - the English take their football that seriously. Half time scores from other games around the country are read out. Cheers and boos to varying degrees of noise show what the locals thinks of these games in progress.

Second half of the game and the noise returns in all its fullness. The home team is now losing 1- 0 and despite 4 valiant attempts by the local strikers at kicking goals, the visitors win. As the game ends 60 or so security men and women stand up inside the fence to prevent any pitch invasion. They have been sqautting down for about 10 minutes. As we leave, the diehard supporters are chanting and working themselves up into a frenzy, the local yobbos are not amused. We do not wait to see how they deal with their despair.

Finally it is gridlock, cars as far as the eye can see and no movement. The trip home takes 50 minutes, compared to the 15 minute trip earlier in the evening.

I realise on the way home that this was just a crowd of 8,000 in full voice, imagine a stadium with over 150,000 people all chanting!!!

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some thoughts that help when minds and hearts are low:

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like
wrapping a present and not giving it.
William Arthur Ward.

"When the tide of life turns against you and the current
upsets your boat, don't waste your tears on what might
have been, just turn on your back and float."
Anonymous

He, who loses money, loses much;
He, who loses a friend, loses much more;
He, who loses faith, loses all.

Never seem more learned than the people you are with. Wear
your learning like a pocket watch and keep it hidden. Do
not pull it out to count the hours, but give the time when
you are asked.
-- Lord Chesterfield

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Its almost Easter, the tridium is the most fantastic three days of the year for me.
The celebration of the Last Supper, Good Friday and the Resurrection Vigil are a continuum that empowers me and allows me to really deepen my faith.