Who doesn’t love weekends?
Sleep-ins, time for long walks, cook-ups, watching footy in the sunshine… what’s not to like!
For those of you who don’t know, I am a cricket tragic. There’s not a lot I enjoy more than watching a big game live, or even on TV whilst on the couch on a warm summers afternoon. Watching Will play cricket in our local Wagga competition is, however, not so great. Cricket can be a cruel game, and when Will is playing it is quite nerve-wracking for me. (as you know well Ros Mattingly 😉 ) Watching his team field/bowl is not too bad, but watching them bat often gives me heart palpitations! A great day can turn bad with just one delivery when you’re batting. Will is an all-rounder, but batting is the thing he loves best. Practice, preparation and training can make a real difference but the reality is one exceptional ball bowled from the opposition and you are out… there’s no second chances.
Watching Will play football on the other hand is much less worrying. Bad plays or mistaken moves can be easily forgotten with a moment of brilliance. The game can ebb and flow and its never over until the final whistle blows. The crowds at local games are also much bigger and more involved at football. Screams from the sidelines are common as is the odd bit of abuse and anger. Sometimes it tips into inappropriate, but mostly it’s passion and energy worn on the supporters sleeves.
Todays match at Coolamon was no exception. It was a beautiful day and the crowd at Kindra Park was large and enthusiastic. I had to park away from the sideline (at most games you can sit in your car and watch if the weather’s bad). Bek came for the drive with me so we found a lovely spot on a bench in the sun, with a good view of most of the ground.
Wagga Tigers reserve grade are currently undefeated and their winning streak continued today. It was not quite as easy for them as it sometimes is, but the final score saw them run out winners by about 80 points. There were a couple of melee’s and, as always, the first thing I do when they break out is search for Will. He’s very rarely part of a punch up, but I think mostly that’s because they usually break out in the mid-field rather that in defence where he plays. Apparently there was a serious brawl up in one of the other Riverina Football League games played yesterday. I can’t understand why that behaviour is acceptable on the footy field but if you hit someone from behind on the streets you would be before the courts.
I am mid-way through using my trusty pressure cooker to make beef pie filling. I have flavoured the mix with garlic, red wine and thyme and will make a batch of pies once the mix had cooled a little bit, using pre-made puff pastry sheets. There is a time and place for making your own pastry, but pies are not, in my opinion, one of them. I will line and par-bake individual pie tins. I have three sizes of individual tins, the two round ones are spring-form with loose bases – so I often use them for their ease of removal. No wonder I don’t have much cupboard space left in my kitchen (which has lots of cupboards) having a choice of 3 pie dishes (6 of each) might be a little excessive 😉
I still have a whole pumpkin in my cupboard that was given to me. Pumpkin soup is the obvious use, especially given both Will and I like it, but I’m thinking something different might be good. Any ideas?
