Day 50 – Stick Bat Thing

Hell I’m competitive! This morning I took my son to play his first hockey match. The match was being played on the Bluff which is not too far from here (but to be honest it’s a bit like a different country. This is the place when in the beginning I wrote about the geographical pecking order of Durban suburbs….well the Bluff is quite close to the bottom). The other interesting thing about the Bluff, which I only discovered this morning, is that there appears to be no sports shop there. I know this because on arrival at 7.30am this morning I discovered that a gum guard was a compulsory piece of equipment for the kids. And because I didn’t know this I spent the best part of an hour going from mall to mall looking for one, I even looked hopefully in Checkers, reasoning that they would sell sports equipment of some nature. Well they don’t and seem to never have heard of gum guards. I wonder if this is because there is a large coloured community that live there and most of them don’t have any teeth and therefore don’t need to protect them? Any, I digress I eventually found a gum guard at a pharmacy when I went back to the first mall that I had been to. Such is life.

I really wasn’t expecting much at the hockey. He has maybe been to five hockey practices his whole life. We are trying to encourage him, and his sister, to play sport at every opportunity. So it’s the season for hockey here, hence his participation. And hence me being competitive, shouting at the top of my voice directions and guidance, cajoling and encouraging, telling him where to stand…all this from someone who has never played a game of hockey in his life! I don’t have to first idea of the rules I just know that you got to get the little ball into their goals. I get that bit. I can be very competitive about that.

Now I know that every parent, and I am not different, thinks that their child is the best in the team, that their child should be picked every week, that their child should play up front. But when other parents single your child out and come over, after the game, and congratulate him on his game you sort of know that he had a good game. To top it, he is a leftie but playing with a right handed stick bat thing. I don’t even know if you get left handed stick bat things. But he has adapted to it and on numerous occasions dribbled round the opposing team using both sides of the face of the bat thing. I think that’s quite impressive? It impressed me anyway.

Anyway, enough of the ‘my family is best’ sop story. Some positive news in this morning…I think I may have sold my car. I can’t hold my breath for much longer so if this peters out you know that I have expired….. Also, we had a pleasant experience at a restaurant in ‘texas last night (that in itself is positive enough news) – both kids were out, one at the circus and other sleeping over at her mates house so we went out for dinner. Service was a bit amateurish but the food was excellent. Even though the restaurant was just about full the food came in good time, the plates were warm, we could see in to the clean kitchen, the tables were set nicely. And. Most importantly, the wine was good, well priced and there was plenty of it! As a mate says, the beer monster almost got out of the cage…but being the mature well rounded person I went home after and promptly fell asleep! Today has been renamed to Dry Mouth Saturday. It seems that no amount of water will quench my thirst.

Another And. The sun is shining, it’s actually quite warm compared to how it has been this past week. Its unusual at this time of year in Durban to get rain, normally there is no wind, no rain, no humidity. It’s normally perfect. This past week though has been bloody miserable, raining just about every day, the wind yesterday was howling. Where this would normally be the best time to visit Dirtbin, last week would have disappointed you. Our rugby team, The Sharks play tonight and will hopefully win this encounter. And I shall be drinking beer with a bunch of like minded people. Can it get better than this Saturday in ‘Texas?

This is my last post on facebook for a while. I’m testing a theory. The book writing is still no closer. I have a row of seats reserved for us. I think we could make ourselves comfortable in them in due course.

Until tomorrow.