Under 20's Rugby World Cup in Wales

There isn't really much to say about this weekend as we didn't do much - Harry continues to recover from his op (reading newspapers, watching tv, lazing in the sun) and I spent all my time in bed feeling very sorry for myself as I caught a not very nice cold. Harry did go back to work on Thursday and is managing well, though a bit tired in the evenings. Before feeling sick, I suggested (on the prompting of an avid Welsh rugby playing workmate) that we took a trip on Sunday to Swansea to watch the Under 20's play in the rugby finals. Wales against South Africa in the runner up game and New Zealand against England in the finals. The weekend was good for NZ sport we blitzed them in both young and old rugby games and in the cricket - what a weekend for gloating and me not even going to work on Monday!! Harry did go and see the games and enjoyed it with a workmate whose son played rugby in the Hawkes Bay for a year, while I sat at home feeling sorry for myself and watching Kinky Boots - which is really a very good movie. The news is quiet about the rugby (I don't really pay much attention to the sports pages), but I have noticed that NZ features a bit more in the news over here than I thought it would. And it isn't just the sports and travel pages - though there are a number of cheap and not so cheap trips advertised, fully guided, self drive etc. The English take the mickey out of us just like the Aussies do!! Do you remember me mentioning the story that said NZ dog owners bought CD's for their dogs which were at such a pitch the owners couldn't hear them but they got a kick out of watching their dogs enjoying the music. And then there is the story about the people trying to beat the T2 lanes in Auckland by taking blow up dolls as passengers - and the latest. A story about otters, mentioned that New Zealanders had their headline news for days the story of Jin the otter that escaped from Auckland Zoo (old story but the article was after all about otters) - the story didn't focus on the otter looking after itself in the wild - but about how it was headline news for days until Jin was caught. I guess my only comment was isn't it good to live in a country where we take an interest in a variety of things including otters. Anyway, quote I was sent the other week which I don't want to forget so here it is (coming from someone with Planning in their title) "Planning is an un-natural process. It is much more fun to do something. And the nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise and is not preceded by a period of worry and uncertainty."