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May. 6th, 2007 10:01 amYesterday was me ma's charity Highland Gathering in the park. We had a pipe band and demonstrations of Scottish country dancing, surrounded by all the usual stalls we get at local fetes plus a kilt-maker and a seller of Scots rum. Spent half an hour in the queue at the burger stall. My mother won the caber-tossing (the women were allowed to use a lighter one); I won the welly-throwing contest, before going home to keep tabs on the Hawks via Radio Solent.
Braintree scored early in the second half; I became resigned to defeat as time dragged on with no more news from our game, till Jamie Collins equalised from the penalty spot with two minutes to go. Just after the radio relayed that extra time had begun, my mother returned with my welly-whanging prize, a bottle of rum (alas, not the Scottish brand that had been promoting itself).
No goals in extra-time. The radio went live to Braintree for the penalty shoot-out ... Luke Byles and Jefferson Louis missed theirs.
I didn't have time to sit and mope, as we had to get ready for the Gosport Lions' Annual Dinner at the Masonic Hall. We started with drinks in the bar - Pat, the Lion secretary, bought drinks for us; hooray, they had London Pride. I knew my friend Vanessa would be coming; got to say hello to her before we were ushered in to dinner.
The meal was surreal. I was next to Pat, a nice enough lady but a touch on the eccentric side. She said a few things I found a bit weird, and several times she'd suddenly say something and touch me here or there (nothing inappropriate). For quite a while, she and the couple on the other side of me talked quite a bit about their ailments. Meanwhile, each table had been provided with a number of those long balloons that go flying all round the room when you deflate them, so all through dinner we were distracted by the sight and noise of balloons whizzing all over the shop. The food, though, was absolutely perfect - a nice prawn cocktail, delicious tender roast lamb, coffee gateau and lots of lovely cheese.
After the speeches, we were free to circulate as the live band came on and played lots of 60s and early 70s covers. I went to sit with Ness and her family; she bought me a London Pride for my birthday, and I spent the rest of the evening talking to them. When Ness asked me if I was going to any more football matches soon, I replied no, the season's over for both my men's and my women's team. That was when it hit home.
Still, only 27 days to Harlequins RL's next home match...
Braintree scored early in the second half; I became resigned to defeat as time dragged on with no more news from our game, till Jamie Collins equalised from the penalty spot with two minutes to go. Just after the radio relayed that extra time had begun, my mother returned with my welly-whanging prize, a bottle of rum (alas, not the Scottish brand that had been promoting itself).
No goals in extra-time. The radio went live to Braintree for the penalty shoot-out ... Luke Byles and Jefferson Louis missed theirs.
I didn't have time to sit and mope, as we had to get ready for the Gosport Lions' Annual Dinner at the Masonic Hall. We started with drinks in the bar - Pat, the Lion secretary, bought drinks for us; hooray, they had London Pride. I knew my friend Vanessa would be coming; got to say hello to her before we were ushered in to dinner.
The meal was surreal. I was next to Pat, a nice enough lady but a touch on the eccentric side. She said a few things I found a bit weird, and several times she'd suddenly say something and touch me here or there (nothing inappropriate). For quite a while, she and the couple on the other side of me talked quite a bit about their ailments. Meanwhile, each table had been provided with a number of those long balloons that go flying all round the room when you deflate them, so all through dinner we were distracted by the sight and noise of balloons whizzing all over the shop. The food, though, was absolutely perfect - a nice prawn cocktail, delicious tender roast lamb, coffee gateau and lots of lovely cheese.
After the speeches, we were free to circulate as the live band came on and played lots of 60s and early 70s covers. I went to sit with Ness and her family; she bought me a London Pride for my birthday, and I spent the rest of the evening talking to them. When Ness asked me if I was going to any more football matches soon, I replied no, the season's over for both my men's and my women's team. That was when it hit home.
Still, only 27 days to Harlequins RL's next home match...
