School Holidays

I haven't posted anything since new year's, so I guess it's about time for an update.

I've scaled back on work a bit, in order to spend some time with the family. Been back and forth between my place and the brothers' numerous times. Spent Christmas day on my own. The brothers were with their respective in-laws, and my folks will be down in a week or so, so we will have our own Christmas then.

I've had my favourite niece all to myself for a number of small stretches over the school holidays. It's not that she doesn't get on with the other niblings, but … well … she is the youngest, and she can be a bit full-on, so in general, it's best for everybody's sanity if they can have a break from "The Terra" every now and then.

Coming from a family of sports nuts, it's been nearly all cricket all the time. We spend every afternoon playing at the park, and every evening watching the women's games, which I've been pulling off the internet. Adding to the excitement is the fact that the Brisbane Heat have actually made the finals this year, thanks in no small part to the efforts of one "Gwacey Hawwis", who has well and truly established herself as the flavour of the month around here. Even I have to admire how far she's come. Last season, she was an overweight and generally unremarkable player; but this year, she's sporting a magnificently sculpted physique, and established herself as a deciding force with the bat, the ball, and out in the field. Oh, and she's been dabbling in commentary too, which has had bugalugs here in stitches of laughter, since it turns out Gracey is the yobboist yobbo who ever yobbed her way out of Yobtown. It's funny how the voice of your own people can sound so alien when you hear it coming through the telly.

ASIDE: Remember when I said that women's cricket would probably be better off—from a marketing perspective—promoting the players rather than the quality of the game (since that immediately draws comparisons to the men's game, which is fully professional and, well, played by men). This year, they've actually started to do that, which has been pleasantly surprising. And one of the things they've (very tentatively) touched on is how gay the sport is. Now, for anyone who follows any sort of women's sport, that shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but it turns out that (at least) three out of the eight teams have married couples playing on them. In fact, the previously mentioned hero of our household, Grace Harris, plays on a team with both her sister, and her sister-in-law. Now, there's an angle you can milk if you want to humanise your athletes.

Oh, and it turns out, two out of three of my favourite international players—also a married couple! You could have knocked me over with a feather. Not only did I not know either of them were lesbians, I thought one of them was a hard-line bible-thumper. The things you learn, eh?

Apart from cricket, we've also managed to squeeze in some cartoons (but they might get their own post) and done a little bit of drawing. And yes, I've even managed to get some work done in the mornings. The trick is to tire the little bugger out enough that she sleeps in. I'd ask youse fellas what you've been up to, but at this point, I think I'm pretty well caught up.

Anyway, here's hoping that 2019 doesn't get really shitty. 2018, I'm looking at you.

Some things never change, eh?

Hopefully this one does at some point.