Laxie through the Looking Glass

[Ginger]

The video gets a bit dark for some unknown reason about 10 seconds in, but rights itself again soon enough.  

It gets dark because you are filming towards the (setting) sun, as soon as you move away from that direction the settings revert to normal.

Keep up with the thread Lax, I'm muchly enjoying it xx

[TightEnd]

Rules of Gaelic football please. What are they trying to do?

Is Sinead still playing years above her age group?



p.s the reds won, the reds lost. Get a change of kit!

[Laxie]

The video gets a bit dark for some unknown reason about 10 seconds in, but rights itself again soon enough.  

It gets dark because you are filming towards the (setting) sun, as soon as you move away from that direction the settings revert to normal.

Keep up with the thread Lax, I'm muchly enjoying it xx

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee  ty muchly for that!  I shall do me best to avoid setting suns in future.  

I now know how it feels to ramble on, all the while wondering if anyone's interested.  I'm happy to hear you're enjoying it.  Thank you.  xx

Rules of Gaelic football please. What are they trying to do?

Is Sinead still playing years above her age group?



p.s the reds won, the reds lost. Get a change of kit!

Rules can be found here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaelic_football  with the rules for females varying slightly.  

Female changes are as follows and taken from wiki to stop me rambling:

Differences from men's football

Although most of the rules of the game are parallel to those for men's Gaelic football, there are some differences. The main ones are:

    * A player may pick the ball up directly from the ground, so long as she is standing
    * All matches last 60 minutes; in the men's game, senior inter-county games last 70
    * Kickouts may be taken from the hand
    * A countdown clock with siren is used if available; in the men's game, the referee decides the end of the game
    * It is permitted to change the ball from one hand to the other
    * All deliberate bodily contact is forbidden except when "shadowing" an opponent, competing to catch the ball, or blocking the delivery of the ball.

The rule I've highlighted is mostly BS.  They can't even afford two kits, where the heck are they going to get a count down clock and siren FFS?!  Ref blows the whistle up...end of.

Sarah will be 13 next week.  Sinéad will be 15 in August.  Sarah plays U14/U16.  Sinéad has been pushed to U16 and can train/possibly play with Minors if she wants.  We're actually quite lucky one rule has changed.  In the old days both girls were playing for the Lad's teams as well.  THAT'S where Sinéad was kept truly busy.  When she was only a wee one she was playing up to U15 with both groups.  Last year they changed the rule.  Girls are not permitted to play with the lads beyond U12.  She was gutted and so were her coaches, but at least now Sinéad can concentrate on just the one or two teams as opposed to 4.

Ps Red and white won, red and yellow lost.  DTD/Blonde want to sponsor a kit for them?  They'd be delighted!    

[Laxie]

Lily's partial to a rub of ears and anywhere around the face/neck which works out well because that's the spot most kids aim for, but Cassie LOVES belly rubs!!!

[Laxie]

We have a dishwasher.  A real live electric one.  No elbow grease required.  So why are my counters cluttered and my sink full of dirty dishes?!  Wonder if the whistle works on kids?  Have just tidied the kitchen for the 3rd time today and am heading out to the field with the dogs.  God help the kids if the kitchen doesn't look the same when I return.

/rant

[Tonji]

Keep up with the updates Laxie. I always check em out, they are great 

[Dingdell]

Keep up with the updates Laxie. I always check em out, they are great 

This is the first thread I look at, it's like an irish version of neighbours. 

[Laxie]

We have a dishwasher.  A real live electric one.  No elbow grease required.  So why are my counters cluttered and my sink full of dirty dishes?!  Wonder if the whistle works on kids?  Have just tidied the kitchen for the 3rd time today and am heading out to the field with the dogs.  God help the kids if the kitchen doesn't look the same when I return.

/rant

PS  Helpful to press the 'on' button once loaded - especially if you expect them to be washed at some point.  But I blame me for that one.  Sigh.

[Rod Paradise]

Ps Red and white won, red and yellow lost.  DTD/Blonde want to sponsor a kit for them?  They'd be delighted!    

Black and gold? Kilkenny colours? Where you live?         

Of course they're cultured in Kilkenny, none of this football nonsense just the Hurling.

[Laxie]

Excuuuuuuse me?!  Cultured?!  It's the only blinking sport they know how to play in Kilkenny.  Granted, they play it very well...I'll give ya that. 

In Cork we're multi talented see.  We've a bit of luck in both sports.  We don't like meeting Kilkenny in the hurling or Kerry in the football as both teams are a constant pain in Cork's backside, but has to be done now and then. 

And man oh man, what a day when they meet.  Especially Cork v Kerry.  We're in a border village.  Kerry is only 2 miles away from Knocknagree and Knocknagree is a bit of a mad place for pubs.  On match day the village pubs are packed with Cork supporters from 2 hours before kick-off.  If yer not into sports, may as well go home because it'll do yer head in and if Cork win there's every real possibility you'll be soaked.  Everyone forgets they have a pint in their hand when the final whistle blows. 

Here's where it gets tricky.  If Cork are losing at half time car loads of Kerry supporters start landing in Knocknagree.  If Kerry win, they stay on for the night taking the piss out of the Cork people...on our own side of the border, ffs!  Luckily, most Corkonians around here have a great sense of humour and the banter is unreal for the night.  However, if Kerry loses in the end - they take off out of here as fast as they landed.  Kerry can dish it out but they can't take it, poor craters.     

(All of the Cork v Kerry info above was based on Gaelic Football.  They don't do Hurling.  It confuses them.)

[Laxie]

Another day another match.  Dromtarriffe U14 takes on Mournabbey @ 7pm.  It's another one of those trips where I'll get close to the place, then have to ask for directions.  Marv.  At least I can pronounce this one.   

Won't be taking the dogs this time as it's nearly 90 minutes each way from what I can gather.  They'll be gutted when Sarah and I walk out the door without them, but Brian is on strict orders to spoil them rotten while we're away. 

Text just in.  When we get back from the match, I've to turbo mode get meself ready for another night out.  My neighbour Bridget wants to go out for a couple and I'll need to do her hair before we go.  I've no clue what I'm wearing, where we're going and I'm tired, but she's lucky I'm not as tired as I could have been or she'd be heading out on her own.

Gently does it though as tomorrow I will mostly be outside painting the walls around the yard.  Love that job to be honest!  Anything to do with yard work (when the weather is decent) and I'm there.  Get things tidied up and get a tan at the same time.  Result.  Sarah asked to help with the painting and I'm going to let her.  Child labour FTW.  lol  Means I can get other bits done around the yard for the day too. 

Usually Lily and Rocky sit by my side as I go, but Cassie and Rocky haven't agreed on shared space yet.  Cassie doesn't chase him when I'm there, but by all accounts Rocky's been kept on his toes.  We'll see how it goes.  Should be interesting.

[Laxie]

Well, they got absolutely crushed yesterday.  Missing 4 key players and a good few subs, we didn't even have enough to field a team.  Luckily, the younger sister of one of the girls was kitted out and willing to play so we didn't have to forfeit the match.  Don't know what the score was.  Lost count after a while but we had a bit of a comeback towards the end, so may not have been too bad.  Proberly. 

Mournabbey is between Mallow and Cork City.  I reckon lots of city folk must live there and commute to work because they have some set up in their GAA!  The average village couldn't afford it in a month of Sundays, so has to be 'city money' keeps them ticking over.  They've this HUGE community centre building on site, as well as lovely dressing room facilities.  They've even got a sprinkler system for their pitches.  Sprinkler system?  In Ireland?!  Must be some drainage set up they've got too if they're throwing on the sprinklers now and then.

Sarah and the rest of the team played well enough.  Just wasn't their day.  I reckon they panicked when they realised so many were missing.  Hence the crickets scores in the first half.  Once they settled down and got their act together, the second half was more like a match should be.  Coach is furious over the number of 'no-shows' so they've called a team meeting for 7pm tomorrow night.  Sure am looking forward to it.  Should be fun.  Think I'll take the dogs so I have an excuse to stay outside rambling the fields while they get on with it.



No coin flip for kits required this time.

Click to see full-size image.

   



Their dressing rooms

Click to see full-size image.

[Laxie]

So tonight's the night of the 'big meeting' in Dromtarriffe.  The coach will give out about lack of attendance this past week-end and everyone will have to sit and listen to it...parents included.  Hoping Sarah forgets about the meeting.  In all fairness, we were there on Saturday and we live the furthest of anyone on the team.  Surely we get to dodge this one.  If she happens to remember the meeting, I've a sicky planned as back up.  Horrible headache coming on.  Oh crap.  She reads this thread.  GG me. 

Timothy's father spent the day with us yesterday.  The Mrs. was gone out for the day with some friends and he'd no interest in their outing, so we got to mind him.  Whatever about anything else, I absolutely adore the father-in-law.  He's a heart of gold and we've an understanding.  I speak my mind and he doesn't give out to me for it.  In fact, if it kicks off in his own life I get the call to help sort it out for him.  Thing is, he has a mind of his own and can speak up, but years of running the local shop in the next village over has trained him to bite his tongue most of the time.  If he gets riled up, he fills me in which riles me up then he asks, "Can you sort it?"  "Of course I will!  How dare they!"  Rinse repeat for many years now. 

Michael (the father-in-law) isn't a dog man.  Well, that's not entirely true.  He likes them if they're small enough to fit on his lap.  Lily sees him landing and she knows the routine.  Straight for the back door without saying a word to her.  Only Cassie wasn't filled in on the drill.  Her tail was wagging to beat the band and she was sooooooo happy to meet Michael for the first time.  Lily thought she'd get in on this new act, wagging her stump and looking for a rub from Michael too.  She's an optimist, God love her.  Bubble burst, they were escorted to the back yard.  Bad beat, but things were about to improve for the pair of them.

Cassie stayed put in the sitting room during the last barbecue, but thanks to her earlier bad beat, she was right where the action was this time.  She's discovered the perks of the barbecue and I'd be very surprised if she willingly hides in the sitting room for the next one.  The pair of them ate like royalty for the day and I still have a mountain of food left over, despite the dogs and handing bits over the fence to my neighbour.  I've a bad habit of doing that for the first couple of barbecues.  Can't decide what I'd like most, so cook the lot and sample a little of everything.  My mouth and belly thank me for it, but the hips aren't quite as impressed.  Must really cop on in that regard, but I'd imagine the same mistake will be made at least a couple more times this season before it happens. 

We never got to the yard work so I didn't get to test the Cassie/Rocky theories.  Michael wasn't too keen on sitting outside as it was a bit chilly for him and we didn't have the heart to leave him on his own in the sitting room.  Saving the work for some day this week.  Probably should do it today as I don't have to cook a dinner.  If the sun cooperates that might just be the plan.

Whatever you're doing for the day, hope it's a good one.  xx

[The_duke]

   * All deliberate bodily contact is forbidden except when "shadowing" an opponent, competing to catch the ball, or blocking the delivery of the ball.

Yeah right - no one told Sinead that when she back elbowed that girl at the match we went to

[Laxie]

   * All deliberate bodily contact is forbidden except when "shadowing" an opponent, competing to catch the ball, or blocking the delivery of the ball.

Yeah right - no one told Sinead that when she back elbowed that girl at the match we went to

Sinéad and Sarah are both aware of the rules.  Because the coaches know what they're like (fearless) they're encouraged - 'just don't get caught'... if possible.