There's a Heron On The Roof, Memories and a Famous Rugby Match

"Hey, Eddie, quick!! There's a Heron on our roof!"

"Don't be so daft, Mrs Bluelights!"

"There is!! There is - quick get your camera!"

"I'm watching the game! A rugby game, the Barbarians versus The all Blacks 1973"

"Never mind the game! Snap it quick before it gets away! Here's your camera!"

"You'll be telling me we had peacocks in our garden next!"

"We did! We did! Last year.  Don't you remember?  They just dropped in unannounced!"

 "Oh yes I remember!  I did a post on it called 'Did You Invite Mr and Mrs Peacock?'

"There, I've caught the Heron on camera - no doubt it is waiting to catch a fish from next door's fish pond! Now can I finish watching the rugby match?"

Memories flashed through my mind just after we were married.  I was watching a cricket match on the television between England and The West Indies.  The new Mrs Bluelights asked, "Are they the All Blacks?" I collapsed laughing and replied, "I don't think so! Well they may be but the All Blacks is a famous New Zealand rugby union team."

Recently I watched the American Super Bowl final on television which I enjoyed very much but I love our rugby game and the rules are very different.  Forward passing is not permitted, as can be seen by one disallowed try on the video, and the players have to run through the field and get clobbered more often than not in their attempt to cross the goal line to score a try, which is a little like a touch down.  There are no shoulder pads or helmets, just flesh, bone, muscle and blood. We have scrums where 8 players from each team push against each other trying to get the ball. When 6 front row players come together (3 player from each side) an astonishing 2 tons pressure falls on their shoulders when the ball enters the scrum, put in by the scum half.  So they have to get their heads in place properly, or else!! Anyway without going into to much detail here is a clip of the greatest rugby match ever played between The Barbarians versus The All Blacks during 1973, two months before our wedding (when I was a free man LOL).  The first try scored is noted as the greatest rugby try ever scored and a famous Welsh player, arguably the best rugby player of all time, scrum half Gareth Edwards of Wales, made a 75 yard run after some brilliant passing and side stepping by his fellow team mates..


Enjoy and tell your grand children:

The All Blacks always have a pre-kick-off Haka war dance by tradition - designed to put the fear of God into the opposition.  On this ocassion it resembles a damp swib LOL.  "The Barbarians" team is made up from top players from all over the world.  During the 1970s Wales was the dominant rugby team in both the northern and southern hemispheres and many wonderful players, now legends are in this Barbarian side.

Gareth Edwards played for Cardiff, Wales, The Barbarians and The British Lions. In the St David's Shopping Centre, Cardiff a statue stands in honour of him.

It was rather embarrassing one day because during a particularly busy shopping day my rather eccentric Welsh brother in law suddenly yelled at the top of his voice, "PASS THE BALL! PASS THE BALL, GARETH! COME ON LAD!
PASS THE BALL!!!"

Everyone laughed and we looked for the biggest hole to crawl into LOL.