Question of the day on b3ta

Hidden treasures: what have you found?

When I was ten, we broke into a boarded-up church and found a nearly complete, hardly-rusted-at-all WW2 NSU bike with a swastika on it and EVERYTHING (like Steve McQueen rode in The Great Escape.) Feck knows how it got there. We looked everywhere but couldn't find the skeleton of its long dead hiding German rider-in-hiding. Most disappointing.

Further to all the 'we found a bomb' stories, my grandad worked in construction for years and tells me that finding bombs in gardens etc. was a frighteningly regular occurrence for years after the war, apparently. If you were merrily digging away and suddenly heard the 'ting!' of your pick hitting metal, you usually shat yourself.

Now then Clive, this (here) is more like it. Some more Grand Slam winners!

Reliance

Are you an old, balding rugby coach? Have you recently stuffed the Lions side with has-beens, because you have an enormous ego and blind faith in history? Has that team been massacred? Well, swallow your sodding ego and get some Welshmen on. Want some evidence? At the time of writing this, Ospreys speed merchant Shane Williams has scored four tries. What more has he got to do, Clive?

It says a lot for the Welsh contingent that they are holding up this tour right now. Go for it lads, we know you deserve it.

Rugby ranting

Got up far too early on Saturday morning to watch a woeful Lions game. Terrible, terrible game, where Baldy's arrogance and love of out-of-form England players was exposed by on on-fire ABs side. For what it's worth, Uaga made one of the greatest passes I've ever seen to set Sivivatu up for the try.

So, where next?

Corry and Robinson dropped to midweek team here, Gareth T now captain here, and Englishman Grewcock sent home for biting and replaced by Wales GS player Brent Cockbain here.

The future is bright(er). Because it's RED. I am sad that it took a humilitating defeat to force Baldy out of his love affair with out of form English players, but such is the way of egos in sport. Now Wales has to turn things around.

If, like me, the caps lock key drives you barmy, there is a cure at hand and it's here. Excellent little hack. I can now randomly hit the key when I am aiming at the shift or tab with impunity.

Reading of the ID cards bill in Parliament today. Here's hoping the MPs make the right decision.

Update

Lack of bloggage due to a course that my kindly emplores send me on. Marriott hotels are lovely but really you could be on Mars for all the local character they have (I was apparently in Essex).

Anyway. Southland v Lions game just finished and Gavin reacted in a typically Welsh manner to being dropped from the Test side - ie. with total bloody mindedness, scoring two tries. Gawd bless you Gav, Wales loves you even more that you've been wronged. Match report here.

My thoughts on the team to go for on Saturday:
Corry, Back and Jenkins are essential, as are BOD, Gareth Thomas and Josh Lewsey. Ryan Jones has a very strong claim in the pack too. I think Stephen Jones has played solidly. I am mystifed as to the absence of Cusiter as he was worked so hard at scrum half, so hopefully we'll have Peel. I could live with Thompson at hooker IF he could throw straight! Julian White at tighthead I think.

Sporting wise, there is a lot of good news right now - even the cricket is going well. What's next, Tim Henman getting to a Wimbledon semi?

Laban Tall has been kind enough to link to me, bringing in some very intelligent comments from people like . Very encouraging. Go read.

And, as promised, something creative, written in autumn a LONG time ago:

Misty Morning

The dawn is like a jeweller;

He inlays the skies with gold,

Silvers the misty valleys,

And casts pearls on emerald grass.

He encases the dawn in translucent crystal

And glorifies nature's colours;

A new day, a new jewel

In God's crown.

Apostate Windbag

This is one of the best bits of writing I have ever come across, at Apostate Windbag's blog

Some more creative writing of my own to follow.

Buddhist hymns

I am a keen singer, especially of old Welsh hymn tunes. But they are all devoutly non-conformist Christian and I am now a Buddhist. So, what do I do?

Simple, rewrite the lyrics.

The tunes have been set to countless lyric variations over time anyway - I am just chagning the religion as well as the words!

So, the first effort: the incomparable Cwm Rhondda, the tune to which the words Bread of Heaven (Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah) are set.

Guide me, O Thou great Lord Buddha
Teacher in this suffering land
I am weak but Thou art mighty
Guide me with Thy powerful hand.

Holy Dharma, Holy Dharma
Feed me till I want no more (I want no more)
Feed me till I want no more.

Hmm, needs work. Must study the Dharma more to get some inspiration.

Another alternate version, from the Diamond Geezers Harlequins RFC fan site:

You can buy your bread from Safeways,Tescos,and Asda too,
There are many brands to chose from, Hovis and Kingsmill too,

Bread from Safeway, bread from Safeway,Mothers Pride and Kingsmill too,
Mother's Pride and Kingsmill too.

The Moai/Wikipedia

Someone asked me the other day as to the origin of the pseudonym I used. The moai (or a moai, singular or plural) are the giant stone torsos (NOT heads) found on Easter Island. Easter is a fascinating place anyway - it is the most isolated island on earth and how people got there at all is a mystery, but the presence of the heads adds yet more weirdness. They've always interested me, both from the aesthetic and engineering viewpoints. You can find out more about them, and theories as to how a Stone Age people with no animal assistance managed to make or erect them, here

I've also started to contribute to Wikipedia. My first article is here. A topic close to my heart!

Mens mags stasis

Lack of bloggage this week due to a a frankly crazy week. It's always the same after a bank holiday.
Anyway, to my point. I had a long and boring layover at an airport this week. I had no non-work-related reading material with me so I ventured to the newsagent. I saw, prominently displayed, FHM, which I haven't bought since I was 18, 8 years ago. Out of sheer curiosity I bought it and as I read it I thought, you knpow, this isn't as good as it used to be, when we all used to gather around a copy or two in the sixth form commone room and debate the merits of Teri Hatcher, Ferraris and Gillette razors.
Then I realised that it IS as good as it used to be: it hadn't changed AT ALL.
I had.
I felt a sudden jolt - I had grown up, and I'd never even noticed it.