Sunday, December 9, 2012

Not much happening here

It may not surprise you to hear that it's been a pretty boring few days chez Lynley. In fact I have left the house once since Tuesday and that was yesterday for baseball. I'm still not driving. And, like an invalid, I got dropped off at baseball, propped up on a folding chair and given the score sheet ... actually that's the same as every week, scoring is my allotted task.

It's quite simple for the under 10s, you just have to keep track of outs and homes; but even that can challenge my level of focus. They are still at the age where the parents get REALLY excited if anyone connects with the ball, and then remembers to run to first and not just stand there watching the ball go up ... and down... And then if anyone actually makes to it second or third, let alone home, there is hollering and shrieking and wild applause like they'd won the world series. Which makes it a bit difficult to keep track of which little kiddie makes it over the plate in the end, and whether they've had two or three outs.

Luckily if you get it a little bit wrong no-one seems to mind. I hear stories about crazed and competitive parents but I have yet to meet one. I was worried one week when I realised I'd let the other side have five outs (there are no umpires, it's all done by consensus) but the other team manager said "no worries mate, we're not playing for sheep stations" which seems a nicely Australian take on a very American game.

There has been some quilting. I have to work the foot pedal with my left foot, which took a little bit of getting used to. I've been sewing since I was seven (35 years!!! argh!!!) and the connection between my brain and my right pedal foot seems completely hardwired. It took a few false starts (and worse, missed stops) but I can do it, although it still feels weird.

I re-trained myself to use a computer mouse with my left hand when I was getting pains in my right wrist (I told everyone it was because of work, but it was actually The Sims) and it's feasible once you get over the initial awkwardness. When I was 19 I was swimming a lot for exercise and I read an article in Cosmopolitan or some other equally reputable source that said that if you always breathed on the same side you'd get hideously overdeveloped muscles in one side only in your back and you'd never get a boyfriend EVER. So over a few weeks I changed to breathing on alternate sides - just a couple of near drownings - and it was the best thing I ever did for my swimming. It's a much more even and relaxed way to swim.


God, can you tell I haven't had many people to talk to this week? I'm blathering into my blog. So the sewing I've been doing is the Moth in a Window quilting - I've made each block into a little quilt sandwich and I'll join them together in the fullness of time. I haven't made all the blocks yet, but that involves getting up, which I've been trying not to do, so I'm just sitting and quilting. It's quite satisfying because I get to use up ugly fabric on the back and all those little pieces of batting!! I have tubs full of bits that I am finally getting to use.

2 comments:

  1. you are cracking me up with your take on baseball. i have a confession to make - when i was a very little girl my grandpa took me to the major league baseball games and taught me how to keep score. they used to give out programs with the players names and a scorecard all made out for you. now i think they charge about 10 bucks for it... anyway, grandpa also taught me how to keep score at bowling. is bowling a big sport down there?

    your moth in the window blocks are coming along nicely. are you doing bonnie's mystery?

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  2. My boys have played softball for a few years and I have scored a couple of times for them - it is ok once you get the hang of it! And good on you for learning to do things as a molly dooker:)

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