CHEERFUL :)

© mbergamasco.it

Looking pretty cool on a nice, sunny day in Paris - will this do as a cheery photo? You can even see the Pompidou Centre in the background!

H-CUP 2008

© erc

Today was the draw for the Heineken Cup pools for next year:

POOL 1: Benetton Treviso, London Irish, Perpignan, Newport Gwent Dragons

POOL 2: Ospreys, Gloucester Rugby, Bourgoin, Ulster Rugby

POOL 3: Stade Français Paris, Bristol Rugby, Cardiff Blues, Harlequins :)

POOL 4: Glasgow Warriors, Saracens, Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque, Viadana

POOL 5: London Wasps, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Llanelli Scarlets, Munster

POOL 6: Leinster, Leicester Tigers, Toulouse, Edinburgh Rugby

Personally, I couldn’t be happier with Stade’s pool and I’m already looking forward to the Final in Cardiff!

OH LÀ LÀ: LOOK WHAT I FOUND!

.. advertising their new D&Gs

© libé

CHAMPIONS

© stade.fr

CELEBRATION!

This week-end was a special anniversary week-end with some cool people and wine and balloons and wine and funny anecdotes and wine. I’m slightly ashamed to admit though that the excitement was all a bit much for me and I had to have a power nap half-way through. On my return, I was slightly amused to see that a whole box of chocolates had been eaten; thank goodness a certain someone had surreptitiously snaffled other sweeties ;) Oh, and I disclaim any ownership of the photo above and firmly believe that the fuzzy effect of it may be wine-induced.

DELIRIOUS!

Y A A A A A A A A A Y ! ! ! ! ! ! !

© equipe

EVERYTHING CROSSED

Tonight is the Final of the TOP 14 and I'm crossing fingers and toes and arms and legs and everything that Stade win. G'wan boys, win that Brennus back!

SAVE ME ..

SCENES FROM A RECENT LIFE

So, almost the first thing I did on returning to England was to see some rugby (naturally). The Final of the H-CUP this year was an all-English affair but it was no less captivating for that and I was glad about the result. Just in case you weren’t aware, London Wasps won and they play in stripey socks. However, I won’t hide my disappointment that Stade were not there but since I was able to watch them beat Biarritz to reach the Final of the Top 14 (well, bar the last 10 minutes but that's another story ..), I feel somewhat consoled. And although I’ll be otherwise engaged while that Final match is happening this coming week-end, I’m still hoping that I’ll be able (sneakily, unnoticed) to check the score somehow and to see that they've beaten Clermont to re-take the Brennus!

But lest you run away with the idea that my life revolves exclusively around rugby, I should point out that a huge part of it at the moment is preoccupied with tidying/ sorting/ arranging/ throwing/ donating my accumulated excess possessions, also exclaiming ‘why on earth ..?’ a lot and wondering if it would not indeed be better to renounce all these worldly goods and run off to live in a yurt.

I’ve also been out doing my earth-goddess stuff in the garden, which is looking quite abundant (or maybe the word is: ‘wild’) despite the neglect it has suffered and the fact that Tristan’s idea of gardening is like this:

© cartoonchurch

And although I’m still not quite up to looking at or talking about anything remotely associated with Notre Dame or the Louvre, I’m integrating quite well into my English life. There is even news from the swimming front: beloved float is beginning to be left forlornly by the side of the pool ..

I think I just about got away with the recent reticence (thank goodness nobody noticed! ;p ) but I am back in the land of the emailing living and will catch-up really soon, faithful readers!