An Unexpected Guest

So the other day, Johanna and I were walking home from another day at the office on our usual path.. On the way home, we noticed a stray dog wondering about. Johanna - ever the friendly one - suggested we stop to say hello.

I kneeled down and beckoned the dog to my side, which she did quite obediently. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that she was a beautifully healthy Border Collie. She was clean, well-groomed, young, of a healthy weight and (most importantly) dimeanor.

After having our brief greeting Joh and I decided to part our ways (we had melting ice cream in hand) and left. Our new friend had other ideas though, as she decided to follow us to my apartment. Being wanted certainly is an endearing quality, and the dog's loyalty & interest in us had won both our hearts. During the walk home, we bumped into my room-mate, Gareth.

Gareth himself is a lover of all things friendly; animals included. He decided as it dark outside and the dark coat covering the dog it was not safe for him to be roaming the streets freely. And so it was decided, we had an extra tennant for the night.

We got home and couldn't find any indicator that she was formally owned (i.e. a labelled collar), however she was clearly well-kept and obedient. Johanna affectionately and respectfully named her Ive II. Cute.

And so that was the activity of interest for the evening. Discussing the dog, playing with the dog, preparing food, trying to find his home. (In the end Gareth took her to the vet the following day, apparently the fourth time this year the dog had been caught roaming.. some people don't deserve dogs) etc. A fun night. She was most kind, and when Gareth prepared her bed in the corner she intuitively knew what was going on and acted accordingly by settling in for the night. So nice to observe.

Similar to her predecessor, Ive II hadn't quite cotton'd-on to the concept of 'fetch'. She did well up until the point of returning the ball. She seemed to think it her duty to hold-on and protect her 'treasure' rather than playing the game again. Humph!

Anyway, for your viewing pleasure I have included two pictures which Ive 2 happily posed for. Those of you who know Ive 1 may realise why I took such a quick liking to the girl. She certainly reminded me of an old friend.

Let me know your thoughts, please.



Ricky.
rick26j@gmail.com

Champs.... Again !

Gee, a quarter of a year since a post. Any readers I did are probably long gone.

You may have noticed two posts ago, on 8 June, (one of)my basketball team[s] - the White Wolves - won its competition. Well, we repeated the feat, folks. After winning division 6, they considered us worthy of moving up a grade. We were placed into div 5; the premiere grade for this venue and time of week.

The premiere division is definitely a step-up in terms of the competition and the difficulty. This was apparent to our team early, as we began the season on a three-game losing streak and our season looking bleak. At the end of any season, the bottom two teams in the premiere are downgraded to the lower division, and it looked for a time as though we may be going back to our roots.

Fortunately though, our team founds it rhythim and streak, and we then won three consecutive games.

From this point, we had three games remaining and were tied with our rivals the Los Amigos (see 8th June post, we beat them last seasons finals).

We lost back-to-back games to the same team! Fortunately, the Amigos did as well, meaning the final game of the season would determine who had the fourth and final spot.

The schedule showed that we play the Amigos. We won more convincingly against them than we ever had in the past.

We won the semi's.

The Grand Final was obviously an important game. I arrived at the stadium 90 minutes early to warm up. I was worried from the start, not from my nerves, but because during my practice beforehand, I barely made a single shot. Some days you just don't feel confident about your shot this was one of them for me.

Fortunately, I am not the only person on the team. Our centre, Bob played aggressively on defense and was throughout the course of the game accumulated seven blocked shots. Along with our forward Marty, they consistently out rebounded our opponents on both ends of the floor.

Within the opening five minutes, the game was 8 - 2, with us losing. With our two highest scorers (myself and James) unable to make any baskets, we were fortunate that Aaron and Bob raised the game when the team needed them. They each scored six points in the first quarter and lead our team in front.

The entire game was close. James really picked up the slack in the final 10 minutes where he scored (I believe) 9 points. The final score was 46 - 45. After the first five minutes, it was neck and neck the entire game. A brilliant game and a satisfying win.

Our season is back on again, and the White Wolves look to repeat as champs.

I will post a recap of our first game. Be sure to tune in.