Safe Return Doubtful

Yesterday was a day reading an apocalyptic Uruguayan horror novel and watching Uruguayan rugby, quite fittingly, with them producing their best ever World Cup performance by pushing the hosts, France, close.

The Rugby World Cup will occupy quite a bit of my time in the next 6 weeks, at least though it’s mainly only at weekends. It certainly has started well.

It’s of particular interest to me this time, with my previous involvement in rugby in so many of the countries..

For five years I coached 8 of the 23 Chile squad that played Japan, and two others in their squad,

The Portugal squad has 3 that I coached, though this time only briefly (just one season).

The Uruguayan squad has 7 from the Old Christian’s club. This was the club that lost so many players in the plane crash in 1974, on their way to play their annual fixture in Chile, against the Old Boys club where I was to be involved for five years, from 2007. We visited Uruguay for rugby twice while I was in Chile, and hosted them in the other years. These 7 played against my boys.

We travelled to Argentina three times each year for rugby, staying for a week each time.

I lived, coached and refereed rugby (and cricket) in the South Island of New Zealand for three years also.

Otherwise, it’s been a week or preparations of various sorts, with various tweaks to the van and the admin necessary for heading to the Balkan countries.

I’m still based on the top field at New Ing in Shap. We had a week of warm and humid weather that soon became unpleasant, and culminated in a 5 hour thunder storm last Sunday, and has now given way to much cooler, and more usual, changeable conditions. Most exercise has been down by the river, though two dogs became one when Roja’s cousin injured his back leg. Fortunately it looks like it’s healing pretty quickly.

There’s a regular visit from the kids who never get tired of climbing around the van and, especially with Arthur, playing up every dangerous item possible, the gas oven, the knife drawer, the fire extinguisher..

Last Monday I got a replacement diesel heater fitted, and it works well. These Chinese heaters aren’t expensive, but are very efficient. It’s a pity they have such a short lifespan, another of those bits of technology that are not designed for repairing.

I’m away from Shap on Monday morning, initially up to Carlisle to see my American niece and nephew, then over to Hexham for a consultancy at the clinic the next morning.

My destination then is Folkestone for the Eurotunnel, but after that, remains a mystery.. even to me.

I think it’s likely that I will head to the Balkans, as I’m expecting my next appointment at Hexham to be 3 – 5 months, maybe even longer. But it just might be less than that, so I do retain an option to spend that time in Northern Europe.

Matters such as Roja’s entry to the various non-EU countries, and car insurance for those countries seem as complicated as ever. I’ve just about got the information I need, but the agencies that one would expect would have the answers, do not.

Either way, there will be a more regular blog post from next Wednesday, 20th September..