Category: positive thoughts

State of Origin scenes

Posted on

I managed to spare a bit of time to watch the second half of the first 2026 NRL State of Origin game today.

Firstly, it was meant to be a background thing, and the plan to be getting on with other stuff while it was on actually seemed like a very good idea when I checked the half time score: 6-20.
I later found out that it had been 0-20, so actually, that 6 points was the start of a bit of a comeback.

But as the second half wore on with no additional score (but plenty of mistakes) from each side, I figured that I’d made the right call.

Never give up on a game though. Especially one as passionately partisan as this one.

A particularly nasty shoulder charge to the head, a red card, and suddenly there was momentum, belief and a will to win.

The last twenty minutes had me captivated.

And that it game down to the very last kick of the game to crown “the greatest comeback in Origin history“?

Perfection. What an incredible finish.

If only all sport was that exciting.

(I’ll lob a highlights video up on here as soon as it’s available.)

It’s available:

Wow.

Ride Lonesome

Posted on

I should have waited for v7.0.1 – this is terrible.

I’m a bit irritated with WordPress at the moment. It’s really tough to write when the font is 0.1mm tall and the letters appear to all be stuck together. Hopefully, there’s a quick fix for this and hopefully, it’ll be sorted sooner rather than later.

But rather than moaning, here’s some positivity before I head off to watch Hull City vs Southampton.

Oh, apparently, Southampton didn’t make the final. Oops. My bad.

Never mind.

Here’s the new one from Beck. We’ve come a long way from Loser (and so we should have done, that was [weeps] thirty-two years ago).

But this is a(nother) new direction from him, and it’s really beautiful. I’m rather addicted, but in a good way. Quite enjoying that light, country sound.

Now, let’s see what this post looks like when it’s uploaded.

Seize the day

Posted on

I’m writing a quiz.

It’s a fundraising thing that I’m presenting next month, and while the best quiz experience is the one that you take part in (and win, probably), for obvious reasons, I’m not allowed to take part this time. And so I want to make this one right up there for all the people who can do it, and are spending their hard-earned money in this economy to help others out.

It’s been a while (like lockdown) since I have done a quiz (from the writing the questions point of view, at least), but it’s fun to be back.

Well, sort of.

I’ve actually been pussyfooting around for a couple of weeks, jotting down questions (and answers), since I managed to delete all the work that I had previously done (entirely my fault, rookie error, despite being far from a rookie). Since then, my stupidity has been irritating me each time I return to the project.

But today is the day to break the back of this thing and get all the hard yards done.

I know that some people who read the blog will be going along, so I’m not dropping any hints or tips for them, but who knows: maybe I’ll chuck a few questions or even a whole round out on here once the event has happened, so that you can all test your knowledge of [redacted] or even [redacted].

So I’m seizing the day right now, and I’m going to nail the specialist round.

And then I’m going to get a coffee.

Happy Rooster

Posted on

Our second visit to this spot in Muizenberg, and though it feels a little like I was cheating on Dias Tavern, this place absolutely holds its own when it comes to Portuguese cuisine. In fact, dare I say it…?

[Whispers] Maybe it’s actually better than Dias…

Anyway…

It’s literally in the Muizenberg Railway Station building, up on the first floor (no wheelchair access, sorry), and you can enjoy the Edwardian history of the Herbert Baker design as you walk up the wooden stairs with their tiled risers, and into the expansive space and amazing enclosed veranda. The sea view over False Bay and Surfer’s Corner is spectacular, and the food and service are equally impressive.

They’ve just released their new Winter menu:

The food is good, honest fare, cooked with care and pride, and powerful Portuguese flavour. And yes, there are a few things on there to cater for those who have just wandered over from the beach for a post-surf burger, but that doesn’t detract from the authenticity of the specialised dishes.

Complimentary caldo verde when we arrived, warmed us up nicely and got our taste buds ready for the main meal. But here’s the thing: as an unlicensed restaurant, you are not paying through the nose for beers and wines (you’re welcome to bring your own – no corkage fees are charged) and so you end up coming out of there feeling wholly satisfied, but with a wonderfully reasonable bill.

Dinner was R1300 (including a well-earned, decent tip) for four of us last night, including two starters and two desserts and several soft drinks.

Incredible value.

I can’t recommend this place enough: it scores highly on every metric.
Booking via WhatsApp on 067 901 0900.

Landmarkr

Posted on

Done your Wordle today?
Sorted the Daily Challenge on Geoguessr?
Connections?
Flagle? Tough one this morning, hey?
The NYT mini?
Worldle? Completed. (Spoiler: it was Nepal.)

Good. Now you can get on with your day and start… HANG ON A SECOND!

Here’s Landmarkr!

Super straightforward: 6 photo clues to a Landmark, City or Country. The clues get progressively easier, and you get a guess each time a picture is revealed. And there are some helpful hints along the way:

Lisbon, Portugal is not on the right continent.

which can really help to narrow it down (this is sarcasm).

Much like Wordle, the quicker you get it, the better person you are. But of course, you’ll need to tell your friends about it so that you can boast to them about your superior record.

And with a full archive of over 200 days available, free of charge, it’s also super addictive. This post has taken me three hours to write, because I just keep popping back “for one more go”.

100% record so far.

My first failure will hurt.