Persistence and caring

I talked to Kathryn late on Friday and we exchanged our plans for the weekend. I told her that I planned to go caveman and work Sat and Sun - in order to have a clear mind and be able to enjoy a day off and a few brews come Monday. I had already told Whitney that I wouldn't make our traditional date at the Finchey Road Walkabout for the code on Saturday morning.

So come Saturday morning at 7.30am (not my best hour) the phone starts ringing. It's Kathryn, it's respectfully ignored. 7.45am, phone rings, Kathryn again, bless you and leave message. 7.50am it's Mark. To be honest - by this stage it was simply - f*&k off!! Two more calls followed and I stayed strong and ignored them.

A ringing phone is easy to ignore - but when a Kiwi, all fizzed up and ready to go for a Springbok test match, starts screaming, 'get up pikey - we're off to the rugby you lazy bastard' through your window, there's no ignoring that. And bless his ten toes for doing it!

After throwing on some clothes, a little profanity and checking the 'do', it was off to the Walkie. It was packed and about a 50 / 50 NZ and South African split. I don't know if it was the atmosphere that got me carried away - but I did declare it one of the best Test matches of recent times.

Kevin Mealamu was (in my humble) the man of the match. Piri Weepu looked every bit an All Black half back. Magic. The only thing that was wrong was a clueless frog with a whistle, he killed the game at every opportunity and was generally mystifying. That said - even the Safa's I have talked to have said that if anything - we were on the wrong side of his humour more often that not.

But who cares! Brilliant atmosphere, titanic game, great result - and the only reason I was there to see it, was that Kathryn cared to much to let this sad old bastard miss it!

Thank you my dear.