A legendary weekend for Irish rugby, not only a fantastic start to the 6 nations tournament this year, but revenge in a newly built home stadium for a defeat 2 years earlier that saw their chances of a trophy dashed in the final seconds of injury time. Ireland had only beaten the sporty cocks 3 times over 28 outings in previous (n) nation tournaments, and with patchy form of late, I have to admit my hopes were low. Even O'Driscoll was less than encouraging in an interview with Keith Wood before the match; I felt that he really didn't want to raise expectations too much, making light of his current form, and when he was asked "How do you rate the quality of your current players?", effectively responded "Well, I'm really happy but then I say that every time, don't I?!"
I have to say I found the first half painful to watch at times, even if Ireland were in the lead I felt they threatened at any time to collapse. Heaslip scored a fantastic try under the posts, taking three would-be tacklers with him, but I felt there was little else to sing about. But in the second half it fell to B.O.D, the captain to scurry though a weak drift defence and touch the ball down for a ball-burstingly inspirational try. Fantastic! Though the half was punctuated with worrying breaks from the French back three, Ireland held fast for a well-deserved 30-21 scoreline. Next week sees Ireland visiting Rome, and it will be vitally important that we come away with a good win- it's all very well that Italy are in poor form after an embarrassing performance against England at the weekend, but the advantage must really be driven home if there is to be any hope of silverware this year. You would also think that Bergomasco won't reappear at the back of the scrum this time around, and Italy started look cohesive once he was taken off on Saturday, so we'll see...
A slight subtext to all this is that I didn't actually get to see the game on Saturday! I foolishly double booked, so I had to watch the game the day after, via the wonderful BBC iPlayer, which wouldn't normally work out of the UK, but with the wonders of a proxy server was a total saviour.
*All quotes and statistics are subject to my awful memory- I can't be bothered checking through the pre-match footage again!
Comments (0)Andrew Culbert February 11th, 2009 15:23:12
I've been meaning to get started up on the blog again for quite some time, but it always seemed to be more effort than it was worth. Until now I guess. And what better way to relaunch than to introduce the latest addition to the family - Culbert version 2.0. Jennie has been working on this release for over 5 months now and it looks like we are on target for a mid-april release. The photo is from a very early beta; and though we have more recent shots, I think this about the best one.
I suppose it's not the first time a future doting parent has put such an early photograph of their protegé online, but I still think it's quite cool to have an online presence at such an early stage. But then, I am relishing the opportunity to come one of those embarrassing dads, so maybe I am just getting in some early practice ;-)
Comments (4)Andrew Culbert January 27th, 2009 21:07:18
I think it's about time that I got something off my chest that has been bothering me for a while now. I hate to admit it, and I know that this is one of those things that should only be divulged to the closest of friends, but I am a fan of Hugo Duncan. For those who don't know "The wee man from Strabane" you can check him out here on Wikipedia. Though, to be quite honest, you have to listen to him to understand quite the enormity of this announcement.
Hugo has a radio show on Radio Ulster every weekday at 1.30 (or 2.30 on the Swedish side of the Irish Sea). I wish I could blame my listener-ship on homesickness, but if truth be told I started listening to him several months before Sweden was even a twinkle in my thoughts. Somehow I always liked to think that I was above the the type of people who listened to his show through whole-hearted, genuine enjoyment (read, "coffin-dodgers") (sorry mum!), but if I'm honest I'm no different than the rest of them. I've been trying to put my finger on what Hugo has to offer that has such appeal, and I think it can be explained best by contrasting it to the junkie-like addiction that children have to the Teletubbies. There is something deeply comforting listening to the hackneyed country-bumpkin phrases that he cranks out time after time- "Skiddly aye dye dye dye!", "Y'will, aye, y' surely will", "Keep 'er between the hedges big lad!"to name but few, and although on the surface of things he displays all of the intelligence and charisma of table salt, somehow I get the feeling that every cringeworthy syllable is cleverly masterminded.
Just to follow up on the Teletubbies comparison, which may to the untrained ear appear tenuous at best, I would like to emphasise that repetition is paramount. Just as a child in the developmental stages of life craves commonality in it's environment in order to make sense of a scary world, so does the average Hugo-fan go weak at the knees when he slaps on "Horse it into you Cynthia" for the hundredth time. Similarly, I'm sure that a fair few colostomy bags have had to be changed in hursing homes around the country as Hugo blows one of his legedary kisses down the microphone, at the behest of what one must assume to be one of his more sexually deprived listeners. I myself don't see the attraction- as you can see from the photo above, Hugo himself resembles the results of a genetic experiment to cross-breed Chewbacca with one of the Ewoks.
If you happen to be reading this at around 13:30 GMT, please click on the link to see what I mean (Real Player required). You won't be disappointed.
Andrew Culbert February 8th, 2008 21:08:53
Okay, well I guess it's a big below the belt to be posting a misleading blog title, supported by an equally misleading photo, in order to get your attention back after such a long absence, but you've gotta get web traffic somehow, right?!
I'd love to be able to tell you that this is the scene that greets me each morning when I fling back the bedroom curtains. Aside from the fact that we live in a basement appartment, it is quite the opposite. The weather here in the south of Sweden is generally wet and miserable at this time of year, as well as fairly cold, and this year is no exception. Really the best you can hope for is that the rainclouds and fog clear for a while and let the sun shine through, and although that leads to a fairly sharp drop in temperature, I have to say it's one of my favourite kinds of weather.
Even if it has been a while since I posted last, there's not too much to report that would raise even the most excitable eyebrow. I had a great Christmas, both spending time here with the in-laws and visiting the mothership for a few days as well. I think there was an element of trepidation in coming "home" for the first time; that it be strange making the return trip once the element of novelty had been removed, but that wasn't the case at all. It was great to meet up with family and friends, though I didn't see everyone I had planned to, and equally nice to come back "home" for the New Year. You'll notice that I use that word interchangeably now.
On a related note, and in a vain attempt at saying something interesting in my big come-back post, I've realised of late that I keep telling people that I'm "Irish", from "Ireland". (Well, only if they ask of course). That in itself is no big deal, but if I'm honest when I'm in the UK I would consider myself "British", from "Northern Ireland". Actually, this has always been my foreign policy, but in the past it has simply been that Ireland has a better International profile than it's Anglican counterpart. I'm not saying that I'm proud of that, but there you have it. But I think the reason for doing this has shifted since I moved here - it's simply better to introduce myself as Paddy Irishman because no-one here has any concept of Northern Ireland. If I say to someone that I'm from Ireland, at least they have some predetermined notion of the place, and the conversation can continue. When I say I'm from Northern Ireland, and I have done that at times, people's eyes tend to glaze over as they try to think of anything that is familiar to them about the place. So what do you think? Is this a form of social lubricant or am I selling my country out?
Andrew Culbert January 27th, 2008 00:51:41
...and for a change, it's not my fault. Needless to say, if I can locate the culprit he will find himself severely reprimanded. For the record, the silly c?*t actually managed to destroy a road sign on the *opposite* side of the road, as well as destroying *every* panel on the left side of my car and ripping the wing mirror off for good measure. WTF?!
Andrew Culbert November 22nd, 2007 21:39:36
I didn't mention it at the time, I mean it's not really something to be proud of to admit that you're still addicted to video games at the ripe old weight of 19 stone, but recently I got an XBOX 360. I had been thinking about it for a while and what with all the stress of moving and the new job (Jennie- what?!) I thought I would treat myself.
I really wanted to say something about it at the time as I really believe that it is one of the greatest prouducts of modern society. As far as I'm concerned you can take your advances in modern medicine and shove them up your backside- the XBOX 360 is where it's at. Aside from all the techno -babble, 100 gagillion terapixels per square centimetre and all that, the XBOX is so much more. I can play DVDs on it, which was a huge factor in getting it passed by the "accounts department", with a peripheral I can even play HD DVD, I can wirelessly connect the XBOX to my laptop and stream music, photos and video straight to my TV and sound system. In fact, I recently downloaded Star Wars IV in HD format and I can watch that via the XBOX on the TV.
But the piece de resistance has to be Guitar Hero. I swear, it has to be the most fun you can have with your clothes on. Not to say that you couldn't do it butt naked, but it might not be the most fun you can have with your clothes off (!) If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out this video on YouTube. Don't worry, it's safe! Go on! If you are thinking about buying a console, I can definitely recommend the XBOX 360- it is so much more than a games console, and I never thought I would say it, but Bill has nailed this one right on the head!
Oh, by the way, we bought a house. ;-)
Andrew Culbert November 16th, 2007 07:58:13
No joy yet on the new house front, though not for a lack of effort on our part, but at the weekend we did manage to settle on which car to buy. I'd been back and forward between a few different cars, and to be honest we had just gone to test-drive this one on Saturday, but it was in such good condition (for a 2005 car) that we just decided to go for it.
I've been kind of reluctant to drive since I got here, despite the best efforts of Maud and Malin (!), but actually I've found driving in Gothenburg to be a relatively relaxing experience, dodgy Satellite Navigation systems notwithstanding. Driving to pick up the winter tyres yesterday, I swear to God that thing was going out of it's electronic way to screw with me. In a five lane highway-
- SatNav- "In 100 metres, keep left"
- Me- Keeping left...
- Satnav- "In 50 metres, keep left"
- Me- Keeping left...
- SatNav- "Keep left"
- Me- Keeping left...
- SatNav- "Turn..... right"
- Me- Fuck!
- SatNav- At the earliest opportunity, do a U-turn
- Me- Fuck!
Never mind, got there in the end, safe and relatively sound. Now, for the house.... Comments (3)
Andrew Culbert November 13th, 2007 12:47:43
Yesterday saw the last handful of matches for this year's football season. As I had never been to Ullevi, the main stadium in Gothenburg, and the game promised to be one of the biggest in the calendar and the last of the season, it was an opportunity that just couldn't miss. Änglarna ("The Angels", IFK Göteborg) were tied for the top of the Alsvenka with another club who were palying on the same day, and although any win would have given them the title (unless the other team won their game by more than 6 goals), most of the people I talked to seemed pretty nervous before the game. I can only imagine that it was this tension that lead to the copious amounts of alcohol that were passing over the members bar that I managed to find my way into. Well, I say that, but it was thanks to Thomas, my future brother-in-law, that we got in- Thomas is a diehard fan of IFK and being with him was like having a backstage pass to the ground. He knew most of the people in the members area, and several of the security guards as well. ;-).
Anyway, the match itself ended 2-0 and the inevitable choas ensued as this meant that IFK had won the AlSvenskan. We stayed around for the ceremony but eventually had to give in to the weather conditions- it had pissed down the entire game and, by the end of game I was starting to wonder if I was ever going to warm up again. Thankfully, my beer-coat supplemented my paltry choice of vetements and kept my body temperature up to a decent level!
Comments (2)Andrew Culbert October 28th, 2007 21:45:00
I'll get things started with...
"Black market goods at local car boot sale taken to dizzying heights"
Comments (4)Andrew Culbert October 18th, 2007 20:05:00
For some reason I always wait for a photograph these days before a write a post, but I really don't know why as the photograph rarely has anything to do with what I want to talk about!
Much of our time recently has been spent either viewing houses here in Göteborg, or endlessly poring over potential abodes on the internet. We have seen a few that we liked, and even put a bid in on one, but I must say it has been a lot more difficult to find the perfect spot than I thought it would be. You can really get good value when you go a little outside the city, which was the original plan, but after living so close to the centre for the past few weeks we've really gotten used to it. This is my most recent infatuation (when I find one I like I really can't get it out of my scone, you know what I mean?), unless there turns out to be a troll living in the basement, we'll deffo be going out for it with guns blazing. Actually, our big news is that the buyer for our house in Ballygowan signed the dotted line yesterday, so we're ecstatic about that. We had to settle under the asking price, but since the house more than doubled in price in the two years we were there, we'll still have a beefy 'ol deposit on a place here. It's funny to think about Brae Park, we really had a lovely home there, but it just feels so... 2006! It was certainly emotional leaving for the last time in September, but it is symptomatic of the fact that I have taken to life here so well that I really haven't looked back at all since then.
As you can see from the photo, we've also been able to set aside some quality boozing time. On this occasion, we went to a mate's house for dinner; there were 8 of us altogether, 3 couples and two brokebacks (just kidding Luke + Andreas) As seems to be the form with me, I did the cooking even if it wasn't my gaffe! Not that I minded, I really love cooking and it's a pleasure when people enjoy it; I was happy with the results too though it took me far longer than I thought it would. You can see the results and some other photos here.
I've also started a Swedish language course in the past couple of weeks, and I must say I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would. After 8 hours in work I hardly relished the prospect of 3 hours of school, and even though it does require not a certain amount of attention, it's strangely relaxing being able to take a back seat and let the teacher do all the hard work! Hopefully I'll start to see some improvement at least, although I can get by not knowing Swedish at work, it can be very frustrating at times. Last week I had to sit through a four hour meeting conducted completely in Swedish, apart from the bit where I introduced myself of course!
Andrew Culbert October 4th, 2007 23:19:21