Rugby and the Summer Games

Practice. We could all use some in various things, piano, public speaking, driving, etc. Rugby practice is not on my personal list, but for some folks wandering around up here, it is. Here are Ryan (foreground) and Joseph practicing protecting the ball under the watchful eye of Andy.

Andy is a true rugby fan. Born in Wales "more than a few years ago," according to him, he and his family have called Fort McMurray home for more than 30 years. He was up at 5 am on a Saturday to catch a game between Wales and New Zealand. To me that is a bit extreme, but to the other 15 or so players that came later in the morning to set up the field for a game who also got up early to watch the same game, it was a normal act hardly worthy of mentioning. Wales won, just in case you needed to know that.

BTW, setting up the field really means stretching a barrier between the pitch and the stands to keep the fans from storming the field, and setting up an orange construction fence to define the boundaries of the beer garden, within which copious amounts of hopped up beverage are consumed by players, fans, etc. According to the rules, ones does not have to be drunk to play rugby, but I have heard that it helps reduce the awareness of minor injuries and allows grown men to legally maim one another an hour or so every week. The youth team is not allowed to drink, hence the participation of 4 LDS youth on the team.


Joseph learning to protect the ball before downing it.

Samuel downing the ball after driving the blocker back about 3 yards.

Samuel carrying the ball, Gary getting ready to clean the blocker (push him back from the downed ball.)

Samuel cleaning, and Donny getting ready to pick and pass to the Link man.

Joseph downing, Samuel cleaning, Ryan to pick. These 3 actions together are called the ruck. Don't try to figure it out. It does not make sense to me either.

The ruck.

The Summer Games are in 3 weeks in Peace River, Alberta. Good luck boys.

Here we are after mutual. Our friend Bailey is learning to drive a standard transmission. (hence the look on Todd's face. I think we can all relate.

The typical 2 seat table at McDonald's. L to R: Ashlyn, Holly, Breena, Joseph, Samuel, Eli, Jezzy, and Aiden.

to be continued...

Trifle

Define Trifle:

a) inconsequential

b) infinitesimal

c) English desert

d)Wow, This is delicious!




Answer: d)

We had had this dessert before, and on Friday Michelle and the boys made a trial run in preparation for a dinner invite on Sunday. In our house we gauge how good something is by how long it lasts. The trial run was an instant hit based on a long lasing score of only two days (with a Temple trip to Edmonton sandwiched in the middle too.)

Starting with shredded pound cake (fresh or stale - it doesn't matter one iota), the desert is layered with fruit mix, vanilla pudding, and sweet whipped cream.

If you do not have a pound cake, you can use angel food cake without losing anything.

After placing the second layer of cake, you should push the layers together tightly. Otherwise your trifle will end up spilling out, which is not a bad thing, just not as pretty in the end.

Here is where, on a bad day, you could add your Grand Marnier to the pound cake, (or other hard liqueur), without getting caught. This will do 2 things: help you remain a closet alcoholic, and mellow out the screaming crumb-snatchers. (just kidding) This is where you add a touch of fresh squeezed OJ. We use mandarins for a bit more mellow flavour.

The pudding sounds best when the plop is audible, without splattering anything close by.

The cream is fresh whipped, with a bit of sugar and vanilla for flavouring.

"Press down firmly" means different things to different folks. Use caution, or have several spoons and paper towels at the ready.

The fruit can be anything you have available that might be going bad (according to the original recipe) or any melange of your choosing. Since we were at Costco in Edmonton this week, we had fresh berries - blue, black and straw, and cherry pie filling.

Look, there is "That Guy" in the back.

You can spend lots of time making it look "pretty," or you can just finish it so you can eat. If you let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours, the flavours have a chance to meld and the pound cake softens a bit, and your mouth waters. However, you might also have to fend off intruders or other teenagers.

Samuel made this whole thing with only minimal instruction from the old people hovering around, and a few comments by "That Guy" in the back ground. Congrats Samuel. Great dish.

to be continued...