It started off so well: they said we made a perfect blog meet location. Historic Heidelberg, an Irish pub, Super Saturday. Three nations with a chance of vying for the title. Then the nasty wee bugger cancelled some matches, participants dropped off like superannuated flies, and – with 24 hours to go – the one remaining scheduled match was nixed.
Some of us, made of stronger stuff, were undaunted by the prospect of a pandemic along the lines of Stephen King’s The Stand. We, the strong, the proud, the possibly foolish: Boanova, DropTheClaw, Meades, Xan, the mister and me, and of course our noble, gracious and hard-working hosts, Mister and Missus Iks.
We’d all arrived by Friday evening, so got down to business immediately at Vetter’s. Boa and Xan had arrived a couple of days before, and had some important information to impart.
Boa and Xan’s Top Tourist Tip for Heidelberg: What Not to Visit
As every fule kno, Gurgle is your go-to site for local attractions. Imagine our heroes’ excitement when they found something called the Königstuhl. The King’s Stool! It must be an ancient throne (or something): off we go!
The way was long and weary, 13 km straight up a mountain, but our intrepid adventurers persevered, battling off trolls, Nazgûl, plagues of locusts and football fans. At last, weary and wiping the sweat from their brows, they reached the summit, and found … a construction site.
And a bus stop.
The Plans
Given that there was no rugby on the morrow, a discussion ensued on what to do. The decision was taken to meet at the Irish pub as planned, so the poor buggers had some business, footfall in pubs and restaurants being noticeably down.
MissusIks also promised to find a rugby ball. Our bits perked up.
The Big Day
We all congregated at The Dubliner, only two hours late, and obviously much hilarity ensued. Which shall mostly be hush-hush. But I have previously reported that some of the lads disappeared down an alley-way with the rugby ball, which subsequently suffered the sad fate pictured above. But it remained unpunctured, as you will see.
The next port of call was the Bar Centrale, which was sadly neglected by other customers, but which did serve the greatest G&T ever experienced, and also had a square opposite that was perfect for ball-wanging. It was an unfortunate pass that hit me in the face, bloodied my nose, and sent my glasses clattering to the floor. Fortunately the glasses were uninjured except for the imprint of the ball’s pattern on the lens, discovered in the morning.
Such is the stuff from where dreams are woven.
Then off to dinner, with an enormous bottle of wine courtesy of MissusIks.
Vowing to the rugby gods to return in happier – or at least, less contagious – times, we said our goodbyes.
Ovally Balls 
Matt Stevens tribute to Kenny Rogers
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oh dear……………….
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I pray for the health of all other artists Matty Two-Sides has covered.
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The best that they can hope for is to die in their sleep.
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The only good country artist….
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please sir! can I be on the panel chosen to determine who, if anyone, should be promoted from the English Championship to the Premiership
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I’m too busy with the Pools Panel, Sladey, but I gave them your name.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Pools Panel decisions to be announced tomorrow evening at gin o’clock.
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Only rugby going on…..
https://www.nrl.com/tv/news/match-highlights-dragons-v-panthers-1045139/
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The pub around the corner is my local, I started using it when we first moved here 22 years ago .
The guy ran a book from behind the bar, his wife was really kind, she was the boss, we used to get lock-ins till 3am at the weekend.
The clientele was very mixed, pensioners, some students, many trades-people, some medallion men, some academics, a good mix of male and female, There were two pool tables and the racing was always on the telly.
It became gentrified after those landlords retired, at the re-opening someone asked me to pass the olives, I remarked that it was the first time anyone had said that in that bar. Anyway, I became friends with the new tenants and went to rugby with the him, and did some work along side her.
Times changed and they moved on and we’ve had a few at the helm in the last six or seven years, there was a rough patch when some young lads got a bit rufty tufty, mainly due the drugs, but they in turn have moved on.
It’s back to being a mix of the original feel and being a family place where you’d take the nippers for a bite to eat at the weekend, they put on a lot of “nights” – Wednesdays sees a folkie session hosted by a brilliant fiddler, he plays British and Irish tunes, but specialises in Swedish fiddle playing , he really is great, fRoots magazine described him as the best fiddle player of his generation. Top bloke, too.
They have a Christmas quiz to raise funds for a local children’s charity, they do summer BBQs, Halloween fancy dress, all sorts, it’s a real hub of the community.
This morning I saw them post a video, the Landlady called “Last orders at the bar, please” and rang that bell that had been there since long before I got here. The video then panned around to an empty bar, in silence.
I’ll admit I shed a tear.
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In other important news, have recently made a contact in the motorcycle world in Argentina. Couldn’t help but ask about rugby. Turns out the guys 12 year old son is a mad keen player, and his grandfather was the first rugby referee in Argentina to be fully qualified.
Jaguares shirt winging its way to me as we speak :)
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And here’s some good news:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/mar/21/rugby-union-michael-fatialofa-walking-unaided-recovery-from-spinal-injury-worcester
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Sad indeed, Ticht. Am friends with a local couple here that run a little cafe in a small rural town, which is a magnet for an eclectic mix of motorcycle enthusiasts from 3 states, and is a large part of my social life here. They are already barely meeting bills, as they can now do takeouts only, and it looks like they may be forced to close completely for the duration, as all non essential business’ in CT are being told to shut their doors. Dropped of a 100 dollar bill yesterday for a tab, so I will have a few breakfasts in the bank when they reopen, and hopefully it will help them keep the wolf from the door.
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I think all the Meets have had good turnouts. There were 19 expected in Heidelberg until it was Covided.
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Thanks for the precis of the blog meet Thaum. I had heard that, despite the circumstances, a jolly good time was had by all.
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Avs – it was indeed!
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Me and the Middle One just got our arses kicked twice at the Ladybird game by the Little One. She gloated like a 1970s Welshman.
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Just watched the World Cup Final completely sober for the first time. Boks were awesome, but England actually just needed a couple of passes to stick at crucial times and the match would’ve been quite different. Also forgot that we lost two forwards in the first 20 minutes, so the Bomb Squad concept was a wee bit watered down. C-19 might give OF a chance to stop spinning on the Kolbe step.
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May as well re-up these:
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Deebee, quick question about something that I never quite understood when I was living in SA: Why don’t supermarkets sell beer? Yes, there was normally a bottle shop next door or in the same building but why the need to go from Pick’n’Pay, say, to Pick’n’Pay Liquor to pick up your WIndhoeks?
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Worth having a look at Brian Moore’s twitter feed. He’s tweeting commentary of England/France 1991.
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Hope France win this time.
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you scottish fans should know to avoid hope
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“Hope France win this time.”
They would have done, but referee Moore sent four of them off and only one England player.
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It was the world cup game so technically France-England. Perhaps they’ll get another shot at the Twickenham game for the grand slam as well. If so I hope they kick eight penalties and don’t bother with all that other nonsense.
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Father Christmas has returned to Narnia and gave a feast to a family of squirrels, and elderly fox and a few satyrs. The Witch came along and turned them into stone for daring to enjoy themselves. Edmund regrets his decision. The Middle One is still on her side.
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Should point out that The Middle One is also the only England supporter in the family.
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Let me just point out that CS Lewis was Norn Irish.
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Well yes, he knew the White lot were wrong ‘uns.
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In one sense anyway. Different story when Armageddon came along of course.
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… And that’s just given me the scintilla of an idea for an ATL.
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They all went for an eye test today and our little England fan asked the optician how much opticians make in case she wants to do that instead of becoming a dentist. I’m thinking she might have to self isolate.
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For good.
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To be fair to CS Lewis it’s not racism in The Last Battle. It’s just that he could see Sarries for what they are.
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And Chimpie for that matter.
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And he was on the side of the beavers which is of course the right place to be.
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Lewis that is, not Chimpie. Chimpie is the Antichrist and gets swallowed whole by a dark god as is only right and just.
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One week on and dog do I miss the blog-meet-ers.
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And who can blame you when faced with my witterings.
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I for one like your witterings, My friend Karl likes them too.
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Your witterings are giving me Muttley-style giggles.
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Anyway time flexes like a whore and falls wanking to the floor as Bowie would have it so I’m off to bed. I’d have put that one on that list just for a chance to speculate what the rest of those involved in recording it made of that line when they first heard it.
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Avert your eyes, Thaum.
Country fans can tune in to a live gig from the Grand Ol Opry in about a quarter of an hour from this post
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So which one of this lot is Clyde?
No beavers were hurt (deliberately in the making of this video)..
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@TomP – it’s a legal quirk going back decades that the supermarket groups were banned from having beer and spirits sections so that there was more competition in the market for independents and booze chains. Same with fuel where the likes of Pick ‘n Pay have wanted to enter that market for years. I have no idea why wine is exempt from the ban. And as you say, they all have a bottle store next to them anyway.
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Morning all, thanks for the Blog meet report Thaum and glad to hear you all had a good time and hopefully all made it home safe
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I’m the antichrist now?
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Sounds about right
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@Chimp – Can’t be hailed as a genius every day.
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@BB – I’m like a cross between the slow bowler bowling double-bouncers and the umpire giving everyone not out.
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