(For Meades)
As I sit here contemplating some home-cooked food, I ponder on how life has almost turned a full circle. I left the UK in 2003 after a life-changing event, determined not to return, as I was disgusted with the capitulation of my home country to the forces of Evil (Dubya and Tony). My destination was the Antipodes, and the future lives of choice were either greeny hippy builder or vintage motorcycling zenistry, the two alter egos of my adult life.
A revulsion to “eco leaders” in green stripey trousers [Ed: Meades will be devastated], and hippy chicks that talked the talk and then bailed out to live with the first available solicitor / advertising exec with a big bank balance when times got hard, made me realise where my true social standing lay: a motorcycle guy (or gal) is a motorcyclist first, and a political animal second. It’s a disease.
So how the fuck am I living in semi-rural northwestern Connecticut, armed with a green card and the prospect of naturalisation next year, and more to the point, how come I am eating a meal consisting of venison curry (freezer stocked by rednecks), organic brown pilau rice, and a side of home-grown zucchini, tomatoes, herbs, onions and garlic, all free from either my small veggie plot or from local friends? Worse still, I occasionally spend evenings playing with axes in a community-owned wood. What the fuck?
We live in interesting times, and while occasional observances are fine, perhaps it would be good to explain a little about my home, a run-down industrial town in northwest Connecticut; or, as a friend of mine’s father constantly asked her, “So what exactly is in Konneckticut?” As a middle-aged, widowed singleton, I have to say it’s largely about toys, but as I have resided here far longer than anywhere else in my adult life, and appreciate other aspects more and more, let’s do some background; it’s easy to do a wiki search on Connecticut.
Here is a personal précis:
Connecticut is known as the Constitution State after the “Connecticut Plan”, the proposal by the CT delegates to the Continental Congress that is credited with saving the assembly from acrimonious break-up, and leading to the ratification of the Constitution in Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War. The framework was supposedly based on the first articles of the New Haven colony from 1639.
Population: 3.7 million, in an area of 4849K square miles; that is to say about the same as Surrey, Sussex, Kent and Essex combined. The capital is Hartford, centrally located, and all the other major population centres are along the southern coast, bordering Long Island Sound. They are all a bit odd down that way. That’s where a lot of the money is too, as it’s within the commuter belt of NYC. (Also where the money isn’t, paradoxically: large parts of Bridgeport and New Haven make the Broadwater Farm Estate look like an agrarian paradise.)
State politics: the Communist State, nailed on to return two Democrats to the Senate, due to the large cities. Everywhere outside city limits is Trump territory. Sixth highest taxes in US states, and pretty good welfare support for poorer citizens, about as good as it gets, in fact. Must be why everyone seems to want to move to the South.
Early history: surprisingly, largely unexplored in the early years of colonisation, half-way between the Dutch in NYC/Hudson Valley and the Pilgrims in the Boston area. Groups of colonists seeking more religious freedom than on offer in Massachusetts (they are all a bit odd up there) started settling the Long Island Sound and the navigable reaches of the Connecticut River in the 1630s. Turns out that the Pilgrim fathers, fleeing political and religious intolerance in the mother country, were pretty keen on imposing their own even more extreme intolerances on the early colonists. The knock-on effect of this was the demand for self-governance in the fledgling settlements across New England (anarchism by any other name), which in turn kindled the fires that started the Revolutionary conflagration 140 years later.
I will leave the fates of indigenous inhabitants to scholars of such subjects, except to say that the shared custody of 4849K square miles of luxuriant temperate forests, lakes and streams, bounded by coastal regions unbelievably rich in fish and shellfish was fairly exchanged for a few beads, some hatchets, a lot of illegally brewed alcohol, and a couple of casinos. It’s all documented.
There are only a few of them left, so they made out like bandits. People like to assume that most of the Pequots, Mohawks and Mohegans generally wandered off to join their brethren further north and west, and they all lived happily ever after.
Geography: a bit of everything, but particularly a lot of lakes, hills, and rivers, the proliferation of which would lead to the Connecticut River valley becoming the heartland of the early American industrial revolution in the 19th century, some forty to fifty years after the process began in western Europe. Also thickly forested; almost all old growth had been cleared for farmland by the 1850s, but the opening up of western lands and the civil war led to huge areas formerly under cultivation being abandoned, and the regrowth continues apace.
Industry: in the early years, plenty of water power running from the upper reaches of the Appalachians to the west and the Berkshires to the north provided the power to make things. There are abandoned mill ponds and races everywhere in the woods, which are also crisscrossed with old stone walls from abandoned farms. Small forges and foundries gave way to larger factories in the 1890s, and led to wave after wave of European immigrants to work in them. This town is particularly strongly represented by Italians and Polish/Ukranians.
Wars lead to profits. A local high-end carriage manufacturer was the only major casualty of the civil war (all the rich guys wanting fancy carriages were down south), but the local brass mill developed the first easily mass produced bullet casing; the Union government bought loads of them.
Elsewhere in the State, they made the weapons that they needed, Colt and Winchester being possibly the most famous. Innovation and ingenuity being a natural part of the yankee character, local discoveries are too many to mention, from cotton gins to condensed milk and rubber vulcanisation, sewing machines and needle bearings. Manufacturing became a mainstay of the local economy through into the 1950s and 60s, but the writing was on the wall as cheaper labour and power supplies elsewhere started to take its toll.
Natural history: you name it, we got it within spitting distance. Deer aplenty, raccoons, chipmunks, skunks, and bears all seen rambling regularly in my neighbourhood; wild turkey roam in small herds. Me and the boys in the factory next door stood around for a good while last week watching a couple of red-tailed hawks learning to fly, and the mill dam is an excellent spot to throw a worm and catch a small brookie or rainbow trout now the factories have all closed – that is, unless the bloody bald eagle has been by and had ’em all, or scared them away, but he’s fun to watch too. Friend of mine had her chickens eaten by coyotes two weeks ago, and another friend has seen two mountain lions in the last year, not ten miles up the road. I’ve not seen a coyote or mountain lion; both of these are relatively recent returnees to the state. Connecticut is also ground zero for Lyme disease, we have deer ticks a plenty.
Signed, sunbeamtim.
Ovally Balls 
Och aye Thauma, my fiery ballock dagger.
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Hmm … is this a dagger which I see before me? More specifically, is it a ballock dagger?
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Well, he’s started a company selling South African-style meat, so perhaps he has a way to go right enough.
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Marinated springbok?
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More sausages and dried meat https://properpioneer.com/
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Good story that Edinburgh triallist. Will be terrific if he makes it.
Lizo Gqoboka, an ex-team mate of Schoeman’s, also took up rugby late. After he left school and went to study in Durban. Aaron Wainwright as well. He didn’t start until he was 17 or so.
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I’m sure Deebee will agree with me when I say those South African sausages will look perfect on a barbecue.
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Looking for the yos pound.
Not the most propitious time to start a business I wouldn’t have thought but one can only wish them well. They need someone to edit their copy, mind.
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“I’m sure Deebee will agree with me when I say those South African sausages will look perfect on a barbecue.”
My commitment to my new veganism is being sorely tested, I have to say.
When we played away games in France we’d often stop the bus on the way home and they’d start a BBQ on the side of the road, Pâté and bread to start with the pastis, then wine (or beer) and sausages, just like those sausages on that site.
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French sausages are probably even better than South African sausages.
The name of the company’s quite interesting. The Pioneers in Rhodesian history were a bunch sent up by Rhodes’s company to settle on land – and they got given massive clumps of it. Their “Pioneer Spirit” was widely eulogised by later Rhodesians. It’s a massive wink to old Rhodies.
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Gatland’s Chiefs been going well in the super duper rugby.
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Texas cheese and Jalepeno beef ‘links’ smoked on a bbq are hard to beat.
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I’m sure Deebee will agree with me when I say those South African sausages will look perfect on a barbecue
Barbecues are for people who can’t braai. Usually have burger patties and hot dogs on them. A braai, as Schoeman alludes to, is a spiritual experience as much as a mechanical cooking process.
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@deebee
A bit like the Gloucester cheese rolling competition.
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So the braai = spiritual grilling. That’s fine. I have much love for African recipes and piri piri chicken with cold beer on a hot day is a perfect day in my book.
We went to a ‘bbq’ at our friends who I took to the hospital whilst she was in labour a few months back*. All the food was finished in the oven. I was polite but this was disappointing.
But barbecuing =/= grilling. Barbecuing means cooking the meat using indirect heat and usually low and slow smoking. Generally with a massive piece of meat or entire animal and cooked for most of the day.
Where’s FD when you need him?
* if you remember the husband was too drunk to take his other half to the hospital. He told me that he went to the docs and they worked out that he averaged 111 units a week.
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Driving my lads to cricket camp this morning I got a bit irritated as there was a queue of traffic making it slow for me to turn into the car park. I noticed a load of police cars and motorbikes up ahead.
Turns out it’s Boris bloody Johnson visiting a local primary school.
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Craigs, a GP friend once told me that they go along with what the patient tells them regarding how much they drink, but know the reality can be up to double.
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Hello everyone
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Weird, wrote a well considered and thoughtful comment. Didn’t work (see above). Here is a 2nd rate re-hash
Anyway, good to “see” the old band still churning out creative and insightful comments and articles.
Great ATL from SBT/Meades/Thaum
Haven’t been around for several reasons (not directly covid related):
– no energy (+ gettin old)
– sporadic internets
– lost any empathy for modern R Union
– having to work hard
– not much to say
But, do miss the insightful and thoughful comment from all here. Kudos to Thaum and anyone else for keeping this community going (we really need communities in this sh@t world). Obviously, thanks to Sag, DCC, Brookter and Dermott et al.. for the refuge when the Graun went bad.
I have missed you all so much, and the others who aren’t around as well. I am not sure if I will be posting much (see above), and doubt I will be much use to any of you, but you have a friend in the far east if you need one
Best
Mohammad (Utnapistm/Utnapishtm/Utnapistim – yes, i forget my user IDs, what you gonna do?)
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@utna
Set restart rule in NRL and Super League. Thumbs up or down?
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@Terry
Good in concept, already abused (at least in NRL). Think set restart in attacking half, penalty in own half is the way to go. Lot of cynical play on the 1st tackle working it out
Plus 2 refs – 1 ref for “ruck” (though i wouldn’t dignify it with that name) and 1 defensive line ref
George Williams, of Wigan fame, is earning rave reviews. Looks a complete player for the modern game.
On another note: did you see Parramatta win a scrum against the head this weekend? Hasn’t happened in pro RL for a long time (IIRC)
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@utna
Great to see GW doing so well – he’s benefitted from playing at a higher standard than he was used to in Super League. Same thing happened with John Bateman, I didn’t rate him at all before he went down under but now he’s great.
I didn’t see that scrum against the head but it’s coincided with them abolishing scrums now in Super League! They’re blaming covid but I reckon they’re testing the water.
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Scrum against the head. Very messy indeed:
https://streamable.com/uul009
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@OT
Bateman was sensational last year, but was injured for most of this year. In the few games he has played this season, he has been hit and miss.
GW has been close to the best half in NRL imho. Top 5 certainly. Perhaps needs to work on his short kicking, but he has been the shining light in an underwhelming Canberra side (well, him and Josh Papalii)
They brought a new scrum rule into NRL in that you (the attacking side) can elect where to scrum in line with the infringement (midfield, 15m line on either side). This has led to some wonderful attacking play and more than a few great tries.
Don’t get that SL thing. OK, you are close in the scrum. but so are you in the tackle? If its not safe to grab hold of people, why the context specific stuff?
Losing the scrum from is a bad move. Will just become touch with hits (or NFL). RU beware
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Hello Utna. Glad you are alive old chum.
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Hello MrIks
Likewise. Hope all good in Newport/Heidelberg or wherever you may be.
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@utna
I was hoping that they might move towards RL going back to a proper scrum (I quite enjoyed winning against the head as an U11 prop) but now it seems less likely than ever.
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@TomP
The name of the company’s quite interesting. The Pioneers in Rhodesian history were a bunch sent up by Rhodes’s company to settle on land – and they got given massive clumps of it. Their “Pioneer Spirit” was widely eulogised by later Rhodesians. It’s a massive wink to old Rhodies.
I doubt the name is a massive wink to Rhodies old or new – voortrekkers were also pioneers in many translations. And Afrikaners who remember Rhodesia and the man it was named after held little affection for the ‘Last Outpost of the Empire’* and everything British. Pierre Schoeman certainty would only know of Rhodesia from history lessons at school and I reckon even his father would be too young to remember it. Apartheid support for Rhodesia in the 60s and 70s was simply a function of preserving the cordon sanitaire provided by Rhodesia, Mozambique and Angola (under Portuguese control until 1975), along with South Africa’s occupation of Namibia (South West Africa), and domination of Swaziland, Lesotho and Botswana.
* A title enthusiastically embraced by white English-speakers in KwaZulu-Natal after the ‘fall’ of Rhodesia. Many white Zimbabweans moved there (KZN) after independence in 1980. “Whenwes” contributed immensely to the old South Africa – some brilliant teachers, engineers, farmers and fighters. Ironically, the 2nd wave of Zimbabweans top prop up our creaking systems arrived in the early part of this century when Mugabe began to destroy his nation. Many of the best black professionals in South Africa today are Zimbabwean.
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@Thaum
I am working on an ATL on code-breakers (unsurprisingly Jiffy features). How do I submit?
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Just to clarify – when I say many of the best black professionals, it isn’t to distinguish their excellence from any other race/religion/other pigeonhole, but simply to make the point that black Zimbabweans have suffered enormously under a brutal regime since Mugabe began his ‘land reform’ programme, sparked in part by Britain’s (disgusting) refusal to live up to its Lancaster House commitments to fund land reform in Zimbabwe.
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Hello Utna! Great to hear from you!
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‘I am working on an ATL on code-breakers (unsurprisingly Jiffy features). ‘
Never realised Jiffy was into cryptography
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Will be good to hear about the days of Bletchley Park though
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Hey Utna.
Kinda like the new reset rule, speeded up the play of the ball massively. Much prefer watching the NRL than the current supers, which for some reason do nothing for me.
Warriors had a spell of contesting scrums for a while when Tomkins was there, pushing the other teams off the ball, thought that was fun.
I tend to have floating favourite teams, with soft spots for Warriors, Knights and Manly, but Canberra are my main team, having seen a few games there in 87/88, the era of Mal Meninga, Slamming Sam, Gary Belcher etc. They have been really lacking in bite since Hodgson got injured, and in the last 3 games GW has not stepped up at all. He should be running the show. Noone else has stepped up either,, solid performances, but only Rapana has shone, the rest look to be playing in slow-mo. Williams, Croker and, Wighton and Charnze at the back have been particularly disappointing, imho.
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Excellent, Utna! I’d send you an email to the address you sign in with, and you can send it there….
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@Thaum
Thanks – got it. Will sent ATL in the next week or so
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@Chimp
Title of the great man’s auto (probably ghost written, but whatever) https://www.amazon.com/Jonathan-Davies-Codebreaker/dp/074752551X
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I hope there’s room in the article for Karl Pryce and Lee Smith.
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A guy who won Great British Bake Off a while back was involved in the Ventilator Challenge. What better way to make the success of the project than baking a cake in the style of a Penlon ESO 2 Ventilator
https://mobile.twitter.com/RMW136/status/1292812928375238656
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Sorry SBT, have to disagree.
Hodgson was poor this year pre injury, overplayed his hand and stifled Fighton in particular. Though they have missed Hodgsons calm authority and his kickingl
GW has been their best back. Rapana has been all heart, but a liability on defence and discipline. Croker is a mid range player, as he always has been.
Their real star is Papalii, best middle forward in the game (and yes, I include Taumalolo in that assessment). Whitehead has been decent, too
CHK has been hit and miss, Scott an awful signing, Cotric quiet.
Tapine has been good, but underused.
Anyway, fck Canberra, go Manly!
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@Utna , please leave a comment here when you send is, as I only check that email sporadically….
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Hey Utna!!
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Ticht – maybe but even 111 units is ridiculous.
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Only 37 pints a week. 5 and a bit a day.
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‘only’
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Even at peak consumption I was nowehere near that.
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Chimpie – thing he’s also a massive twat despite being an alcoholic so I guess he’s got that going for him.
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I know the UK-based Ovally Ballers are FAR too cool to be watching BBC Breakfast just before 8 this morning, but if you had, you would have seen the Heidie of one of my schools talking about the pupils’ return to school this week. Plus the head of the EIS, which is the largest teachers union in Scotland.
Both were formerly English teachers (or teachers of English) and both former colleagues of mine in that capacity.
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