National Over 60s Cricket Championships - Melbourne

A 'holiday' at home may not have all the additional attractions of a holiday interstate or overseas however it was still a week away from normal activities.

The 9th National Over 60s Cricket Championships was played from 8 - 13 November on various grounds, primarily in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Twenty-six over 60s teams took part in four divisions while another eight teams played in the over 70s competition so it is a big event.

Vic Metro 1 team

The Meet and Greet was held at Sandown Race-course on the Saturday evening. This provided an opportunity for the players and their partners to socialise with team members and also with those from other teams. It was good to meet a number of people we had met last year when the championships were held on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. This year the Victorian teams in the first division were Vic Metro 1 and Vic Country 1. Each team played matches on the Sunday and Monday and Wednesday. Tuesday was a rest day and the finals were played on the Thursday to determine the final places in each division.

Shepley Oval, Dandenong

The first match played by Vic Metro 1 was against Queensland at Shepley Oval in Dandenong. The Victorians made 227 runs which was considered reasonable until Queensland passed this total with about seven overs to go. Vic Metro 1 won their next two games against Western Australia at Narre Warren North and against South Australia at Keysborough. This left us with New South Wales to play on the Thursday for third or fourth place in first division. All the games were played on turf and the pitches generally favoured the batsmen. In Over 60s cricket batsmen retire when they reach 40 and in one match at least five of the Vic Metro 1 batsmen retired and no wickets were lost during the innings.

Narre Warren North

On the Monday the Vic Metro 1 match against Western Australia was a Day Night Game at Narre Warren North. This was an experiment which hopefully will not be repeated in furture Over 60s Championships.

As the sun was setting the fieldmen were frequently unable to see the ball as they were looking into the sun. Later when it became dark, and the only light was from the lights overhead, both the players and those watching the game had difficulty seeing the ball. The lights turning themselves off at 8 o'clock didn't help the situation, especially as we had to wait half an hour until they came back on. The day had been moderately warm but during the evening it became very cold for players and spectators.

By Wednesday the weather was warmer and the players enjoyed playing a normal day game.

Keysborough

Our final game was at Berwick and by this time Melbourne was showing the diversity in our Spring weather with temperatures in the mid 30s. We especially appreciated the hospitality shown at this club from the sign welcoming the Over 60s teams when we arrived at the ground to the scones and jam which were an addition to the Subway rolls which were the normal lunch.

All in all it was another successful carnival. Queensland won the Over 70s competition and New South Wales won the second, third and fourth divisions of the Over 60s. Congratulations to Vic Country 1 for winning the First division. Vic Metro 1 came a credible fourth. Generally the games were played in good spirit - a feature of over 60s cricket - though unfortunately a few of the New South Wales 1 players appeared to have forgotten about sportsmanship when they played Vic Metro 1. The Championship dinner at Sandown Race-course provided a sociable ending to the 9th Over 60s Cricket Championships. We look forward to attending the 10th championships in Hobart next November.

The unusual and the quirky

During our holiday we came across a number of unusual objects in our travels. Sometimes the objects were located in an unexpected context. Being grandparents can also alter the focus when viewing items - it can be easy to consider how the grandchildren would view items. Some of the items, however, were just unusual or quirky.

This sculpture of a cat by Giuliano Mancini is located near the ramparts of the medieval village on Saint Paul de Vence in southern France. Definitely a mixture of the old and the new.

In a park in Nice the play equipment is based on the skeleton of a large whale.

This theme is replicated in the playground on the roof of the Oceanographic Museum at Monte Carlo.

Outside the Oceanographic Museum is the submarine used by Jacques Cousteau for his underwater explorations. My grand-daughter would have been most impressed with this yellow submarine and possibly would have provided us with a rendition of the chorus of the song.

On a bus tour in southern France taking us through the countryside known as Pays D'Or towards Oingt we passed this straw pig, one of a number of straw creatures lining the road.

In Trafalgar Square in London we found this bright blue rooster on a plinth outside the art gallery. The artwork was unveiled on 25 July 2013 as part of a changing exhibition of artworks to occupy the plinth. The rooster will remain in the square for 18 months and will then be replaced by another attraction.

Coming out of the National Gallery into Trafalgar Square the following day we did not expect to find this charming Batman, one of the many living statues and entertainers in the square.

Giraffes in the streets of Edinburgh? In Leith Street, Edinburgh, around the corner from our hotel, we came across two models of giraffes made from scrap metal. They are the creation of sculptor, Helen Denerley and were unveiled in July 2005.

The small town of Pitlochy is known for its colourful garden displays each summer - Pitlochy in Bloom. Here we have a model of a lady golfer teeing off from a flower bed.

Unfortunately we were not in town for this event held at Ullapool.

It has become tradition for people to leave stones - the stones to being them home - collected from other parts of Scotland at this location on the road to Fort William. For those of us with young grandchildren it is difficult to look at the site and not think of the character, Makka Pakka from the television program - In the Night Garden.

This Police Box in the main street of Glasgow was one of a number of police boxes we passed in the city. Unfortunately we did not see Dr Who.

This stature of the Duke of Wellington has been a Glasgow monument for many years. Some years ago a traffic cones was added to the Duke, and sometimes to his horse, by people unknown. As soon as the cones were removed they returned and, after some debate, have been accepted by the council as a fixture (and tourist attraction).

Glasgow

Tuesday 19 August

After finishing our shopping and booking out of the hotel room we still had some time to further explore Glasgow. We therefore crossed the city to visit Glasgow Cathedral. The first stone building on the site was dedicated in 1136 while part of the present building was consecrated in 1197. Glasgow Cathedral was one of the few Catholic churches in Scotland to survive the Reformation intact. It is owned by the Crown and is looked after by Historic Scotland.

In the forecourt of the cathedral is a statue of David Livingstone.

Decorative light fittings can also be found in the Cathedral forecourt.

Over the road on the other side of the Cathedral wall can be see part of the Glasgow Necropolis- a major cemetery.

Near the Cathedral is the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art. Upstairs was an exhibition, In Honour's Cause - Glasgow's First World War memorials.

This was a most effective exhibition consisting primarily of photographs of World War I memorials outside and inside buildings in Glasgow.

The final place we visited was the Gallery of Modern Art.  Outside the Gallery is a statue of the Duke of Wellington seated on his horse. Apparently it has become a tradition for traffic cones to be strategically placed on the Duke and his horse, usually by students, to the consternation of elected officials. A social media protest has caused officials to review their decision to spend large sums of money altering the statue plinth to stop the practice.

The exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art was entitled Generation: twenty-five years of contemporary art in Scotland. The exhibition did not impress us at all so it was a very quick visit to the gallery, however we did find Wellington's statue amusing.

Our flight to Dubai left in the evening. While we were waiting at the airport we noticed the bright blue sky outside - a little ironic considering the wintry weather we had experienced during our mid summer visit to Scotland.

Loch Lomond and Glasgow

Monday 18 August

On the way to Glasgow we visited Loch Lomond, a freshwater loch.

Before going on a cruise on part of the loch we had a short walk along the loch banks.

From the boat we had good views of a variety of scenery

before landing at another location further along the loch.

The coach trip then continued to our final destination, Glasgow. The driver drove around the centre of the city showing us some of the main sites and providing us with an overview of the city layout. Once we had settled into the Marriott Hotel it was time to explore the city on foot.

One of the first things we saw was a blue Police Box - we had not anticipated encountering the Tardis in Glasgow.

The city streets were decorated with brightly coloured flower arrangements.

There were also many reminders that the Commonwealth Games had been held in Glasgow a week or two previously.

Banners throughout the city were probably also part of the decorations for the Commonwealth Games.

We walked back to the hotel via the River Clyde which flows through Glasgow.

A variety of bridges link both sides of the city.

In the evening we had dinner at an Italian restaurant near the hotel.

Isle of Skye

Sunday 17 August

 A bus tour of part of the Isle of Skye was organised for the morning and it was our turn to sit at the front of the bus. Lots of photo opportunities. It rained.

Initially we drove to a lookout for a view of the region.

Through the raindrops we saw views over the water

and of small communities on the banks.

Out on the road again the purple of the clumps of heather contrasted with the bright green grass.

We drove past the Skye Museum of Island Life which shows how the crofters lived before the Clearances.The museum is on the Trotternish Peninsula.

More striking scenery at the Kilt Rock

and flowers everywhere as we ended our tour of Skye and returned over the bridge to the mainland.

The next stop was the Eilean Donan Castle, which is situated at the meeting point of three lochs - Loch Duich, Loch Alsh and Loch Long. Our notes stated that under a clear sky there would be a perfect reflection of the castle in the surrounding water.

However on a cold, wet, windy day the scene was not quite so picturesque.

At different locations throughout our exploration of Scotland Michael, our tour director, had said that if we felt particularly drawn towards a stone by a loch, for instance, then keep it for later in the trip when all would be revealed.

On the road to Fort William we stopped, in the rain, at a spot where people have left stones - 'the stones to bring them home'.

The stones are meant to keep a connection between travellers, when they return home, and Scotland. I have been watching too many episodes of the children's program In the Night Garden where Makka Pakka collects and polishes stones.

On the way to Fort William we stopped at the Commando Memorial dedicated to the commandos who trained in the area during the Second World War.

Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the British Isles, is one of mountains that can be viewed from this area.

After a short stop at Fort William, which because of the weather we spent having a warm drink and checking out tourist items for sale, the bus then proceeded to the Valley of Glencoe where the Campbells murdered the MacDonalds in 1692.

The history of the area may be gruesome but the scenery is magnificent.

One advantage of the rain was the number of waterfalls descending the slopes.

We stayed overnight at the Caledonian Hotel, Oban. Once again there were good views from the hotel windows.