The Sea.

I just love the sea. That is one of the main reasons why I love the flat I live in, coz I couldn't live any nearer the sea, unless I lived in a boat!!! I suppose the sea is "in my blood", I'm the daughter of a fisherman, who is decended from generations of fishermen, dating back to the 1600's!! I have a great respect for the sea and I love watching its different moods and its different colours. Today is stormy and I was totally mesmerised as I watched the waves lashing the shore from my kitchen window. I then braved the elements (between snow flurries, yes I know its Good Friday, but according to the weatherman, we are to have some snow over the weekend!)and took some pix from my back garden.

Looking towards Musselburgh from my back garden.

As the majority of my regular readers know I like poems and one of my favourites is by John Masefield, so decided to add it to this post, since it was about the sea!

I Must Go Down to the Sea

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

- John Masefield

Both taken looking out towards Fife and the Firth of Forth from my back garden.

This one was taken from the promanade at Portobello (just along from Musselburgh) when I took the boys to the leisure centre there this afternoon. Ronan spent an hour working out in the gym and Robert had a swim, and I sat in the gallery and knitted!

Today at Murrayfield!

Today saw Scotland play "the auld enemy" at Murrayfield in the Six Nations, for the Calcutta Cup. Given the Scotland performances in the previous 3 Six Nations games I wasn't really looking forward to the game today. However, I dragged my sorry carcase out of bed (I'd been night shift Friday night)to watch the game, and WHAT a game. Not the best I have seen I must admit and the weather was crap, in fact it poured with rain for the majority of the game. This did not dampen the team or the supporters spirits though! The majority of the game was like ping pong, with one team, then the other kicking the ball up the park, till someone made a mistake and surprise surprise it wasn't Scotland who made the first mistake. We won a penalty and the trusty boot of Chris Paterson slotted the ball between the posts, we were 3:0 up. Things continued like this for 80 mins, with neither team really looking as if they would score a try.

The long and the short of the game was we won!
The final score was SCOTLAND 15 : ENGLAND 9 and the Calcutta Cup came back to Scotland!


The Calcutta Cup at Prestongrange in 2006, when we last won it.

Was I a happy bunny, or was I a happy bunny?.....No I was a VERY happy bunny today :)

Next Saturday at 1pm, sees us kick off against Italy in Rome in the final of the 2008 Six Nations. Depending on how the Italians do against France tomorrow will determine if it will be Italy or Scotland who win the "wooden spoon". I don't care if we win the "wooden spoon" or not, we beat England today. (I appologise to my friends south of the border for this, but I have to gloat a wee bit today, allow me that, coz it doesn't happen very often!)