The World Cup is now over and Spain is the winner! Oddly enough, the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee is the first thing that came to my mind when they beat Argentina. Did you know that the Spanish team trained in Chattanooga before their two matches in Atlanta? (Since our son lives in Chattanooga, I follow the news there fairly closely.) I read an interesting article in Forbes Magazine about this. I have a link to that piece just here. Can't help but think of all the folks that saw these men training in Chattanooga and now, they have won, they must really be pleased. (And since Spain won out over Argentina, I imagine my English friends are pretty happy too.) AND the match yesterday where England beat France means that they are third place in the World Cup, so that is really not too bad, folks!
Now, you all must know that I can't spend ALL my time watching sports, just most of it! HA HA! Today, Ryan Fox from New Zealand won the Open Championship in golf! This pleased me very much as he was the one that I wanted to win. I really liked the way that he would march up to hit the ball and didn't linger over it. Also, he is 39 years old and had never won a major championship. Now, I am not a betting person, but I really should be! I really "felt" as if he would win. And he did!
This past week we lost Sam Neill, a very well-known actor from New Zealand. (He moved there as a child, born in Northern Ireland, his mother was English and his father from New Zealand). How much he was loved! I knew he was a great actor, but I now know that he was very well respected for his sweet and gentle nature. "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" is a film that Sam Neill did in 2016. Search for it! You will enjoy it as much as I did, I am sure!
As I was watching Ryan Fox, I was curious about his background. I found out that his Dad, Grant Fox played for the New Zealand All Blacks and was part of the team that won the Rugby World Cup in 1987! The All Blacks, you must remember the HAKA that they do before matches, don't you? I have had that on my blog before, but here, let me see if I can show you again....
My friends, I do hope that all that I have written here makes sense. It is so dang HOT, I can't even think straight.
Take care!
It's really hot here too so I get it. Hard to think when your brain is boiling. lol
ReplyDeleteFrom watching the news, the whole country is boiling hot, not to mention the smoke from the wildfires. Pretty tough summer.
DeleteSorry to hear thta you are all sweltering. I hope it cools soon and then we get warm. Hopefully not too much so. I loved Sam Neil movies.
ReplyDeleteI think that Sam Neill was universally loved. It seems that way to me!
DeleteWe were one of the rare families not following the world cup! So cool they trained in Chattanooga. We were there a few years ago and loved it. But I did hear about Sam Neill, sad...
ReplyDeleteYes, it's hot and smoky here too!
I think that soccer (or football as it is called in most of the world) might be even more popular in the USA after the World Cup was here! (But then, I think a lot of folks didn't bother with it but hey, I am married to a Brit, so you know we did. LOL!)
DeleteYes, Art was following the world cup. Me, not so much. Thank you for showing the haka. They do the haka in Hawaii too which is a lot of fun. I really enjoyed your football haka clip.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you liked the haka clip! I looked at quite a few and thought that was a good one. I know a lot of women who don't care for sports, I am not one of them! LOL!
DeleteI remember Sam Neill. That's so sad. He was so young. As I get older, anybody younger than 90 is too young to pass away.
ReplyDeleteI know, I feel the same way.
DeleteI'm going to take your advice and try to find "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" on one of my streaming services. It has been on my "to see" list for a long time because it was produced, written and directed by Taika Waititi, who I think is brilliant! I didn't even know Sam Neill was in it, but since he was such a good actor, I should see this performance in memory of his achievements.
ReplyDeleteOh, I hope that you will like it as much as I do! Please, let us know in a post if you can! Lovely to have you back from vacation.
DeleteI didn't follow either, but my husband did so I do know the results.
ReplyDeleteGA On My Mind is one of my favorite songs ever.
Glad your teams won!
Thanks! And of course, Ray Charles is a Georgia guy like we are Georgia gals!
DeleteCongratulations to Spain, and to all the fine competitors. I pray you have a blessed week and find some good sports to watch since a lot of the major stuff is over for the moment.
ReplyDeleteI know, it is a bit of a let down when these major sports events are over. Still, we have our baseball!
DeleteYes, Spain is the winner. It has been good to watch the whole world focus on the World Cup, something other than war and tragedy. So sad at the loss of Sam Neill; we have loved him in all his films and Australia claims him too. His second home was in Sydney and his children are there. I will look for the Wilderpeople film as I have not seen it.
ReplyDeleteOf course, Australia would claim him also! I don't blame you! Let me know if you see the Wilderpeople film, I thought it was sweet and funny, my two favorite things in a movie. x
DeleteRight, that's over, back to proper football now.
ReplyDeleteQuite right, quite right.
DeleteI've got Chattanooga Choo Choo running through my mind now. 🎶
ReplyDeleteYou should be a fortune-teller with your gifts!
It's funny, I really do have a bit of a gift of seeing things that will happen. Only thing, my "sight" isn't always timely. I can predict something, but it might take years for it to come true. The golf tournament was spot on, though! And I do love the Chattanooga Choo Choo song too!
DeleteYou brought back memories - I used to play Chattanooga Choo Choo on my radio program years ago.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes and God bless.
Oh yes, and guess what....Richard can play Chattanooga Choo Choo on the guitar! It sounds great! Lovely to see your comment here!
DeleteThe World Cup has been exciting. But now I can concentrate on baseball.
ReplyDeleteYes! Go Braves!! (I think is the Tigers that you root for!)
DeleteI'm a big fan of Sam Neill films. Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a cracker as is Moonrise Kingdom, two great films about childhood.
ReplyDeleteI've managed to miss most of the tennis and the world cup by watching box sets instead. So everyone is happy.
I didn't know Moonrise Kingdom, so I looked it up. Wow, it gets really high ratings. It has Bruce Willis and that alone makes me want to see it. I always have liked him. Such a shame he is going through such a terrible illness just now.
DeleteIt is well worth seeing. A modern classic as is Hunt for the Wilderpeople, The Last Mimzy and The Spiderwick Chronicles. All excellent films about childhood adventures you might like.
DeleteI bet our son knows all these films, I will ask him. Did you know that Christopher majored in Film at college? It's fascinating to watch a movie with him! Thanks for the recommendations!
DeleteIt's so hot here too. I think my brain has evaporated in the heat.
ReplyDeleteI find myself struggling with ny thoughts. Is it age? Is it the heat? Probably both! Take care and try to stay cool. We will get through this summer!
DeleteThe name of the actor from NZ doesn‘t ring a bell.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what you‘ll be warching nexr, now that the World Cup is over 😊
Sam Neill is famous in our household as the wonderful Alan Grant from Jurassic Park! We took Christopher to see that when he was very young, he loved dinosaurs so much. We still have our Atlanta Braves on TV! If they make the play offs, that will last through October.
DeleteI enjoyed the world cup and I'm enjoying the rugby as well. A lot of sports to watch just now.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Rugby? Uh oh, another sport for me! LOL! Enjoy! xx
DeleteMy grandson just returned from his 2yr church mission to Argentina and I'm betting he was hoping for them to win! My brother, who lives in Acworth, says the heat and dry weather are brutal there. We were hot and humid but at least had rain. Today is cool with morning temps in the low 50's. I love that! I hope you have a great weekend coming up! Hugs from Ohio!
ReplyDeleteYour grandson spent 2 years in Argentina? I'm sure he was rooting for them! Temps in the low 50's sounds heavenly. Hugs to you from Georgia! xx
DeleteI was sad to hear about Sam Neill too. I also remember him in Jurassic Park.
ReplyDeleteNew Zealand is one of the very few places we said we would love to go back to someday. It is so beautiful there. We see the haka demonstrated here sometimes in Hawaii which is so much fun to see.
See, you are just like the seasoned travelers that I knew, you all love New Zealand! Aloha!
DeleteOh, goodness, please tell me you're sitting right in front of an AC vent with something ice-cold! This heat is completely frying my brain, too, it's just brutal out there. That news about Sam Neill still hurts. Hunt for the Wilderpeople is such an absolute gem of a film; he had this incredible way of being hilariously gruff and deeply tender all at the same time. You could just tell what a genuinely sweet, grounded soul he was in real life. Look at your sports intuition! Calling Ryan Fox like that is amazing. I love how fast he plays, none of that agonizing over the ball for five minutes, he just walks right up and hits it. Though knowing his dad was Grant Fox, I suppose athletic greatness is just baked into that family. Speaking of which, every time I see the All Blacks do the Haka, it still gives me full-body chills. Stay cool today, and thanks for always sharing what's on your mind. Hang in there.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Melody for your oh so perfect comment! You must have a camera on me, seeing me almost pass out in front of the AC vent after I have walked in this heat. It is a bit scary how quickly you feel wiped out after walking in such temps, I think it is worse for an older person, like me! So, enjoy your youth, my dear! Take care. x
DeleteSpain’s win, Ryan Fox’s big moment, and remembering Sam Neill--it’s all so uplifting and bittersweet at the same time.
ReplyDeleteLove how you tie it all together so beautifully.
Oh my dear, thank you so much fior saying so! What with the heat and my aging brain, I scarcely can post much these days, so I truly appreciate your kind comment. Take care. x
DeleteI didn't watch any of the world cup, but I was on the Georgia Marta with the crowds as they headed downtown for the game.
ReplyDeleteHey! You are in Georgia too! Look at comment I left on your blog. I forgot to tell you that I am your newest follower. 🍑 That is supposed to be a peach. LOL!
DeleteHi, Kay! I'm behind, as always. I really enjoyed Sam Neill as an actor. It was hard to see him leave us. I loved the World Cup! This was the first time I really could watch it, and I discovered that I love soccer (football! I was very happy to see Spain win. We've had a lovely 2-day break in the heat here. but it returns tomorrow. Ugh! Love to you!
ReplyDeleteBless you, you know I love Colorado but I hate the heat wherever it is! Glad you liked the World Cup too. I must do a new post soon, the World Cup is old news now, isn't it? Take care! x
DeleteI don't really follow sports, but was glad Spain won after trumps interference and his nasty comment about Spain. I've seen the HAKA and thought it was sorta funny/cool. So different.
ReplyDeleteSandy's Space
Hey Sandy! Isn't that Haka something? The first time I saw it, I couldn't help but think how much it would have scared me as a kid.
DeleteYou are so involved in TV sports. David is, too, as are Maria and her kids. I don’t care for sports. P.E. In school was torture. It was my worst subject.
ReplyDeleteI didn't mind PE, but I must admit I didn't like to run! Not too bad at basketball, I wasn't the first one picked but usually the 3rd or so! And honestly, I don't spend all my time watching sports, if I did, I wouldn't be able to get my nature walks in!
DeleteI spent more attention to football than I ever had with the World Cup. We don't have regular TV any more but there are many ways to see what was going on through streaming. Very happy how locals welcomed the fans and it was two-way street. Fun, fun, fun all the way through. Loved seeing the Scots and the Norwegians and all the other countries of course. It was an exciting event. On a sad note, I have been a big fan of Sam Neill and was very sad at his passing. I used to watch him giving his chats on Instagram, everything I have seen about it him, what a decent human being, taken way too early. As for the Haka! That has fascinated me since I was very young. I read, " Rooted in Māori legend, the haka mimics natural phenomena like the shimmering heat haze on a summer day, personified as the dance of Tāne-rore." So not just a war chant, so much more. Fabulous! Enjoy the rest of your week Kay. Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteHey Denise! Thanks very much for your comment! I love your explanation of the Haka and I very much appreciate you sharing that here! Hope you are having a good summer. I am sorry that I just saw your comment today, you left it on August 11th! LOL!
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