Touch Championships

Well, Sarah and I have just returned from the Australian Touch Football Championships in Coffs Harbour.

Here are some pictures of the action.








It was a really great group of girls and I know Sarah has made some lifelong friends.


















After pulling an all nighter with her team mates on the last night, Sarah on the train trip from Coffs Harbour to Newcastle.

We left Coffs at 8am and were picked up from the station by Jenny and her Dad around 3.30pm so it was a long day.














Then it was one lovely day catching up with Sarah's friend Jenny in Newcastle, before flying home into Melbourne and taking yet another train to Ballarat.

Colon Irrigation Oooooo! Aaahhhh!

First some background!
I was in Mildura for work all of last week and spent a lot of time walking to and from work due to not having a car and not being able to work out the bus timetable. Got on the wrong but the first day and spent half an hour circumventing the spot I wanted to go (only 10 minutes from where I started) only to finally jump ship with 4 city blocks still to walk!
Anyway, Mildura is situated in Northern Victoria on the banks of the mighty Murray River. It is a bountiful fruit and vegetable growing region thanks to the immense irrigation system developed after the first and second world wars. It is a vibrant multi cultural community with new influxes of people from all over the world depending on which countries people are wanting to flee from. The English and Irish in the early 1900's, then the Polish, Turkish, Italian, Greek, Samoan/Tongan, Vietnamese, Afgahnis and Iraqis, and very recently Sudanese. It also has a large Aboriginal population.
So... Now you have had the cultural lesson, you need to also remember that I grew up in a similar community 250 ks upstream in Swan Hill.
Irrigation water is the life blood of these areas and the word irrigation generally only means one thing - deliverying water to farmland.
So, when I was out walking and happened past a sign on a local business my comprehension was seriously impaired by my preconcieved ideas.
OK, now we get to the funny stuff! I had read this sign during the day and snapped a shot I thought would bring some laughs.
I mean to say, WHY WOULD ANYONE WITH THE LAST NAME OF COLON, CHOOSE TO USE HIS OWN NAME FOR HIS IRRIGATION BUSINESS!!!!
Wouldn't you call it Mildura Irrigation, or Sunraysia Irrigation..... anything but Colon Irrigation Centre!
Unfortunately, when I recounted to some locals I was having tea with, they found the whole thing very amusing. Even more amusing than i had the first time!
With tears rolling down their faces, they finally composed themselves enough to inform me that the sign was more accurate than I thought. I then rechecked my photo and sure enough. It was just that! Colonic Irrigation!