Paddys Day in WA

20/03/08

We went to mass, we've turned into our parents going to mass in different countries "to see what it's like". well, it's pretty much the same except the line for communion was a disaster and they had two collections just in case you thought you hadn't done enough for lent. it was also palm sunday so we could have picked a different sunday to go but i suppose it's some kind of penance since i never go to mass. an hour and 15 minutes with two gospels. Emma says she's going every week, i'd be more interested in going to the italian mass at half nine in the same chapel to see how they all get on. There was a lot of Irish at mass, distinctive in their green or in gaelic football shirts from all over ireland. I was disappointed not to see anyone with a big clump of shamrock wrapped in tinfoil stuck to their breast. there were some rosettes though. across the road from mass is clancys fish pub and it has a big park out the back that had a stage set up and a gazebo for shade. it was a real family occasion and we could hear a few irish accents about but the majority were aussies children or grandchildren of irish who naturalized in australia. it was a really nice day and the first st.paddys day where it wasn't about getting wrecked but about being irish. we saw a band called the zydecats in clancys that night after we went home for our dinner and went back out again. they have been residents in clancys for 12 years and have a great following of people in their 40's, 50's and even 60's all up on the dance floor going buck mad. quite a sight. they have a thing called the sunday session here were people go out all day but the pubs close at 10pm. There was also a guy guesting with them called Eugene Hardaway Bridges, he looked a bit like cee-lo from gnarls barkley but he is some guitarist and has a great voice. he finished his set with danny boy. last week was cheltenham at home and I would usually have a few quid on the races (literally a few quid it'd break my heart to lose a fiver) and while they have bookies over here i can't work out the odds so I entered a competition on the sprting life where you picked a horse in every race and they put on a fantasy £1 bet on each race and the winner was the one with the most fanstasy money at the end. the prize was a £2000 HD tv, free sky for a month and some other sky related thing. I had one winner the first day at 4/1 and was in about 600th place, the second day was abandoned because of the weather so the races from that day were spread out and added to thursday and friday. on the thursday I backed 4 in a row our vic, inglis drever, ballyfitz and mister mc goldrick at 66/1 to go into the lead with 93.35. this is all going on in the middle of the night here, so i done my selections for the final day fully believing i had no chance and checked the results on saturday moring. I didn't have one winner and then i checked the leader board and i'd come second and been beaten by £2. I investigated further to find out that I had still been in the lead right up until the last race only for this guy to come from nowhere having backed Silver jaro at 50/1 to win the HD tv!! Chris from the house here said "what goods a plasma tv when you're back packing around australia"

weather is still roasting 30+ not bad for what would be september at home. still working in ECU and really enjoying it. Heading to rottnest Island (Rotto) on easter sunday on the ferry and we're gonna hire bikes as there are no cars on the island and maybe do some snorkelling around the reef. off work now till tuesday. I swear to god i better get a lie in tomorrow. we get good friday and easter monday off here as It's a good christian country unlike you heathens. hope paddys day was good. happy easter