ANZAC memorial

Today's a good day to say "Hello" to the spirit of my Grandad. He was a top bloke, I like to think his lack of ambition lives on in me.

He wasn't an ANZAC, but found himself in the British Royal Corp of Transport driving a truck. You're not likely to find the myopic Boarking clan on the frontline, but we'll do our non-medal winning bit.

Grandad landed in Normandy on the 7th of June '44, carrying a portable surgical operating table in the back. He carried on across the continent for the next year or so. He told us grandkids that the closest he brushed death was the discharged .303 that came from the should-have-been-unloaded rifle his mate was cleaning. He claimed his only encounter with the German military was a low flying fighter whizzing overhead during the Battle of the Bulge, gone in the blink of an eye. He would devour the Commando War Comics as avidly as we did.

Later, reading enough military history, I realized what he must have seen, such as the carnage of the Falaise Gap, to site the most obvious one, and not told us. Driving supplies would take you to a lot of places; did he see concentration camps I wonder? Maybe it's just as well I'll never know.

It's certainly well that I've never had to experience it myself.

I don't agree with families of veterans marching. Let only the veterans march, and let their dwindling numbers indicate a victory of peace over war. But if it ever got that there was no-one left to march, that'll be the time that remembering will be more important than ever.

Lest we forget.

KoD tipping

Much gnashing of teeth at Boarking Mansions as the footy gods desert and we plummet to a pathetic 3 plus a draw. Thought I was good at tipping, but it was just a bit of luck after all. I was like a lottery winner thinking they were "good" at selecting numbers.

Tipping notes can come back and bite me on the bum, so I think I'll skip'em this week. I annoint with the Kiss of Death: PIES, CATS, BLUES, DOGS, SAINTS, LIONS, ROOS, HAWKS.

Rd. 4 tipping notes

Still clear on the work ladder, but not playing it too safe this week. Let's face it, playing safe resulted in my worst tips of the season.

The answers are;

DONS Forget the $3.15 outsider status, this is tipping with the heart and head. We've a reasonable record recently against the SAINTS flaky superstars. I'm feeling good about it, and if I were better organised, I'd go to the game.

CATS Expect no thrashing, but doubt there'll be an upset either.

ADELAIDE After last week's thrashing by the Tiggers I, slightly perversely, crown FREO the Richmond of the West, sucking in talent, churning out mediocrity. Crows, no worries.

LIONS Very unsure. However, it's many a year since HAWKS won at the Gabba. If in doubt, home team.

PIES Should bounce after last weeks embarrassment, but it would be no surprise either should NORTH prevail.

BLUES Because DEES are so hapless.

EAGLES Great to have so many hopeless interstate teams this year. If in doubt (and indeed, there's much to doubt about both these teams), home team. Apparently, there's a heap of dosh gone on PORT, so maybe someone knows something I don't.

Song remains the same

Getting older as I am, I don't get to to see much live music anymore but in some attempt to keep the beergut in manageable proportions I do like to cycle a bit. Therefore, I had to look in on Velorock a couple of weekends back. Velorock is a “bicycle powered gig”. Cute.

A band of youngsters, the Crayon Fields, sort of geeky kids that got picked on at school, cranked up; a fog of deja vu descended...

They're playing in a clubhouse with no stage, just like the upstairs room of a pub in Bedford, back in the Mother Country, back when I was the right age for this sort of thing. Back in 1985, I reckon, Pastels, Razorcuts and Talulah Gosh on the bill. The Crayon Fields channel all these and dozens more like them, following the indie pop ethic of basic song structure, minimum drums & bass, simple riffs. The singer plays rhythm on a Rickenbacker, just like I always wanted to do, and sings flat & weak, just like I always did.

He even sort of looks like Stephen Pastel.

Even the crowd fitted in the deja vu fog, the anti-fashion, the fey girls I'd have a desperate crush on but not talk to. Only digital cameras everywhere and mobile phone conversations attempted remind me of the present.

I loved it, why wouldn't I? For half an hour I was nineteen again.

The Pastels, circa 1985

The Crayon fields, circa 2008

You can't tip footy these days

Two big upsets mean that 5 for the round looks pretty good.

Only a Richmond fan could tip 7 (as happened in the Pago Pago comp)

Only a complete nutter could have got 8 (there were 267 of these in footytips.com.au, the mind boggles)

I promise my next post won't be footy related f

Tipping Rd.4

Much exulting at Boarking mansions. After 7, 7 & 8 in the first three rounds the Boarking punditry takes an outright lead atop the work ladder, whilst those in the know are starting to follow this blog closely (in my dreams).

Now, like an ordinary team with two goals up at the first break, the temptation is to try and hold out for the rest of the game. In tipping, that means go conservative. So this week, it's all the favourites, and tipping against my own Dons (which will result in confused allegiances in front of the box tonight)

So we go: DOGS, NORTH, CATS, SWANS, PORT, HAWKS, PIES, FREO...
If this lot get up, the tipping 8 pie will be divided many a way.

However you never get all 8 faves home, do you? A case can be made for several of the underdogs and if I was languishing in the pack and prepared to take risk for potential reward, I might have a look at: CROWS, LIONS, BLUES, DONS &/or DEES, probably in that order.

May luck favour the timid!

Boarking tipping notes for round 3

Another 7 last week, would have been 8 if I could learn to tip with head not heart.

This is a much harder round to tip, apart from the game down at Geelong. Here's all you need for this week:

DOGS Beating the Dees last week by 95 is actually no guide to form, but I've a feeling, nothing more, that they'll beat the more fancied SAINTS. I've a soft spot for the doggies, so this is probably foolish heart tipping.

HAWKS They might be tired by the long trip back from the West, but I still stick with them making it 3 out of 3 over the ROOS.

FREO The Derby. Usually brings out the best in the Dockers, and the EAGLES were pretty ordinary last week.

DONS Bloody CARLTON are excellent at playing above their lowly selves to upset the Bombers and their supporters such as myself. Dons only won last time because Carlton were in their end of season Tanking Time. Boarking will be at the game tomorrow night, so we better bloody win!

SWANS Good show last week, obviously sparked up by Boarking saying they should be shot. Likely to be a close game, but the LIONS though at home, might be a bit knackered after last week's slog in the wet.

CATS Imagine if the DEES won? There would be widespread rioting and inquiries in parliament.

PIES I'd love the TIGERS to beat them but I wouldn't tip it.

CROWS PORT are likely not as bad as their early results suggest, but you have to go with Adelaide, no worries!