Longer Nights!

We are enjoying longer and warmer days here in the North of England. Well, if you consider 68* to be warm, that is - which is what it is as I type up this post. It's mostly sunny and 68*, so I am wearing a whisper-thin top and slip on sandals, because that's how we roll if the weather is anywhere close to warm. 

9:00 PM in May

A few weeks ago Bill and I ventured out to our first cricket match. Cricket is a weird game, but then again, I think all sports are weird, so this game is just a new kind of weird. Two batters run back and forth between the wickets to score wickets (points). The pitcher cannot bend his arm when he pitches, and there are no foul balls, and the points are added up seeming interestingly - I wouldn't be surprised if there was compounded interest on the points, or some such thing! 

We attended what is called a T20 game, which is only comprised of each team being at bat once and only once. There are six outs per "inning" and each batter gets six pitches. I may be getting some of this wrong, but this is what I remember. 

Cricket, anyone?

My favorite knowledge bomb was that there is such a thing as a Beer Snake. T20 games only last 2-3 hours long, whereas most cricket games last 5 full days and the team takes a break for lunch and tea before resuming play each day. This is a long time for fans to be cheering in the stands, and the English like their pints. As each plastic tumbler full of beer is emptied, it is added to the stack of empties. The more beer the crowd drinks, the longer the beer snake becomes. We saw a Beer Snake at our match,  but it was only about eight feet long.  Here's a short YouTube video (not my video!) of a beer snake from a cricket match in Headingly (same venue we went to) two years ago.

Feed the Snake! Feed the Snake!! Feed the Snake!!!

And on a less drunken note, it was recently half-term, which means a week-long (or longer) school break. All British schools break for half-term at the same time, no exceptions. The May half-term coincides with the May bank holiday (long weekend) so there were many festivities for families to attend. I volunteered at the York Minster during the recent half-term break and it was crazy-busy with families from all over England having a bit of a holiday. 

It was a warmish, dry day, so after my shift ended I meandered back to the train station instead of rushing there as I usually do. And lo and behold, I stumbled upon a lovely owl demonstration! I had always wanted to see the 2,000 year old quadrangle tower, a Roman wall that is partially still standing in one of York's parks. In front of the wall, the local owl conservation group was teaching children (and an American ex-pat who's a little older than that) about owls. So cool! 

Owl be damned, it's Hedwig!! And an ancient, Roman wall!

We enjoy this time of year when the weather can be warm and dry. In fact, I'll soon head out to meet Bill at a local village pub so we can have dinner in their beer garden (outdoor patio). Let's hope the weather doesn't turn in the next two hours… fingers crossed!