Gold!

What I've been thinking about this week:

1. Gold medals. 
2. Keyboard warriors.

It seems like there's only one thing on anyone's mind today: curling. A quick scan of Facebook tells me that lots of people stayed up late to watch Team GB women's curling team win gold. 

I have to admit that I find the rules a bit confusing and there's a lot of vocabulary involved. I've picked up bits here and there but I know enough to know that there's levels of tactics going on that I couldn't even imagine. It feels a bit like when someone tells you The Magic Roundabout has got layers of meaning and you just find a cow called Ermintrude amusing.  

Lambing gave Ivie an excuse to stay up late and watch some of it last night then get up early and watch the highlights. I left him to it and swooped in at the last minute when I knew the game was won and I wouldn't have to ask so many questions or sit quietly wondering what a four foot was or how Steve Cram could tell a particular stone had a lot of weight. 

First Spittal lambs of 2022

Thanks to Storm Eunice this week it's been hard to remember what it's like to have calm, dry days. It was so windy, rainy and generally grim today that a day in my shed was called for. 

It's such a treat to get the log burner going, settle under a blanket and read a good book in the shelter of my shed. It's a cosy haven where I'm in control of who or what is allowed - no dogs, no aimless scrolling, and not too much noise. (Ssshhh). 

Ivie popped in just before lunch and before he even opened his mouth I knew what he'd been up to. 

One of the many things I enjoy about living with Ivie is that he's pretty laid back and there's never much to grumble about, even when he's sleep-deprived during lambing. I relish the calm atmosphere and Ivie's easy going nature about pretty much everything. Except below-the-line comments. 

He can't help himself. He reads an article then instead of stopping at the end and thinking to himself, "that was interesting. Time for a coffee," he keeps reading.

Practising for 2026

What had got his goat this morning was people commenting on the curling. Some people were very upset indeed that the team was called Team GB when Scotland was the only nation represented in the team; others were questioning whether the 'G' should feature in the name at all. And I'm sure others still were making inappropriate comments about the relative attractiveness of each of the curlers. 

I feel like having two older brothers is good practice for keyboard warriors. My eldest brother, in particular, knows what buttons to press and presses them often. Sometimes my inner voice whispering, "don't react, don't react, don't react," wins and I smile sweetly while ignoring whatever he's said. Ivie's problem is that he is the big brother so hasn't had enough practice of dealing with sibling goading. Or with Brian from Wolverhampton ignoring the fact that today, on the last day of Beijing 2022, Team GB finally won Gold.