Firebirds are Back

So, back after the holiday of a lifetime, well until Singapore anyway, and no sooner am I back than Netball takes a turn for the amazing. Firebirds are back. Yes, the Queensland team in the trans Tasman trophy is still to be called the Firebirds.
Those teams from Down South and across the ditch had best be aware and afraid. Vicki Wilson will be the Fire in the Birds bellies and they will be hungry to make their mark on the statue of netball competition. Check out their new uniform and playing times and dates at
www.firebirds.net.au They be looking GOOD! Maroon, for Queensland, Gold, for winners and White, for the difficulty in getting out stains (?)
Of course, Bosom Buddy and I have already decided that we shall continue our stalkage of the lovely Vicki Wilson and she, lovely fool that she is, asked us to email when we were coming down. Maybe that was so she could alert security to our presence. Mmm on second thoughts maybe that isn't so great. Aah, my paranoia is taking over.
Then again, maybe she is just after some excellent companionship at breakfast and who better for that than the Netball Loonies?

Melbourne

Melbourne was the supposed recovery from the World Cup but the team followed us there. I swear the Aussie Emus love Bosom Buddy and I. They must have found out that we were having a week of shopping and sight seeing and they made sure that they followed us here. The first day in Melbourne was supposed to be rest and recuperation but the team was honoured with a homecoming in Federation Square. The team were surpried and we think that they were also pleased to see us there. The first question was about how we felt after the night of celebration. Mo'onia confessed to sleeping all the way back, as did bosom buddy and I.

After that we headed down to Philip Island for some sight seeing.

The Phillip Island race track is a long one, but Bosom Buddy and I were determined to do the loop. We needed to run off some of the food from New Zealand anyway so we were off and racing.

Unfortunately I am nowhere near fit enough to run around the

track and so had to resort to trying to catch a ride.

The ride ended up catching me.

After this it was off to the seals and the penguins. Phillip Island is a great place for some rest after a long campaign in New Zealand and I am sure that Bosom Buddy and I are both refreshed from our break.

We'll both be home next week to empty our braggage of the best holiday ever.

Winners Night

Here are a couple of the promised photos. It was a great night and the team were ready and willing for the party and the photos.

You can see how relaxed Catherine Cox looks here and the rest of the team enjoyed the big feed of pizza, chips and Is that ice cream?

WINNERS ARE GRINNERS

Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi! Australians are now the World Cup Champions. What a game. It was exciting, physical and just plain old AWESOME! The crowd was pumped and so was the team. After the game it was drinks at the Crowne Plaza bar until 3. The whole team, as well as supporters, former coaches and players, welsh players and the umpires were celebrating just as hard as they could. After the bar here it was off to the harbourside for more celebratory libations with the Aussie team, the Singapore team, the Welsh team and the English team. the Aussie girls were, naturally enough, the SUPERSTARS of the night.
No photos this morning as bosom buddy and I dragged our winning selves out of bed at 10.30 and we had a 11am checkout and the room showed definite ravages of 2 netball loonies having the week of their lives. So, the elusive cord is somewhere in our baggage. Thus you will have to wait until we hit Melbourne for the shots that will cover you with envy. The World Cup in our hands and in the hands of our Aussie Emus. Bosom Buddy and I have already decided, very firmly, that Singapore 2011 is our next big trip.
Bosom Buddy passed on the Aussie cap to the Singapore team who were very happy to have that but Bosom Buddy was even more thrilled to receive an Aussie Netball flag with all the team signatures. I have a cap to show off to you all when I return with some excellent signatures as well. All in all, this trip has been memorable for us and we have made new friends that will be meeting us in Singapore, why don't you?

Found the cable

Yes, the cable has been found and so we move onto the volunteers. These tireless folk have made this event the fun that it has been. This lovely lady took care of us in the bottom stands for the first 4 days and has come up to visit us in the nosebleed section on the subsequent days. She is a hoot. Her daughter also came to visit her and she loved the Aussie Netball Loonies.

This lovely fellow is Dave and he has been driving the aussie girls

around and doing a fine job. We are all wearing a shirt that has the

logo for the World Cup, well the modified logo. One of the travel group spent a night fiddling with the image and she has done a brilliant job, even made TV news. We all loved them so much that about a hundred or so Aussies have ordered their own. The English supporters played with it so that they would have their own version. No prize for second. Surprisingly there is no purchasing of other countries supporters gear. Just the Silver Ferns and World Cup gear. I would have loved a Botswana shirt. never mind, they are wearing our wigs so its all good.

Go the volunteers!!!

Australia set for final

Yesterday was the first real test that Australia has had at this tournament. They came out on top of England in a convincing win. The Silver Ferns followed up with a tight win over Jamaica. The Silver Ferns must be feeling nervous with the Aussie Emus looking so good. Selina took the court and there was no sign of her ankle injury and the rest of the team looked slick and fit. Sharelle and Coxie missed a few but that means that they have got the misses out of the way. Silver Ferns fans here have been saying that they reckon the Emus will take it away. If you were watching the telecast you would have been treated to the sight of the Botswana team sporting green and gold tinsel wigs and Go Aussie boomsticks. Yes, that was courtesy of bosom buddy and I. They lost their game to Fiji and so are now ranked 10th in the world which is an excellent result for these World Cup debutantes.
We had a few 'quiet' ones with the Welsh team last night as they have completed their campaign and so were out for a relaxing party night. The team and their manager and coach treated us to a few songs so it was quite a rowdy quiet drink. Tonight will be the test though. Vicki is tipping Australia by 9 goals and I must confess to not feeling quite that confident. One should never be cocky about a final as anything can happen. No photos today as bosom buddy has misplaced the camera cord, but close your eyes and imagine us having the best time and you will be right on the money. It's hard to believe that tonight is the end of the World Cup and that we have been here for a week. Time flies when you are having the best holiday ever.

Botswana play off for 9th/10th

Botswana are proving to be the big surprise of the tournament with their 1 goal win over Trinidad and Tobago yesterday. These girls dug deep to hang on for the win and they were pumped to be in the play off game for World Ranking 9/10 today. They will be playing Fiji who have a huge following over here and they will find today's game a big ask but I don't think that is going to faze them. They are just so happy to be playing off for the higher ranking at their first World Cup.

The Aussie girls will have a tough match tonight against England. The English girls are looking slick and fit. I think that we will have a spot of bother with them, but we should giddy up over them in the end. My prediction is 10 goal margin. Bosom Buddy and I were having a chat to Norma last night and she wanted to let you know that her favourite book was The Bush Christmas. Always nice to know what somebody's fave read is. Watch the telecast and play spot the Netball Loonies. Ciao for now.

Botswana are the bomb.

Yesterday marked the first win for the Botswana netball team in their very first World Cup campaign. These girls are young, fit, committed and the best fun since, well, since bosom buddy and me. They loved that support from all the Aussie fans and came and sat with us to watch the Trinidad and Tobago vs Singapore match. Those girls can daaance. They loved all the touristy stuff that we had with us and they will be looking for us today in the stands. None of their countrymen have followed them over in the

of Australian, Welsh, English supporters so we have adopted them.

We also ordered our special shirts so there will be about 60 of us today barracking for Australia and wearing our unique shirts. Keep an eye out during the telecast.

This morning was, yet another, breakfast with Vicki Wilson. This time it was a tour breakfast and she shared lots of interesting stories about her time in the World Cup competitions with her second best friend Keeley Deverey. I would share with you, but some things are too good to share. I know that Vicki looks surprised in this shot, and again I could tell you why......however some things are best not shared. Mo'onia Gerrard's birthday today and while bosom buddy and I don't have the best of singing voices we tortured her with a rendition of Happy Birthday that will give her nightmares for weeks to come. Keep an eye on the Aussies, we sure will.

Last day of pool games

Yesterday was the lst day of the pool rounds and so we expect competition to hot up today. It was a great day, as they all have been. We started with breakfast with Vicki Wilson - again - and she introduced bosom buddy and me to Norma Plummer. We asked her what she thought of the names and though she liked Diamonds, its already taken, so she thought that the Australian Netball Team was a good name, mainly because not everyone knows who the Opals are or the kookaburra's, but if you say Aussie Netball Team then it's clear to all and sundry.

Steve Price also made an appearance at breakfast and he was as nice as he is gorgeous. Don't worry George, I can still use my eyes but my heart belongs to you. What a start to the day.

Off to the Netball and what a day. The Australian girls posted their biggest margin of the tournament against Scotland. They used all their bench so all the girls are ready to take the court for quarter finals. All that is except Selina Gilsenan. Yes, she was injured in yesterday's game however her X-rays seemed to be clear. They will re-assess today and hopefully she will be match fit for the semi finals. It is a rest day today for the Aussie girls but bosom buddy and I will still be there. After all how can one stalk the umpires if one isn't at the courts? These were the 3 umpires for the South Africa vs England match. Far left is Bronwyn Meeks, an awesome Auckland umpire.

Yesterday's thriller match was Wales vs Malawi and as I am sure all other netball loonies know, Malawi won. Those girls know how to party.

After the games Dave, the Aussie driver, took us to see ALL of Auckland. Mount Eden has the perfect view though it's getting cold as the wind coming up from the south has all the chill of the southern snow. Keep watching the netball ad let me know how much Eloise loves us. xox

Elephants in Auckland?

Greetings from beautiful Auckland, still having a great time over here. Yesterday was another great day. It started with the driver for the Australian team offering to take us to the Zoo where he works so that we could meet Burma the Indian Elephant. We were blown away. It is a lovely zoo and we were lucky enough to feed Burma and get some happy snaps. For once I actually felt small.

The day just got better and better. After arriving at the Netball I was introduced to Jill MacIntosh and her pick is ROSELLA'S. Unfortunately folks, Diamonds, which was what Vicki Wilson liked is already taken by the national softball team and Southern Stars has been used as well. So from now on I shall try Rosella's instead of Southern Stars. I also got to have a chat to Maureen Boyle who is THE umpire of note. She was there to look at the umpires and to do some testing. Maureen liked Emu's for the team.

Yesterday saw the Australian team to another win and it was great to see so many combinations tried out on court. But after that, it was Fiji versus Jamaica saw Vili Davu take the court and hit the deck in her usual style. It was a boost for the Fijian team to have their coach on court and the crowd loved it, as did bosom buddy and I. But the game of the day was the first one. Cook Islands vs Singapore. Look out for Singapore in 2011. I think that they will surprise us all. Having breakfast with Vicki today so must be off. Watch this space and I'll keep you posted on good stuff from NZ.

Australia's first game

Today marked the first day of competition and Bosom Buddy and I knew that it was going ot be awesome. First up in the morning we met the Welsh team, not just the dragon, and they were amused by Bosom Buddy and I doing the Skyjump in the Crowne elevator. Yes, there is a glass elevator and we press ourselves up against the glass, arms in the air and yell WOOHOO! It's as close as we will get to throwing ourselves off a building, sorry Em.

While waiting for the bus to pick us up we were gobsmacked to see the coaches carrying the entire Aussie Netball team stop right in front of us. Mo'onia even smiled for the photo.

The day was full of Netball Loonies from all over the world and it was really good to be sitting with Vicki Wilson to chat about the game and the players. Her insights added to our day. If you watched the ABC telecast you would have heard the chat at half time about the Name the Netties competition, yes I am working hard on that. Last night I had a chat tot Tracy Parish, media guru to the Aussie team, and she is now on the job of asking the team what they think of the names. I am particularly interested to hear what Sharelle ma'belle has to say as she is my she-ro. So we are pumped and ready for Day Two, keep you posted.

Opening Ceremony

Last night was the first night of competition and what a night it was. The fun started when we were waiting for the bus transfer and old eagle eyes [that's me] spotted the Welsh team bus and we had a very close time when it came to taking the dragon, we settled for a photo. The opening ceremony was awesome, except for some whingers behind us. Unfortunately they are staying here with us and what a pack of moaners. Nothing was good enough, but we set about enjoying ourselves to the max.

The parade of teams and entertainment was just the thing to get us into the mood for the first game. New Zealand vs Malawi. The Silver Ferns did their very slick warm-up but the Malawi girls did more of a dance and it got the crowd going. Unfortunately the game didn't go their way but fortunately for me Vicki Wilson was sitting next to me, across the aisle, but next to me nonetheless. Vicki will be giving her opinion today on the team names and Bosom Buddy and I are off to enjoy the first full day of competition. First up is South Africa vs Malaysia and later we will see Botswana debut at the World Cup Championships. We will be barracking for Wales as they have the Dragon.

Eloise says EMU'S

Greetings from the beautiful and friendly City of Sails. This city is absolutely gorgeous and we made some new friends last night, our very first here in Auckland.

First off was a tasty dinner at CinCin on Quay. If ever you are here head on down for delicious food, great service and a chatty manager, chef and wait staff.

Then it was off to sample some of the nightlife and who did bosom buddy and I meet outside the VERY FIRST VENUE??????????? Eloise Southby Halbish. She is even more beautiful in person and she loves the name EMU'S.

We also met cousins of one of the Samoan team and of the Cook Island teams so we are set and ready to wreak some havoc tonight, the very first night. we discovered that we are staying at the same hotel as the Australian team so be ready for some HOT posts. We are off to the bus now so, keep your eyes on the prize, we surely are.

Name the Netties

Only 3 days until the World Cup and only 2 until I wing my way to Auckland. The excitement is getting too much, well not really, I'm a big girl I'll manage. We have closed the Name the Netties competition and we have some cracker names.
Southern Stars - this is a fave in the office
Emus
Goannas - No Anna's on the team so maybe not.
Eucalypts - they are green and gold
Cassowaries - my fave
Sugar Gliders - this is the other office fave.
So, what do you think? Have I chosen well? All will be revealed very soon. I have begun to drive the library nuts with counting down the hours until my flight, currently 48 hours to go.
Before I go though there is the second episode of the Librarians, I wonder if I can identify any colleagues in the characters. More scary, can they identify me? On that note, I'll keep you posted on the Happenings, watch this space for all the fun and frolic.

ONLY FOUR MORE SLEEPS!!

It's getting close, only 4 more sleeps until I leave and only 5 more sleeps until the beginning of the NETBALL WORLD CUP! I have some names to flash about but I NEED MORE!! Emu's seems to be the most popular but I particularly liked
'The Plovers' because if ever you have been attacked by one you know how devious and scary they can be.

Keep an eye on how the Aussie girls are doing on the diary page with Cath Cox, Nat Von Bertouch and Julie Predergast. http://www.netball.asn.au/extra.asp?ID=2028
Looking forward to hearing more of your ideas
Your Netball Loony