Almost the latest news from Oz.

Hunter Stadium, Newcastle

Callum & Alan..season ticket holders for the Jets.

What have I been up to over the last few days? Fortunately my gout attack has now almost gone. It appears to have responded to rest and the anti-inflammatory tablets that I got from the pharmacy.

I have taken to cycling to the beach early morning and having a swim, either in the ocean at Nobbys Beach or in the Ocean Baths nearby at Newcastle Beach. With this bit of exercise behind me, I cycle back to Jonesy’s for a shower and then to his office nearby to work on my writing.

Thursday night I joined Team Clueless, minus Jonesy who is still under the weather with an inner ear infection, at The Duke of Wellington Pub in New Lambton for Pub Trivia.

The questions seemed to be centred on television, film and music and these left us somewhat bemused and yes, clueless, as befits our name. One question was a recording of a ‘hip-hop’ artist and we were asked to identify both the song and the artist? Most of us didn’t know what ‘hip-hop’ was let alone identify the song and artist….but Kermit the Frog did spring to mind! Never mind it was an enjoyable social evening with lovely people.

Friday morning, 25 February and I was up at 5.30am and ready to go power walking. Colin, Jonesy’s Welsh friend, arrived and off we trotted..well walked quickly! 45 minutes around the streets of Hamilton as the sun was rising and fresh into your lungs and then back for a fry-up breakfast! I spurned this opportunity and returned to shower and to have a breakfast of porridge with banana, what a good lad I’m being!

Yesterday and today were turning out to be glorious sunny days with the temperature hitting 27c. Almost too nice to be inside but I was true to my cause and worked on my writing until 3.00pm at which time I closed my laptop and headed for the beach aboard the bike and a lovely wallow at the Ocean Baths. Many Novocastrians thought so too as work or school had finished for the weekend.

That evening I had been invited by Alan to watch the local soccer (football) team, the Newcastle Jets (www.footballaustralia.com/newcastlejets) in their Hyundai ‘A’ League fixture against Adelaide United. Along with his son, Callum, we made our way to the Hunter Stadium were the Jets play their home fixtures.

This stadium is also used by the Newcastle Knights Rugby League side, also owned by local business man, Nathan Tinkler. The Jets main claim to fame was in the 2007/2008 season when they became the League Champions.

Unlike the English and Scottish Premier Football Leagues, it is not a first past the post system of electing the champions. In the ‘A’ League, the top six teams at the end of the regular season take part in a round of play-off matches culminating in a final match. This is the same system as is used in the English Coca-Cola Championship, where only the top two teams are guaranteed promotion to the Premier League and the next four teams play-off for the right to be the third team promoted that season.

The stadium is open at both ends with just a few seats but it does have two impressive covered, all-seated stands complete with corporate hospitality boxes. The overall capacity is given as 30,000 however, the record capacity for a soccer match stands at a little over 24,000.

Our seats were situated in the upper tier of one of these main stands and fairly central. From here you get an excellent birds-eye view of the action or in-action as was the case for much of the game. I don’t wish to be unkind or ungrateful, as I enjoyed the occasion very much, but if this was an advert for Australian Premier League soccer then they have some way to go before they will claim more spectators from other codes of sport.

I do wish however, that when either in my capacity as a match day steward at Ipswich Town Football Club or as a spectator, that it was as pleasantly warm as that evening in Newcastle.

A link to Ipswich Town was in the form of Francis Jeffers who was playing for the Jets. He formerly played for Ipswich after signing a one month loan from his then parent club, Blackburn Rovers, and scoring on his debut away to Hull City.

It was indeed Jeffers who provided the pass (assist) for the Jets first and winning goal in the 35 minute. A win that sent the 10,000 fans home smiling and the Jets into a play-off position. Their next home fixture against Gold Coast United on Friday, 9^th March should be in theory a home victory, as their opponents currently prop up the league ladder. Maybe I’ll be along to watch.

Saturday, 26^th February was yet another glorious day and I gave myself the day off (good boss that I am). Borrowing Jonesy’s mountain bike yet again, he had a business appointment to attend to, I cycled along the Newcastle Foreshore. Dodging the walkers, fellow cyclists and in extreme cases joggers I made my way to Nobbys Beach. It was busy today being the weekend and I found myself a space at the Ocean Baths and had a lovely dip. The water actually felt quite cool initially, probably as a contrast to the very warm sun, but I was soon splashing about comfortably.

As I stood drying off I looked in both right and left at a quite lovely beach vista (no, not that! Get your minds out of the gutter, although there were a number of delightful forms!). Newcastle Bay stretching away to my right towards King Edward Park heights and Nobbys Head away to my left.

It is at times like these that realise how fortunate the locals are to have such a lovely natural facilities on their doorstep. Young, old, families and tourists (me) all out enjoying it but with a healthy regard for the strength of the sun. Public barbeques are dotted about and people actually clean up after themselves ready for the next person, how refreshing and yet another great facility.

Talking of nature, I’ve just been bitten on the foot by an ant about the size of a stag beetle, ouch! Little ba** naughty thing. For every advantage there is a disadvantage!

Saturday night and my new pals of Team Clueless had invited me to join them for dinner and listen to a couple of local performers at the Duke of Wellington pub. Why not?