Eeew, what a close game! Bangers vs. Zim-Match 3.

Previously on days of our lives, Neil ‘manners’ Manthorp won the 21 dollar sweep from match 2. Offered to buy the crew some beers with his winnings after the ODI but then promptly ducked off to his hotel after the days play. His excuse was that Steven Segal had to get back to the hotel so that he could break his fast and that he was the only one that could give him a lift there. Unbelievable!

So what happened with the sweep on match 3? Well, he with the most nose knows most and Lo has a rather prominent nose so he must know a lot! And that knowledge translated into him winning the sweep on match 3. Beginning to wonder how he does it. I am sure it’s because he makes up the rules as well as the ‘challenge’ for the sweep on that day. Lo has won the sweep for match 1 and 3 now. Anyone know a good auditor? You’re kidding me!

Here’s a very quick rundown on some nicknames of people on our crew. Steven Segal; Dik / Village; Manners; Dean 2+3; Hans; Guthers; Lo; Felix the Black Cat (because he’s always on life 9); Pete Le Strange; Harro / Ballie; Kamba; Z; B; Tofaz; Kep; Kirabooo and Pommie are but just a few of our crew. Will endeavor to get some more. We sound like a bunch of real professionals don’t we!

Call time to leave for Bulawayo on Wed the 17^th of August was 07h30. Some never made the early call time leaving others a little miffed that they also hadn’t slept in and missed the call time. The bus waited though, as did everyone else for the unmentioned, B, person to eventually arrive.

We arrived in Bulawayo safe and sound. Phillip copped a USD 20 speeding ticket for doing 110kph in an 80 kph zone. Kep and Pommie also had a woeful tale that encompassed an hour round trip backwards and forwards between roadside police officers and the police station. All the traffic cop wanted was a USD 15 bribe but Kep and Pommie refused on principle to cough up. Good on them! The roads we travelled on were really good but the same cannot be said for the driving ability of some people HERE.

We were rather surprised to find that our booked rooms at the Holiday Inn had been given away and with nowhere to stay in Bulawayo, B and Z had to do some serious head scratching and secure rooms at the Rainbow Hotel. Well done. Else we were sleeping on the streets and it is leeu koud here at the moment!

Dougie the groundsman, who is from Harare, instructed the Bulawayo groundstaff to water the pitch with a hosepipe. They thought better and decided to use a sprinkler instead because it was easier. 12 hours of watering later he suddenly had lotsa grass and a rather soft pitch. Check the images for the amount of grasss he mowed off the two pitches and trust me, it looks like he’s mowed the outfield there’s that much grass in the bucket! They’re sweating bullets trying to get this pitch sorted for the 4^th ODI. Two words, crisis management.

It’s almost time to head home. Two more ODI matches and then were outa here!

Ever get the feeling someone is watching you? Couldn’t understand why this chap is on the cover of every Herald newspaper, daily. Then someone told me that the Herald is the ZANU-PF mouthpiece.

Rudi having a look at how TV cameras work.

 

This is an ATM in Zimbabwe, a safe at the back and some form of dispensing at the front. If this was in South Africa it would have been chained to something and if not chained to something, then gone.

Hungry anyone? A fairly humorous image depicting GM foods.

Green, green grass of home!