Mon 31 July - windy but sunny, oscillating 5th Test, memory test

The morning started windy but sunny, and stayed that way for most of the day. So we took the opportunity to do some laundry, and then hang it around the boat to make the most of the good drying weather.

Since we have only just arrived back in port, we didn't have any specific activities lined up. So I took the opportunity to watch the final day of the 5th Ashes Test. While the overall series outcome is already known, this last day of Ashes cricket for 2023 promises to provide a good day of competitive cricket. Australia started the day well-placed at 0-135, chasing a total of 384 for victory. But the morning session brought three quick wickets, before Steve Smoth and Travis Head began a good recovery to take the score to 3-264. During this period, Ben Stokes was involved in a memorable moment, when he caught Steve Smith spectacularly overhead, but then in his haste to swing his arm around and throw the ball in the air to show how clever he was, his hand hit his raised leg and dislodged the ball which fell to the ground. To compound his error, he then (as captain) challenged the decision of NOT OUT (a challenge he was never going to win). The moment was reminiscent of Herschell Gibbs dropping Steve Waugh in a World Cup Final, where Waugh was reported to have said to him "You've just dropped the World Cup, Herschell". which turned out to be true when Australia beat South Africa narrowly in that Final.

After that incident, the game changed again when Head and Smith were dismissed in quick succession and Australia lost 7 wickets for 70 runs in 21 overs, for England to win by 50 runs. So the Series ended tied at 2-2, with Australia retaining the Ashes.

At this point I should apologise to any readers who have no interest in cricket (or Australian Rules Football, or Rugby League, or Rugby Union, or Soccer, or Speedway). Why, you may ask, do I include such content in this blog (which is supposed to be about Barging)? Well, it depends on the reasons for wrting this blog. The primary one is to describe our adventures while barging, but as you saw earlier this year it has broadened to also include our adventures while campervanning. And more generally, it is about what we have been doing while we are in Europe to do the barging, even if those activities are not barging. But, personally, the blog gives me a chance to write and take photos with a purpose, and to keep me mentally active. It also serves as a great memoir of what we have done over the past 13 years, as I sometimes (when back home) pick a random date and read the the blog from that date, and probably a couple thereafter, to refresh my memory of what we have done, and realise how lucky we are.

Speaking of memory, I find that writing the blog is also a good way to check on my short-term memory. For example, I am writing this page for July 31 three months later on October 31. How do I remember what happened 3 months ago?  Well, I rely on any photos I might have taken on that day, and also on comtemporaneous notes I have made in my Day One app on my iPhone, where I jot down a couple of words for each activity on that day (for which I have a reminder set for 1700h each day). If ever I get to the stage where these prompts are not enough to jog my memory about a day's activities, then it will be time to give up writing this blog (and probably time to give up barging!).