And onto the Sport...

Saturday was also a superb day to be a Kiwi sports fan! I thoroughly enjoyed watching Westpac Stadium from afar where the Kiwis dealt to the Lions in a big way. But it was even more satisfying to watch the All Blacks destroy the French in such commanding style. The man with the toughest job is now Graham Henry, who has to decide on a starting 15. Some very tough calls to be made. Personally, I'd give the Mauger-Smith combination a go. My concern was always a lack of punch/size, but I do think Conrad is big enough for that not to matter now - and such are all three's running skills - I don't think that matters quite so much now. Although I'd still be worried v a big midfield like the Boks or the Irish.

So, with such a great occasion as the dedication of the NZ Memorial in Hyde park and the All Blacks thrashing France, needless to say we had a great weekend. It was quite tough standing for so long at the ceremony, but well worth while. Both Fiona and I really enjoyed ourselves. Had a nice lunch with a friend before hand, ran into a couple of people we knew (Nick and B) and I then headed off to watch the rugby. Watching the rugby on French tv coverage, being shown on a Welsh tv channel with commentary all in Welsh, and watching it in an Aussie Bar, was very unique to say the least. So too was having a South African saying we (NZ) had the best team in the world...

Sunday was nice and relaxing. I bought a bike to do my training on, so I'm very pleased with that. And then, Arsenal capped off a great weekend for me with a 3-0 thumping of Liverpool - which of course I won't let Mike or Brent forget for the next few months :-) Another busy week ahead, before a weekend we've been looking forward to for a long time.

As I said to my mother-in-law last week: "See you in Paris!"