Family Visit

My folks have been visiting for the past week from the States (hence the relative silence on my end). We had a really fun time - went to Brighton for a day, visited the London zoo, did a canal boat ride, and played Spades and Settlers of Catan every evening. My brothers joined our regular Saturday football crowd for a game in Regents Park, and I took them to the gym for a bit of rock climbing. A really good week, quite relaxing for me, and good to reconnect.

India v England

So I attended my first cricket match today - the last day of the 5-day Test Match between India and England. Competition-wise it wasn't the greatest day. India had managed a record 665 runs in their first innings, and England started the day needing 440 runs to win. They never really looked like they were going to get close. After losing their first two batsmen in the morning session, they looked certain to be playing for a draw (for non-cricket fans, if England can manage to not get all of their batsmen out during the day, they will draw the match, even though they have fewer runs than India).
Enjoyment-wise, though, it was a fantastic day. I took my dad who is visiting from the States, and we went with Stu and Ben from the bar across the street. The weather was gorgeous, intermittent clouds and sun, with a light breeze. We sat back with our snacks and had a great time. Now if only England can put on a better showing for the Twenty20 International series in South Africa next month.