8th April 2002

Hello Lou, remember me? How much has happened, where are you at? What's the next step?

I've stopped. I've got nothing to do for the next seven days till rehab starts...seven days off...well, you could call me a blind sparrow, unlucky...or bang bang!! Lucky Lou...one of the many names which came out during the knocking test series v England…some see it as an afternoon tea party, 'yes sir', 'marvellous sir', 'my boys do battle against your boys, extraordinary.' Some see it as bystander entertainment while indulging yeast and "hot dogs", "get your hot dogs", coming together to watch their boys do battle against the other boys, get pissed and sing out loud at a fall of a wicket, get stuck into the opposition fine leg fieldsman as he over runs one, slipping, fumbling, holding the cool face…nah. Cracks into a cheeky whoopsy-daisy grin of embarrassment...hands on hips.

"C'mon Rigga"…"I am", a faint reply from the boundary line, definitely heard amongst the roar of the cruel crowd. Never talk back! Head down and smash 'em! My motto; focus on the work and the rewards will come…head down, or in Rigga (Mark Richardson)'s case, hand loose bro! I see the game as a war, a battle of ball and bat…that's all. The skill you learn deflecting, hitting the ball to protect the castle and body (not me though, ahhh baddick caddick) while accumulating gallops past the advantage line to get a run…the craft of techsmanship seeing the ball run far away, "save ya legs mate".

IT's personal too…Dean Jones taught us that. "It comes down to pretty much a one on one battle. Both wanting to win , both seeking to wreck each other's career…take him on, don't give a sniff, believe that you can win and you will.". You make the same mistakes in the game, but you get better by understanding them and you get a little better each time it happens, till you're a master in the zone of destruction.
Well, I'm cruising down in the Coromandel…Rings Beach, unbelievable place. Took the west coast side of the peninsular; winding roads the whole way, right on the coast…wicked scenery…mid stop break at Thames, mmm macca's. Last big mac for a while; rehab on little louie's body needed old gun…
The place I'm relaxing in is choice. It has big wide doors opening to the seas and shhhhhhh! That's all. Mum works for a cookbook printing company which operates from their home in Milford, 'Quick n Easy' books, I think. Well mum's been there for awhile now, looks after it all when they're away overseas with it, cleans the house too. Top couple, especially when they offer their holiday home in Rings Beach whenever I need a little holiday...wicked aye...got heaps of me and only me time to catch up on…going to read my first book in half a decade, 'The Power of One'…relax and zzzz and eat healthy as. Water, zzz, and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz more, as I am writing this…jerry now…

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