RWC in Palmy

We have just a few days to revel in the excitement of local games for the Rugby World Cup here in Palmy- but we have made the most of them!

On Wednesday before the Georgia-Romania game, there was a roadshow in the Square, with lots of "bouncy castles' for people to have fun doing their rugby thing on. 

Plus there was a concert, and The Nerines were one of the bands on stage-

 with my godson on lead guitar

 

and his bro on the drums...

Yesterday afternoon there was another free concert in the Square. A local group did the warm-up honours at the start, and these local kids were having fun jiving in the aisles.

Then Hollie Smith performed with her own special sound...

 and Dave Dobbyn came last, a superb performer, much beloved by the crowd.

This morning I woke to hear heavy rain on the roof for the day of the Argentina/Georgia game.  But by the time I emerged from swimming lengths at the Lido it was warm and sunny, and hopefully the showers will hold off for the game...

 

I was struck by the contrast of posters as I headed towards the Square. I would have used this as my 365 photo for today, except that the Argentinians were all so lively in the Square!

 Some Argentinian supporters- I've got their photo and they've got mine!

 

And many thanks to this young lad who was kind enough to pose for me...

 I presume this group were being interviewed for Argentinian TV...

 These guys didn't exactly bring along a diminutive version of their flag!

 This guy was wearing a Brazilian flag, but he was made welcome by the blue&white flag bearers!

Just missed the posed shot here- local police were kind enough to pose with some Argentian supporters beside an Argentinian bus...

Kinship and compassion

From the commencement address for Creighton University Graduation
by Fr Greg Boyle, SJ

"And you go from here to create a community of kinship, such that God might recognize it. You go from here to bend the world to grace. You imagine a circle of compassion. And, then you imagine nobody standing outside that circle. And, to that end, you walk to the edges of the circle and you walk with those on the margins. And, you stand with the poor and the powerless and the voice-less. You stand with the easily despised and the readily left out. You stand with those whose burdens are more than they can bear. You stand, in fact, with the demonized, so that the demonizing will stop. You stand with the disposable, so the day will come when we stop throwing people away. You seek, as you leave this place, a kind of compassion that can stand in awe at what the poor have to carry, rather than stand in judgment at how they carry it. And, a great many people will look at you, standing at the margins and will accuse you of wasting your time.

The Prophet Isaiah writes, “In this place of which you say, ‘It is a waste,’ there will be heard, again, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voices of those who sing.” You go from Creighton University to make those voices heard – in a sense new belonging and kinship. "