Although it is pretty crazy to think that we are a smidgen over half way through the Suncorp Super Netball season, it also seems like I’ve been in Perth for ages. With my parents having departed WA to return to my needy younger sister and their lives in Canada, any chance of me slipping into an orphan oriented depression will be kept at bay by the arrival of the Easter break!
I love having things to look forward to and my time here so far has been perfectly interspersed with family visits and trips to see friends. I am very much looking forward to spending the small Easter break in Auckland indulging in some tourist behaviour amongst loved ones.
My first Southern Hemisphere Summer has come to a close, albeit a woeful effort by Perth standards, and Winter is coming (a reference for you GOT fans) which makes me worried about where exactly I’m supposed to spend my free time, when on Planet Perth anything less than 30⁰ just isn’t beach weather??
In England we take preparations for Winter as serious as a Polar Bear does hibernation. We stock up on hearty-rich food, exile our summer clothing to the attic in exchange for our ‘winter wardrobes’ and people can be frequently heard grumbling about the complete lack of daylight altogether, whilst the sounds of sniffles become a 6-month sound track and the pharmacy becomes the new place to be seen.
Perth seems to be embracing the arrival of Winter with a similar level of enthusiasm and the sudden appearance of insulated coats and a vast array of woollen items in shops has left me somewhat perplexed given that the sun is still relentlessly shining in the sky.
In all seriousness though, although it is certainly a little darker in the mornings (which is almost unavoidable with some of the start times we have) I am looking forward to the sun remaining a permanent fixture and a much milder winter than what I have grown up with. Any genuinely chilly times should coincide nicely with our annual leave and my evolving summer holiday plans though 😊
Last but by no means least, a huge shout out to our Australian Netball League (ANL) team, Western Sting, as they were crowned Champions for the first time this weekend following a convincing 16 goal victory in the Gold Medal Game over the Victorian Fury. Having followed the girls all season, (literally) travelling together for our first three away fixtures, supporting them at their homes games as their match day MC and writing match previews and reports through my media role at Netball WA, I felt pretty invested in their journey. Having had a very tough road to the finals from splitting many of their opening round results, sitting 5th going into the final round of the regular season, taking out Canberra Giants in an ANL semi-finals extra time thriller to coming up against reigning champions Fury, who were looking for their fifth consecutive title… the stars seemed to truly align for them to take their first ANL title on their home court.
A special mention goes to our Fever training partners and the defenders that played in the circle, Sunday Aryang, Jess Penny and Olivia Lewis. C.Bruce and I were definitely heard offering up the rest of our contracts to the Fever Executive Officer following a series of sublime interceptions from the Sting defence. We all wait with baited breath as to who will return in the Fever colours following the Easter break… EEK!!
Frank x
Twitter/Instagram: @StcyJyneFrancis
