Busy Bumble Bee Weekend

Softball opens this weekend. Tomorrow is the opening ceremony. It starts at 9am sharp. All the Little League Baseball and Girls Softball teams will be there. There will be a rendition of Take Me Out to the Ball Game over a crackly PA sung by the team that the president of the Little League's daughter is on. There will be lots of shrieking girls and lots of sniggering boys. The field will be a muddy mess by the time they all leave.

At 11am, Miranda, my five year old, will be having her inaugural game. She will attack a ball on top of a pole with a metal bat. She will enjoy trying to smack it. She will run round the diamond thinking she's just scored a home run, while everyone cheers and claps. Later, she will try to catch said ball, running after it, before it reaches the next diamond over and try to throw it back at the adult who is pretending to pitch it to them, whilst being cheered.

This is fun.

On Sunday, at 12pm sharp, Imogen has her inaugural game. She has already been practising since the beginning of April, though the weather's been so bad, they've done very little practise. She will take on a team from another local town. The game lasts for about an hour an a half but, if they start an innings twenty minutes before the end, in reality that 90 minutes can turn into an aeon.

There will be cheering and clapping. It will be worthwhile this time. There will be much chanting of 'Good eye, good eye' which, as far as I can discern, is some arcane linga for 'Well done for not trying to hit that one as it was a foul ball and that's one less strike'. There will be much groaning as the girls miss hit, fumble catches, and fail to throw to first.

This is also fun.

The weather at the weekend will be 80F (27C) with clear skies and possible thunderstorms on Sunday. Hats, sunscreen and plenty of water will be de rigeur. I will be responsible for entertaining the two non-players on both days, for 90-180 minutes, one of whom will not be content to stay in his pushchair for most of the time as he did last year.

Joy.

;)