Believe In Me/Never See The Light: 2017 Super Rugby semifinal round up (+ Hungarian GP qualifying & race results)

Well, it looks like the New Zealand conference winners the Crusaders will have to travel to Johannesburg (Or should I say Joburg) in South Africa to take on the table topping Lions in this years Super Rugby final so the Crusaders defeated the Chiefs (Who are farewelling players such as first five-eighth Aaron Cruden to Montpellier, La Rochelle bound halfback Tawera Kerr-Barlow, James Lowe to Leinster & the Glasgow Warriors bound coach Dave Rennie) last night to reach the final for the 1st time since 2014 (It was the Waratahs (The last non-Kiwi team to win a Super Rugby title while the Bulls was the last South African side to win Super Rugby but the last time the Crusaders won a Super Rugby title was in 2008 during the good old days of the Super 14) who won after Craig Joubert controversially awarded a penalty for an illegal turnover made by Crusaders openside flanker Richie McCaw allowing the Waratahs first five-eighth Bernard Foley to kick a match winning penalty) although All Blacks captain Kieran Read is in doubt of playing in the final after damaging his knee because he is in a race against time to be match fit while the dominant & high flying strong Lions side have ended our beloved Hurricanes quest of retaining the Super Rugby title by reaching their 2nd consecutive final by gaining revenge against them (Although they had to reverse the result from the final last year) because the Hurricanes dominated the 1st half then the Lions (Who have got key personnel of players such as South Africa's premier hooker Malcolm Marx (South Africa's equivalent of Dane Coles because he took over from the recently retired Adriaan Strauss as the best hooker in the country), tighthead prop Ruan Dreyer, lock Franco Mostert, loose forward Jaco Kriel (The stand in skipper filling in for the injured Lions & Springboks captain Warren Whiteley), former sevens specialist Kwagga Smith, halfback Ross Cronje (Who had taken over from Faf de Klerk as the Lions premier halfback), the Springboks premier first five-eighth Elton Jantjies (Actually he's the top points scorer this season in Super Rugby because he is always been the short range goal kicker & he is South Africa's answer to Beauden Barrett), left winger Courtnall Skosan, centre Lionel Mapoe as well as right winger Ruan Combrinck (He is sorta like Elliot Daly as the designated long range goal kicker because he is the danger man) & fullback Andries Coetzee) dominated the 2nd but changed things as the Hurricanes star first five-eighth Beauden Barrett had to be sent to the sin bin for not rolling away so the Hurricanes discipline was poor by giving away too many penalties which cost our chance to reach the final.

So that is my 130th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 50th this year (I have reached the half century mark in 2017 with the most blogs in a year).

P.S. And it is an all Ferrari front row lockout in Hungary with championship leader Sebastian Vettel (Germany) taking on pole with his teammate Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) starting in 2nd but can Mercedes get a better start just like Valtteri Bottas (Finland) did in Russia? Because they didn't do well in qualifying with Bottas occupying the 3rd position & his teammate Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) starting in 4th but the race went to Vettel who had to win the Hungarian Grand Prix (His 1st win since Monaco & his 4th of the season (He won in Australia, Bahrain, Monaco & Hungary) along with Hamilton (He won in China, Spain, Canada & his home event in Britain) while Bottas won in both Russia & Austria & Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) only won in the streets of Baku in Azerbaijan) by overcoming a steering issue during the race, increasing his championship lead from 2 to 14 because his Ferrari team had a 1-2 finish after his teammate Raikkonen finished in 2nd while Bottas rounded out the podium to finish in 3rd by overtaking his teammate Hamilton on the final corner just before the chequered flag had been waved.

And here's the points standings for both the drivers & constructors but 1st here's the drivers standings:

1st: Sebastian Vettel (Germany, Ferrari), 202 points
2nd: Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain, Mercedes), 188 points
3rd: Valtteri Bottas (Finland, Mercedes), 169 points
4th: Daniel Ricciardo (Australia, Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer), 117 points
5th: Kimi Raikkonen (Finland, Ferrari), 116 points
6th: Max Verstappen (The Netherlands, Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer), 67 points
7th: Sergio Perez (Mexico, Force India Mercedes), 56 points
8th: Esteban Ocon (France, Force India Mercedes), 45 points
9th: Carlos Sainz (Spain, Toro Rosso), 35 points
10th: Nico Hulkenberg (Germany, Renault), 18 points
11th: Felipe Massa (Brazil, Williams Mercedes), 23 points
12th: Lance Stroll (Canada, Williams Mercedes), 18 points
13th: Romain Grosjean (France, Haas Ferrari), 18 points
14th: Kevin Magnussen (Denmark, Haas Ferrari), 11 points
15th: Fernando Alonso (Spain, McLaren Honda), 10 points
16th: Pascal Wehrlein (Germany, Sauber Ferrari), 5 points
17th: Daniil Kvyat (Russia, Toro Rosso), 4 points
18th: Stoffel Vandoorne (Belgium, McLaren Honda), 1 point

And then the constructors to wrap up the Formula 1 report:

1st: Mercedes (Germany), 357 points
2nd: Ferrari (Italy), 318 points
3rd: Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer (Austria), 184 points
4th: Force India Mercedes (India), 101 points
5th: Williams Mercedes (Great Britain), 41 points
6th: Toro Rosso (Italy), 39 points
7th: Haas Ferrari (USA), 29 points
8th: Renault (France), 26 points
9th: McLaren Honda (Great Britain), 11 points
10th: Sauber Ferrari (Switzerland), 5 points

And it was yesterday that I went with Buck for a walk after we had breakfast then we went to the market with Pops & Buck then went for a walk again throughout the Mitre 10 car park where Pops had to get some flowers then we went back home by helping the flowers so we had omelette with salad for lunch moments before we went to Cooks Gardens to watch the Whanganui club rugby final between Ruapehu & Border (We watched the senior one 1st between Marton & Hunterville) but it was a close game I tell you what because one of the Ruapehu players Craig Clare scored a match winning drop goal just like Mitch Hunt did for the Crusaders against the Highlanders then we went back home in time for dinner where we had burgers so Dad & Jansen came for both dinner & the rugby game on TV just in the nick of time.

And finally my Malaysian friend of mine Sophia has sent me an email so here is her message in it's entirety:

To my dearest Whetu,

Hi Whetu, how is everything? Did you had fun at pop's 70th Birthday? How did you celebrate? I dont think i will go back to Malaysia anytime soon, maybe next year but we will see.
I also heard you got yourself a dog! i love dogs. what did you name it and what breed is it? Anyway, back to Homework! I will talk to you soon.
Love you and miss you heaps.

Sophia

And RIP to Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington who tragically passed away (On his now late good friend Chris Cornell's birthday on the 20th of July) a couple of weeks ago.

Chester Bennington
1976 - 2017

Eulogy/Jambi: Super Rugby quarterfinals report & F1 2017 classic car list confirmed (+ Hungarian GP circuit guide)

Well, it looks like our beloved Hurricanes will have to head over to South Africa to face the Lions in the Super Rugby semifinal after comfortably beating the Brumbies 35 - 16 at GIO Stadium in Canberra (Well one of the key & bizarre moments in the game is halfback TJ Perenara who was meant to fire a pass on first five-eighth Beauden Barrett but loosehead prop Ben May copped a falcon setting a up a try being scored by Beauden's brother & utility back Jordie Barrett in a humorous & unconventional way (Although ex Wallaby hooker turned rugby commentator Phil Kearns (I know he had a rivalry with All Black hooker Sean Fitzpatrick back in the old days during the 90's) said it was a planned move & the referee Glen Jackson had to go to the TMO whether the ball was knocked on so there was no knock on meaning that the try had been given) upon Dane Coles's return in the quarterfinal (It was South African born winger Wes Goosen's night as he gets a double by scoring both tries) while the Lions had 3 wins in a row against the Sharks with a match winning long range penalty scored by winger Ruan Combrinck (Although the top points scorer in the competition, Elton Jantjies, fails to fire after making too many crucial unforced errors/mistakes during the game/match although he was struggling with his goal kicking which hurt them until Combrinck saved it best till last) & in the other matches, the Highlanders quest to regain the Super Rugby title from the Hurricanes is over after they went down by 17 points against their traditional rivals the Crusaders at AMI Stadium in Christchurch in appalling, miserable & treacherous conditions but the rampant Chiefs will head back home to take on the Crusaders after gaining revenge against the Stormers at DHL Newlands in Cape Town because the Stormers beat the Chiefs earlier in the season in a repeat of last year's quarterfinal showdown so this is what the semifinals looks like:

Lions Vs Hurricanes: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
& the Crusaders Vs the Chiefs at AMI Stadium in Christchurch.

And finally all 12 classic Formula 1 cars have been locked in for the F1 2017 game with 3 McLaren machines revealed such as the 1991 MP4/6 (Driven by Ayrton Senna (Brazil) & Gerhard Berger (Austria), 1998 MP4/13 (Driven by David Coulthard (Great Britain) & Mika Hakkinen (Finland) & 2008 MP4-23 (Driven by Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) & Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) joining the fray along with the already announced 1988 MP4/4 as a pre-order bonus so here's the entire updated list of all 12 classic F1 cars:

1988 McLaren Honda MP4/4*
1991 McLaren Honda MP4/6
1992 Williams Renault FW14B
1995 Ferrari 412 T2
1996 Williams Renault FW18
1998 McLaren Mercedes MP4/13
2002 Ferrari F2002
2004 Ferrari F2004
2006 Renault R26
2007 Ferrari F2007
2008 McLaren Mercedes MP4-23
2010 Red Bull Renault RB6

*: Pre-order bonus

So that is my 129th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII).

P.S. And here is the circuit guide of the Hungaroring which will host round 11 of the 2017 FIA Formula 1 World Championship:

''F1's first venture into an Eastern Bloc country took a bit of getting used to for inhabitants and teams alike. The Hungarians, and neighboring countries, flocked to a purpose-built track tightly laid out in a dust bowl. Survived despite itself and now in an established part of the calendar, helped by the faded splendour of Budapest.''

Bullet The Blue Sky/Revelations: Super Rugby round 17 review & British GP qualifying & race results

Well, it looks like the Lions of South Africa will host a home quarterfinal, semifinal & final (Depending if they want to progress because they of course have the home ground advantage) in the 2017 Super Rugby season because they managed to beat the Sharks at Growthpoint Kings Park in Durban to move ahead of the Crusaders on top of the overall standings (Well, 2014 was the last time that a non New Zealand Super Rugby team has won a Super Rugby title which is the Waratahs from Australia while in 2010 was the last time that a South African side had won a Super Rugby title which is the Bulls) whose unbeaten run ended (They are now 15 & 1) by the hands of the Hurricanes last night (Although the Hurricanes managed to avoid the trip to South Africa by going to Australia to take on the Brumbies (Who had lost to the Chiefs meaning that all New Zealand Super Rugby teams had a clean sweep against Australian opposition because they played 25 times but the Brumbies will have a shot at redemption against the Hurricanes because both teams had played earlier in the season resulting in a victory to the Hurricanes but what about the Sunwolves because they managed to clean out the Blues in an historic upset victory at the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Tokyo (Well the hot weather was the main concern for the Blues because it is summer there in the Northern hemisphere) because it is one of the greatest upsets of all time in the history of Super Rugby & only the 3rd time that a New Zealand Super Rugby team has lost against both Japanese (Once) & South African (Twice) opposition with the Stormers becoming the 1st team to beat a Kiwi team which is the Chiefs followed by the Blues before the Sunwolves becoming the 2nd team to defeat Kiwi opposition such as the Blues) in the quarterfinal while the Highlanders will travel to Christchurch to take on the previously undefeated Crusaders after beating the Reds at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin) at Westpac Stadium in Wellington so this is what the quarterfinals looks like:

Lions Vs Sharks: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
Crusaders Vs Highlanders: AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Stormers Vs Chiefs: DHL Newlands, Cape Town
& the Brumbies Vs the Hurricanes at GIO Stadium in Canberra.

And finally Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) in the Mercedes is on pole position for tomorrow's race after dominating qualifying by putting the fastest time possible (The golden rules say that in qualifying, the driver with the fastest time gets the pole) in front of his adoring home fans at the British Grand Prix which is in Silverstone equalling the late Jim Clark's record of 5 pole positions at the event because Hamilton is aiming 4 in a row at his home event (Or should I say on his home turf because Hamilton has the home advantage) hoping to take over the lead of the championship if his main rival Sebastian Vettel (Germany) in the Ferrari gets a DNF (Did not finish).

So that is my 128th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII).

P.S. And I've simply pre-ordered F1 2017 on the PS4 at EB Games yesterday meaning that the game will be released on the 25th of August.

And finally Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) in the Mercedes has won the British Grand Prix for the 4th year in a row in front of his adoring home fans at Silverstone (Although his quest of regaining the Formula 1 World Championship title (Remember Nico Rosberg (The son of 1982 world champion Keke Rosberg) won the world championship last year ending Hamilton's hopes of a 4th title) appears to be back on track as he is now trailing by just 2 points behind championship leader Sebastian Vettel & Mercedes is definitely winning the constructors war against the likes of Ferrari, Red Bull, Force India, Williams, Toro Rosso, Haas, Renault, Sauber & McLaren) but during the race, Carlos Sainz (Spain) in the Toro Rosso retired while Max Verstappen (The Netherlands) in the Red Bull put a brilliant overtaking move on championship leader Sebastian Vettel (Germany) in the Ferrari & both Ferrari's of Vettel & Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) had a puncture with 3 laps remaining in the race not only because Ferrari may have lost important championship points just before the finish.

Higher Ground/Suck My Kiss: Another wonderful night at Caroline's & British GP preview

Well...Me, Pops & Sherry went to Caroline's on Wednesday night because I had something light such as the chicken nachos & I had Eaton mess for dessert (I had pasta for lunch & had one again this time with chili beans yesterday for lunch while dinner was tomato soup with pizza) & I saw a waitress named Tessa who looks like my biological aunty Cathey Middelplaats's daughter (And the sister of Nico & Luca), Paige Williams (Well she is only 23 because she was born on the 5th of April in 1994).

And finally we are halfway through the 2017 Formula 1 season as the F1 circus heads to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone (Although they are in doubt of hosting the event in 2019) which will host the 10th round of the championship (And we are halfway through the season) because it is not only Lewis Hamilton's home race or should I say homecoming because he had won the last 3 races over the past 3 years in front of his adoring home fans but he is 20 points behind Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel (Germany) in the championship so here is the circuit guide anyway:

''Rightly called 'The Home of British Motor Racing', Silverstone's title could extend globally since this is the track where the very first round of the Formula 1 World Championship was held in 1950. The former wartime aerodrome has changed beyond recognition as the British Grand Prix continues to be one of the most respected on the F1 calendar.''

So that is my 127th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII). Cheerio.

P.S. And both the Cheetahs & the Southern Kings are going to join the Pro 12 (Although both sides aren't expected to compete in next year's Super Rugby competition in 2018 because there will be only 15 such as the Blues, Brumbies, Bulls, Chiefs, Crusaders, Highlanders, Hurricanes, Jaguares, Lions, Reds, Rebels/Western Force, Sharks, Stormers, Sunwolves & Waratahs) which will become Pro 14 along with the likes of Connacht, Leinster, Munster & Ulster of Ireland, Benetton Treviso & Zebre of Italy, Edinburgh & Glasgow Warriors of Scotland & Cardiff Blues, Dragons (Formerly Newport Gwent Dragons), Ospreys & Scarlets (And yeah because they are the current Pro 12 champions because they won the the 2016/17 season) of Wales.

And the Barbarians won't be featuring any English players (Such as prop Kyle Sinckler who had been arrested for public disorder during the Lions tour as well as their star goal kicking fly-half/first five-eighth & inside centre/second five-eighth Owen Farrell & several players including old guard prop Dan Cole, long range sharpshooter wing & centre Elliot Daly, Dylan Hartley's understudy hooker Jamie George, ex Highlander loose forward James Haskell, jaw dropping lock Maro Itoje, slingshot broken arrow outside centre/centre Jonathan Joseph, ice cold lock George Kruis, hot headed lock Courtney Lawes, lightning cannonbolt prop Joe Marler, barnstorming winger Jack Nowell, Kiwi born league convert Ben Te'o, Billy Vunipola's New Zealand born brother & prop Mako Vunipola & of course, last but not least, devastating finisher & winger Anthony Watson) for the match against the All Blacks on November 4th of this year in 2017 meaning that players from Ireland, Scotland & Wales are available for that one.

And by the way, RIP (Requiescat in pace/Rest in peace/Rest In pieces) to Rowan Atkinson who was tragically passed away but you may remember him as the star of Blackadder, Johnny English, Mr Bean & The Thin Blue Line, nuff said but it turns out to be an hoax because Aunty Tania emailed me about him so Atkinson is lucky to be alive but it may even result in a virus attack.

Help/Hip Hop Hooray/Mind Dependency/No Sleep: A drawn series between the All Blacks & the British & Irish Lions (+ Formula 1 report episode 9: Austria)

Well (Unfortunately), the 2017 New Zealand Lions series sponsored by DHL between the All Blacks & the British & Irish Lions has ended in a tie after the 3rd & final test match was drawn thanks to that controversial decision which will go down in series history by French referee Romain Poite (Although he originally awarded a penalty to the All Blacks but he had to go to the TMO to have a look but one of the assistant referees Jerome Garces has told Poite to change the decision to scrum due to an accidental offside which angered the die hard New Zealand rugby fans (Not only because they were absolutely livid about it) costing our chance of winning the series (And there were too many handling errors costing them try scoring opportunities).

And Valtteri Bottas (Finland) in the Mercedes has won the Austrian Grand Prix (His 2nd for both his career & season) at Red Bull Racing's home turf in Spielberg after starting on pole & held on until the end ahead of championship leader Sebastian Vettel (Germany) in the Ferrari (Although Vettel is yet to serve a suspension for his actions on his rival Lewis Hamilton in Baku but he manages to escape further punishment keeping his championship hopes alive) while Baku winner Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) in the Red Bull (Ricciardo's team-mate Max Verstappen (The Netherlands) retired during the Grand Prix) held on to finish in 3rd on the podium ahead of Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) who had to start from 8th due to a grid penalty for changing the gearbox but the next race is at Silverstone which is home to the British Grand Prix & the emotional homecoming for 3 time world champion Lewis Hamilton who had won the last 3 races in a row in the past 3 years at the same home event as well as Renault driver Jolyon Palmer who is the son of former F1 driver Jonathan Palmer & the constructors such as McLaren & Williams.

And here's the points standings for both the drivers & constructors but 1st here's the drivers standings:

1st: Sebastian Vettel (Germany, Ferrari), 171 points
2nd: Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain, Mercedes), 151 points
3rd: Valtteri Bottas (Finland, Mercedes), 136 points
4th: Daniel Ricciardo (Australia, Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer), 107 points
5th: Kimi Raikkonen (Finland, Ferrari), 83 points
6th: Sergio Perez (Mexico, Force India Mercedes), 50 points
7th: Max Verstappen (The Netherlands, Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer), 45 points
8th: Esteban Ocon (France, Force India Mercedes), 39 points
9th: Carlos Sainz (Spain, Toro Rosso), 29 points
10th: Felipe Massa (Brazil, Williams Mercedes), 22 points
11th: Lance Stroll (Canada, Williams Mercedes), 18 points
12th: Nico Hulkenberg (Germany, Renault), 18 points
13th: Romain Grosjean (France, Haas Ferrari), 18 points
13th: Kevin Magnussen (Denmark, Haas Ferrari), 11 points
15th: Pascal Wehrlein (Germany, Sauber Ferrari), 5 points
16th: Daniil Kvyat (Russia, Toro Rosso), 4 points
17th: Fernando Alonso (Spain, McLaren Honda), 2 points

And then the constructors to wrap up the Formula 1 report:

1st: Mercedes (Germany), 287 points
2nd: Ferrari (Italy), 254 points
3rd: Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer (Austria), 152 points
4th: Force India Mercedes (India), 89 points
5th: Williams Mercedes (Great Britain), 40 points
6th: Toro Rosso (Italy), 33 points
7th: Haas Ferrari (USA), 29 points
7th: Renault (France), 18 points
9th: Sauber Ferrari (Switzerland), 5 points
10th: McLaren Honda (Great Britain), 2 points

And finally the next classic car revealed for the F1 2017 game has to be the 2006 Renault R26 because it is that car that Fernando Alonso (Spain) famously won his 2nd straight Formula 1 title (He 1st won it in 2005) way back in 2006 (His team mate was Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) beating his retirement bound rival & 7 time world champion (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 & 2004) Michael Schumacher but the Renault R26 joins the likes of 4 Ferraris (1995 412 T2, 2002 F2002, 2004 F2004 & 2007 F2007), both Williams (1992 FW14B & 1996 FW18), a McLaren (1988 MP4/4) as a pre-order bonus & a Red Bull (2010 RB6 AKA Luscious Liz & Randy Mandy).

Destination Calabria/The Weekend: A dozen of my email messages (A hat-trick of blogs today)

Well, this is my 3rd blog in a row (I might have a hat-trick of blogs today) that I'm posting today so here is a dozen of my email messages starting with my 2nd cousin Gemma (Eldest daughter of Kathryn, sister of both Huia & Ben & mother of Rosalie):

Hi Whetu, how are you?

I've been a bit busy. I was a parent helper on a class trip for Rosalies class. We went to Auckland to the Stardome which is at One Tree Hill. All the little kids got to learn about Matariki and the stars. We also walked to the top of One Tree Hill - I was really proud of all the kids because they are so tiny and it was alot of exercise for them all to get to the top.

Recently I started a part time job. It's pretty boring.

Rosalie has had a cold. The heatpump in the house broke down so we all got sick from being too cold I think. It's fixed now though and we're on the mend.

I also had an upholstery class 2 weeks ago in auckland - I learnt to make a foot stool. It was heaps of fun. I want to learn to make some more things and learn how to fix chairs and couches.

I missed all the Americas Cup! I'm glad we won. I normally watch it but I don't have tv reception at the house.

Hope you are well.

From Gemma

And here's another one from Aunty Tania (Daughter of the late Nan & Pops & sister of my Dad) that she sent to me:

Dear Whetu

Do you have a present to give Pops for his birthday?  If you dont, would you like me to organise something for you to give Pops for his birthday?  I know it will be a little late, but that doesn't matter - Pops would love having a gift from you.  Is there anything in particular that you would like to give Pops?  If there is, let me know and I will try to find it on-line.  If you don't have any ideas, please also let me know and I will help you.

I am not sure if you have a card for Pops either?  If you don't, then perhaps next time you go to Trafalgar Square, you could go to Paperplus and buy one that you would like to give him, write in it when you get home and then give it to him.  And if you don't have a present to give him when you give the card, you can always tell him the present is coming soon.

I am sorry I did not think of this earlier, but I know that even if you give something late, Pops would love to have a gift from you.  So we can do this together - ok?

Love and hugs
Aunty Tania

And the 3rd one is from my cousin Paige (Daughter of Cathey, sister of both Nico & Luca & my cousin) in it's full entirety:

Hi Whetu,

It wasnt the best game to watch but the atmosphere at the game was great!

I saw lots of Lions fans the stadium was packed with them! I actually won the tickets on a competition on faceboook which was lucky!

If we go skiing I will definitely let you know!

I see it is Henry's birthday today, what have you got planned for it?

Lots of love

Paige xx

And the 4th email message is from my American colleague from Palatine (Which is close to/nearby Chicago) in the state of Illnois, Diana Kent:

Yes, I am having a fun 4th of July. In Palatine they had the fireworks on Monday night (July 3rd).  And there is a carnival with lots of fun rides. I didn't go on any rides, but I watched the fireworks from a park in town, and got a piece of very nice pizza for dinner at the carnival.

And the 5th message is from Paige, Nico & Luca's mother, John's partner & my biological aunty, Cathey Middelplaats:

Hi Whetu

Thanks so much for the emails, I love receiving them.

Americas cup was amazing, we loved it.

Yes, we are very busy at Arlo and I do a lot of night shifts with our UK clients.

Henry is 70, awesome!!  I will send him some birthday wishes, you just reminded me John’s birthday is next week.

We all watched the rugby!! Never mind, it will be a good game this week.

I’ll send you some photos of the boys doing Karate.
Kind regards
Cathey Middelplaats

And here are 3 replies from Aunty Tania

Here's the 1st one:

Dear Whetu,

Thats fine, I know Pops was rapt that you did that this morning and I imagine you are spoiling him today.  If you change your mind, just send me an email, ok.

I hope that you had a good breakfast?

Love and hugs
Aunty Tania

And then the 2nd:

Dear Whetu

What did you have?  And what did Pops have?

Love and more hugs
Aunty Tania

And the 3rd & last one:

Hi again Whetu

I bet that was a big breakfast with a name lie 'the master'?

Before I forget, did you receive a book called Shagadelically Speaking?  You should have received it by now, if you havent I will email the shop.

More hugs still,
Aunty Tania

And the last one is from Aunty Tania also:

It is time for me to go to bed.  Have a great day and look forward to reading from you tomorrow.

Love you
Tania

Hook, line & sinker.

Nice To Know You/Warning: A wonderful night at Caroline's last night

It was last night that we went to Caroline's to celebrate Pops 70th birthday so I had pasta of the day for dinner while we had that birthday cake for dessert (Although I had moccachino with that after we had the dessert) but I had a great chat to Leon & Hanne (I had a selfie with her & had another one this time with her again & Pops along with Jansen, Huia, Ben, Gemma, Sophia & Cathey & Paige) as well as Uncle Bryan about it. And it was today that I had porridge & toast with moccachino for breakfast so I took Buck for a walk both this morning & afternoon so we had a soup for lunch, watched the America's Cup parade on TV (Although the parade in the city of sails in Auckland was held in appalling conditions) & so here I am, doing a blog today (I did post a single blog today because now I'm posting the other one today) just before we have a chicken pasta bake with salad for dinner (And Sherry's coming tomorrow because she was once a Silver Fern).

Breakout/DOA/My Hero/Times Like These: All Blacks starting lineup against the British & Irish Lions (+ Austrian GP circuit guide & 2017 Confederations Cup final review)

And the All Blacks have revealed their starting lineup against the British & Irish Lions for the 3rd & deciding test at Eden Park in Auckland so here is the team naming (Although the AB's are without second five-eighth Sonny Bill Williams due to a 4 week ban but the 3rd & deciding test will be captain Kieran Read's 100th game for the All Blacks & only 6 All Blacks before Kieran Read have reached 100 test caps such as Richie McCaw (148), Mils Muliaina (100), Keven Mealamu (132), Tony Woodcock (118), Dan Carter (112) & of course, Ma'a Nonu (103):

FRONT ROW
1 (Loose head prop): Joe Moody (Canterbury/Crusaders)
2 (Hooker): Codie Taylor (Canterbury/Crusaders)
3 (Tight head prop): Owen Franks (Canterbury/Crusaders)

SECOND ROW
4 (Lock): Brodie Retallick (Hawke's Bay/Chiefs)
5 (Lock): Sam Whitelock (Canterbury/Crusaders)

BACK ROW
6 (Blindside Flanker): Jerome Kaino (Auckland/Blues)
7 (Openside Flanker): Sam Cane (Bay Of Plenty/Chiefs)
8 (Number 8): Kieran Read (Captain, Canterbury/Crusaders)

HALVES
9 (Half-back): Aaron Smith (Manawatu/Highlanders)
10 (First five eighth): Beauden Barrett (Taranaki/Hurricanes)

MIDFIELD
12 (Second five eighth): Ngani Laumape (Manawatu/Hurricanes)
13 (Centre): Anton Lienert-Brown (Waikato/Chiefs)

OUTSIDE BACKS
11 (Left Wing): Julian Savea (Wellington/Hurricanes)
14 (Right Wing): Israel Dagg (Hawke's Bay/Crusaders)
& 15 (Fullback): Jordie Barrett (Taranaki/Hurricanes)

And in the reserves are:

16. Nathan Harris
17. Wyatt Crockett
18. Charlie Faumuina
19. Scott Barrett
20. Ardie Savea
21. TJ Perenara
22. Aaron Cruden (Who had again won his place ahead of Lima Sopoaga)
& 23. Malakai Fekitoa (Who had been called up to the squad in place of the suspended SBW).

And the British & Irish Lions have named their team to take on the All Blacks meaning that the whole 23 has been unchanged in order to make history this Saturday (1971 was the only time that the Lions have won a test series in New Zealand) with that strongest lineup possible:

FRONT ROW
1 (Loose head prop): Mako Vunipola (England/Saracens)
2 (Hooker): Jamie George (England/Saracens)
3 (Tight head prop): Tadhg Furlong (Ireland/Leinster)

SECOND ROW
4 (Lock): Alun Wyn Jones (Wales/Ospreys)
5 (Lock): Maro Itoje (England/Saracens)

BACK ROW
6 (Blinside Flanker): Sam Warburton (Captain, Wales/Cardiff Blues)
7 (Openside Flanker): Sean O'Brien (Ireland/Leinster)
8 (Number 8): Taulupe Faletau (Wales/Bath (England)

HALVES
9 (Half-back/Scrum-half): Conor Murray (Ireland/Munster)
10 (First five eighth/Fly-half): Jonathan Sexton (Ireland/Leinster)

MIDFIELD
12 (Second five eighth/Inside Centre): Owen Farrell (England/Saracens)
13 (Centre/Outside Centre): Jonathan Davies (Wales/Scarlets)

OUTSIDE BACKS
11 (Left Wing): Elliot Daly (England/Wasps)
14 (Right Wing): Anthony Watson (England/Bath)
& 15 (Fullback): Liam Williams (Wales/Scarlets)

And in the reserves are:

16. Ken Owens
17. Jack McGrath
18. Kyle Sinckler
19. Courtney Lawes
20. CJ Stander
21. Rhys Webb
22. Ben Te'o
& 23. Jack Nowell.

And here is the circuit guide of the Red Bull Ring which will host round 9 of the 2017 FIA Formula 1 World Championship:

''Built for the 1970 Austrian Grand Prix. The challenge & majesty enhanced by the surroundings in Styria. Staged 18 Grands Prix but considered out of step with commercial requirements in 1987. Known as A1-Ring & reduced in length for 1997-2003. Renamed Red Bull Ring for 2014.''

And the world champions Germany has beaten the Copa America champions Chile 1 - 0 in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup final held in Saint Petersburg in Russia (Well, it's only a year until the FIFA World Cup next year which is going to be held in Mother Russia with the Russians qualified automatically as hosts) with a Lars Stindl goal during the 1st half (And the Germans joined both Brazil & France as world champions who had gone on to win the Confederations Cup).

Beverly Hills/El Scorcho: Pops 70th birthday today (Happy 4th of July in America)

We went to Cafe 141 to have breakfast there to have the master on Pops 70th birthday (It's Independence Day in the USA so we had a dinner (Such as cheeseburgers & hot dogs with salads) & dessert on Sunday), done that so I went with my pet dog Buck for a walk, then read & wrote some emails & had a single sandwich for lunch because Pops was going to a funeral, went for a walk again with Buck once Pops got back & had a smoothie because I was thirsty so I had a totally awesome day with Pops (And we're going to Caroline's for a birthday dinner tonight).

Fat Lip/Miserable/My Own Worst Enemy: Barrett 21 Lions 24 (A quick & short, brief cameo blog + 1st blog of July)

Well, unfortunately, the result last night says it all (I thought I was going to take a break from blogging indefinitely today but now I did tonight + I have broken the record for most blogs in a year at 41, incredible) especially the red card given to All Black second five-eighth Sonny Bill Williams (He was the 1st All Black to be sent off since Colin Meads against Scotland 50 years ago) for a shoulder charge to the head on Lions winger Anthony Watson:

Beauden Barrett 21

British & Irish Lions 24