My pleasure Abigail!

Pleasure Andrew. I can imagine that it must be quite a story!

Yes, someday when I have time I will tell.

Its' a pleasure Hilda. Yes they do. Just a pity we never learn from them!

You are so right, Eunice!

Thanks Darren, it is, isn't it? That's Europe for you - here, and I'm sure in your neck of the woods too - you blink and something new has gone up! :)

Just been reading the buildup to the match. By all accounts, it'll be a belter of a pitch - should be fun!

Yep, especially in our big cities like Sydney and Melbourne. It's all going high rise here. Out in my neck of the woods in the western suburbs of Melbourne is one of the fastest growth areas in Australia. It used to be rural when I first moved out here nearly 28 years ago, but the farmers have slowly sold off their land to the developers, and houses are going up everywhere. Australia is a funny place. It's almost as big as the USA but with only 22 million people. Half of the continent is uninhabitable because it's a baking hot desert, and almost half the population live in Sydney and Melbourne, so you can imagine the vast empty spaces in between! Did you know we have the largest population if wild camels anywhere in the world? They live out in the middle of Australia and have bred from stock that was released there by our early explorers! We also have the 10 most deadly snakes in the world, as a matter of fact, pretty much the deadliest of any species lives here! It's a great place though!

And yes, I've heard the wicket in Canberra is a slow flat affair, so Morne might have his work cut out on this deck!

You better go to bed, it's pretty late over there! I'll all be over by the time you get up, so you won't have to sit through the pain! HA, ha!

Hi Darren, unfortunately, it's not all over! The game started at 5 or 5:30 our time, so still plenty of nail biting to sit through! Currently in the 28th over of your innings. I see Mr Poweplay did his bit again, but only one wicket, the miserly so-and-so!

Yes, I did know about the camels. Apparently they export them to the middle east for meat! And you also have some pretty deadly spiders too don't you? We've got the big deadly animals and you've got the little 'uns!

Looks like you better get a comfortable chair Eunice. 0-107, a perfect start by the SA boys. We are missing Mitchell Johson at the moment. They didn't play Cummins, and Richardson is going for plenty! Looks like your guys might pull the rug out from under us yet again! Damn!!!!!!

Oh, and yes SA have lions and cheetahs, and leopards and rhinos and hippos and elephants, but they can't sneak into your shoes like the funnel web spider. Their fangs will penetrate a toe nail, and their poison will kill you with in 20 minutes if you don't get anti venom. So our guys are sneaky and deadly little blighters! You can't even see them coming!

Thank goodness for that too :). At least ours are, for the most part, in game parks, though I do get a bit hot under the collar about the way certain humans (read vested interests and big business / banksters) destroy everything that they feel interferes with their interests, and without giving a thought to the long-term consequences. Overall, I think I would rather have our big killers, than your little ones!

Cricket is a funny game - far too early to get comfortable this end. I will only relax when the last ball is bowled and we have won :))!

Yes, I've had a few close encounters with snakes, goannas, wild pigs etc that sent shivers down my spine. You get used to it though living in the country. You don't see too many of those things here in Melbourne thank goodness! The odd occasion tiger snake in the back yard if you live near a creek, or a red back spider in the garage, but that's about it.

You guys are now 2 - 145. Amla is playing a lone hand at the moment, so we need to get him out. Looks like going down to the wire! I hope you have long nails!

Now 213 for 3 - AB going well, fingers crossed! Agree - going to be very close, I think. Very nerve-wracking!

Were I stay here (on the mountainside) we have some nasties too - cobras and puff-adders (puff-adders are particularly dangerous, because they are lazy and don't get out of your way), as well as scorpions (of which I get quite a few in the house - don't like them at all!)

Oooohhh noooooo!!! AB gone :((. Hope Amla can stay there - though I'm sure want the opposite :)

Just got AB out! Now we need to get rid of Amla and I think we can close it out! Yes scorpions are nasty little buggers, thankfully we don't get them on the coast, but plenty inland in the desert.

We have a snake called the death adder which likes to bury itself in leaves etc and stick out the point of its tail which looks like a worm. When the birds come down to pick at it, well you can guess the rest. Unfortunately they don't take kindly to humans treading on them either, and they are deadly with a capital D!

Oh,oh, another wicket! 5 down now and Alma is gone! I think that's about it for you guys for this one!

Yes, I'm afraid you're right, says she, hanging her head and dragging her feet :(. And guess who - Mr Poweplay again!

Interesting that you don't get scorpions where you are. I can see the sea from my house, but there are lots of scorpions here. I wonder why you don't get them your side...

Not sure. Melbourne is pretty cold in winter (not freezing or anything, but for Australia, it's cool) so maybe that's why. It's a beautiful night here, about 23 degrees, and has been a glorious day, so summer is getting closer.

Sorry to say, but your boys just folded like a deck of cards at the end there. Hazelwood bowled superbly again and must be putting a hand up for a test spot. Starc was also pretty good, although he did get a pretty dodgy LBW call on Miller.

Apparently Tahir hurt his knee fielding, so couldn't bat. 9 down and all out, and a good win to the Aussies. They are coming down here on Friday to the MCG, so another great game in prospect, as the weather will be pretty warm right through to the end of the week.

Do you guys get the Aussie commentary over there?

I know, I know :(, not empressed with our middle to lower order batting. Sorry to say, but if we carry on like that, we will lose the series, not that you will mind!

I have been listening on the radio, which is local commentary. On TV they usually have a mixture, but I haven't been following there, so don't know who was on.

Here in CT the weather stays quite cool till November / December. It's about 22, but the dreaded south-easter (the Cape Doctor), has been blowing quite badly, though not gale force - it's the one thing about living here that I really battle to cope with. There is a fire just on the other side of the mountain at the moment - only about a kilometer or so away as the crow flies. The helicopters have been coming over with water. I always feel so sorry for the animals, especially the slow ones - we have a lot of tortoises here - some very endangered. But many of the indigenous flowers need the fire in order to germinate. We have the largest floral kingdom in the world here in the southern Cape, so you win some, you lose some.

One good thing for tomorrow is that you guys haven't lost at the MCG apparently, so there is hope! Plus whilst ever AB is at the crease, SA is always a threat. Boy he's is some sort of form at the moment!

Capetown sounds lovely. I see the images of the table top mountains when we play at Newlands, and it is one of the most stunning grounds in world cricket. I reckon if I went there to watch a match, I'd spend all day looking at the view and not the game!

We don't have turtles, but we have penguins at Philip Island. Melbourne isn't known for its beaches, and usually it's too cool to swim in the water anyway. Summers can be really hot though, with temps climbing into the 40's, but it remains very changeable. You never know what you are going to get here, 4 season in one day at times! There's an old saying that if you don't like Melbourne's weather, just wait five minutes!

Lol, that sounds like Cape Town too! Being a peninsula, and in the Roaring Forties to boot, gives us very changeable weather as well. The early mariners called the sea around here 'The Cape of Storms'. While temperatures here can get into the 30s, the good old Cape Doctor usually keeps things cooler. Thank goodness we never get as hot as you, but it does in Paarl, which is part of the wine growing region and is about 30 - 40 kms inland from the city centre. It gets REALLY hot there and they don't get the south-easter to cool them down much either.

We have penguins too, who have become quite a tourist attraction. You can go to Boulders beach in Simon's Town, about 4 kilometers away from where I stay, and have them swim with you or walk past. You can also see their nesting sites on a walkway that was built for that purpose.

While our record at the MCG may be good, there is always a first time! Sincerely hope tomorrow won't be it though lol. Newlands is beautiful, but of course, I'm biased! It looks on to the brewery too, so the men love it, ha ha

G'day Eunice! Yes it doesn't surprise me that Cape Town has similar weather to Melbourne as we are very close to the same latitude. I can remember last year in a heat wave where we had 4 or 5 consecutive days in the 40's, our public transport system crashed because the train lines warped in the heat!

They tried to build an observation wheel similar to London in the UK about 4 years ago, and another heat wave buckled the steel structure so they had to pull it down, redesign the thing, and it has only just reopen to the public.

Then we have the bush fires in summer as well. We've had some really bad one's and people lost their lives, and thousands were left homeless on the outskirts of Melbourne.

Still, it's not as hot as the center. A place called Marble Bar in WA recorded 50 degrees one year and regularly tops out in the high forties. People out there actually live subterrainealy under the ground. They carve out cave like structures for homes that insulate them from the heat. Now I like warm weather as much as anyone, but that's taking it a bit too far in my books! Wouldn't live there for quids!

Good grief! Definitely not! I'd rather be too hot than too cold, but that's taking it a little bit too far, methinks! I know someone who lived in Abu Dhabi, and they routinely get those kind of temperatures, but with 100% humidity, as well! Definitely not for me thanks :))

Yes, well they are the extremes! Normally Melb is around 15-28 in summer, which is quite bearable. Just occasionally we get the real heat.

WInter's here are cold gloomy and wet! usually between 2-15. Unfortunately it rains when it's cold and we don't need it, and it doesn't when it's hot and we do!

QLD is the opposite. Rains in the hot weather and is dry in the cooler months, although QLD doesn't really get cold unless you live in the mountain areas.

Anyway, onto the cricket. The weather here this morning is overcast and looks very threatening. We could get some rain unfortunately, so we'll have to wait and see what happens. It is Melbourne after all!

Would you believe, I forgot about the cricket!?!?! I had a bad night, thanks to my cat, who kept me up, so am not feeling very bright this morning. It was only when I heard the news that I remembered! I have only been following along on my phone app in between doing other things. Did not know about the weather - how are things looking now? See we have left it up to AB yet again!

Cats! That's why I'm a dog person! The weather here is absolutely glorious. Fine and sunny and 24 degrees. Didn't look too good this morning but cleared up later and is just beautiful. SA made a bit of a shaky start losing Amla, DK and Faf, but that man AB is just going brilliant yet again. Good thing you have him in your side, as he's the glue holding things together!

I'm off now to watch the match with a few mates down the end of my court. Having a few drinks and talking bloke stuff whilst the cricket is on. Doesn't get much better than that! Looks like we'll be chasing a few, so I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope we bat well again!

Enjoy yourself! You are looking good after a shaky start. Mr Powerplay didn't come to the party for us either, AND it looks like AB has injured himself fielding :(

Well, yet again we fail to finish :((. Congratulations on winning the series. I don't understand what is wrong with us in the shorter form of the game. We are ruthless in tests, and can hold our nerve too, but not outside of that arena. Wish I understood why. Some standout performances from your guys, especially Smith, and apparently Faulkner has an incredible record. Wade was no slouch either!

Yes, it was a great game. SA had it in the bag for most of the night, but the last 10 overs for both teams was where it was won and lost. You guys lost 4-51 to stymie a pretty good batting performance. Cummins and Stark finished the innings well.

We lost steady wickets and were quickly behind the 8 ball, but Steve Smith and Matty Wade batted solidly and put on 122 I think it was. But it was James Faulkner coming in at the death that got us over the line. He's a real competitor, and bludgeoned Steyn and Abbott to get us across the line. Unfortunately Smith was out when the scores were level, but his 103 was a sensational knock under the circumstances.

More bad news for you guys, as it looks like AB has picked up a rib injury. I think he will miss the last game in Sydney anyway because he'll be suspended for slow over rates, so not a great game for your boys tonight!

Yes, AB is a worry, but our inability to finish the job is the really worrying factor, but nothing new, unfortunately :(

Oh well, I guess that's the way it goes some times. I can remember the Aussies scoring 426 and getting run down by your blokes, so all isn't lost!

I think we have a pretty good squad at the moment, especially in the bowling.

For SA's sake, I hope the rib injury to AB isn't serious. You guys really need him at the moment!

:)) Yes, but that was a long time ago, and with a completely different team! Remember the Herschel Gibbs show? Still one of my favourite Saffa batsmen, even though he probably cost us that infamous world cup (don't memtion the world cup!!!)

Echo your sentiments re AB - without him, where would we be?

Yes, I remember the Hershel Gibbs show quite well, it still gives me cold shivers! However, when I need to get over that loss, I just take a look at the "dropped world cup catch" and suddenly I'm smiling again!

He was quite an enigma, hu?

I've looked at the papers today and they mention nothing of AB's injury or suspensions, so not sure what will happen tomorrow. I'm tipping that they'll rest him anyway, as I'm sure SA has bigger fish to fry now that the one day series is lost.

Who are you playing at home this year?

Just checked on Cricinfo - they are saying there is still ranking to play for tomorrow. They also don't have anything about AB, so guess we will just have to wait and see:).

We are playing WI this year - very happy - they are my favourite team after the Proteas. How about you?

Yes, you are right. If we win, we go to no.1, so there is plenty to still play for. I think if you guys win you'll go to no.2 and knock us back to no.3.

At the moment SA is coasting! QDK is batting really well, damn it! I guess he was due!

We have India here this year then a one day tri series with India and England, then obviously the world cup next year, so a really busy schedule coming up.

I don't have a second favorite team. I love seeing the poms lose, and I mean, really love seeing them lose! It's an Aussie/Pom thing! Nothing better than a crying, bleating pom, it's a beautiful thing!

The subcontinent sides are a yawn to watch because of the rubbish wickets they prepare, and the WI are a rabble. NZ have no exciting players, they are just a good club side for mine. Your mob are probably the next best side to watch. You play on pitches similar to here, and you obviously have some fantastic players.

Not sure why you like WI. You might change your tune if they decide to pull out of your series as well over in fighting and player payments! Like I said, they are a rabble, and I tell you pulling out of a series against India will not help their cause any either. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!

Looks like the Aussies will be chasing plenty tonight! Hang on, Faf's gone for 2! Now all we need is to get that yound kid De Cock!

Ha ha ha re the poms! My late husband was British, but he considered himself a Saffa and NEVER supported the brits - in fact, he used to make derogatory jokes about them :).

I like the WI just because they seem to be such nice guys (it's a girl thing!) - or at least, they used to be. Maybe the they have changed with the change of personnel.

And I see Mr Powerplay is doing his thing yet again - 2 wickets so far - DAMN!

Oh boy, I see the wickets are falling like skittles again - our weak middle order up to par again! Hope baby-face can manage to keep his wicket, though I am sure that's the last thing you want! :)

Yes, we Aussies just love poms! The joke's on them really. They sent their worst convicts out here, to beautiful, sunny, warm Aus, whilst their stuffy upper crust remained stuck in their cold, dreary little iceberg!

I think WI are in trouble as far as cricket goes. Clearly they've lost their way. It's a problem of trying galvanize a bunch of Caribbean nations into one united entity and identity. The 70' and 80's are but a distant memory.

This breed are kids who only worship the mighty dollar. Many of their best athletes are playing basket ball in the states, as they can earn much more money over there doing that.

These current guys have become mercenaries. They have no national identity, so therefore no pride in the name WI. It means little to them other than a paycheck. Whether cricket survives in the Caribbean will be a point of conjecture. They are not well funded, their training facilities etc are poor, and they don't have good internal structure nurturing their game.

Hey, QKD is doing a great rescue job for your boys! Good to see him make 100. I like the kid. He has that boyish innocence and meekness about him that is appealing. He can bat though!

Oh, oh, spoke too soon! Pat Cummins strikes again, and QDK is out!!!

Yes, dammit :((. Here we go again! The coaching team have a lot of work to do here.

Did not know that about the WI. What a pity. The WI of old were an incredible force to be reckoned with - no mean feat for such a small population who were not even one country. The mighty dollar has become an illness that has infected most of the world's population these days, especially the young, who want to be paid vast amounts for doing absolutely nothing.

The WI came out to SA in the early 80s. I was working for National Panasonic, who were one of the sponsors of the tour, so they came into the office quite a bit. The one thing I remember about them was how incredibly tall they were - and I am not exactly short!

Behardien is keeping the end up though - hope I haven't put the evil eye on him!

Yes Behardien is going ok.

I'll tell you a funny story. When I was in the Army back in the mid 80's we had an international one day tournament over here featuring all of the cricketing nations. They were having a big private reception here in Melbourne, and I was chosen as a chaperon for one of the teams. It was a huge gig for a young cricket fan like me I can tell you!

We got to draw the names out of the hat for the team that we would be chaperoning for the night, and I copped... you guessed it... the poms! David bloody Gower and his mob! "Pip, pip, stiff upper lips chaps, let's show them we're British." I kid you not, David Gower actually said those words!

Anyway, we got to mingle with all the players. It was a real hoot! I shook Joel Garner's hand! Boy he is a huge guy! His whole hand swallowed mine, and I got a crick in my neck from staring up at him! He was a cracking bloke though, huge smile, huge teeth, huge everything!

I talked to Imran Khan, who I though was a sleazy grease ball, and of course all the Aussie boys. It was a great night, however we were always protecting our slouch hats, as the cricketers thought they were great and wanted to steal them!

Wonderful story - I love that! The stiff upper lip crowd don't get much of a showing these days - most of them are Saffas! We refer to them here as the SA A team lol :)

In the end, we got a reasonably decent score, considering the collapse and the lack of AB. Should be an interesting chase!

Looks like rain is going to spoil the evening! Trust Sydney weather to ruin the party! I'm sure they don't mind up there though, as today they had temperatures of 45 degrees in the west of Sydney, the hottest day on record for November. And it isn't even summer here yet!

Wow - that's incredible - and it will bring the risk of fires too. You seem to be going along nicely now, so unless anything untoward happens, you should have this in the bag - worse luck :)

Yeah, well I never count my chickens before they hatch! Watson is going well, so if he stays in, we should do it ok.

Yes, it's been intolerably warm for this time of year up north in the Sydney area. Crazy stuff really, as they aren't usually that much warmer than here. Today was around 26 in Melbourne, just glorious. I played golf (badly as usual) so glad it wasn't too hot!

WOW! Abbott just bowled Smith off a no-ball! SA can't afford to be doing that kind of stuff!

Went out yesterday, but the result was already a forgone conclusion, though I believe Robbie P very nearly did it for us, so the finish was closer than I had anticipated. My aunt thought that we were more interested in trying out the youngsters ahead of the WC than winning the series. Maybe, not sure though, as we are a pretty competitive bunch. Oh well - see you at the WC then! :)

Yes, it was a close one in the end. I think we got too cocky, and our set batsmen were more intent on finishing the game with big shots rather than milking the bowlers which is all they had to do. They lost stupid wickets to crazy shots, and in the end nearly lost the match!

Once again Faulkner pulled us out of the mire and got us over the line with a big heavy to leg for 4.

I think there may have been some truth to what your aunt said. For sure they were trying to give as many players as possible the opportunity to play under Australian conditions. Guys like QDK will benefit from experience, as he was found out early by the pace and bounce of our wickets, but in the end scored a really nice century.

Onto the world cup now Eunice. Bring it on!

Yes, Faulkner sounds like a really good ace for you - a bit like 'Zulu' (Lance Klusener) used to be for us.

Hopefully we will do our failing now, and not at the WC lol!

Yeah well, I don't mind if you guys win over here in the cup group matches, so long as it's not against us!

I'm sure whatever way it pans out, it'll be an intensely fought World cup, but realistically, I think the Aussies will be favorites on their own turf. I can't see the sub continent boys coping all that well with our quicks in our conditions, so we'll see.

Lol.

You are probably right about the sub continent'ers. All to play for then!

G'day Eunice. You may not know, but Phillip Hughes (the guy who scored two 100's against SA on debut over your way) was hit by a bouncer this afternoon whilst playing for SA against NSW and is in critical condition in hospital.

They had to do 20 minutes of CPR on him at the ground before he was airlifted to hospital and he had emergency brain surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. He is listed as critical but stable at the moment. As you can imagine, it is huge news here tonight!

Clarke has been ruled out of the first test against India, and Hughes was, in all likelihood, going to be his replacement. Now I guess the question will be, if he survives, will he will ever play cricket again?

What a tragedy........

Hi Darren, yes, I was profoundly shocked to hear the news yesterday and wanted to send you a message, but I was busy and unable to do so. I have been checking the news from time to time to check on his progress, when I saw this morning that he had died! I am so very sorry and extend my sincere condolences to you, as my closest link to Cricket Australia, and to the rest of the cricket loving Australians, his family and friends and all the players as well.

It must be extremely difficult for everyone involved, especially Sean Abbott - I cannot even begin to imagine what he must be going through. I think there is going to be quite a bit of fallout from this - it has already begun with the ambulance services being blamed. With regard to the safety of the game, I do not see what else they can do - it was a completely freak accident (like Mark Boucher's eye injury), and with a fundementally dangerous game like cricket, you cannot cover all the bases. Let's just hope there isn't another such incident in our lifetimes.

My thoughts and prayers are with you all at this difficult time.

Hi Eunice, yes it's a pretty somber scene over here at the moment. I didn't find out until late this afternoon that Phil had passed away as I've been on a course all day, so I'm still in a state of shock.

It's a terrible tragedy, and I still can't comprehend how this could possibly have happened to such a talented guy. I'm pretty sure he would have been in the test side for the first match against India next week, and now this happens. And to think that his family saw the whole incident play out right in front of their eyes, really makes it even harder to understand.

Like you, I feel for Shaun Abbott, as he was a really good mate of Phil's and apparently he is shattered by what has happened.

The entire cricketing world is in shock. Such terrible, terrible news! Words can't express the sense sorrow and the sheer frustration at God's hand. Why him? At 25 he had all his years before him. Now all we have is the all too brief memories of an unfulfilled talent, and of the promise, now forfeit, of a brilliant career.

Yes, I am also still in a state of shock too - my surname is also Hughes, BTW. It is a terrrible accident, but I do not blame God (or the Supreme Source, as I see it) - it is part of life, and these things happen - as the saying goes "Bad things happen to good people". My outlook is very much of the Eastern / Buddhist philosophy - the Universe is completely neutral and does not decide to reward this one and punish that one - we create our own realities. While we cannot know for sure, my feeling is that it may have been Karmic, or perhaps it was just part of the experience of life, as per the thinking put forward in Conversations with God.

Whatever the case may be, I know that he lives on - we are all spirit having a physical experience, as opposed to the other way round and as you know, energy cannot be created or destroyed. Quantum physics tells us this too - that at base we are all energy and all one. I always feel that it is the lucky ones who have moved on - life in the physical can be very hard, especially for those left behind - I know - I've been there. But time really does heal all and knowing that he has simply moved into another dimension might help. If you are interested, get hold of a book called "Dying to be Me" by Anita Moorjani, or look her up on the internet - there are YouTube videos of her telling her story - quite extraordinary, and life changing, I think.

Eunice, you never cease to amaze me! I have to tell you that I'm not into Buddhism, and I'm not an overly religious person either, but what you just wrote touches an accord with my feelings on the subject of death and life after death.

I guess it's the eternal mystery, right? I have also read books on the subject, and I've been to a John Edward seminar, and I do believe that life is eternal. The soul survives death and we move into the spirit plane, otherwise, what is the point of it all?

Several years ago I had an accident in my plane. I was flying from Melbourne to Adelaide in rather windy, but fine weather. I had to refuel at a small country strip, and the runway was like a paddock. I didn't realise that somewhere along the way a burr had punctured my left main tyre.

I refueled and took off and landed again at a small town just out of Adelaide called Murray Bridge. There was a pretty fierce cross wind, so I landed left wing down at a high angle of attack which meant I was flying slow when I touched down. Anyway, the left tyre being flat caused the disc brake to dig into the dirt runway and I ground looped.

I was very fortunate not to tip the thing over and do a lot more damage than a couple of wheels ripped off the rims, and two buckled disk brakes! Still it was a pretty hairy ride there for a few seconds!

Anyway, to cut a long story short, one of the people that helped me was an older gentleman who turned out to be a priest who was a student trying to get his pilot's licence.

As I couldn't fly the plane, he offered to give me a lift into Adelaide to meet my family. On the way we got talking and it turns out that he had been a priest for only 4 years.

So, I asked him what made him decide to be a priest at his stage in life. He told me that he'd done two tours of Vietnam as a medic, and had been a paramedic for 30 years, and he'd seen hundreds of cases of patients who'd experienced an NDE (Near Death Experience.)

Then 4 years previous he'd had one himself! He said he saw a light and was drawn into it where he felt a pure love. Then a voice spoke to him and told him that he couldn't go any further as it wasn't his time.

Next thing he knew he woke up in hospital with the realisation that he had to become a priest! Then he said, that I might not believe him, but there is life after death, and we all carry on because he'd seen it.

He also added that he thought God had been looking out for me that day as the weather due to the gale force winds would have been treacherous going across the hills into Adelaide, and I might not have made it.

I tell you it put a shiver down my spine! He then said that he thought that I was fated to meet him at that time so that I could be told this story, and it's always stuck in my mind about the set of circumstances that lead to me ending up at Murray Bridge with a busted up plane. And that is another story!

So, I hear what you say, and I totally have the same beliefs and ideals as you. I read a book called Soul Survivor which is an amazing story of a little boy who remembers a past life. There's even a Utube video on the kid. It is an amazing story, so if you get the chance, check it out. The boy's name is James Leininger.

I'm going to bed now, but I promise I'm looking up Anita Moojani tomorrow!

Thanks for sharing your story with me Darren. Yes, I do not believe in coincidences. Everything happens for a reason. In fact, in Deepak Chopra's book, SynchroDestiny, he talks about the role of coincidence in our lives and that they are sent as markers to help guide us, so we should be actively looking out for them; and he gives pointers on how to do so. A very good book as well - I can highly recommend it.

I will certainly look out for the book - I am going to the library now, so will see if they have it. I just recently read another book on the same subject called Yesterday's Children: The Extraordinary Search for my Past Life Family by Jenny Cockell. If you are interested in the subject, you will certainly enjoy it as well.

Sleep well my friend, chat tomorrow...

G'day Eunice! i just finished watching an interview with Anita Moorjani. What an amazing story! To be so terminally ill with cancer and to fully recover is just incredible.

I think her NDE is very similar to most others I have heard, but where she differs from the rest is her ability to explain her experience as to the true meaning of life, which is what most of us are searching for. A truly inspirational woman, and one of the best NDE experiences I've seen.

As for coincidences, I think you are correct in your belief. With my plane accident, there was a chain of events put in place that ended up with me being at Murray Bridge to meet that priest.

Firstly, I was supposed to preflight the plane the night before I left, so that I could get there early the next morning and takeoff. However I got side tracked at a friend's house and didn't make the airport that night.

Secondly, when I arrived the next morning I found only 50 liters of fuel in the tank instead of the usual 60 to fill it up. We kept a 44 gallon drum of avgas in the hanger to refuel the planes with, and it was always unlocked. This morning it was locked and I couldn't find the key, so I decided to take off with 50 liters on board or around 45 minutes less fuel than normal.

Thirdly, I also wanted to put the wheel spats on the landing gear, as it gives an extra 5 knots cruise speed due to less drag, but for some reason I couldn't find them either, so I decided to go without them as well.

Fourthly, when I finally took off, I found that I had a 45 knot tail wind which gave me a ground speed of around 145 knots. I arrived at Nhill with 20 liters of fuel or just over an hour flying time left. Murray Bridge at my current airspeed was about one hour away. It was cutting it too fine to make Murray Bridge without refueling, so I landed at Nhill and caught that puncture without me knowing it.

The thing of it is, if I'd preflighted the aircraft the night before, I would have topped up the tank. If I'd had that extra 10 liters I would have made it to Murray Bridge without having to land at Nhill. I would never have crashed, and I would never have met the priest, who just happened to be having a flying lesson at the time, and he and his instructor came upon me about 10 minutes after my accident.

If I'd found the spats and put them on, they would have been destroyed at best, or they could have caused the aircraft to flip at worst. They cost about $1,000 dollars, so it would have turned into an expensive exercise!

So I often sit back and wonder about that day, it was one of the most surreal experiences of my life!

Yup - that's the way these things work all right! :)

For me, the Anita Moorjani story is more than just another NDE - it's the miracle of her spontaneous healing from terminal cancer, with just hours left to live, and all that without any input from the doctors. If that can happen to one person, incredible miracles like that can happen to any of us. As Wayne Dyer says, if something happens once, it has to happen again, to anyone. You can't have one law for one person and another for anyone else. If it happened once, it will always happen, that's the law! Which means we all have the ability to create miracles - wonderful, isn't it? We just have to learn how things really work - like understanding how the laws of physics allow us to fly, then applying them to create that reality for ourselves.

I looked for the book you mentioned, Soul Survivor, but it is not available in any of the libraries in Cape Town. However, I watched the videos online - very interesting. More and more of this kind of information will be surfacing, because we are going through an awakening, where we all finally realize who we really are (spirit having a physical experience) and how things really work. Also, the children are still so close to this reality, not having long left the spirit world, and not having had it beaten out of them by our left-brain, logical society, which is why there is so much more coming from them than from the adults. Anyway, I think it's all very exciting, but it is quite a challenge to overcome our old, ingrained and limiting ways of thinking and behaving, which is what creates the opposite of what we really want. Nevertheless, it's inspiring stories like Anita's and all the others that I think are so encouraging, and keep me going even when I keep sabotaging myself!

Right, I'll get off my soap-box now :)

Yes, you certainly have a passion for it, I can tell! Maybe you could create your own niche on this subject!

I find it fascinating as well. There has to be more to life than this mortal coil, and I believe we are all on a journey of discovery, and there is a purpose for everything. Some of the lessons seem harsh and unfair, but there is a greater power than ours guiding our hands. I believe our destinies are preordained, and things will happen as mapped out for your life.

I also believe we have spiritual guides, beings who subconsciously guide your hand. They speak to you as if it is your thoughts. Sometimes louder than others!

When I fly, I always feel as if I am not alone in the cockpit. It's just a feeling I have that there is some one there with me, keeping me calm and telling me what to do. Maybe we all have a bit of James Leininger in us, and many years ago I may have been a pilot in another life as well. Who knows?

I went to a psychic once many years ago, and she predicted a lot of what has happened in my life so far. That was also one of the most surreal experiences of my life as well!

Anyway, not sure if you heard about the NZ v Pakistan test in the UAE. Day 3 was postponed on the Wednesday when news of Phil Hughes's death was announced, and when they took the field on Thursday is was also a surreal day, as the kiwis did not celebrate taking wickets, and they refused to bowl short pitched deliveries or have anyone close to the bat. Brendon Mcullum scored the fasted test hundred by a NZ player, yet barely acknowledged the crowd, and did not show any emotion what so ever. The commentators were saying it was the weirdest day of cricket they'd ever seen, ans it was clear that both sides did not want to be on the field playing the test.

I see the first test between AUS and India has been postponed as Hughe's funeral in on Wednesday, the day before the test, and the players would not have been up for the game the next day.

In another very sad story from yesterday, one of our elite hockey players was struck in the head by a hockey ball and died. She was just 24. It's amazing how these disasters seem to follow each other. They say these things happen in 3's, so let's hope it proves wrong in this instance!

I just had to add a postscript! I just read that an umpire and former captain of the Israel cricket team was struck and killed by a cricket ball yesterday, so there is your 3 tragedy. Hopefully this will be the end of it now! I just can't believe it all!

Wow, that's incredible Darren! I had not heard about the Pak vs NZ match - it must have been very difficult for the players in the circumstances. At some stage though, things will get back to normal though - it has to, as life must go on.

With regard to those deaths, it might just be that because of what's happened, one is more aware of it and therefore a 'tuning in' to other similar incidents. It's one of the things that happens when you set an intention or goal - suddenly you start to notice the object of your intention or goal popping up everywhere. It's not that it is more frequent, just that you are noticing it more. It could be the same thing here, that these incidents are being reported more because the international news media is more attuned to that wavelength right now.

Your experiences in the cockpit must be wonderful - it must be so great to have that feeling on a reqular basis. Still haven't got there myself, but hopefully, one day soon :)

G'day Eunice, I thought I replied to your message last night, but apparently I did something wrong, and it wasn't sent. Silly me!

Anyway, yes I agree that there is probably some truth to what you say about the media being sensitive to similar incidents, although I do find it a bit more than a coincidence that these 3 tragedies have taken place within days of each other.

As for the flying, well I am a Pisces, and it is supposed to be the oldest sign and the most sensitive, so maybe every now and then I get a sixth sense, a kind of intuition. I'm no psychic though, that's for sure! All I know is that I feel more comfortable when I am by myself than if I have others people watching over my shoulder.

Looks like the first test will be postponed in Brisbane, and they'll now play in Adelaide later this month. It's amazing how much Phil's death has affected people from all around the world.

Apparently a captain in grade cricket on the weekend was on the verge of smashing the club highest score of 220 when he looked up and saw the score at 6 for 408 after 63 overs.

He promptly declared much to the amazement of his team mates who fully expected him to go for the record. That was until they also noticed the score board. 408 was Phil Hughe's test player no. and 63 was the score he was on when he got hit by the bouncer.

He was applauded by both teams as he walked off the ground.

Apparently NZ used his death as motivation to beat the Paki's last night, and they walloped them by an innings. Great result for them, considering how badly we got mauled last month!.

It's funny how life just throws these little coincidences at you sometimes!

That is for sure!

Yes, people are hypersensitive at the moment - wonder how long it will go on for? Do you think that bowlers will be more circumspect about bowling the bouncer from now on, or will they go back to normal at some point? I should think it has had a pretty profound effect on them all...

Yes, I'm sure bowlers will be a little gun shy for a while about bowling the bouncer, but as you said, time heals all wounds. It's like when people you know die in car crashes, how you drive more carefully for a bit, then after a time, it's back to normal.

Peter George (ex Aussie bowler from South Australia) bowled the first over of a first grade match yesterday and actually came down the pitch and told the batsman he was going to bowl a bouncer, then went back to his mark, ran in, and bowled it so short that it was called a wide. He said he had to do it to get the the tension out of the air, but then said he didn't feel like bowling another short ball for the rest of the day.

So clearly cricketers are gun shy, but as I said, given time, I'm sure normal transmission will resume!,

Yeah, I agree - we tend to have short memories! Interesting story about Peter George. By the way, I forgot to tell you that the local radio station I listen to, which has very truncated news bulletins, and only 5 times a day, mentioned the death of the the umpire from Israel within minutes of my posting my reply to your reporting of it!

Yes, Phil Hughes's funeral is today, so it's going to be another big news day here for him. The press are just keeping this story bubbling along as it good for business.

Hopefully after today we can all get back to some normalcy, and the best thing that can happen is the Aussie boys start playing cricket again.

It'll be interesting to see how Mitch Johnson handles it, as he uses his pace and short pitch bowling to intimidate batsmen, which has worked so well for him over the past few seasons. Whether he'll have the mind set so continue with that aggressive approach will be interesting to see. I hope so.

It will be interesting to see, so it's hurry up and wait, I suppose :)

G'day Eunice, Well Phil Hughes's funeral was a huge affair with over 50,000 people attending across Australia. Michael Clarke gave a heart rending eulogy, and looked pretty shattered at the end. Whether he can come up for the first test in Adelaide next week will be interesting to see, but I'm sure he'll want to be there in what I reckon will be a very emotional match.

Anyway, let's hope we can all resume transmission and get on with life again now that this tragedy has finally been laid to rest.

I'll second that Darren. Getting the funeral over is the best thing, now people can hopefully move on, as you said.

I will be interested to know how the test pans out as far as the bowling goes - keep me posted please!

Will do. It's going to be one fascinating test. Clarke is still only 50/50 so it could be a tough match for the Aussies after all their players have been through, especially as guys like Warner, Watson, Haddin and Hazelwood were all on the field when Hughes was hit. No one will known what their state of mind is until the game begins. Watch this space!

I didn't realize that about so many international players being on the field - that's really tough for them. How is Sean Abbott doing, do you know? I really feel for him, and he is still so young.

I will do - I presume you will keep me updated?

Yes, I also forgot to mention Nathan Lyon, so there was a fair percentage of the Aussie cricket side involved in that fateful match.

It's fair to say Shaun Abbott is struggling with what has happened. He attended Hughes's funeral on Wednesday which I thought was a pretty gutsy effort. He has received overwhelming support from around the globe and especially from Phillip's family but I'm sure it's cold comfort to him at the moment.

Apparently he opted out of club cricket this weekend, so he is still affected by what has happened, and understandably so, although he has been back bowling in the nets which is a good sign.

Don't worry Eunice, I'll keep you posted on what goes down once the test match starts. I think it'll be one of the most widely watched games of cricket for some time. The emotions will be pretty raw, and I'm sure it'll be a cracker of a game!

Thanks Darren. I think you're right about it being a widely watched game.

Yes, I think SA is going to need a lot of counselling and a great deal of guts before he gets over this fully.

Thanks again for keeping me posted :)

Well, Clarke is definitely playing, finally ending speculation on that score. The Aussies will wear the no. 408 on their shirts which was Phil Hughes's test no. and he's been selected as 13th man for the test side as a gesture or respect. If that doesn't motivate our boys to go in all guns blazing then nothing will.

In some good news, Shaun Abbott is back in training and has been bowling in the nets. Apparently he seem determined to get back into it again which is a really positive sign for him moving forward. We call all take breath now and let the on field cricket do the talking. Bring it on!!

That's really moving! I agree with you that that will be a huge motivator - should be interesting!

G'day Eunice. Well our boys blew a great start yesterday by losing 3 quick wickets at the end of the day. We're 6-354 at stumps, still in a pretty handy position thanks to an amazing 145 from Dave Warner. It was a pretty emotional day. Richie Beneaud got proceedings under way with a tribute to Phil Hughes, then there was 63 seconds of clapping to acknowledge him.

Another emotional moment was when Dave Warner reached 63. The entire crowd stood and clapped, and Warner acknowledged the milestone by raising his bat to the sky. I think this will become a tradition now in Australian cricket.

He really batter beautifully, but threw his wicket away late in the day with an attempted hoick over mid wicket, only to find Ishant Sharma out on the boundary.

Michael Clarke struggled a bit but looked good for 60 until he broke down with a reoccurence of his back problem, and had to leave the field. I think he'll struggle to play the rest of the match, and even the series which will be a great body blow for us.

At the moment Steve Smith is holding the innings together with a nice 70 no. He'll need to kick on to ensure we have a big total to bowl at.

In better news, Shaun Abbott played for NSW yesterday, and took a couple of wickets, so hopefully he's on the come back trail, and can get back to his best quickly.

Thanks for the update Darren, especially the more 'human' details, as the radio just reports the scores :). I am moving over the next few days, and from Friday till Tuesday will be without the internet as I will be in the new place by then and the line will only be transfered on Tuesday, so I will catch up with you as and when...

Good luck with the move! I'd hate to have to move from where I am! Almost 25 years of accumulated junk, I just don't know where I'd fit it all into a new place!

Anyway, the Aussies have really taken command of this test.

In an amazing turn of events, Michael Clarke came out to bat first up this morning. No one expected it, least of all the Indians I think. He looked very proppy and shuffled like an old man between the wickets. Some of his shots made him wince in pain, but somehow he managed to find the will to carry on. It was probably one of the most courageous innings of his career, ranking right up there with his 160 not out against your guys when Morne Morkel attacked him with the short stuff knowing full well Clarke had a break in his hand. He sure is one gutsy player!

At the other end Steve Smith was just magnificent. He bludgeoned the ball everywhere, and the Indians just didn't know where to bowl to him in the end, as he just kept on swinging for the pickets.

We had a bit of rain today, which is rather ironic because Adelaide is in the driest state on the driest continent in the world! It interrupted the day several times and cost a couple of hours play.

I think that is why Smith batted as he did. It was incredible to watch. He reached 100 just after a rain delay and immediately walked over to where the groundsmen had painted a huge 408 figure on the field, pointed at it with his bat then raised it to the sky, another very moving gesture for Phil Hughes.

Michael Clarke then bought up his ton and his celebration was very subdued. I guess it was all just a sense of relief and satisfaction for him. His record in Adelaide is amazing. 10 tests for 7 hundreds, the most of any batsmen in test history.

He was eventually out for 128 and Smith is still there on 160. The Aussies are 7 -517 and I would suggest they'll declare pretty soon on day 3.

It's been an amazing game, with so many emotional highlights, seriously, you couldn't write a movie script about it! I doubt anyone will forget this match anytime soon, especially the grim determination shown by the 3 NSW boys in scoring tons for Phil Hughes. You just can't buy that kind of raw emotion.

Both Warner and Smith said they felt like Hughes was out there batting with them, and who knows, maybe he was. It sure seems that way after everything that's happened so far.

It's a pity you guys don't get it over there on Foxtel. It's riveting viewing.

Have fun packing!

A very quick note, as I am seriously pushed for time. Thanks for the update Darren, and for the packing comment - NOT :(, lol! We do get coverage on satelite, but I don't currently have it.

I will be offline from now till Tuesday, maybe, because it is a public holiday here, so maybe they will only do the transfer on Wednesday, will have to wait and see. Enjoy the rest of the game

G'day Eunice, how did your move go?

Well, plenty has happened over here as you no doubt have seen in the news. The terrible tragedy in Martin Place just goes to highlight that there are morons out there who will stop at nothing to cause mayhem for some murderous ideal. It's crazy, the world has gone insane!

The cricket has been interesting. No doubt you saw that the Aussies beat India in the first match in one of the great tests. It was a beauty, and India nearly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat thanks to Kohli.

We are struggling a bit in the second test chasing down Phil Hughes's test no. of 408, and are 4 -224 with Steve Smith once again leading from the front after taking over the captaincy from an injured Michael Clarke.

Anyway, I hope all is well over there, and I have been watching a bit of the SA v WI test, but it is a yawn as your mob are just running rough shod over the hapless Caribbean boys, as I told you they would. No doubt AB and Amla are real class acts, and showed that again to two stella knocks, albeit helped by some pretty woeful bowling by WI and an injury to Roach, their best bowler. Hopefully the rain will clear up, but I think it'll be one way traffic for you guys in this game, and unfortunately, the series!

It's a pleasure Arthur. It certainly does!

It's a pleasure Kim, glad you liked it :)

It's a pleasure Chris - amazing isn't it?