Six Nations

Six Nations rugby is a big deal over here. I discovered this first-hand on Saturday, when we went to see Scotland play Italy at Murrayfields in Edinburgh (the six teams that play in this league are Scotland, Italy, Ireland, England, France and Wales). The match was at 2:30, but we decided to go into Edinburgh early and make a day of it. Edinburgh’s main tourist area is the Royal Mile, a mile long street that links Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace. It’s a beautiful wide street, buzzing with activity. Italians were out in droves on Saturday, all decked out in their national colours. Brendan inserted himself into a photo with some of them. As I took their picture, they erupted into song, clearly enjoying the spectacle they created with their hats and flags!

Edinburgh Castle

Brendan and the Italians!

After a quick walk in and around the castle (we’re hoping to get back with Brendan’s parents when they come), we met up with Diego and Chris for lunch, and then headed to Murrayfields. I had not been to a live sporting event for a long time – it was fun to be in a stadium again and to feel the energy of the crowd. I also enjoyed watching the match. Rugby is an exciting game, fast-paced and engaging to watch. Of course, having Brendan there to explain things to me definitely enriched the experience! He used to play and is itching to get back at it, especially after Saturday. Scotland took the match 21-8 – we were very proud of our adopted country!

Singing the National Anthems before the match

 We returned home that evening quite worn out but pleased with our day. On Friday we had invited a couple friends over to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with stew and Guinness, and on Sunday we went to Mass, had lunch with the Catholic Society, I worked in the afternoon, and then we went to a marriage workshop at St. Mary’s in the evening. Another busy weekend for the Marshall’s!

Reaching for the Guinness on St. Patty's Day!

Our evening out on Sunday was definitely the highlight of the day for me. Christy came over to watch Liam while B and I attended the first of evening a “Growing Married” program that Catriona and Fr. Kenneth are piloting this year at St. Mary’s. The program follows a book called Spiritual Blueprint: How we Live, Work, Love, Play, and Pray. The sessions will be held once a month for the next three months to discuss material from the book. After each session, couples are encouraged to go out for dinner to have a bit of time alone together. B and I are both battling colds and thought we would be too tired to go out for dinner, but the session energized us and we changed our minds! After making sure that Christy could stay the extra time with Liam, we headed to a nearby restaurant to enjoy a quiet meal together. Catriona had given us discussion questions as a follow-up to the session, so we talked about them and about life in general. I treasure moments like that with my husband. I really could not imagine having a better mate.

Stay tuned for news of our next big adventure: a trip to Ireland and Malta! (We’re leaving soon – can’t wait!)