The Crieff Highland Games
21st
August 2012
written by
Antoniete Mitchell
We went to the Crieff Highland Games two days ago! We
travelled on the bus. It was very busy at the Highland Games. Many people were
there from many different countries. There was a slopeful of people. We could
see a spot in the crowd, smack in the middle!
Oooh! The big men were doing the heavy weights! At the
moment they were tossing a stick with a big heavy metal ball on the end.. An
Englishman was the best at the heavy weights. We heard a sudden scream behind
us. Oooh dear, poor guy. He got stung by a wasp. I’ve never gotten stung
before. And I never intend to either. It would hurt. Mum gave the mother some
aloe vera soothe. He felt much better. After that every time I saw a wasp, I
showed it Mum’s thong and they flew off.
Now the running races are on. For the boys – youth my age.
There was only one girl in it named Eva. “Go!” Off they went. Eva won! That
means Eva gets to go in the final at the very end. Now it was the cyclists go.
I could see that the guy in the red used to be a great Olympian in the past,
because guess what, he won every cycle race there!
Phew! There were some young people smoking around us and we
moved to watch the Scottish Highland Dancing. We got a good spot, smack on the side. The older girls just
finished their dance. The younger kids are next. There was a little laddie in
this one! Ooh, this will be interesting. The piper started playing. They all
bowed except for the little laddie. Obviously the boys in the highland dancing
don’t bow. They just stand still looking in the distance. The girls started
dancing. Maybe the laddie has only one part to do. Oh no! He’s forgotten what
to do! No he hasn’t. He’s daydreaming, in another world, a far away land, where
pirate ships fly. Ziiiippp! He looked back down. The competition was almost
over! He flapped his arms in frustration trying hard not to do the
Rumpelstiltskin dance. He finished the dance. “Eeeeee yaah!” he grumbled
pounding his feet against the ground. We left because we really didn’t want to
watch the Rumpelstiltskin dance. I think I’d be more interested in Highland
Dancing.
Hmmm. Not so many pins on the Australian map. More in Europe and France. Oh yes, and
America. We got our photo taken of us pinning our pin onto the Australian map.
We also put our pin on the Philippine map. We were the only ones from the
Philippines.
Mum and Mhikaela
walked back to the spot in the middle of the slope, disappearing with
the crowd. Mum let me watch youths on the sickening rides. It was funny. The
boys were actually screaming louder than the girls!
Hee! Hee! Hee! Swish.
“Aargh!” Another drop. Swish. Pop. “Aargh!” They jerked to a stop and
tumbled down the stairs to the next ride.
Now the tug o’ war was on. Men in red tops, the other side
green tops. They had metal on their heels like tap shoes. They dug in their
heels, so now we know what it means. You get it? The meaning – she/he dug in
her heels. The red team won twice.
The kilt shop was next. Dad was interested in the different
tartans. I loved looking at the highland dancing shoes. They were very
beautiful. They had laces. They were like my ballet shoes. Except they were
black like boys ballet shoes. Mum bought me a pair for only four pounds. Mhikaela got a china doll
for only three pounds! Good bargain!
After that we watched the bands march in. In, in the rain!
There were about ten different bands. Probably 20 in each. Children my age were
in there, playing instruments like bagpipes and drums. The screaming from the
rides was never ending until the ride was finished. The bands marched around
the arena and saluted an old man from the local community. When they marched
passed us it was very loud. They made their music evn louder – pipers blowing
their pipes as hard as they could, drums being struck even louder when they
went passed the rides blocking out all the screaming.
Uh-oh. Motorbikes are coming in. It’s raining too. Very
muddy. The bikes roared in. Everybody seemed to like watching the motorbikes.
We met an Australian woman from Melbourne. Mum and her were talking and
watching in amazement as the bikes flew in the air and landed on the slippery
rubber slope. But I knew that they wouldn’t fall because they wouldn’t do the
bikes if it wasn’t safe. They make it safe. Even though it was safe, it was
still scary watching them leap in the air then land on the slope. We went
before the bikes jumped over the old man from the local community.
After we were out the door, we just missed hearing the bikes
rev up to do a wheelie. Two Filipinas were sitting in the window of their flat
watching the show. We waved at each other. It was funny. We got to the bus
stop. When we got home I fed Fiona the horse next door with a carrot, and went
straight to bed.
What a marvellous day!
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| Marching band |
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| Judging the bands |
