Out of character

I do not like watching sport here or there.

I do not like watching sport anywhere.

I do not like watching it in a house.

I do not like watching it with a mouse.

And yet I spent my Saturday roaring my lungs out at sporty stuff.

Go figure.

The day kicked off with me waking at the crack of dawn with the panicked realisation I had double booked myself – I was attending The American Whiskey Show at the same time as the Matildas were facing off against Sweden for third place in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

This was not something that would normally trouble me as a non-sporty person. But I have found myself invested in the tournament.

The dilemma hung over me as I drove to Concord with the youngest to watch my nephew play in his rugby union grand final.

It was a knife edge game. They only won in the last few extra minutes of the match and I was screaming like a banshee when they did.

Then I hoofed off to get my hair coloured and cut – blimey staving off the grey is a major and expensive endeavour.

There was just enough time to duck home and grab a warm jacket before heading to The American Whiskey Show at the Overseas Passenger Terminal, The Rocks.

The American Whiskey Show is Australia’s largest festival celebrating Bourbon, Rye, American Single Malts and Canadian Whiskeys. DD lurves his bourbon, so we said a big YES when the co-founder of The Whisky List, Oliver Maruda, asked us if we’d like to attend.

It was such an atmospheric event.

The Smokin Hot & Saucy Texan BBQ food truck was filling the air with the most delicious smoky aromas and a live band was cranking out some cracking Southern music.

DD and I both agreed it felt like we’d been transported to America.

I made some new friends while doing my social media thing …

I caught up with Oliver and the founder of The Whisky Show, David Ligoff …

And there were more than 100 different whiskeys to sample.

We had a fabulous time sipping delicious Old Fashioned cocktails and trying a few delicious new bourbons.

I said hello to the guys from Brown-Forman, who were my hosts at the Glenglassaugh event I went to a few weeks ago …

I also fell in love with Sortilège, a unique blend of Canadian whisky and maple syrup.

Sooooo good and I managed to grab the last bottle on sale in The Whisky Show store.

Then DD had the inspired idea to duck into Rydges Sydney Harbour in The Rocks to watch the end of the Matildas game against Sweden.

The bar was populated but not overcrowded and we scored a sofa to sit and enjoy a glass of wine while we viewed the game in comfort … and we both took photos of each other at the bar without realising.

While the game didn’t go our way I am incredibly proud of the Matildas and everything they have achieved. I love that the tournament has inspired girls to play sport and know that Australia is cheering them on.

We walked back to our bus stop through Circular Quay – the Sydney Opera House looked absolutely magical lit up in green and gold.

On Sunday the youngest drove to Blacktown to cheer for her AFL team in their grand final.

It was a tough one for her because she couldn’t compete due to her ongoing concussion issues.

The team lost the game but she said it was an exciting match.

When she returned my car I headed up to DD’s for a bowl of chicken soup and a quiet night as I was starting to feel poorly. I think overdoing everything has finally caught up with me and I have a cold or virus or something.

I am feeling very not great this morning.

Fingers crossed for a swift recovery as I don’t really have time to stop this week.

Hope you had a good weekend.

Song of the day: Queen “We are the champions”