Graeme

Thank you! The AFL is still male-dominated, but there are women in positions of authority, too. For example, the president of the board for the Richmond Football club is a woman. However, on the sporting side, there are very few females represented. There are some, but not a lot.

I know that some people like to order the medal tally by the total number of medals, but I prefer the order which is by the number of gold medals, and then silver and bronze. At the moment, Japan and the USA have five medals apiece, while Australia only has three, but two of ours are gold (both from swimming) which puts us at the top of the medal tally Since that's not going to last, I thought I get it while it was still true...

First and most important -- congratulations on your wedding! That's a special day for many of us Kevin's problem was always that he was only visiting Melbourne. It's where he grew up, but he now lives in Sydney. It would difficult for him to have a relationship with someone who lived in Melbourne. That was the stumbling block between him and Warwick. Warwick didn't want someone who would leave him after only a few weeks. And, no, it wasn't really a surprise that Ty got the medal

It's interesting the number of readers who have told me that they don't care for sports. I've obviously tapped into some sort of market, though I'm not exactly sure what that market is... Seriously, though, thank you. I always enjoy hearing from a new reader, and you've made that even better with your wonderful review.

Ouch... French gymnast breaks his leg: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-07/olympic-gymnast-samir-ait-said-breaks-leg/7698100

Thank you! Doug is maturing and beginning to recognise that he can't always have things his way. He's also starting to see beneath the surface of other people (Neil in particular), something he didn't do a lot of previously. Carlton are certainly in a prime spot with the draft order to pick up the brat, but you never know... Other clubs have been known to draft someone without speaking to them first. Indeed, that happened in the actual 2014 draft with one of the first round picks. The club that drafted him hadn't spoken to him all year! I'm glad you liked Kevin's speeches to Ross. Do you think he convinced him that gay men are people, too? Ross's date and the selection of Leopards head coach will be dealt with in the next chapter, along with the usual selection of surprises

Working within the constraints of a real AFL draft has both its advantages and disadvantages. It really does constrain what I can do and what I can't, but it also means I can do things that normally I wouldn't get away with because they really happened The vast majority of readers will not be aware of what actually occurred during the 2014 AFL draft, so this is a nice way to inform them that things can be just as crazy in the world of the AFL as in their favourite sport

I think if Kevin hadn't been so emphatic with his support of Warwick, Ross probably would have panicked. However, Kevin's obvious approval of Warwick would have warred against Ross's concerns that Warwick would be another Stuart, and it appears that was enough to overcome Ross's fears. As for Jim, we know that Port Adelaide have also expressed an interest in him. Carlton may have been using Jim to get access to Ty, but we've got no reason to believe Port Adelaide had ulterior motives for contacting him. Having said that, a lot of players will be contacted by AFL teams without being drafted. We'll have to wait and see if Port Adelaide are willing to draft Jim...

Field hockey is the only real hockey It's usually between us and the Netherlands...

Thanks, Tim! As usual, you've given me lots to think about and hopefully reply to. I'll do my best to not say I can't comment As Julie said, there are board members who simply won't accept a female coach. Peter had to put his foot down to get Julie as an assistant coach in the first place (back in Leopard Skin Cover). She's given it her best, but she recognises that Henry has strengths she doesn't have. Warwick obviously saw something in Ross that he liked. He guessed (correctly) on Ross being gay and he took a chance. It almost backfired, and if Kevin hadn't been there, it probably would've. As for why Warwick asked then and not after another night out, maybe he wondered if he would get another night out with Ross if he didn't make a move. And, no, Ross isn't blond But, as Kevin showed, that's easily fixed Ty doesn't always have a healthy view of his own talent. Before joining the Leopards, he was arrogant and boastful. Now, he's much more private about how good he is...and he's aware that the AFL clubs aren't talking to him. Given that they're talking to others, he would naturally expect one of them to win the best player award. He may think he's in with a chance, but someone like Deon would, in Ty's eyes, have a better chance. Ty still sees talent in terms of AFL-potential. He doesn't appear to have AFL-potential, Deon does, so he would see Deon as the more likely winner. Thankfully, the coaches have a different view on what makes someone the player of the year Thanks again for a great review! I hope you enjoy the following chapters, too

Just so you know, I'm going to be completely parochial Australian We will, as usual, be at or near the top of the medal tally once you take population into account I won't make a prediction on the number of gold medals we'll win (there have been Olympics when we've won little or even none -- talk of the Montreal Olympics is off limits, everyone!), but our strengths are in the pool, cycling, hockey, and shooting. I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that our men's basketball team will win their first medal.

“Nervous?” Gregory Talbert asked Charlie as the two sat opposite each other in the St. Kilda Football Club’s training facility in the bayside suburb of Seaford. “Yes. Is it obvious?” Charlie gave the trainer an uneasy smile. “A little, but I don’t think anyone in your shoes wouldn’t be nervous. Just relax and do your best.” “What’s the schedule for today? I believe I’m going to be doing the same tests they do at the combines. Is that right?” “At least, some of them. We’ll do the abbreviated

While we all love the idea of someone standing up for themselves, discovering who they are without help, the reality is more like what is happening with Dorian. In this chapter it's Darlene that's leading him, but it's still him doing the hard work. She encouraged him, using the excuse that she wanted to interview the 'real' Dorian Gale, but she was only the catalyst -- he was the one who had to discover that person within himself. It looks like he's doing so. Slowly, naturally, but he's becoming his own person.

Youtuber reunites homeless woman with family

A reader needs to connect with the characters in a story to at least some degree, or why are they reading? I think obsessing over a character and treating them as 'real' is going overboard, but there's no reason why you shouldn't empathise with a character. The goal of the author is to have readers related to the characters, to care about them (or hate them, depending on the character). Not having any sort of attachment means the author hasn't succeeded.

:music: Happy Birthday, Sammy! :music: I hope you have a great day and are spoiled rotten

Good Samaritan Leaves $10 in Hospital Car Park The best part for me were the people who didn't take the money...

My apologies for being late to the party, but... :joe: Happy Birthday, Skinny! :joe: :music: :music:

The scenes between Dorian and Wes at the hospital are some of the most touching scenes I know. I always enjoy re-reading Wes's reactions to Dorian. He's exhausted, mentally and physically, but touching Dorian and knowing he's there is exactly the tonic Wes needed.

Ho hum...all ancient history...when does the story start? Seriously, though, a very nice piece of back story, with some wonderful images. Four brothers who get up once a month to make (and then eat) a cake at midnight...(and how their mother knew exactly what was going on). Absolutely adorable! It gives a real feel for how close the brothers were back then. However, we don't know if that closeness persisted. It may have, given that last messageboard's comment about what happened when Cameron and Caiden would sack each other when playing for opposing teams, but I get the impression that the closeness was mainly between those two brothers. There's just a hint that the closeness didn't persist between all four, at least not to the same degree. PS: I love how they used Cory to pick up girls. He just thought they were going to PetPlanet and cat rescue.

On the subject of what constitutes "gay" writing, my view is there isn't such a thing. I write stories that may or may not have gay characters. If there are gay characters, they may or may not be the central characters (they usually are, but not always). I simply write. Yes, the majority of what I write has gay themes, but sometimes I'll write a short story that doesn't have an obvious gay character. Twice that I can recall off the top of my head, I've written short stories where one of the characters is gay, but that's not evident in the story itself. Their being gay just wasn't something that fitted into the story -- it would've potentially weakened the story to try to put that information in. Just my thoughts.

Good advice for Ross! Eventually, that maybe what he decides, but he's not ready for that just yet. One day, maybe soon, he'll be there, but he's aware that, like Jim, he'll be the focus of media scrutiny if they find out. That's not the norm for a young gay man...

Doug and a sincere apology? :wacko: I don't think those two things go together... Ross is in the middle of coming out. His reactions therefore not always consistent. Yes, he reacted to one comment but not another. It's an indication that in his own mind he hasn't settled on what's going on.

Thanks, Tim! Regarding Ross and Andrew, we're often quite blind to the bleeding obvious. Ross's first thoughts were to make sure Andrew was reassured...but he didn't stop to think that he couldn't do that without potentially making things worse. As for Ollie and Zach, I think you're reading too much into it. They just like kissing their girlfriends and any excuse will do...

Neil’s smile as he stepped out of the train to greet his boyfriend quickly changed to a grimace. “Shit, it’s cold!” Liam chuckled as he took off his jacket and draped it over Neil’s shoulders. “Here, this will hopefully keep you warm. You should’ve brought something to wear over the top of your footy jumper.” “I didn’t expect it to be this chilly. We’re halfway through spring, after all.” Neil frowned at the goosebumps appearing on Liam’s now-bare arms. “What about you?” Liam shrugged. “I’ve