Thursday 19 July 2012

So we will have two daughters abroad next year

Elder daughter working in Brussels for a year, younger daughter working in the French Alps as a ski chalet girl for six months.

This weekend, we will be staying in a cottage in Derbyshire for four days.  This will be our last time all together as a family until younger daughter comes back from her ski-season.  She is not allowed home for Christmas (obviously!)

I am sad, but happy we will all be together for a few days,

Sunday 1 July 2012

Wimbledon - my Mother's Day Treat

Yesterday my darling elder daughter treated me to a day out at Wimbledon, with tickets for Centre Court.  WOW, we were lucky with the draw.  Three super matches one after the other.  I regret to say, though, that I left during the Roddick match and therefore missed the Murray one altogether.

This is because I prefer to travel home in relatively good time, and without queuing for a bus to get to the train station, then queuing to get on a train, and then finally arriving at home absolutely worn out.

Better to quit before the thousands of others make the same decision.

Having said that, darling daughter, although 30 years younger,  left after the first set of Murray's match. Years ago we would both probably have stayed much later (although not to 11.00 pm.  In those days, before the roof was put on, 9.15 ish was the latest that a match would extend).

She had a tennis match of her own to play this morning, and needed her rest to be in good form.

We have been to several Wimbledons over the years and this was our best yet, notwithstanding we missed part of it.  Twice I've been rained off, once our court ran out of scheduled matches after the first one ended 5 minutes into the match,  due to injury.  I recall that Venus Williams on that occasion offered to play a "friendly" with anyone else of like mind, because the crowd were sitting there expectantly, having paid huge sums to get there, and deserved some entertainment.  A good sport, Venus.

On other occasions, contestants have been so ill-matched that the sport was not entertaining, being very one-sided.  Yesterday the players were neck and neck throughout their matches for at least two-thirds of the time, and some beautiful tennis resulted.

Darling daughter and I had such a lovely afternoon.  She is the easiest company, and so ready to natter and chat between points.