Skip to main content

Never admit it

On Saturday I participated in a tournament at our club.  I had to play 4 matches.  The player closest to my age was 20 years younger  and there were 16 of us.  We began at  8.30am and by the time I played the fourth match my toes hurt from all the running and pressure on my trainers.  The rest of me was in good shape and I survived the day coming in 7th place, but it was a long day.   I arrived  home at 8.00pm tired after a 12 hour day and having to speak French all day had increased my feeling of having had a good work out.  At home I soaked in a bath and felt fine, congratulating myself on still being able to compete with the best of the them.

Sunday morning I woke up feeling like a truck had run over me,  I went downstairs walking like the geriatric that I am and wondered if I could make it back up to my bed.  After consideration I decided that I could drink my tea quite comfortably downstairs.  I checked my toes, 2 nails were black.  After an hour I went up to shower and amazingly felt better.  I received a text from one of the players asking if I had any bad effects after such a hard day.  'Not at all', I replied, 'I feel fine.'

Sunday evening I went to a concert in Angers.  My ticket number was row ZA seat number one.  The end seat on the row was 16 so I assumed that I needed to go to the other end.  When I worked my way round I found the end seats occupied by 2 women who indignantly told me that I had to go to the other end.  'I have just been there' I said weakly as she pointed out that her seat was 14.  How can that be?  Had all that exercise yesterday affected my brain?  I drudged back to the ushers and asked where number 1 was.  'There', she said, pointing  to the middle of the row where a solitary seat remained unoccupied.   I made my way to the seat, confused as to how number one can be in the middle while 16 is one end and 14 at the other end of the same row.  Who does that?  But there it was.  Number 1 in the middle of the row.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Temper, Temper

I played tennis with Yvette today.  Yesterday I asked if we could play early before the day gets too hot.  She suggested 9.30am.  I was thinking of 8.00am but Yvette has been married 46 years and her husband still brings her breakfast in bed every morning so 9.30 is probably the crack of dawn. I thought I had got used to Yvette's little antics but this morning she behaved like John McEnroe.  I was 4-1 up in the first set when suddenly she announced that the score was 4-3.  I am used to these little tricks so I stood my ground.  She argued, she shouted.  I ignored her and took my position ready to receive serve but her shouting got louder, calling me a cheat and then using some choice words.  Her ploy worked.  I lost concentration and started to lose, eventually losing in a tie break.  I was not happy but said nothing. At the end of the set Yvette asked me if I was angry with her, using the expression 'tu me fais la tete?'  I sa...

What is normal?

The UK seems to be operating on the basis that there is no virus.  Masks are rarely seen, little is being reported in the papers,  it is not the main topic of conversation in the street and social distancing doesn't exist.  I did see a testing table set up in Chesham high street but it was for one day only and they didn't seem to be doing much business. I went to Brighton on Sunday with my son and sister.  The old 'Lanes' have been reduced to a few jewellery shops and lots of cafes and the town was packed.  Openly gay people walk hand in hand through the streets in great numbers while others stroll around in gold lurex dresses. As we were heading back to the station the police arrived and blocked the road for an approaching cycle rally.   Living in France I have seen many cycle races go past but not quite like this one.  Here were 200 totally naked cyclists pedalling by while people cheered them on enthusiastically.  Some of them had put on s...

The problem with language teaching

I volunteered in a French school yesterday.  The aim of the day was to engage French children in English conversation.  The children had questions written down which they had to ask in English.  They were aged between 12 and 16.  Faced with 2 pupils aged 15 I answered the first question clearly and simply but they didn't understand the answer.  A rapid conversation in French passed between them and they then asked me in French if I would write down the answer. 'If I write down the answer you won't learn anything,' I said in French.  They asked the teacher what to do. 'Of course you can write down the answers for them and they can study them  later'! Listening skills?  Speaking skills?  I give up