Today is cloudy and humid.

I am off the Hurlingham Tennis Classic, with an Aussie sheila friend, later today.

The tennis tournament started yesterday with some doubles at 5pm. The players are, mostly, retired from the professional circuit and play in exhibition matches around the world. I noticed from the players’ board that Mark Philippoussis was playing in the opening game. I caught him coming off court a few years ago and wangled a photo with him. I have also seen other Aussie players, Lleyton Hewitt, and the doubles legend, Peter McNamara, at the tournament. It used to be principally retired players that came to entertain us, but now some of the current top players come to limber up for Wimbledon. So I have seen Nadal, Berdytch, Dimitrov and Sharipova, to name a few. Today, some of the top players will, no doubt, be playing again.

There is only one grass court that is used, with stands at either end and seating on the sides, so you can almost reach across and touch the players. There is a carnival type atmosphere at Hurlingham during the Classic. It is quintessentially English. Geoff and I headed there last night to meet my Book Club (and husbands) to enjoy the fun! I had some potted shrimps: very small, tasty prawns in butter on toast. And some English sparkling wine, made near us in Hampshire, at Nyewood.

The shrimp and the sunny evening, took me back to our last summer in Salcombe in 1998, ten years after landing at Heathrow from Australia on 19 August. We celebrated the occasion by inviting friends, on holiday nearby, for Aussie sparkling wine and king prawns. I found a fishmonger in Kingsbridge, the biggest town nearby to Salcombe, which sold Aussie-style giant prawns.

Geoff and I peeled away all afternoon and finally it was time for my pheasant and stag friends to arrive. They all piled into the garden of the little cottage we were renting on Island Street, where all the boating shops are located. Anna served food (aged 4) and Geoff made a moving speech. I could see a few damp eyes.

 

The day was a hard one. I started crying, on and off, from dawn. I couldn’t believe how home-sick the anniversary made me feel. There was a jewellery shop right next door to our rental cottage, and Geoff popped in and bought me a pair of earrings to cheer me up. I was so excited when I saw the little black box. I stopped for long enough to peek inside. I didn’t like them, and then with resumed tears I pouted, “I don’t like them!” So off we went and bought some alternatives that I did like.

Hopefully it won’t rain while we are watching the tennis, although it looks as if it might.