Monday 13 January 2014

Sporting prowess

No, not mine.

A friend rang to ask if I would like to go and watch the tennis with her on Friday. I was delighted to accept, and thus spent the whole day watching tennis at Homebush, all for free. We had such a pleasant day, and had plenty to talk about.

Although I sometimes watch tennis on television, it is a very different experience seeing it live. It was even fun getting there. We met at the station in the city, and took two trains and then a bus to the tennis stadium. When the day's events were over, we walked back to the station, with heaps of other people, and then fell into conversation with an incredibly knowledgable man, originally from Argentina, totally passionate about the game. He told us just what were the abilities and deficiencies of each player. Then the train arrived and we lost each other.

Before it all started, we wandered around the area, looking at all the freebies, which was fun. I declined to enter a competition guessing how many balls were inside a pseudo tennis racquet - I am hopeless at guessing. It was all very relaxed and friendly. While there were plenty of people watching, it was by no means crowded, and it was all very relaxed and enjoyable. I took my crochet along and intermittently crocheted squares together. I like to do more than one thing at a time.

The matches I enjoyed most were the doubles. Those games are so incredibly fast, and the skill and communication between the partners was dazzling. We enjoyed watching the children who collected and handled all the balls. What I did not like was when a line call was disputed, slow clapping started, which we thought was very rude. Also those who run the tournament seem to think that if the action stops, loud music must be played.  But apart from these minor complaints, I had a very good time, and after watching the game again on TV realised that seeing it live is so much more enjoyable.

While my daughter was working in Queensland, I have looked after her cat, a Burmese. He is a nice cat, and he became quite cuddly and affectionate, in between fighting and biting. But I do not want to sleep with a cat, so he had to be kept in the laundry. The house is very open plan, with few doors. He is a determined little animal, and does not like being put to bed for the night, so the door had to be closed as firmly as possible. He managed to open the door, even though there were obstacles to impede him, and came upstairs to greet me, and to lap up the water in the shower recess, and then to leap onto the window sill and peer out. He is not allowed outside, which he thinks is extremely unfair. I do sympathise with him. He likes to race up and down the stairs and to sharpen his claws on the carpet. And he can be quite noisy.

My daughter is due back here tonight, so I expect that he will abandon me and snuggle up with her instead.






3 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

If he is like our cats he will perhaps abandon you - or perhaps refuse to, to put your daughter in her place and punish her...

Pam said...

We once had an Australian friend who commented that our rooms all had doors. I can't imagine not having doors! I suppose we live in a draughty country but also we do separate things in separate rooms. Funny how things we take for granted aren't always the same.

Jan said...

I agree about the difference in live and televised tennis. Seeing the game is much better than watching it on a screen. I haven't been to Homebush but used to go to White City at Edgecliff. That's dating myself. I too prefer doubles with its skills and strategies.

My son and his wife have had an Abyssinian cat for very many years. She's an expert in ignoring someone who has offended her.

I've just caught up on your blog posts. Life here is very complicated at the moment. I had one son move in just before Christmas and I have no idea how long he will be here. we get along well, but it was a shock to my solitary system. His little daughter, just nine, was not well through December and was diagnosed with leukaemia on New Years Day. She's been in Westmead Children's Hospital since then with heaps of tests and treatments. Chemotherapy tolerated reasonably well but the steroids she is on which increase the potency of the chemo are nasty. She developed pancreatitis in response and has has nor been diagnosed with diabetes, also a response to the steroids. Doctors will not consider reducing them for several weeks abut are hopeful both responses will eventually disappear. Prognosis for remission of leukaemia is fairly high.

However, life is busy and difficult.