The English weather certainly threw everything that it could at us over the last three weeks as we toured the country in Mr Bond. Week One was Wimbledon - fortunately we had Centre Court Tickets so had a full days play - four matches and a finish that had been rained off Number One Court. Friday we had tickets so that we could watch the wheelchair tennis and guess what? It rained, finally clearing at around 3pm and the British duo won their match in three sets - a real fight.
Week two saw us in Bedfordshire, for Fibre East the weather was fairly good up to the Friday night - when the heavens opened for just over two hours, declining to a heavy drizzle for the rest of the night, we woke to find the caravan in a lake of bubbling water - very weird indeed. The show field was a swamp but the event went ahead - a true example of the British determination to enjoy themselves despite anything that Mother Nature could throw at them. I was stuffing and sewing Woolsack cushions in the 'have a go marquee' - this meant that I sate and gradually sank into the mire - but it was fun and everyone was cheerful - but the faces of the Maldivians Olympic Team were a picture - they had never seen mud on this scale before and they were all wearing pristine white trainers! But they all loved their cushions and spent ages making felt. Sunday the sun shone and the ground outside dried out very quickly, but not inside the Marquees where the ground was a sea of mud - fortunately I had a personal shopper in the form of Mr S................. Best was I got Patience - my much waited for Haldane Orkney and she is everything I hoped for - more on Patience later
Week Three - Ashby de la Zouch, near Nottingham for the 23rd British Open Wheelchair Tennis Tournament, for the regular meeting of the girls (we all played together at the tournament for many years and now with only one still playing competitively, the rest of us turn up to support and catch up on the gossip, a meal and fun). I also arranged to display some Woolsack cushions and attempt to make contact with as many Paralympicans as possible.
This was also the day that the weather finally turn for the better - it was so hot that the sweets melted although I did managed to match three paralympicans with their chosen cushions - Jordanne Whiley, Louise Hunt and Alex Jewitt. I also had a go in the All Play display and hit a tennis ball for the first time in many a month!!
