Is Summer Almost Over?

   Terrible day at the tennis centre yesterday. Rain, a cold wind and having to hang about until the courts were dried and the last match completed. We didn't get to leave until almost midnight and I was chilled to the bone (we are only allowed to wear our uniforms which proved inadequate to withstand the falling temperature).  I was home around 12:30 a.m. and immediately into a hot tub to unthaw, then slept the sleep of the dead.

    Still cool this morning but sunny so I had a couple of hours on the tennis courts. I picked up the grandkids around 11:00, took them to the library and then home for lunch and a swim. I didn't go in but they did for half an hour. I had left the heater on all morning and the temperature almost reached 80F. The nights are getting cooler so the water is losing its heat overnight. 

    Still tired from yesterday so I will be having a light dinner and an early night. 

Another cool day

   Still very cool and windy today. This was my first day at the tennis centre, volunteering at the Rogers Cup, and I had my sweater on virtually the whole day. Today was the second day of qualifying and I didn't get to see any matches, but the main draw starts tomorrow so I may see some of the seeded players on court. It was a long day today - left home at 8:00 a.m. and got home just after 4:00. The rest of the week won't be so bad.

   No need for much dinner as we got a nice chicken and veggies lunch plus lots of fruit and nibblies to keep us going. I'll just relax in front of the TV and have an early night.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    So cold today! It feels like Fall and the wind is very strong. I definitely didn't venture into the pool. In fact I was indoors most of the day watching the World T & F events from London. Poor old Bolt, he almost made it a clean sweep of wins.

   Last stop on the cruise was Amsterdam with a visit to the Reiksmuseum. It was all it is cracked up to be with virtually hundreds of remarkable paintings - really too much to see in one day. It was extremely busy but we had an excellent guide who made sure  we saw the most important works. A canal tour in the evening with historical highlights rounded off our visit and then it was off to the airport in the morning. We had to fly back to Munich before getting our flight home but not too long a wait in between flights. The end of a stellar trip.

"The Night Watch"

Rembrandt "Self Portrait"

Van Gogh "Self Portrait"

Colonge, Germany

   A very changeable day but I managed to fit in everything I wanted to do. It was spitting when I left for tennis and the courts were damp but we played anyway (carefully!) until they dried properly around 9:00. People started to trickle in once the sun came out but it had gone again when I arrived to pick up the grandkids. They were helping Judy set up her classroom (who says teachers have summers off - she's in there at least once a week!) and were quite happy to come home with me. Elliot cleaned the pool almost single handedly, a job I hate, and James helped too.

   After lunch they were in the pool despite it still raining and flooded the deck with their shenanigans. Never mind, we had a torrential storm later which filled it up again. As I said, a very changeable day!

   Our last day in Germany found us docked in Cologne and taking a leisurely stroll around down town with a very knowledgeable guide. What a difference from the previous one! It has a fabulous cathedral, many old historic buildings and new, interesting parks. Well worth the visit. We had been bussed into town but Kathie and I walked back although it was getting quite hot by then. Lunch, a nap followed by an ice cream social on the sun deck. Then I watched the French Open men's final in the lounge. There were a couple of other fans watching too so we had fun. Finally a tour of the galley with the head chef - hard to believe all the wonderful meals we had came from such a tiny space!