Slowing Down

    My three tennis friends and I are really showing our age! We only managed one set on the tennis court this morning. It was a long one but usually we manage at least two and sometimes three! Admittedly it was hot but we were only playing at half speed and after an hour and a bit decided to call it quits. Kathy (the energizer bunny) would have been happy to play on but Susan was injured - a calf muscle that has been bothering her for the last week - and Cathy and I, being the two oldest were just plain exhausted.

   I hope this doesn't spell the demise of our little group. We have cancelled our Thursday booking so won't play again until Sunday. Hopefully Susan's leg will be better by then. I will go to the social at our other club on Friday but, as it is forecast to reach 30C, I won't probably play long then either. We have stayed together through thick and thin (and Covid) so it would be very sad to end the partnership.

   

In My Garden

    This has got to be the nicest time in my garden before the true summer heat dries everything up. We had plenty of rain yesterday so flowers are bursting out all over!

       

        The first Weigelia, it has pink blooms whereas the later one has deep red. It hasn't started yet. Isn't that strange?

         Lilac, it only lasts a few days but smells heavenly!

   Bleeding Heart (I have several, all from the same plant), Violets and Hosta. The Violets are lovely when in flower but do tend to take over later in the summer. No matter how much I pull them up, they still come back the next year!

A Sad Time

    It's been a tough few days around here, although not to me personally. But when it's people you know, it still takes a toll. Last week my sister-in-law's husband died after being hospitalized for a week. Then just three days later, her brother, to whom she is very close, had a massive stroke and is in the ICU, intubated and in an induced coma. The prognosis is not good. She is devastated and the rest of the family is deeply concerned. 

    Then today a good friend's mother died, not entirely unexpected as she was very elderly and had been in decline for some time. But my friend is taking it rather badly and I'm afraid it will take some time for her to adjust to life without her mom. They will both need lots of support in the coming days. I hope I can provide it in some way or other.

First Day on the Courts

     It was the opening day social at the tennis club today and I was very rusty after not playing all winter. I didn't even get back to pickleball this year, which is played indoors. However, I am quite happy that I managed to serve and volley well enough to win a few games. It was lovely to see old friends and meet a few new ones, should be a good season once the weather settles down.

    The day started out fine but soon the clouds rolled in and rain stopped play around noon. We retired indoors for a nice lasagna and salad lunch (and cake!) and there were speeches and prizes for a lucky few. I won a new grip for my tennis racquet which was very welcome. I was in charge of the coffee - we went through a huge urn of the stuff as it was rather cool and damp - so had the job of cleaning the urn before I could depart. I have a feeling I will be a bit sore and achy tomorrow. Next outing will be Tuesday so I have time to recover.