Sport Report Catch Up

I forgot to mention yesterday about the final days of Wimbledon. The Wheelchair Men's Doubles final gave Brits Alfie and Gordon another title - well done them. I think that Alfie was then exhausted for the singles final as he was beaten by Tokito Oda the number one seed in two easy sets.

Brit Henry Pattern was one of the pair winning the Men's doubles with Finland's Harri Heliovarra. There was talk of doubles matches getting less coverage ...........

In July 2026, the ATP Tour proposed controversial sweeping cuts internally termed "Product 28" for implementation in 2028. The plan could slash doubles draw sizes in half and heavily reduce the revenue share for doubles players to reinvest in singles.

As someone said......  playing doubles is what most people do in clubs and schools and is still popular to watch at the Slams. It's all about the money. 

The men's final on Sunday was a tough match for both men I think, as it went to tie breaks in the first two sets, then Jannik Sinner seemed to dig in and won the next two sets to retain his title from last year. I don't know if Sacha Zverev was affected by a nasty fall, he said he wasn't but ..............

And I heard that Andrew Castle and John Lloyd who have been rolled in as BBC commentators every Wimbledon for donkeys years are being pensioned off - I didn't mind them but I know some people weren't keen.

So all over for another year 😢

Just that football match tomorrow night then - and that will (probably) be the end of my Sports reports 2026 except for  the cricket test matches against Pakistan next month.

BUT Only Connect and University Challenge were back last night for quizzy Mondays - so it's not all bad news!

Books for the Country Diarist

 Short of things to write about on the blog so here's another list of reading ideas from the Country Commonplace Book by 'cosy' youtuber and book reader Miranda Mills. (https://www.youtube.com/c/MirandaMills) She's much too cosy for me to watch more than a minute! I won't be buying her second book.

I've only actually read two of these although once owned two others and I have read Mark Cocker's second diary about Claxton ( Still own a copy of  A Claxton Diary). 'Country Diary of an  Edwardian Lady' is everywhere secondhand and I still have a copy here. The two old diaries by the clergy are classics but I'm afraid I've not read either. 'All Around The Year' by Michael Morpurgo was a good read from not so long ago when Little Toller Books reprinted it. 'Notes from Walnut Tree Farm' is one I ought to have read as he lived not far from here. We had a copy once  and I'm sure Colin read it years ago.

Like the other lists in Miranda Mills' books I don't know her criteria for her choices. I'm sure over the years I've read many other diaries about country life.

Random Round Up of a Hot Week.

First of all apologies for the comments I didn't get around to replying to....The day just went.......whoosh!

It's quite strange in this country to go to bed knowing the next day and the one after and another after that will be dry and sunny and even more unusual to know it will be really hot. 

This week has been like that and more the same for next week too - I am thankful to be able to do very little - even avoided going out really early for shopping. I was sad to have to cancel a lunch with cousins but the heat is getting to me more this year than ever before.............an age thing I guess.

The dustbin men have been starting work early due to the heat and my bit of the village is one of their first stops so they've been coming not long after 6am but it wasn't them that woke me on Wednesday morning, instead a man on a ride-on mower went into the churchyard to do the paths - I looked at the clock - just after 5am - he really did want to get it done early!

We got through the exercises at our Keep Moving Group. .......all windows open and much water drunk. Two other ladies led the exercises - it was too hot for me. I set up my phone for the 10 minute meditation and then went and sat out in the porchway to cool down. Several people have dropped out recently - perhaps it's only because of the heat and holiday season - I hope they return.

As I shut the living room windows very late Thursday evening I noticed a sort of dark patch on the grass(not good enough to call it  a lawn) so went out to look and YES - a hedgehog, first I've seen here in 5 years.  

I have 10 billion wasps eating the pears on the small pear tree - there were lots of pears - soon there will be none.

The climbing French beans are producing a few beans - very tasty.

I've not done a Being Grateful list for ages....... since March in fact, but this week I'm grateful for..... 

• Enjoying watching tennis on TV without having to be there in the heat.
• Being retired and not working in the heat.
• Stocked cupboards, fridge and freezer so I didn't need to go out shopping ....in the heat.
• The library books that I have here to read, indoors out of the heat.
• The bread machine that makes my bread so easily even when the weather is  hot.

Bit of a theme there!

Not sure if anything is happening this weekend but tennis is on TV for sure although Arthur Fery's  brilliant run at Wimbledon was ended by Sascha Zverev who's 6 foot 6inches tall with a massive serve  and - hooray- Jannik Sinner beat  Djokovic  setting up the Sunday final that I have no idea who will win.

 At 11am in the men's doubles wheelchair finals Alfie Hewitt and Gordon Reid are aiming for yet another title to add to the 24 they already have!

And there is a football match tonight - but it's after my bedtime again.

Have a good weekend, I'll be back Monday.