Come on Lewis! Come on Jensen! Anyway I think today it's



CROWDED HOUSE - WEATHER WITH YOU.



Not an arfo but appropriate.

Won't be going to see the torch, Mo - should be there now if I was! I'm sure it will be on local news tonight and it'll be dry! Good luck to all those folk who do go.



JW

Hi Simon and everyone



Maybe Cliff will make an appearance at Wimbledon as he did the last time the heaven opened during the tennis!!



Had some good news last night, an old school friend who is a FB matey is beside herself with worry as her other half (also went to my school) is very poorly in hospital and had an op yesterday and is now in recovery!



So an ARFO for Andy:



1. ACE - How Long?



and for an upbeat weekend opener:



CHUMBAWUMBA - I get knocked down



Hope its not too wet for all of you.



Laters



Mandy ;)

#1 - #1 again !

(From last blog) - riding in in this weather - you mad woman - time for the dried frog pills, I think. Hope you have your aqualung (and not the Jethro Tull album) for the journey home.



I would go for



TAP TURNS ON THE WATER - CCS or (for irony or just blind optimism)

HERE COMES THE SUN - THE BEATLES

Morning Simon, team, NYM and backhand bloggers,



Very jealous of your day at SW19. If I jump on the 493 bus, can you sneak me in?



So a big afternoon of tennis awaits.



If the weather behaves itself and Andy is on top form (which won't be at all clear from his body language), then



GREAT BALLS OF FIRE - Jerry Lee Lewis



and if it continues to drought it down, and the roof is closed, then:



UNDERCOVER OF THE NIGHT - Rolling Stones



Good day all, and new balls please,



JBG

Morning Simon, One & All,



Well been up since 5.30am and it hasn't stopped raining yet, so the weather persons have got it right! I do wish they had got it wrong, my feet are still drying out from the school run.



Keeping the wellies & the brolly handy.



ARF tune has got to be



UMBRELLA - RHIANNA



Good luck to everyone who has a dream today, Tennis, F1, Jessie J concert tickets (plug for my niece) Justin Biebie (another plug for my niece).



~X~

Morning all.



Simon-You sounded much healthier last night, hope the recovery continues quickly for you!!



Andy Murrey Opening Song:



Why does it always rain on me?-Travis(!!)







Out early tomorrow to see Olympic Torch (10.30am in Ware) so changed name in preparation!! Also going to Letchworth on Sunday to see someone from Church be a Flame Carrier.



Hope everyone has a good (and not too wet) day,



Love Mrs B xx

Good Morning All;



Bloomin' 'eck, it's a wet 'un! I'm not one to complain about the weather, but it's raining so hard here, I got drenched going 3 steps out of my back door :O



ARFO suggestions...



EYE OF THE TIGER - SURVIVOR



DON'T BRING ME DOWN - E.L.O



RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN' ON MY HEAD - B.J. THOMAS

Morning all .. my thoughts are with you in the mosoon belt if the weather team's prediction of a month's rainfall is true.



Please may I request



LET'S SPEND THE NIGHT TOGETHER by The Rolling Stones



Keep safe out there x

Just thought of another one for the wretched-looking hang-dog-faced Mr Murray...(So many hyphens, are they infectious?)



(COME UP AND SEE ME) MAKE ME SMILE - Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel



It's just a test, a game for us to play

Win or lose, it's hard to smile

Resist, resist, it's from yourself you have to hide.



Come up and see me, make me smile

Or do what you want, runnin' wild.

Rain has slowed to a steady drizzle now so fingers crossed for all the children in choirs ready to sing to the torch on the seaafront in Southend.



ARFO's



GIMME SOME LOVIN' - SPENCER DAVIES GROUP (Love as in tennis)



or



LETS TWIST AGAIN - CHUBBY CHECKER



JW

Good morning everyone



*Whispers* no rain here yet... a bit misty though, so hope it'll burn off in a bit.



Pleased Jilly's feeling much better today and like her, I'm also looking forward to today's tennis and I heard Vassos saying that should Andy Murray get through to the final, it will be the first time a British player has reached a Wimbledon final since Bunny Austin in 1938



My ARFO suggestions...



FLOWERS IN THE RAIN ~ The Move



I CAN'T STAND THE RAIN ~ Tina Turner



A HARD RAIN'S GONNA FALL ~ Bryan Ferry



or...



THE ANDY MURRAY SONG... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lVzmtPHBr8

Good Morning again



Thank you, Simon and team, for my wonderful Trans Gender Mensh last night!



Is it greedy to try for an ARFO too?



Request -







♫♫♪ SHINE ♫♫♪ ╪ (Wah!)







for Andy!

Good morning to you all,



Simon, enjoy your Wimbledon trip. I love going to Wimbledon but have had to content myself by watching it on the TV this year. I end up watching Murray (as with Henman, beforehand) through the hands over my face! It can sometimes be quite tortuous to watch!



Hence my ARFO choice:



LOOK AWAY - BIG COUNTRY



I hope everyone has a great day, and that the rain doesn't spoil it. There could be some very soggy spectators on 'Murray Mount' this afternoon!



madchick x

Good Morning Each!



ARFO ideas...



'Master Blaster (Jammin)' by Stevie Wonder

'Grace' by Supergrass

'Country Girl' by Primal Scream

Morning all



As Wittertainment clashes with a lesson (boo!) I shall not get to hear it live. However I'm very envious of Simon tootling off to Wimbers.



I am away all weekend so will miss both Wimbledon & Gran Prix - box-thingy set to record, but frankly I'd rather veg on the sofa and watch them.



Anyway it's going to be a busy day so I probably won't have a chance to pop back in until ARF is well under way. Have a good day all.

Morning all from the East Yorks monsoon belt!



Simon, good to hear you sounding so much better last night - enjoy your day at Wimbledon!



ARFO choice:



STEPPIN'OUT - JOE JACKSON



Tortie x

#14 Madchickster, I doubt whether any Murray Mount spectators will care how wet they get, they'll just be happy to be there and I hope they'll see a brilliant game... I hope Simon has a nice day after being unwell for several days.



For Andy....



GREAT BALLS OF FIRE ~ Jerry Lee Lewis



HITSVILLE ~ The Clash



HIT OR MISS ~ The Damned

*TORCH RELAY*

Day 49 sees the Lympic Torch travel from IPSWICH to CHELMSFORD - usually a straight line through COLCHESTER. However it's taking a detour to the seaside and back via RAYLEIGH, SOUTHEND, BASILDON, GREYS and BRENTWOOD whilst in the joint charge of the Classiest of all Essex Girls:

JENNIE WREN & JULIA!

;^D

. . . . (

. . . . )

. . . ( . . )

. . . ) . .) . )

. . ( . . ( . . (

. . ) . . ) . . )

. () . () . () . ()

ø•ø•ø•øø•ø•ø•ø

•øøø☆•☆øøø•

.•øø•2012•øø•

.•øøø•ø•øøø•

. •øøø••øøø•

. •øøø••øøø•

. .•øøøøøø•

. . •øøøøø•

. . •øøøøø•

. . •øøøøø•

. . .•øøøø•

. . .•øøøø•

. . .•øøøø•

. . .•øøøø•

. . .•øøøø•

. . .•øøøø•

. . .•øøøø•

. . .•øøøø•

. . .•øøøø•

One more for Andy...



COME ON ~ The Rolling Stones

A rousing song for Oor Andy...





Against the Wind - Máire Brennan





Keep it Celtic!

ARFO choices? Don't mind if I do ...





THE IMMIGRANT SONG - LED ZEPPELIN

♪´¯`♫ .. Ah, ah,

'We come from the land of the ice and snow, from the midnight sun where the hot springs flow..'



REWARD - THE TEARDROP EXPLODES

♪´¯`♫ 'Bless my cotton socks I'm in the news ..'



KEEP THE CUSTOMER SATISFIED - SIMON & GARFUNKEL

♪´¯`♫ ' ... one step ahead of the shoeshine .. '



UP AROUND THE BEND - CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL

♪´¯`♫ 'There's a place up ahead and I'm goin' just as fast as my feet can fly... '



WHAT IS LIFE - GEORGE HARRISON

♪´¯`♫ 'Tell me, who am I without you, by my side .. '



WISHING WELL - FREE

♪´¯`♫ 'Put up a fight you believe to be right and someday the sun will shine through ... '

Following on from my #14, I have another suggestion for the ARFO:



WE CLOSE OUR EYES - GO WEST



x

Morning all



In and Out of Love - Bon Jovi

Keep the Faith - Bon Jovi

#5 - JBB if you are being allowed to sneak in I will be right behind you, how fantastic would that be? Although from his tweet Simon is having taxi problems again so if we are quick we might be allowed to do the show?



#16 A_G I miss Wittertainment streaming far too often. One of the highlights of my week when I do get to watch.

All out of puff now - and ready to pass the torch on to ...........................



(Watched it on laptop and there were loads of people there - great turn out Rayleigh!!!



JW

Grrrr annoying blog, not letting me post anything more than a couple of paragraphs at a time.



I loved the show last night, Harry & Billie great mentions, cheered me up while cutting grass. I’m looking particularly attractive today with red, puffy eyes from the month’s worth of pollen I released. (Blog pedants (in a good way) is my apostrophe correct in month’s?)

Good morning all



For todays ARF opener, as this will be Andy's 4th consecutive semi-final at Wimbledon it must seem a bit like



HERE I GO AGAIN - WHITESNAKE

Final bit I promise ...



Florence & Deebee from previous blog, sausage bolognese sounds lovely. I mix half and half sausage meat (taken from my favourite sausages) and beef mince. Make into tiny meatball and have with the tomato sauce I posted the other day.



I make my sausage rolls the same way Florence, so easy with bought all butter puff.



Lots to do but cant wait for Mr Murray, COME ON ANDY

Morning again Simon, team and blog-poppets-all!



Just a quick poop by with my ARFO suggestion, with a nod to Andy's quest ...



RUNNING DOWN A DREAM - TOM PETTY ... thank you kindly :)



Right then up and at 'em.. loads to do before I am glued to the tennis later. Hope you enjoy your flying visit there Simon. We used to lived in Wimbledon when the Mister and I were first an item... ahhhh *has a little moment of wonderful reverie* ... well this won't get the baby bathed.. dashing now!



Jx

Morning All,



ARFO suggestions



'One Way Or Another' Blondie



'Everyday' Buddy Holly



'Oh Boy' Buddy Holly



Have a good day everybody and safe travels for anyone that has to venture out in the rough wet stuff

Thanks Amelia #29... it's good to try someone else's recipe ideas and I'll certainly try mixing half sausage and half mince... and would never have thought of mixing it.

Good morning/Simon, Team, Sir Tel & Blogpoppets.



My day/weekend is sorted....Wittertainment, Tennis & the GP. Am hoping to get to Wimbledon one day. Madchickster & I very nearly had a blog meet at the O2 end of season tennis a couple of years ago. With apologies to those who have rotten weather, I shall be watching Murray in the sun. Another early finish has been declared.



ARFO - vaguely tennis related/songs I'd love to hear



LONDON CALLING - THE CLASH



THE PROCLAIMERS - I'M ON MY WAY



10CC - RUBBER BULLETS



x

ARF Time and I'm bearing Andy fully in mind with this one, as its just about the only jingoistic song I have any time for. Despite being 100% English but married to a Scot, I suggest:



CALEDONIA - Frankie Miller



Go Andy!

Jilly, so pleased to see you feeling better. Sounds like a nasty bug that's doing the rounds.



x

#17 Ooh, TC, I nearly went for that one too



#3 unlikely (thank goodness) now they have the roof



x

Morning all. Am a bit bleary eyed after a very late night... and then when I finally got to bed at 3am, I had mulitple agony inducing leg cramps which I couldn't stretch out as I usually can.



Anyway- good luck to Andy Murray today, and I hope the Good Doctors enjoy the Wimbledon experience. Should make for a good Wittertainment today.



Song choice: What about...



She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult (Hoping Andy won't need Sanctuary, hehe).

#36 Great minds Mo! : )

#4 It's that saying about there's no such thing as bad weather - in my case I have orange cag and overtrousers. I look like a flying floursecent carrot. Still amazed at how many drivers are not using their headlights.



#17 same here - except splashing out, equally bad in West Yorkshire now the Calder has started to rise. At least I have a boat ready.

Simon,



Not long now until Andy Murray stops being British and becomes Scottish once again :-O

In honour of the weather we are having, please can you play Sometimes by James. ("The rain floods gutters and makes a great sound on concrete")



Cheers,



Nic

SUMMER RAIN by BELINDA CARLISLE

or MASTER BLASTER (JAMMING) by STEVIE WONDER from the album

HOTTER THAN JULY

... or MIDNIGHT IS THE TIME I NEED YOU by DEMIS ROUSSOS

Greetings Mayo Mate & ALL Blog Operatatatives...



Bingo Star 'ere...



(Terdee a will add special Bingo Star subtitles for the bloggers who find me blogs difficult ter read) : >>>



Sorry ave (ave means i've) noot (noot is not with an extra 'o' as sounds more demented than with one 'o') been able ter (ter is a demented too) blog as a (a is in place of 'I' as sounds more demented and am worried bloggers might think am too egotistical if a put an 'I' in)..... Where was I, soory a???????



Oh I yeah.... Sorry Oh a yeah.... I, sorry A will start again...... :



Soory ave noot been able ter blog.... But yesterdee (yesterdee a demented yesterday) A goot (goot same as noot... the extra 'o' thingy ma-jig) mesen inter a BIG mess!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Actually forgeet the subtitles as a think it's making me blog even 'arder ter read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



(Sorry if yer can noot understand me demented Bingo Star scouse but it's noot that far off proper english.... sorry if yer can't understand me blogs but any who can't must be of a lower IQ than even a am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-p



Start again 3rd time lucky.... >>>> :



Sorry ave noot been able ter blog, BUT a goot mesen inter a right mess yesterdee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Basically a was on a fast coach ter London when a decided ter use a tip a 'ad been told on 'ow ter clean me underwear the eco-friendly way whilst travelling without a washing machine at 'and!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



So descreetly sitting at the back of the fast coach/ bus..... Whilst on the M6 toll road...... A decided ter use the tip......



So a opened up me can of DIET cream soda and started ter pour it on me used smalls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Trying me best noot ter bring attention ter meself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Next thing me smalls started STEAMING and STEAMING BIG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Next thing before a even knew what was going on..... The driver 'ad 'andbraked the coach onter the 'ard shoulder...... And despite trying ter was me smalls descreetly....... (AND like The Mayo was saying on yesterdee's most nice Driveitme show about nearly every schoolchild's essay 'aving 'and thr 'elicopter took off!!!!!').......



There was ploice 'elicopters and live news choppers...... Flying over'ead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



A tell yer..... That's the last time a try and deescreetly was me smalls with diet cream soda in the madness that is........ Modern Broken Britain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



The above story...... 3% TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Tatty bye!

We ended up stopped 150 yards before the toll booths..... A tell yer some of these coach drivers will do ANYTHING ter avoid paying a toll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Mayo Mate - For terdee's Drivetime BIG Opener..... Anychance of playing:



The Bee Gees and For Whom The Bell Tolls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1



Most nice if yer could pal ;-))))))

hi all



arf tune



EVERYONES A WINNER-HOT CHOCOLATE



looking forward to the muppets tune it will cheer people up after all the bad weather we are having.

Simon,



Something a little bit different for Mens semi-final day.



FLEETWOOD MAC - BIG LOVE



If only for the sound of a tennis rally in the background....I think.

KatyMac - forgot to say congrats on the Asia track last night - great choice.



#39 - carrot - motorbike - Funky Moped ? (Or Magic Roundabout if you prefer the more entertaining B side). Sitting here in lower Walton le Dale, I imagine the Ribble is also rising, but I'm not going out in this to find out. I'l wait until the Fire & Rescue teams arrive to pump out the cellars again to find out.

ARFO



For the weather :



Will it ever stop raining? by The Saw Doctors



as the song say's



"I got sunglasses And I got the shorts I got factor 50 And a t-shirt of course"



For Andy :



To win just once by The Saw Doctors

Good Afternoon All



Wittertainment from Wimbledon - such fun! I'll look forward to the podcast... Seems we have a few Wittertainment fans on the blog now - I've noticed it's being mentioned more just lately.



Glad Jilly is feeling better.



No ARFO chasing for me, but there are some excellent suggestions above. Think I might take a leaf out of KatyMatey's book and listen to a few of them later.



Sausage bolognese - couldn't be easier. Remove the skins from some good quality sausages from a butcher - or I sometimes use ELH Finest - and crumble into a dry pan. Fry for a few minutes till the fat starts to run, then add chopped mushrooms. Fry a bit more till the sausage meat is browned, then add some tomato sauce - either homemade or a jar of pasta sauce will do. Heat through then add to pasta. Simples! Amelia #29 I haven't tried mixing half sausage meat and half beef mince, but I have made meatloaf with a mixture of pork and beef mince.



#42 Bingo - LOL!



~X~

#39 Lady Stormrider, I agree about the weather... if we have waterproofs, wellies and brollies!



#40 NicRolastic, I know what you mean... as long as Andy wins, he's British, but the minute he gets beten, he's a whinging Scot, yet nobody has come close to him for many years! had he been born at a different time, he would stand a better chance but he's come up against such outstanding players! I truly hope he reaches the final... the first British player since 1938 if he does!



#48 Deebee, I see you don't make your sausagemeat into balls... sounds yummy as I love sausages and often cut mine almost right through the middle when cooking, so that I have extra 'outside' cooked area that tastes the nicest!

#47 Johno... as a fellow Saw Doctors' fan, there's nothing I'd like to hear more than a SD's song at 5:05... I second your choice.....



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsD9k82uAjo



TO WIN JUST ONCE ~ The Saw Doctors

Florence,



And Murray didn't even go through the British tennis school route. All the money at Wimbledon and in British tennis and the best Brit did it his own route - not a great advert for the British tennis system is it?!



Nic

Nic, I wonder WHY Britain doesn't have anyone as good as Andy Murray, especially as the Lawn Tennis Association must have plenty of money to provide the best of everything in training facilities, equipment and coaches... even Tim Henman wasn't as good but it's nice that he seems to support Andy Murray and they're really good friends.

Splash!



Just jumped over the fence where it's flooded.



The song which is in my head all the time:



Rain by Mika.



MM xxx



I know this is a bit of a cheek so please feel free to tell me to get back to my own side!

I'm off... lunch is ready and tennis is on now!

#51.52 - Nic and Florence. Here's my thoughts on why Britain has failed to produce more than two decent male tennis players (and fewer female players) in the last three quarters of a century. it is encompassed in two words...



"Dan Maskell".



I know this sounds harsh, but I think it's right. In the 1960s Britain was careering towards becoming a much more classless society, with the Beatles, Python, Coronation Street and so much more very quickly ironing out the creases of upper middle class control that had abided here for two centuries. Harold Wilson, the trade unions, readily available further education opportunities etc etc all made it much easier for lower middle- and working class people to get on, and to have influence. At the same time, as we scooped ourselves into the seventies, tough, aggressive, go-getting ambitious kids in America and elsewhere spotted that there was money to be made as tennis players, and Connors, McEnroe, Agassi - and eventually players from Eastern Europe too became hard-working, focused and self-motivating tennis players. In this country we only ever televised Wimbledon in those days, never the US Open, French or Ossie tournaments, and we fronted it for years and years with an elderly man in a blazer and a club tie, speaking in a plummy accent while on court the Yanks were sweating blood to win everything. We engendered the upper middle classness of tennis - you had to be invited to join a rather posh club. While COnnors was sweating and swearing, Dan maskell was coming out with phrases like "Phew - what a corker!!".



talented sporty kids from Liverpool, Newcastle, West Bromwich, Tottenham or Glasgow were unlikely to go and join their (posh voice) local lawn tennis club when they could see they could get into professional football and make as much money if not more, surrounded by kids like themselves (Steve Coppell was always referred to as the clever one, as he had a degree in economics, and was a professional footie player).



So the pool from which we were ever going to find decent players was immensely small and elite, and those kids were more likely to be motivated by mummy and daddy to go to a good university and work hard for a job in the city than to think they could make a living in sport.



And that atmosphere still pervades the game. With a simple bat and a ball it can still be expensive for kids to play tennis even now - good quality lessons, club membership don't come cheap. Within a ten miles radius of my house there are two grotty courts in a backstreet part of town (and you can never get on them, they're always full) where kids can go and knock up without being members. Within three miles there are several posh clubs where you can pay a high membership fee and pay a fortune for lessons...



So, and i think it's true, Dan Maskell maintained an attitude to tennis via the BBC that deterred hungry, talented kids from getting into the game, whereas in other countries it was easy for them. I know he fondly remembered as a loveable old duffer that we all grew up with, but not in my house!



What a long post.... sorry!

Changed name back now that the torch has been and gone.



You could have a point B&B - as kids our aspiration was to get on a proper court but it was usually bashing a ball up the garage door or wall and getting a telling off for making so much racket (excuse the pun).



JW

#53 Hi MaddyMoon! Welcome to this side of the fence - hope you didn't get your feet too wet climbing over... This is an all-inclusive blog, not a club - all are welcome, and of course we're not going to tell you to go back to t'other side!



#55 Wow B&B, that's some post! As Billy Joel famousy said - "you may be wrong, but you may be right..."



;o)

#57 Famousy...? Here's the missing l



~X~

(gets on high horse...) - and I tell you what else annoys me about tennis!!!...



....the number of people who joke and complain about Henman and say he was a failure who never won anything, and who whinge that Murray'll "never win anything either". Well... there are something like 7 billion people on this planet. Tim Henman was a better tennis player than 6,999,999,996 of them. Andy Murray is also better than 6,999,999,997 of them. In the meantime, the people who complain that those two guys are perennial losers sit on their backsides in front of Jeremy Kyle complaining about Polish people stealing all our jobs. Never occurs to them to get out and play a bit of tennis with their obese kids, or get off the sofa and DO SOMETHING. if I had a goat, these whingers would get it!!! Or I'd deport them...

Hi Plog Boppets!

In for a quick ARF... (Don't think anyone's picked it yet?)



THE FINAL COUNTDOWN - Europe



Have a jolly good weekend - and come on Andy!

#47 Parsley - yellow alert has been issued for the Ribble. I know the area where you are & I'm sure you should leave ASAP.



#59 Bertie *rant on* I'd also like to know where all the money Wimbledon makes each year from strawberry & cream goes. When you see the wonderful facilities in France that the Municipal authorities have it's a world apart from our tarmac courts. At least the cricket authorities here have seen the light & set up some wonderful indoor coaching facilities - such as Headingley and Old Trafford and they are paying off on a day like today! *rant off*

#61 oof... Lady S... wait a minute, I can feel a moment coming on....I'll be back when I can contain my thoughts in cogent sentences and stop banging my head against the window.....

...before I do though...what a game on at the moment! No need yet for a SPOILER ALERT, but - "my word," as Dan Maskell would have said - "what a rasper!"

Well people, the rain has stopped here, the sun is shining and there is blue sky and so it is quite pleasant out.



However, there is not a soul about - all inside watching the tennis.

#64 apart from those of us stuck in an office, Madchickster...



;o)

#55 BertieWhoMayAlsoBeBaxter... a very interesting post and you've probably hit the nail on the head!



I think Andy Murray's skill comes not from wealthy origins, but from his mum's encouragement from when he was three years old and probably while his friends were out on their bikes he was hitting tennis balls.



https://news.images.itv.com/image/file/57691/article_e2f670a15f8143b1_1341561951_9j-4aaqsk.jpeg



A topic here about whether or not tennis players are from wealthy families...



https://www.menstennisforums.com/showthread.php?t=181117



How good to see the roof is being opened for Andy Murray's game!

I hate it when my job gets in the way of watching tennis!!

Well, that last one was good! Come on Murray!



#61 Lady S...here we go... I don't think any professional sport in this country has any interest in developing talent in British youth. Not really. To an extent some do, but particularly in tennis I think the attitude is "you're on your own, mate". The only thing they have any interest in whatsoever is money, pure and simple. Football managers complain year after year about their precious little millionaires playing too much football, and how they desperately need a break in the winter because the poor little darlings are tired (after playing footie a couple of nights a week). As soon as the season finishes they all bag up and get onto the first class seats and fly off to play demonstration games in the Far East and SE Asia. I'm off to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow. When I was there this time last year I went to see Chelsea play the Malaysian national team in front of 80,000 fans. The merchandising outside the stadium, for a one-off game - was astronomical - they were there to sell shirts and subscription to TV channels, not really to play football. The week before, Arsenal had been through town. But these poor little cherubs need a holiday in the winter because they are "tired". Meanwhile, I will never be able to afford a season ticket at Man, my lifelong club of choice. I have never taken more than one of my three sons to a game at a time, because I can't afford three seats! Over the water, in Germany, it costs about £7 to go watch Bayern Munich, and a season ticket there is about £100. In Spain, Barcelona are not sponsored by a major US banking organisation to the tune of millions of dollars a year.... Barcelon have "Univef" on their shirts and THEY give money to THEM!



In Britain we only care about money money money, and I suspect that the tatty little accountants as Wimbledon are the same as all of them. I bet they've spent more money on the Royal Box carpet in the last five years than they have spent on tennis in Cheshire (where I live) in the same period.



So in answer to the question about where the money from the £3000 a punnet strawberries goes... I'm guessing into someone's offshore bank account.



Murray can actually do this!... he's won the toss, at least!



here we go........

Autumn_Gale... I'd hate it too but never work on Fridays so I'm happy to be able to watch it with a cuppa and a biggish slice of chocolate cake that I made this morning with soft, chocolaty (is that a word?) butter icing on top and in the middle!!!



Can you peep online, A_G, or are you watching later?



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/18729889

Here's the "Utd" missing from the above post - it comes after the word "Man". And here's the "c" to replace the rogue and ranting "v" in Unicef. I'll calm down now and try and stay awake to watch AM... its 11pm and I have to be at the airport at 5.30am, so I hope Murray is quick!

Is it my imagination, or is the centre court about 1/3rd full?

Lucky you Florence (cake sounds yummy!).



I can watch on-line and in truth unless I'm actually in a classroom teaching, I can usually have it on and get to watch quite a bit. However, today has been 'one of those days' dealing with crises and then I've been in meetings and so I missed the whole of Federer /Djokovic (although I know the result). I am catching a bit of Murray now, but will now head home and try to catch it on the radio.

Hey-ho, bloggers! Have I missed anything?



Absolutely persisting it down here.

Good afternoon blogchumsters.



Hope everyone is well.



Have been putting up a tent which was delivered earlier - a dry run before next week's glamping trip.



:^D

#72 A_G... I threw everything in together, and often it's my best cakes... trouble is when it's fresh and soft, I can't stop cutting it and won't want my chicken at teatime! If I could share it with you, I would!



Harry, 3-word Friday.... BRIGHT WARM DRY! ;o))



Katy, are you going to christen it with a hose?

#70 Bertie, where are you if it's 11pm? AM is doing his best to hurry up for you!!



I'm multi-tasking as I'm watching tennis as well as the live-timing from Oulton Park of the British Superbikes, where it's been wet all day!

Looking at the LTA website, it lists 272 places to play tennis in Cheshire. Of these, there are seven outdoor, floodlit courts where it is free to play, and 30 which are not floodlit. There is not one within 10 miles of my nearest town which has a population of around 20,000. There are two listed in Warrington, which has a population of over a quarter of a million people. I looked at some coaches details and club details in places I know. Not one of them indicated how much it would cost for lessons, and not one club listed any information on how to join nor indicated how much it might cost. The LTA's turnover, all of which is invested in developing tennis in Britain, was £57m in 2011. The All England Club at Wimbledon has 375 members and 100 temporary playing members... not many then! The big cheese on the managing committee is Tim Phillips - father of Sally, the receptionist in Alan Partridge's hotel and Bridget Jones's best mate! Lest we consider only Henman and Murray worthy of note in British tennis, don't forget Greg Rusedski, who I think also made it into the top four briefly. Only Henman came through the LTA. So one male player since Fred Perry came through "the system" to be a great player, and Virgina Wade amongst the women, who won three grand slams, amassed winnings (significant for her time) of $1.5m, and....learned to play tennis in South Africa. Ah well...COME ON MURRAY!

#61 - no fish nibbling at my toes yet, so I think we'll get away with it at least until home time but I appreciate your concern. Looks very bad further east around Darwen and we are only yards from the river of the same name.



#73 - Harry - still got your head above water so far ? (How are the Ospreys doing this year ?)

#76 Hi Florence - I'm in the Phillippines (not permanently!), and watching Murray on really poor cable telly in my hotel room - I can't see the ball, I have to guess!

Getting a bit obsessed with tennis stats! Here's two defining statements from tennis players that maybe indicates why we don't win much:



Annabel Croft retired at the age of 21, "tired of travel and keen to start a family." She noted that the tour was stressful as it was like "having an argument every day and preparing for another one tomorrow". She won both the Wimbledon and Oz girls tournaments at the age of 18.



A quote from Andre Agassi on the other hand: "“Pride is bad, stress is good. I don't want to feel confident. I want to feel rage. Endless, all consuming rage.”



In a nutshell?

hehehehehe

#80 and Bertie, Cheshire is considered to be a wealthy county! Coming from the county but one above you the facilities were worse.



Anyway I'm home with black leather stained fingers. The A62 drains have alll burst. But I'm warm & dry now. Mr Aquaplane likes his roads wet and his ladies similar (oh oh oh!!!)

#82 - there's too much there to go into just now!!



Most annoying.... the channle showing Wimbledon over here plays adverts at every change of end. Very distracting. Blimey - Murray is fit. Blimey - Tsonga is tough!



This rain you're all getting - it's really that bad then?

A quick visit to curtsy before Queen Katy!

Bertie, rain, what rain? It's sunny at Wimbledon and here on the south-east coast of Scotland we have had a nice bright dry day with occasional sunshine too. I spoke to a friend in Cheshire at 1pm and she said it had been raining for ages but like me, she was going to be watching tennis and didn't care that it was wet outside!

Oops... watching tennis I missed the ARFO... so as I curtsy to Queen Katy, may I please ask what tune was played?



Well done Queen Katy! :o))

#85 - true, but talking to colleagues at work in Notts, all there is to say about anything is RAAAIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNN! And on the World News, the only thing the BBC says about Britain is that it's raining!



Without causing a SPOILER ALERT - who's going to win this flipping tennis then! ?

Congrats Queen Katy. Which song? Sorry, my attention is elsewhere.



Florence, we know it never rains in SE Scotland ;-)



x

Katy, as you can't really be expected to crown yourself, allow me to do the honour!



.......☆........☆.........☆.........☆.........☆.........☆.........☆

.....★★......★★......★★......★★......★★......★★......★★

...★☆★...★☆★...★☆★...★☆★...★☆★...★☆★...★☆★

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

┃ARFO☆♫•°★°•♫☆KATY┃┃ARFO☆♫•°★°•♫☆KATY┃

┃★°★°★┃★★★┃★°★°★┃★°★°★┃★★★┃★°★°★┃

══════════════════════════════════════

Hehehe - "new balls for Tsonga"???

#88 Mo, do I detect a touch of sarcasm in your message about our weather? :o(

Congratulations to Queen Katy! :))



#85 Florence - What rain? We've got flooding around here :( It's been raining heavily all day, and no signs of it stopping either.



Glad if some folks have got sunshine though, it wouldn't do for us all to be underwater!

Oh yes - excellent ARFO mosh-type song from Katy with the name check. Who would have thought it? The Muppets on Radion 2? What a phenomenon......menom menom.....



COME ON ANDY!!!!!!!!!!!

#86 Flo & #88 Mo -



It was



THE IMMIGRANT SONG - LED ZEPPELIN



♪´¯`♫ .. Ah, ah,



'We come from the land of the ice and snow, from the midnight sun where the hot springs flow..'



(Copied Katy's request this morning.)



@ Harry - The "Touch More Schmilsson" CD has arrived today.



Goody Goody Gumdrops.

Zoe, sorry about your weather... but how green and lush does everywhere look with the extra rain? We had rain overnight but it's stayed away all day and I'm so pleased it's been nice and sunny for the tennis.

Katy, first with a double ARFO?



x

Big congratulations to Queen Katy! A well deserved crown for one of our lovely blogvets!



How exciting is this tennis match then? I've got no nails left and I've started on the dogpoppet's claws...



;o)



#87 I think the guy in the white t-shirt is going to win... Does that count as a spoiler?



#90 LOL!



~X~

Congratulations Queen Katy - the crown suits you, my dear!!



Sorry I didn't hear it - Mr took me out for a walk, which was lovely in the sunshine that has fought it's way through the gloom - lovely evening here.



Off to cook the dinner - have good weekends all - fingers crossed for CoffeeBuzz and the weather!



JW

#97 - maybe the one in the Adidas kit?

Just back - whoop whoop KatyMac - well done your Maj!