All That Racquet

Summer is upon us once again - in the Northern Hemisphere. In a short while we will be in what is called "Hurricane Season". Typically, Summer and Hurricane Season go hand in hand. Hot water and hot weather render nasty storms!

However, that is not the "racquet" I am here to talk about. No; many of you might have heard a rumour that Larry has done the unthinkable. Today, I am here to tell you that it is not a lie. Larry has indeed managed to get me fascinated with a sport. I never thought I would live to see the day that I enjoy being out of breath and in pain.

We actually play three to four times a week. At first, we played at a tennis court we thought was Bayview tennis courts and on the website the picture matches the tennis court! However, these courts are lovely. They are spaced out and have little water stations with an umbrella and there are eighteen courts in total.

We then saw a sign that showed it is not what we thought it was. Each weekend we would drive there because the gates are always open and no one ever said anything.

When we finally found the actual Bayview Complex that really is free of admission I was really put off because the courts are all on top of each other and for someone who is not quite as accurate it is really embarrassing as well as irritating to keep hitting the ball in to someone else's court (no pun intended).

Not to worry, though, because Larry soon discovered a "neighbourhood" tennis court that is a little run down and so far always empty. It is five minutes from our house in a neighbourhood called Lake Charlene and 99% of the residents are retired military. The tennis court must have belonged to the neighbourhood association a while ago because the maintenance is absolutely non-existent.

The bad thing: it is right next to the Navy Base and if you hit a ball over the fence it goes in there and you never see it again. When Larry starts to hit one after another over the fence we usually know it is time to go home.

He as well as everyone else keeps telling me to be positive about the whole thing and I really try. If anyone has mastered the art of abstaining from getting frustrated with themselves and their inability to do something right I would appreciate some pointers!

One day it goes well and almost feel proud of myself and then wham! The next day we hit a brick wall and I can hardly serve the ball!

Amidst all that, I really am improving and keeping my spirits up. I am getting fitter and better at it. I will keep you posted - but I will hold off on any Wimbledon bets for a while.