Tennis - waiting for Australian Open

[magimedi]

And longing for lots of chat!!

I'm sure Ernests was quarantining in style

My home school efforts consist of asking did you get work to do and have you done it.

Jane I can do that with dd1 (year 10)- and even then, I have to check she hasn't fallen asleep , mid zoom call.
But dd2 is year 5, and after so much time off school, for various reasons, I have no idea what she is meant to to have been taught- so,for example, she get's a lesson on fractions, and I've no idea if her blank expression is due to really not knowing what to do, or just having me on. It's frustrating.
We have had tomorrow's work through- dh is moaning about the printing . I don't blame him really- I mean, we are in a position to print stuff out. Not everyone is. Writing it all out would be horrendous!

Ugh maths Our printer is banjaxed. I have to send things to DH at work and get him to print them. DS2 has been given an extra week off his online lectures without any explanation why.

Dh used to print things at work.

He has been home since March.

My hair is GREY

Evening all! Still so glad that I’m not home schooling - I think that would finish me off!

I just wish that I’d let my hair go grey when we first went into lockdown - not quite sure what’s going to happen to it over the next few weeks/months - there’s only so much root touch up that my hair can take!

I’ve just been listening to the Tennis Podcast - they were talking about an exhibition in Adelaide for the top three players where the quarantine rules would be slightly different - they can have 4 people in their entourage rather than 2 and the hotel is nicer!. As Ash Barty is already in Australia Serena has been included in the top 3 women

Tennis made our local news programme tonight! A female tennis player from Yorkshire is one match away from qualifying for the main draw - all I can remember is that her second name is Jones and she has a genetic disorder which affects her fingers/toes. Hope she makes it to the main draw.

Looking forward to seeing some proper tennis (hopefully) - I’ve sort of lost track of what is happening and when.

I’m not sure that I really understand the Adelaide tournament - they must need more than 3 players! I need to investigate!

I haven't coloured my hair for years- it isn't actually grey though - it seemed to by pass that, and I have white bits all over. I'm not keen- my mum and and sister have always bleached their hair blonde, but I have always stayed dark. I had highlights once, and didn't like it.

Serena . Why exactly? If it's top 3- and they aren't counting Ash- then the 4th player should get the spot. That most definitely is not Serena- she's outside the top 10. But I'm no Serena fan, so that clouds my view .

Home teaching is proving exhausting-dd2 is supposed to be able to most of it by herself, but it really isn't the case- and it's only Tuesday . There's a very good reason I decided nearly 30 years ago not to go into teaching (and it wasn't just because even primary kids are taller than me).

I am increasingly worried that I will not be able to watch any tennis, when it starts.

Francesca Jones Fizzy She was born with 3 fingers and a thumb on each hand, so uses a lighter racquet with a smaller grip. I think she has fewer toes aswell, so has balance issues. She appears to be sticking two fingers up at all those who apparently have told her that there is no way she can be a tennis player!

Thank you kazza

She sounds amazing. I really hope she gets through.

Me too Raahh - it takes a lot for tennis to make the local news!

The most local players to me (apart from Fred Perry, but he's not really alive), are the Broadys- they are also from the Stockport area, and I went to a quiz night a few years back in the club that they trained at. It was a fundraiser for a softball team my dh was involved with.

I remember the night of the quiz really well- it was the last match Andy Murray played at Wimbledon. (I was score watching, when I was meant to be answering stuff- we did win, mainly because there was a music round. I am shit hot at music rounds).

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We’re doing a quiz on Saturday Raahh (that’s how bored we are!) - I might be in touch

I was awake (again) in the middle of the night. I am worrying about everything at the moment, and sleep ust isn't happening. Anyway- whilst I was awake- I got to thinking about Marion Bartoli, (possibly because we mentioned Serena? ) and I wondered if she had had her baby. She was very pregnant at the French Open. Anyway- her daughter, Kamilya, was born on December 18th. So that's lovely.

That’s lovely news about Marion - I did know that she’d had her baby but didn’t know what sort!

Sorry that you’re not sleeping Raahh - home schooling and everything else must be rubbish. I’ve re-entered the flat, can’t really be bothered with anything phase which makes a change from the anxiety

Hope everyone else is OK - I’m going to investigate the Adelaide tournament to see if there will be more than 3 players!

I think a 3 player tournament could be interesting, Fizzy . Maybe one takes it in turn to be the umpire?

I kept myself entertained in the night, watching the Judy Murray- Other Murray brother (Duncan) videos. I love them. I love Judy. She is brilliantly funny.

I think the three players are to be joined by an unnamed player whatever that means (probably someone else who is complaining about having to quarantine!)

Francesca Jones has made it into the main draw - yay! She’s only 20

Fizzy the 3 player thing has not been explaind very well!

Well done Francesca- fab result.

Francesca Jones is a headline on the BBC 10 O'clock News, so going to watch that story before shuffling off to bed.

Just been reading about Francesca Jones - she says that her first priority when she gets to Oz is to do some laundry - maybe Sascha should take a leaf out of her book!

I hope she does well - she seems really refreshing with her attitude

We’ve got proper snow here - I’m supposed to be in the office tomorrow but not sure if I’ll be able to get in - oh well I’ll just have to follow Boris’s advice and stay at home!

Dh has just told me that apparently Andy Murray has tested positve- but he thought he had already had it last year. An outbreak at Roehampton, apparently. It's a bit unfortunate, given that he didn't go to Del Ray beach, to minimise his risks- and then caught it here. Not sure how this will affect his chances of being able to go to Australia- they have been very strict regarding isolation and quarantine.

Not a whiff of snow here, thankfully- just torrential rain.
I should be walking the dog, in a break from 'teaching'- but he won't even go in the garden. It's his birthday, I'll take him later .

Happy birthday Raahhdog

Oh no - that doesn’t sound good for Andy Murray and his plans for AO

I've been doing a bit of reading, and, despite all the restrictions and how strict they have been up to now, it seems they are allowing 'leeway' for certain players to allow them to attend the tournament. Seems a bit odd. Sandgren has been allowed to fly out- and I think I read he has tested positve in November and also recently (but I don't know if traces of the virus can remain after you've had it, so that will affect future tests ? Not sure. ).