Cheers and Vamos!

I stepped out of work to be met by a lion cheer. Wow! What have I done to deserve this ... ? I wondered; caught up in a split second fantasy of having done something amazing to justify such vocal approval. A split second only, as the pub came into my line of vision. England had scored. Inside it was packed, and these guys were braving the weather for a smoke.

My cheer earlier on in the afternoon had been relatively louder, I'm sure.
I'd taken a sneaky peek at what had been happening in Paris, on the red clay.
Back in 2008, when I had to spend several months at home being quiet and recuperating, I banned daytime television ... with the exception of tennis. It was then that I started following a certain Mallorcan. Not for the reasons that most people are keen to assume. I followed the clay court season; then there was Wimbledon. The Federer Nadal final, possibly the finest tennis match ever played where both players exhibited brilliance and exemplary sportsmanship. Nadal's focus and endurance won him the match 6-4 6-4 6-7 6-7 9-7. And it is his inner brawn that I found magnetic and inspiring, as I lay on the sofa four years ago.
Apologies to all non-tennis lovers (of which I know there are many), and for this indulgent blip.