Dear Brethren All,
I have delayed composing the letter for this weekend until the result of the European Football tournament was known. Many of us are interested in sport and we have enjoyed quite an amount of various important encounters since my last letter. Not in any chronological order but just as they come in to my head.
The Test match with the West Indies saw Jimmy Anderson say farewell to test cricket after 21 years of dedication and toil as a fast bowler in Test cricket; he retired in a flourish. During that match we saw a young bowler, Atkinson, on his debut, collect 10 or more wickets over two innings, what a performance; he should have a good future. Wimbledon always produces some of the best lawn tennis ever seen and this year was no exception. Nearly all of the games I watched on television were of a high standard and not one sided. Some players stand out more than others or make a good impression.
In the ladies singles we saw a human dynamo from Italy with an infectious smile, a pity she did not win the tournament but I am sure that she will be back. The men’s games intrigued us with some forceful hitting and very tight results. Then a young Spaniard stood out from the rest in becoming the overall winner, what another performance. Great Britain did have winners in the men’s wheelchair singles and doubles, and I believe in the men’s doubles.
Last evening Spain ran out winners in the football against England, in my opinion, a well deserved win. I find it hard to watch the modern game which is very tactical but at times goes against some of the fundamental things I was taught early on. “Do not pass the ball across your own goal. “Play forward not backwards, the goal you want to score in is at the other end of the pitch,”
Soon we will be able to see athletes compete in the Olympic Games. I do appreciate though that there are some who do not enjoy sports and that there is too much time showing events, especially on the main three channels at the same time. On the personal front, I have just given my golf clubs to my youngest grandson as my knees play up too much to contemplate walking around the golf course any more, not looking for sympathy, just a fact of age.
In the garden things are progressing, some of the sweetcorn has taken off and looks healthy. The runner and broad beans are not up to much at all and Pat is disappointed. The soft fruits have been very rewarding, the loganberries have now finished but the blackberries are now about to come in to season and there will be more jam making and I hope blackberry and apple crumble. The wild birds still grace the garden, yesterday there were a large number of starlings on the back lawn enjoying the grubs. We are still blessed with young sparrows and blackbirds, it is fascinating in watching them learning from their parents.
As usual, can I please ask you to keep those lines of communication open. Pick up the phone now and again and say hello to a brother you have not seen for a while.
Best wishes to you all.
Malcolm Lloyd, P.G.S.D., Prov. Grand Almoner