Tennis - English style

Growing up in a tennis mad family I knew my day at Wimbledon would be enjoyable, but I could not have predicted just how captivated I would be by the atmosphere. Many of us have read about the Wimbledon traditions: all whites, strawberries and cream, the Royal box, rain delays, pimms... and the list goes on.  To experience these traditions while being entertained by the dizzying agility and strength of the tennis greats is simply amazing.

I was lucky enough to have the quintessential experience.  Making our way from the tube station the aura of anticipation and excitement of both ticket and non-ticket holders alike was contagious. Once inside the club we were treated to a lovely spread of canapés and champagne. Now fully prepared for our day of tennis we made our way to centre court. From then on a steady stream of tennis greats took to the court including Federer, Wozniacki, Clijsters and Djokovic. I was overwhelmed at how intimate centre court actually is.  With so many moments of glory throughout the years taking place on the grass in front of us it became understandable why the players always speak of how special it is to play on centre court.  Equally, watching an unseeded player it is easily understandable just how overwhelming an experience it must be to walk out from the dressing rooms to take their place on centre stage.  

The spectators seemed to enthusiastically support not only their favourites, but the underdogs as well.  The tennis progressed and true to tradition the rain did come.  The fans were clearly not going to go anywhere and seemed fully prepared for this outcome.  Umbrellas of all sorts went up, those with picnics started to take out their treats and a friendly banter filled the air.  Meanwhile the highly organised groundsmen once give the nod by the official covered the court with military precision in a well choreographed half minute.  Following, the ‘new’ roof elegantly closed out the rain.  

With a break in play we decided to soak up the atmosphere outside.  On the outside courts play was resuming and there was a pleasant buzz of people seeking out the players they most wanted to watch.

We then decided to experience high tea followed by a refreshing pimms.  Being a bit of a foodie, it was an added bonus to have Michele Roux senior mingling with guests.  I also wanted to know what all the buzz was about strawberries and cream at Wimbeldon.  The sweet, fresh taste I have come to love about English strawberries really did seem somehow elevated to a new level. 

Returning to our seats we settled in for a final few hours of incredible play.  As the day drew to a close with Djokovic closing down on his opponent with precision we had to bid fairwell to the players, the fans, the royal box, the pimms and strawberries and the many other tennis fans.

This was a day I will remember for many Wimbledon’s to come. I can’t wait for the ballot to come out for Wimbledon 2013 and should I not be one of the lucky ones to get a ticket you can find me in the queue!

By Nancy Dickinson

The day I met the Dalai Lama

The excitement started when I received an email from a friend inviting me to go to a talk by the Dalai Lama. Of course I knew who he was, but I never thought I would have the opportunity to meet him in person. When I entered the Royal Albert Hall I discovered that not only I was sitting in the fourth row but that I also had a better seat than Annie Lennox and other VIPs!
After a traditional Tibetan dance, his Holiness the Dalai Lama came onto the stage. He waived to the crowd and started helping the technicians who were removing all microphones and wires after the dance. This simple gesture really impressed me. He then was left alone on stage with only an interpreter who he consulted only very few times when he did not know the right words to use.
I am not sure how to call his talk, definitely not a speech or a sermon, rather a collection of thoughts. He touched on many issues, from his youth and memories of his mother, to the role of Christianity and the compassionate attitude of women. From the importance of inner beauty and the tragic religious conflicts, to the power of the new generations to stand up and be the change, his general health and the respect for non believers. In between these scattered thoughts he would throw jokes and laugh loudly at them. He really seems like a happy, serene man who is very spontaneous and relaxed. His words were very simple and the concepts quite obvious. While at first I thought that perhaps this was because of a language barrier, I came to conclude that actually he spoke in this very accessible way on purpose. I was expecting a more spiritual experience, but I have to say that he did send, among many others, a powerful message to the audience: the importance of human values such as compassion, tolerance and contentment in building a better world. The world for us expats is very small so hopefully all of us will make a positive contribution wherever we live.

 by Alessandra Gnudi 

To find more about the Dalai Lama:

 www.dalailama.com

His new book: Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World, published by Rider, 2012

Visit the FOCUS website www.focus-info.org 

Going on sale

My 6-year old son has so many toys and I’m afraid that I don’t have anybody else to blame for the situation than myself. Sometimes, I think that he just likes the process of buying things and the fun of choosing a new toy rather than the toy itself. We have thought about selling his ‘not so cool toys’ at a Car Boot Sale, but, until last Sunday, it was just a thought. Every time we asked him to choose the toys to sell, he chose only a few bought  from Poundland; and you cannot make business with just a few very uncool toys.

Car Boot Sale is basically a fair, in our case organised by the school, where people come to sell their unwanted things. There is a small fee that you need to pay to the school to participate. It is lots of fun to go as a customer and even more fun as a seller, as we found out last Sunday.

I don’t know where it came from, but suddenly my son was very eager to sell his old toys. As we don’t have a car, we put all the toys in a big suitcase and went to the sale. We are not early risers, so when we arrived, the best spaces at the sale where already gone, so we had to set up our ‘table’ at the end of the square. At first, it seemed that nobody was interested in a suitcase full of boys’ toys (read: lizards, snakes, spiders, dinosaurs etc). My son got really bored and even a bit frustrated, but then our luck turned. A family with 4 boys arrived and they just loved the things that were on sale. They even came back for the second time to buy more things. It was like a trigger: more and more customers found the way to our suitcase. The prices at the Car Boot Sale are small, so my son didn’t make a huge fortune, but the £8.25 that he earned on that morning, made him really happy. His very first salary! He acted like a real businessman, explaining how some toys worked and being patient when a customer couldn’t decide what to choose and it seemed that he really liked the whole process. I was afraid that if he saw that somebody really liked the toys, he might regret selling them. But it didn’t happen, everything went really well! He couldn’t sell out all the toys, so we might do it another time again or as my son said – we will definitely do it again!  

by Eva Unt

If you can read  Estonian, cheak Eva's blog at  www.evajacolondonis.blogspot.com

Visit the FOCUS website www.focus-info.org  

An Unforgettable Street Party

If you have just arrived in the UK or if like me you have been here for over 15 years, you should know there is one thing that is totally unanimous and undisputable: everybody loves The Queen! What a great weekend this has been with all the celebrations.

I am so lucky to live in a street that has a little village feel: a church and a school at one end of the street and a lovely pub at the other end. The church and the pub are the places where we all catch up. The community organises a street party every year. This year was of course a very special party with the celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

There were many street parties around central London, but I think ours was really special as it was open and free for all. The residents started decorating the street on Saturday. On Sunday, the party started right after mass, right after the rain decided to give us a break. The pub prepared a delicious hogshead and  wines and other drinks were available. Many people brought their own picnic; sausages, crisps, quiches and rolls were shared on the communal tables. There was a band playing jazz, some children’s games and a big screen to follow the activity on the river, which is not too far from us.

We had some very special guests just before the river pageant begun: the Duke of York, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie! The princesses not only were beautiful but also did all you could expect from princesses. They talked to everyone, graciously accepted flowers from children and smiled to many photos (ours included!). Prince Andrew was also very friendly and I think he wished he could have tasted our delicious pork sandwich!

The party had a little break as some people ran to have a glimpse at the river pageant and others just watched it at the large screen.

Boats gone, the party got busy again. We then had a cake competition and everyone enjoyed the delicious treats. There was also a dogs’ show, a tombola and a kids' fancy dress competition. By then, the rain decided it was time for the party to finish and we all should go home and rest.

 A fantastic way to celebrate 60 years of Her Majesty's reign! God Save Our Queen!

by Ana Beatriz Alencar

You can still participate in the jubilee celebrations by giving just 60 minutes of your time to civic, charitable or community activities to the Jubilee Hour

Visit the FOCUS website www.focus-info.org