January monthly review

Christmas has passed and the Hillhouse occupants have eased into the New Year. Both girls, Emma and Becky have new homes to furnish and manage as they seem to have got themselves settled into other areas of the Wirral. Emma's girls have settled into Birkenhead High School Academy so SWMBO only has Emilie to look after during the day, although school pick-up duties are still required.

Wallasey golf club continues to see far more of me than I had planned, but with a relatively mild Winter, the links have stood up well, and the sandy subsoil enables ma and my fellow members to play any day we wish. Neighbouring clubs on clay bases are struggling with courses or sections of courses closed for days on end. As a result, the applications for membership has escalated and there is now a waitlist as well as a sizeable one-off joining fee when looking to become a member.

SWMBO has a significant birthday this year, so I am whisking her off to the Seychelles and Mauritius  later in the year. We have never been to the Seychelles, as much because I have always felt it would be a bit too relaxed with little to do, as for any other reason. You will not be surprised when I say that the hotel I have found has the only 18 hole golf course in the Seychelles, so I thought that would be ideal. We stay there a week and then travel to Mauritius for a week for a bit of pampering and, oh yes, more golf!!

As a warm up I have again entered the Sir Gary Sobers golf festival in Barbados in April, and as way of a change we are staying on the West coast so we can sample the delights of The Cliff, Tides, Daphne's and Sandy Lane, as well as Holetown and Ape's Hill.

We might try and schedule some decorating while we are away as SWMBO thinks the paintwork is getting a bit tired!

The London branch did not make it up North for Christmas, so we are trying to fit in trips in both directions to meet up, but with term time commitments it is not easy to get them all together. Tim, though, is hoping to get to Liverpool for my 65th in a few weeks time. I am waiting to see how much the government are going to give me for getting old!!

As we move towards February, and the start of the international rugby season it will be time to meet up with a few old mate's and tell all the stories we have been telling for years. Some things never change!

Gordon Greenidge

He used to be half of the great West Indies opening pair with Desmond Haynes  I saw them bat together many times at Lords, and, more recently in Oxton when they batted together for Lashings, an invitation celebrity side.

Today he is playing with me in The Sir Gary Sobers golf festival. Desmond was due to play too, but along with Dwight York, he has scratched. I had a much better day today. A 7am start meant the heat was less oppressive than yesterday. Two lads from Queens in New York and one from Hertfordshire meant we had a bit of cross pond banter, and the golf responded accordingly.

Apes Hill is the new kid on the block and has aspirations to rival Royal Westmoreland. Its holes though were a bit samey off the tee, but the greens were tricky targets. 12,13 and 14 were the standout holes with the obligatory par theee over a lake, the pick of the front nine. I still had my three poor holes but managed to make a few more pars today to move up to eleventh, very much mid table.
A good round at Sandy Lane tomorrow and I could squeeze into the top  six. Managed to keep my lunch away from the monkey's today.

Apes Hill is the centre of the island polo activity and the Williams family who own it, are good friends with Prince Charles and the boys. Chukka anyone?

Brian Lara

The great man is in this golf Tournament with me and seems to have the same challenges as we go into day 3. I had hoped to do four rounds gross 90 or better, but so far only one of our division has managed to be 90 or less for the two rounds we have played.

Royal Westmoreland is a class track in so much better condition than yesterday, although I found the greens slower. I had another frustrating day with 14 ok holes and four nightmares. I played with three Trinidadians who were pretty slow and their whispers carried a fair way. One of them played  well so standing at 15th out of 20, I am going to need two good rounds to break into the top ten.

Monkey's took our apples today but I had wised up and hid mine in the ice box. Apes Hill tomorrow so they will probably take the whole buggy!!

Today was a public holiday in Barbados so they moved the racing at Garrison Savannah from Saturday, meaning we missed it. I tee off tomorrow at 07:10 so would have been back in time. Instead I can spend the afternoon on the beach with SWMBO. Every cloud!