Home sweet home

Golf is starting to ease down now as we approach the Winter season and a shortened course at Wallasey. There was still time though for me to tick of another course when I played Woolton with (another) Captain Simon, Ste and Andrew. I now have Wigan, Hyton and Prescott, Lee Park and Gathurst to play after which I will have completed the set. All the remaining courses are inland towards Northest Liverpool and Wigan so I will probably wait until the Spring before ticking them off.

I am hosting the group at Wallasey on Tuesday next week so hopefully the current Covid restrictions will still be valid and we can have some sort of social day as well as play some golf.

I had another presentation to do on Sunday as the club hosted the Frank Stableford Open competition for elite amateur golfers. There were the usual smattering of home counties international players and handicapping was balloted out at 5. Sam Prince from Stockport golf club won with a total of 75 points over the two rounds. He was a +4 player and showed his class as he added the Frank Stableford to the Cheshire Cat he won earlier in the season. Interestingly in 2014 Matthew Fitzpatrick played his last amateur tournament in the Frank Stableford  at Wallasey before turning professional. He has not done too badly has he!!

My highlight this week though has been the opportunity to make the last payment of my current mortgage, and to finally be the owner outright of a property, with SWMBO of course, and be mortgage free. It has only taken about 45 years in a variety of homes. The first was in Upper Norwood in South London, before purchasing on the Tudor Estate in Kingston, Surrey. I lived in Chiswick, West London  for about 30 years, and used the mortgage on that to buy in Waterloo,  Merseyside. We then moved onto the Wirral where we are today. The house itself is 150 years old in 2021. Given we have not had a chance to host our usual barbecue we will make sure we have a right good 'do' next time.

Lucy

The weekend just past signalled the beginning of my diamond birthday celebrations. Well if the Queen can have a couple of birthday's why not I?

Twenty of us attended the England v France rugby at Twickenham in a lads and dads day out. A couple of the attendees I had known since we were ten and at school together, and a few were people I had been introduced to, by them, over the years. One chap was an old friend from my working days and several I had met while playing rugby for Twickenham RFC. Indeed one of those used to chase the same girls as me when we were in our early thirties!! All together they were an eclectic group who got on famously.

The match kicked off at 5pm on the Saturday which is not our favourite time to attend, but on this occasion it did give us a chance to visit a local Richmond restaurant, Rock and Rose, for some pre-match tucker , and very good it was too. So with suitable ballast on board, we boarded the bus and sang our way to the ground as we have done for more years than I can remember.

One of my old school friends, Stu, and I have been attending games at Twickenham since early in 1972. We first saw John Dawes Welsh side play. We stood on the old West terrace watching as they beat us comfortably. The only thing that made it bearable was the fact we were in the company of a young Welsh girl from Plymouth,  with whom I had plans later.  Sadly even that went pear shaped as she had already arranged to meet a lad who was a session musician and singer, elsewhere on the manor.

Some years later when I moved from Croydon to Kingston and started playing for Twickenham RFC, it transpired she married said musician, and he was playing second row at the same Club. We are all still good friends. The subsequent forty years following England around Europe have continued to illustrate just how small the World is, made even smaller by the rugby playing community.

I have played in a few World Golden Oldies rugby festivals over time, and should I do so again, I will be able to wear red shorts. This will mean I can only be caught and held, and not tackled. When I reach 65 I would then be able to wear gold shorts, cannot be touched or tackled and can subsequently run for 15 metres unopposed. That might be worth a go!!!

The celebrations continue in a few days with a family Sunday lunch, after which, like the Queen, I will start to tour some of our colonies. I think I will start with Scotland!!