Day at Wimbledon!

Sport, as you might have gathered, isn't really my thing. Until recently.

When I saw wimbledon on the telly, everything looked the same. Everyone in white on the same pitches, hitting a ball about and then somehow, Andy Murray wins. For me, it was about as interesting as football and even less so than cleaning the floor with a toothbrush. 

But, when my cousin suggested that I come to Wimbledon, my perception suddenly changed. It wasn't about the sport that I was going. It was more about the atmosphere. Strawberries, cream, Pimm's and sunshine. That was Wimbledon. And that was a true English summer. 

So my auntie and I hopped on the train, stopped off at Sainsbury's, bought our supplies and collected our tickets. 

Now, I have no idea how to score tennis. Something about lines and shouting ''OUT!" I was excited to see the games, but I didn't really know how I would cope with the middle 'slog' when I had no idea what was going on and who was getting points. 

But, as soon as we got in there, my enthusiasm started kicking in, my cousin whispering to me the techniques and rules of play. 

My first game was the BEST! And it probably didn't help that I was watching the 3rd highest ranked player in the world: Stan Wawrinka! 

GO STAN!

 It was a brilliant game and I came this close to touching him as he left the court!

After that game, I thought that I had pretty well solidified my knowledge of tennis. I knew the rules, or so I thought. Until I was introduced to breaking serve and suddenly lost all sense of the game. I couldn't remember how may sets you had to win, or games or what gave you an ADVANTAGE point (if that's even what's it's called). 

We flitted about for a few hours afterwards, snapping shots of a topless Mahut and taking shameless selfies on Henderson Hill. 

Mahut

Shameless Selfie 

I was quite contented to just sit on the hill, eating a picnic. It seemed so surreal to watch Federer on the TV and know that he was actual a stone's throw away!

For our final game we went back to Court 2 to watch seed Jelena Jankovic lose to Kaia Kanepi! We couldn't have planned it better.

Jankovic

Kanepi

I was on a roll and walking the wrong way to the train station we came across a gold postbox - my first one! And it was Andy Murray's - an obligatory photo ensued. 

Now, I've never been to Wimbledon. In fact, I've never even really had the urge to go. But when the opportunity was thrown at me, there was no negotiating the fact that I was going! 

So, as I watched hit after hit from racket to ball, I sudden wave came over me. 

I watched the ball skid across the court. My auntie had told me that you could buy tennis balls that had been used throughout the day from a certain kiosk. She said it was a relatively cheap way to get a souvenir. 

Then it got deep. 

I realised that all the pictures I'd been snapping and any souvenirs that I would have of the day were just material. I couldn't take them to the grave. I could only have the experience. The memory. And why did I even need the memory? It would be nice, of course. But it wouldn't get me anywhere. 

What, I thought, What is experience? 

What is experience if not just being able to say: "Yep, I've done that!" 

I began to panic. Maybe I shouldn't just be in life for the experience of watching. My experiences need to be doing. And in that short moment, I made a resolve to find something that I absolutely LOVED and do it with fervent passion for the rest of my life. 

I soon knocked myself out of this trance, before it got too deep and centred around what the point of life was if we were to die. 

Apart from that slight mishap however, I had the most brilliant day and came out of it with a new drive and motivation. Sport: they say it's good for you! (In more ways than one!) 

Caroline Wozniacki (potentially???)

Ain't never had sun like this!

The Isle of Wight is just one of the most BEAUTIFUL places in the sun. And it's been a while since I've been here and it's actually been sunny!

I usually bring the rain. But not everywhere. It seems I only ever bring it to the Isle of Wight! But finally the spell has been broken and we've been able to enjoy uninterrupted days of sunshine and it's been absolutely fabulous! I even got tanned!

My camera hasn't seen daylight like this in positively AGES! It's usually substituted for my iPod but it's been so lovely for all the sunny shots!

So, as I leave the island and all the excitement of the festival behind, I thought it would be a perfect time to show case my snaps of my few days here!

NEWTOWN CREEK:

The bridge over the salt marsh

The salt marshes

Life ring in the harbour

The sun setting on a beautiful walk 

OSBOURNE HOUSE:

*Driving* my nan's car

Lillies!!!

Inside the green house 

Outside the house!

BEMBRIDGE: 

The new lifeboat station 

It didn't go very far, but nevertheless is was a skimmer!

Tide's out

Oooh! 

Back to black

It is with great difficulty and a strong acquisition of knowledge that one may find himself in two countries at the same time.

And it may be the beauty of the flight that changes this improbability into reality. You find yourself duplicated in the lengthy dreams of the world which you have just left and musings on your new destination. You realise, furthermore, the solidification of your destination. It was once, a few minutes ago, a future imagining that suddenly bore meaning as it strengthened into colours; greens, blues, greys. Into viscosity and violent truth.

I know my family lives on in this shell of a country that, being once my reality, is now a future (and past) imagining. I can no longer touch where they are but know that the place in which they live, and themselves, is true simply because I was once there and keep it alive in my memory and expectation.

And so, I am in two places at once; the physicality of my being and the emotional transportation of my mind.