KIT - April 22nd 2024

 Today saw the 58th time we have played for the little trophy and today's line up was:

Nigel, Andy, Ken, Arthur + Gill, Sue, Emma and Kate

It didn't start well though with Kate having to survive a full blooded volley into the bridge of her nose  - and that was just during the warm up!  Thankfully she was able to play on and the resulting round robin matches were all very close - with perhaps the emphasis today being more on the energy and enthusiam level of the participants, rather than the demonstration of consistent tennis skills!

The one set final was then played out between: 

Emma & Arthur v Gill & Ken

It was yet another close match with numerous very long rallies so, when the scores eventually got to 6-6 and we were all pretty tired and running very late, we decided to just share the trophy.  Another first for the KIT trophy!

So, instead of the usual photo of the winners, here are the 4 players from the final at the end of the match - all exhibiting various degrees of exhaustion!

Early Morning - March 2024

The topic this month was "early morning" but before showing you the photos that you have all sent in, here is a short poem by Mary Oliver that I thought you might enjoy:

Morning in a New Land

In trees still dripping night some nameless birds

Woke, shook out their arrowy wings, and sang,

Slowly, like finches sifting through a dream.

The pink sun fell, like glass, into the fields.

Two chestnuts, and a dapple grey,

Their shoulders wet with light, their dark hair streaming,

Climbed the hill.  The last mist fell away,

And under the trees, beyond time's brittle drift,

I stood like Adam in his lonely garden

On that first morning, shaken out of sleep,

Rubbing his eyes, listening, parting the leaves,

Like tissue on some vast, incredible gift.

***********

.... and now here are your photos, starting with three from Gill on safari in South Africa:

Gill - "worth the early start!"

Meantime the sun was also rising dramatically in Alton!

Don - the start of a rare sunny day in March on my early morning walk on Windmill Hill!

Ken - a series of photos of a tulip flower in our garden gradually 

opening up over 90 minutes to greet some early morning sunshine:

Ken - the end result of the tulip's morning stretch!

Kate - Early morning? For an “Owl” like me an early night! 

Kate - Early morning Camber Sands

Steve - last run around Bristol Harbour before finally leaving after 8 years enjoying the delights of the city.  Strava rather unkindly classified it as a ‘walk’!

Sue - I'm afraid this is the closest I get to early mornings  ie: playing it! 

John - the wee small hours!

Gaynor - Gunnera awakes

...... and that is all for this month.  Your topic for April is: 

"Spheres"