The Dedanists’ Society v The Queen’s Club, 6 February 2026

Paul Cattermull & Emma Norris (front), Linda Sheraton-Davis, Me, Richard Prosser & Simon Mansfield (back) – looking on from the dedans.

The team at The Queen’s Club gate are regular faces and clearly very well trained. On arrival, I announced myself by saying:

I am here for one of the great events in the global sporting calendar.

The attendant replied:

That must be the Dedanists’ match. Let me get the list…

I was especially looking forward to the fixture when I learnt that I would be paired with Giles Stogdon, with whom I have partnered many times in the past, but not since the arrival of  Pinky, my new hip, less than a year ago.

Playing one of the early matches gave us the opportunity to warm up with some of the other early arrivals. During warm up, Giles tried but failed to emulate the “lights out tennis” he had mustered against me the previous week in the MCC weekend:

The early arrival also of Linda Sheraton-Davis & Chris Hancock enabled us to start our bout about 15 minutes early. Just as well – the battle was a hum-dinger which would not have been concluded in a mere hour. Indeed, even with the extra time, we needed to start the decisive third set at 4-4.

At one point, Linda Sheraton-Davis made an impressively elegant, almost balletic manoeuvre, in order to dodge the ball and avoid losing a vital point, allowing a modest chase instead.

Later in the evening, in conversation – yes, the chatting, watching, eating and drinking is at least as important as the tennis on these occasions – it transpired that Linda had indeed pursued ballet as a hobby in her youth. Several people expressed regret that Linda’s “croisé devant” had not been captured on camera during our match.

But in the modern era, one needn’t let an absence of real images spoil a good story. I instructed DeepAI to produce an image that reflected Linda’s move. The AI did rather well, although I couldn’t persuade it to produce anything that looked faintly like “a real tennis court”…or even “a court tennis court”…as the background. But it has most certainly captured the dance move.

Being a polite chap, I did ask Linda for permission to produce and publish an automated artist’s impression of the moment. Linda replied:

Only if you also point out to your readers that starting the final set at 4-4 put you and Giles at an advantage, because in both of the previous sets you had won the first two games and then lost the next three!

You see how much it means to us all! In truth, we all turn up in the hope of having good bouts like the one we enjoyed on this occasion, but tend not to be too fussed about the result if it is a good match.

As much as anything else, this Dedanists’ fixture, like many others, tends to be populated mainly by Dedanists, such that we often find ourselves batting for the other side. As in 2023, in 2026 I was representing The Queen’s Club…despite having no real right to do so.

Plenty Of Real Tennis, Including The MCC Club Weekend & “Batting For The Other Side” In The Queen’s Club v Dedanist’s Society Match, Late January & Early February 2023

Giles Stogdon has no more right to represent Queen’s than me. He hadn’t even twigged that we were listed to represent Queen’s rather than The Dedanists’.

The fact of the matter is – the “which team won?” aspect doesn’t really matter. We raise some money for the Dedanists’ Society good causes, have a good fun match and a most companionable dinner afterwards. In that sense everyone wins and tennis wins.

Richard Vallat & Gary Duncan (service end) v Graham Defries & Stuart Kerr (hazard end).

On returning to the gallery after their battle, Richard Vallat confessed to me that he had completely forgotten which side he was representing this time around. Classic. But the last set of that match was a most enjoyable watch while we worked up our appetites for a delicious boeuf bourguignon dinner, followed by a very tempting cheese plate.

But just in case anyone has come here to see a results sheet – here is that sheet.

Rhiannon Giddens, Francesco Turrisi & The Old Lady, Wigmore Hall, 5 February 2026

Our first Wigmore Hall concert of the year. We had been looking forward to this concert as something rather different…which it was. It was also very different from the concert as promoted. The rubric mentioned banjo and tambourine. Rhiannon apologised for that, as she explained that she and Francesco were currently working on voice and piano.

No-one seemed to mind. The audience mostly comprised Rhiannon fans, from what we could make out. We didn’t recognise fellow Wigmore-istas. Which is a good thing in our view. We are great believers in the Wig opening up to different artists and styles.

The music Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi played us was delightful and of the highest quality, albeit relentlessly downbeat in mood. Leonard Cohen and John Dowland had nothing on this pair in the gloom department.

Rhiannon is a charismatic performer, who can clearly shift between musical styles and spoken languages in a seemingly effortless way.

She did get caught out on the piece they were premiering that night, when the music page technology let her down. She stopped, explained the problem and asked if we wanted her to start again?

Yes please…

…we all shouted. So she started again.

Francesco explained with great enthusiasm that he had been afforded the honour and opportunity to play The Old Lady – the older of the two Steinway pianos at The Wig that rarely gets an outing. I had thought that the piano looked a little different when we arrived. The headline photo shows The Old Lady with our reflections in it as I snapped it on exit.

There’s not a lot of on-line video showing Rhiannon Giddens performing with Francesco Turrisi, but the following YouTube (which also includes one other musician), shows one of the most moving pieces they played: American Tune by Paul Simon:

We thoroughly enjoyed this concert and will look out for other concerts in Rhiannon Giddens Wigmore Hall residency. We might get to hear the banjo and tambourine next time. Or something completely different. I don’t suppose we’d much mind.

Paterson Bowl Final At Lord’s: Eddy Gray v Ben Havey, 3 February 2026

The players greet graciously; the manner in which the whole match was played

Big Match Build Up

At the end of the MCC Club Weekend, a couple of days before this match, I reassured Tom Carew Hunt that I had put aside the evening to join him at the Paterson Bowl Final. Tom said:

I’m so glad, as I am now a serious doubt for being able to get into London that evening.

I had a dreadful feeling that I would end up master of ceremonies for the post match presentation; a feeling that was utterly justified.

That sense of dread was magnified when I arrived at Lord’s to discover that the RG Paterson Bowl itself was under lock and key in the MCC museum, which meant that it would not be possible to present the actual trophy on the night.

On reflection, I realised that it is, in fact, an MCC tradition to restrict access to trophies in this way – The Australians have had nearly 150 years to get used to such limited access in the matter of “The Urn”, win or lose.

I also had a slight sense of dread, on Eddie Gray’s account, when I learnt of the handicap Ben Havey was due to receive. Both players are relatively new to the game and both are fast improving, which is rather wonderful, but Ben in particular is currently going through one of those “growth spurts” that talented players can achieve.

I had done battle with Ben only a couple of days earlier, albeit at doubles. Here’s a single rest (rally) clip of me serving to him:

Let The Big Match Commence

So, to the Eddy Gray v Ben Havey match itself. Both players started a little nervously, I thought, with one or two uncharacteristic errors. It was the first “big final” for both of them. It was also the first big final for our apprentice professional Henry de Lord, who has been working on his own game with both of these players lately. But all three of them settled quickly and then did very well.

Jonathan Potter also represented the tennis committee on the night. He was able to comment from first hand experience on Eddy’s recent progress.

Eddy indeed showed us his array of weapons, with several forces to the grille and some superb winners on the floor too. But Ben also has powerful winners, plus a very strong defensive game. That made the nine point handicap difference extremely difficult for Eddy to try and overcome.

Here is one point by way of example, in which an Eddy error results in the glorious ringing of the winning gallery cowbells…but from the wrong side. “Hell’s bells” I like to call them – they used to reside in my late mother-in-law’s apartment.

Here is another really excellent rest (rally) in which both players demonstrated their fast-improving skills, eventually resulting in Eddy landing a hazard chase.

Very soon after that one, Ben’s girlfriend, who was sitting a little nervously close by, asked me if the match was nearing its end. I said

…if I have been counting correctly, this is now match point.

Which it was:

The result: Ben Havey bt Eddy Gray 6-1, 6-1 on handicap.

As their handicaps move towards each other (hopefully both still improving) I suspect there will be some close battles between Ben Havey & Eddy Gray, plus some excellent representation for the MCC by both of them.

We held a short presentation ceremony on court, during which I said that sort of thing and presented both of the combatants with their mementoes. I also gave Ben advice on how to visit his trophy and handed him his well-earned bottle of Pol Roger fizzy pop.

The MCC Tennis Club Weekend, Lord’s, 30 January to 1 February 2026

My self-report card: 10/10 for a wonderful weekend, 9/10 for effort, 6/10 for performance, 0/10 for results.

I have written at length about the MCC Tennis Weekend before and certainly don’t want to bore regular readers. For those who have not read about such matters before: the 2024 report majors on tennis derring-do and nervousness about method acting…

The MCC Tennis Weekend 2024: The Secret Diary Of Ian Harris Aged 61 and 5/12ths, 26 to 28 January 2024

…while the 2025 report majors on potty adventures of one sort or another:

The MCC Real Tennis Club Weekend & Related Potty Adventures, 31 January To 2 February 2025

This year I’ll focus on the tennis. To get the least interesting bit out of the way, I’ll simply say that my partner, Jeremy Norman, and I, did not do well. Group B was especially strong this year, as evidenced by our group’s runners up eventually taking the top prize – Mason Sharp Trophy. Someone has to bring up the rear in each group.

We did, however, try hard. We also provided some entertainment…in a good way. We even influenced the result of the tournament by eliminating one of the stronger pairs in our last rubber, thus providing the eventual winners a semi-final slot. The following clip shows probably our best, albeit in vain, efforts during that last round robin match.

20 stroke rests don’t happen all that often at our level.

At the very start of our campaign, on the Friday, we were up against Giles Stogdon – my partner from last year, who literally produced a “lights out tennis” moment on court:

Jeremy Norman and I are absolutely convinced that, had it not been for the lighting deficiency on court for the rest of the tournament, we would have prevailed in all of our matches. 😉 . We would say that, wouldn’t we?

As for the Chair of tennis, Graeme Marks, he seemed hell bent on using the prerogative of the chair to sneak those extra few points that can make all the difference. A net cord that still makes the winning line, a spin-backer onto the grille ledge, another spin-backer into the dedans from his partner in crime, Paul Wollocombe…

…not that such “tactics” were enough to get them through to the semis, despite recording a good round robin win against the eventual trophy winners. Such is tournament tennis sometimes.

I was able at least to relax for most of the Sunday, after playing my heart out for pride just before lunch. The semi-finals and finals were a good fun watch, not least because of the convivial (and at times almost rowdy) atmosphere amongst those members who chose to stay and watch the concluding afternoon of the tournament.

It really is always a grand finale and enjoyable afternoon, regardless of the quality or excitement of the tennis matches. This year, as it happens, the tournament built up to a humdinger of a Mason Sharp final, which went all the way to a deciding game.

Firstly, for those who want to watch it, the final of the Osborn Parker (C/D Groups). Iain Harvey & Sebastian Maurin v Andrew Hinds & Giles Watkins.

Secondly, for those who would like to see the whole match, the final of the Mason Sharp (A/B Groups). Steven Bishop & Paul Cattermull v Nigel Smith & Paul Wickman.

If you only fancy the last three minutes of the big final, having already learnt that it went to a deciding game…here is just the deciding game:

It is most unusual for a team from the B group to prevail in the final – let alone the runners-up from the B group. In this case, even more unusual because Paul Wickman went home after their round robin loss on the final morning assuming that his pair had been eliminated. In fact, as the group had panned out, the comparative scores meant that Havey and Walker needed to thrash me and Jeremy Norman in the final round robin rubber of the group in order to overtake Smith and Wickman.

I did berate Paul Wickman, while also congratulating him on a fine tournament win, for assuming that Jeremy and I would be thrashed. “I hadn’t thought it through to that extent”, was his excuse.

Fortunately, “going home” for Paul did not mean “going over the hills, far away and unable to return.” He and Nigel put on a fine show, both in the semi-final and the final. Two of their very best rests were in the semi-final, which I shall use as a closing clip for this piece.

The atmosphere at Lord’s was terrific all weekend. So much effort goes in from staff and volunteer organisers to make the tournament seem effortless on the weekend itself. The organisational effort and skills cannot be demonstrated in a 90 second YouTube clip…but, fortunately, the tennis skills and effort can:

Looking forward to next year already!

OK – Quite A Lot Of It WAS About Giant Prawns, Seafood & Spices In Tangalle, The Last Few Days, 10 to 13 January 2026

My first couple of postings about this holiday focussed more on eating than anything else:

It Wasn’t All About Giant Prawns, Seafood & Spices In Tangalle, The First Few Days, 4 to 8 January 2026

After the day we helped to cook our own food…

A Day Which Revolved Around Cooking In Mama’s Kitchen, Tangalle, Sri Lanka, 9 January 2026

…and then the next day’s intense efforts of short-sleeved-shirt-searching in and around Tangalle…

Tangalle Up In Blue: A Hunt For Short-Sleeved Shirts, Tangalle, Sri Lanka, 10 January 2026

…naturally we needed to chow down well. We returned to the Italian restaurant, Il Mare, where I chose the local barracuda fish done in a similar style to the tuna Daisy had tried the previous time, while Daisy tried the lobster spaghetti. Il Mare preceded these delights with a very tasteful-looking and tasty amuse-gueule. Food porn photos – here they come:

Janie insisted on rounding off the meal with some almond chocolate cake. Who was I to refuse the offer to taste it?

Oh dear. He’s gone!

Here is a link to the Il Mare menu from the website – January 2026.

We interrupt this food-oriented posting to remind readers that we were playing tennis for an hour every morning – activity which I preceded with 20 minutes in the well-appointed and well-equipped gym.

Also to say that we had two more wonderful therapies towards the end of our stay, in the caring hands of Oka and Lily:

  • 11th – Hot Stone Massage (90 minutes)
  • 12th – Stress Release Massage (me) & Foot Massage (Janie).

Back to food. On 11th, we returned to Verala for our penultimate visit there. On this occasion, we wanted to try the Japanese fusion aspect of the place. The restaurant manager had reassured us about the intense international standard food safety procedures they followed to ensure that raw fish was safe even in that hot climate and a culture unaccustomed to such delicacies.

I can only describe it as a feast for the eyes and the mouth in equal measure. We loved that meal. Here is a link to the Verala menu from the website January 2026.

The night of the 12th, we returned to Il Mare for the last time. I fancied the giant prawns Italian style and Daisy fancied trying the chicken, declaring herself to be “seafooded out”.

Both dishes were delicious.

For our last meal, we returned to Verala one final time. We wanted to try some of the other Asian fusion style dishes, both rice-based and noodle based. But we started with the outstanding Sake Kani salad we had enjoyed so much on our first night.

And we couldn’t leave without trying the highly recommended chocolate sticky toffee pudding. That would have been rude.

Not wanting to be rude…

That last one was a relatively early dinner for us. We had an early start the next morning for our flights home.

If you want to see the whole album of pictures from this holiday – more than 150 of them – click here or below:

Where Plenty Of Wildlife Came On Safari To Visit Us, Tangalle, 6 to 12 January 2026

The Thinker

We didn’t much notice the wildlife all around us for the first couple of days. Then we started to spot photo opportunities as we walked around…then, it seemed, the wildlife was hell bent on visiting us in our beautiful villa, so close as we were to the lagoon that transcends the Anantara Peace Haven Resort.

6th and 7th January this mighty peacock visited us from the roof of the next door villa

Actually, I think it was the fact that the next door villa was empty after the first couple of days that started to score us so many visitors. The peacocks were especially keen visitors.

Janie also started spotting creatures on her way to the tennis court just before 8:00 in the morning. This black giant squirrel on 7th January, for example.

But we didn’t need to leave our villa to see squirrels – although we didn’t get visitations from the giant ones.

I named this one Secret Squirrel, as their rapid movements made it really hard for me to snap them

Not just squirrels – also mongeese. This little fella came to visit us in our own garden:

Access through the pool drainage system: “simples”.

Soon Janie and I were competing to get the best pictures of these majestic creatures. This one of mine from the comfort of my own lounger…

…this one of Janie’s in the field beside the tennis court, where this particular peacock. whom we named “Showoff” resided.

“Why did we name him Showoff?”, I hear many a reader cry. I finally managed to catch him in action on our last day. I suppose this photo of a peacock display is that species’ equivalent of a dick pic.

Look at me!

In the interests of balance, here is a picture Janie took of a peahen.

We saw some wonderful creatures on our afternoon at Mama’s kitchen, as some of the bird species clearly like to hang out on the rice paddy field.

You egret!

Red-wattled Lapwing

But the stars of the show were the grey langurs. Janie started spotting them in the mornings near our villa when she was coming down for tennis. She absolutely hit paydirt on our penultimate full day, a few villa doors down from ours:

I thought that the pictures she took that morning were just stunning. Two of the best above. I even forgave her for being late for tennis as a result:

Primates: male (above), female (below), possibly a pair? Or even a right pair.

Meanwhile the housekeeping staff tried to make us laugh with their towel art of wildlife. Here are the best two examples:

On our very last day, almost as if to say goodbye to us, the family of grey langurs came and stopped by on the next door roof and then our villa. That’s when I managed to snap “The Thinker”.

I also attempted some video, which I have yet to assess. Frankly I think it should almost all…or perhaps even all…end up on the metaphorical cutting room floor. Attenborough I ain’t.

It really was a treat to see so much wildlife in such close proximity to us.

The 50 Most Ridiculous Ashes Moments Beside A Lagoon Near Tangalle, Sri Lanka, January 2026

Showing off my friend’s wares

King Cricket, aka Alex Bowden, co-wrote, with Dan Liebke, The 50 Most Ridiculous Ashes Moments last year.

I read much of the book while Daisy and I were in Sri Lanka. Never one to miss a photo-opportunity and/or chance to plug a friend’s book, I took the following photo…

…and a sort-of review for the King Cricket website, which King Cricket published in March.

A very high quality cricket book with a lagoony backdrop

Just in case anything ever befalls the King Cricket website, and yet someone still wants to read it, (a lot of “ifs” there), here is a scrape of that review.

The Unintended Consequences Of Laws: Gun Barrel Polka By David Seidel

Reading pre-release while on holiday in Sri Lanka…tough job…

Before launching into a review of Gun Barrel Polka by David Seidel, I need to declare three material facts.

Firstly, David is a friend whom I have known for more than a quarter of a century. We did some work together, back in the day, and have even collaborated over writing some comedy.  I take full responsibility for the worst excesses of our lyrics for “Casablanca The Musical”, not least “I Only Have Heils For You” and “The Ougadougou Choo Choo”.  But I digress, not least because Gun Barrel Polka is far from comedy.

Secondly, Gun Barrel Polka is really not my kind of novel. I explained that to David, having read the synopsis, to which he said, “please read it and review it anyway, if you are willing to do so”, which of course I am.

Thirdly, I read Gun Barrel Polka while on holiday in Sri Lanka, mixing and matching the screen reading required with some physical book reading, which I find much easier on my eyes in bright light. The physical novels I read alongside Gun Barrel Polka were:

  • Rabbit Redux by John Updike;
  • Sabbath’s Theater by Philip Roth.

The juxtaposition of my choice of physical book novels with reading Gun Barrel Polka is interesting but also might lead to unfair comparisons.  I don’t suppose that David Seidel is aspiring to Pulitzer Prizes and National Book Awards for fiction…just yet.

However, Gun Barrel Polka has several characteristics in common with the fiction of those two great writers. Set in the USA of today, Gun Barrel Polka explores several modern political and social tensions.  Seidel does this in a similar manner to Updike’s juxtaposition of Harry ‘Rabbit’ Angstrom in several political eras across the Rabbit novels.  Philip Roth also places his characters in societal context – especially in his later novels – Roth arguably piloted his migration to that political style in Sabbath’s Theater – especially Mickey Sabbath’s 1960s human rights / freedom of speech back story.

In Gun Barrel Polka, the narrative line takes us through several acts of random gun violence…plus more shooting that occurs as unintended consequences of attempts to reduce gun violence.  At times in the novel, the killing and misery that ensues seems like a procession, such that the reader might even become numb to it.  The final act of Hamlet came to my mind at one point, as the body count mounted.

The “random acts of loving kindness” promised in the synopsis seems, to me, less random and in many cases self-serving. The central characters are nearly all lawyers, which possibly explains the procedural and calculating ways in which they try to address their issues – both political and personal.  If you want to read about random acts of ardour or random acts of lasciviousness, better you stick with Updike and Roth. I was oft reminded, while reading Gun Barrel Polka, of the wonderful Jackson Browne song, Lawyers In Love.  If you are ready for a musical interlude, enjoy this embed.

The elephant in the room, for Gun Barrel Polka, is of course, James Madison’s Second Amendment to the United States Constitution: the right to bear arms. This piece of late 18th century US law, borrowed from English Common Law of the late 17th century, has been the source of much consternation in the USA in modern times, since random mass shootings became commonplace.

For me, by far the most interesting aspect of Gun Barrel Polka is the internal politics within and between US States when the fictional politicians and legal civil servants of Vermont try to mitigate the worst excesses of the Second Amendment.  The scary part…and the part that especially rang true to me…was the almost complete inability for the Democrat and Republican political machines to communicate with each other, let alone collaborate and/or formulate bipartisan solutions to problems. 

David Seidel hails originally from Canada, a nation that has similar levels of gun ownership to that in the USA yet somehow seems able to keep gun violence to much lower levels. In Gun Barrel Polka, David explores the profound societal and political flaws in the USA currently. The novel succeeds in illustrating those flaws, exploring, beyond the Second Amendment alone, the complex issues around gun ownership and gun laws. 

Gun Barrel Polka is not a great novel, but it is a fascinating and important read for anyone who is intrigued by modern US society.

Gun Barrel Polka, David Seidel, Ace of Swords, 2026, ISBN‎ 978-1834320052. For Amazon, click here – other book seller sources are available.

Tangalle Up In Blue: A Hunt For Short-Sleeved Shirts, Tangalle, Sri Lanka, 10 January 2026

Following the great success of my Sri Lankan short sleeved linen shirts procured in Galle a mere 15 years earlier…

Ducking And Diving In Galle, 16 February 2011

…so great the success that those well worn shirts are starting to look well worn…we resolved to procure some replacements.

But Galle & Tangalle are not the same place. Prashan thought we only had a few choices near the resort and suspected that Tangalle itself might not offer the pure linen quality we wanted.

He recommended Smart Buy, a mere five minute walk down the road. There were two problems with our plan to visit that one. Firstly, we set off after breakfast, during the mad dogs & Englishmen hours. Janie started to melt about three minutes into our five minute walk. Secondly, and existentially for our mission, the place was inexplicably closed on a Saturday. Frankly, it looked closed down.

More research was needed, as all we succeeded in getting locally was a couple of (admittedly super smart looking) white linen shirts. We wanted bold colours.

In the end, we hired a tuk-tuk later in the day (when it was far less hot) and went to Sanu Cool Fashion in Tangalle which, contrary to Prashan’s fears, had a super selection of really good quality short-sleeved shirts. Not all were of the quality I wanted, we needed to rummage and reject some, but plenty were.

Janie and I disagreed on some of the colours. Janie really liked the dark, deep blue (see headline picture) whereas I was more attracted by the louder colours, which are more likely to raise comments and eyebrows in places like the Lord’s pavilion.

The obvious answer was to buy several, including Janie’s and my picks of colour. Not only the three depicted but three green ones too. Lord knows I’ve paid some dues, getting through, Tangalle up in blue. 😉

A Day Which Revolved Around Cooking In Mama’s Kitchen, Tangalle, Sri Lanka, 9 January 2026

Mama, ooh (any way the wind blows)…

We were very keen to try our hands at cooking in Mama’s Kitchen and chose this middle day of our break for that purpose.

Still we played tennis first thing and then took some breakfast in the normal way, but rather than enjoy the wonders of our villa, we set off at 12:20 for the rudimentary location, just beyond the rice paddy field, where “Mama”, assisted by one of the chefs and Manju, would teach us how to cook Sri Lankan style food.

Prashan thoughtfully escorted us across the paddy field to Mama’s hut

While I am quite familiar with Southern Asian cuisine and have experimented with Sri Lankan cooking before, this was a more comprehensive tour d’horizon of the art. An entire multi-dish meal (our lunch) needed to be prepared form scratch.

Where do I begin?

Mama and chef explained, demonstrated and taught. Manju translated.

If in doubt, adopt a cheffy face and posture, then have a slurp.

It’s only coconut milk

Now look what we’ve done!

Janie in particular took a shine to the salad, Gotukola Sambol, for which I have added a BBC Food link which includes alternative ingredients which might help back at home. Mukunuwenna Mallum is a similar, warm salad, the recipe for which was one of a couple of dozen recipes that Manju forwarded to us after the event.

He didn’t share a recipe for the Prawns Tampopo, but, closer to home, Tooting Mama (you couldn’t make it up) has a great recipe for those. If you just want the ingredients and instructions, click here. Manju didn’t share the chicken curry recipe either, now I come to look through them all, but here is a BBC Food version which is very similar indeed, and all the ingredients can be readily obtained at home.

All the more satisfying because we helped to cook the lunch

A very enjoyable event – wader go! (Red-wattled Lapwing to be precise).

Thoroughly exhausted from our efforts, we relaxed for the rest of the afternoon – in my case reading and in Janie’s case having a facial in the spa. We subsequently had a simple room service supper before retiring at the end of that day.

A very special and memorable part of this holiday.