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My Diary
by Gail Emms
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Saturday 16th December
It was county weekend this weekend and Hertfordshire were going to be in trouble. From the 1st team. there was only me available to play. Ah. This is not good news! Natalie was on holiday, Suzanne had a family engagement, Liza was in France for a club match and Rachel Howard is studying. So I had to play singles, doubles and mixed in both matches against Hampshire and Worcestershire.
I am definitely too old to play all 3 in county weekend now!! My body just doesn't do singles anymore! I ached from after 3 points in the 1st game! I just don't stretch like I used too. My record of not losing for the county in years, suddenly took a dramatic change - I only won 2 out of 6. And Hertfordshire lost 9-1 to Hamps, and 8-2 to Worcs.
After a pub meal and chatting with my new found team mates (who were all teenagers!), I had to go and lie my achy body down knowing that I had been dropped from singles the next day!
Sunday 17th December (Julie's Birthday!)
The final county match was against Warwickshire. I carried on my losing streak by losing the ladies doubles but then I played mixed with 16 year old Victor Liew and we won our match unexpectedly! So we only lost 7-3 to them!
Doing better?!!
It was my Mum's birthday dinner this evening. It is tradition that we all go round to Mum's house and we have Chinese takeaway. This has been happening for many years and this evening was no exception. There was myself, my sister Lisa and Gregg, my brother Adam and his girlfriend Zoe, my Mum and Paul. We all took the mickey out of Lisa cos somehow we end up bullying her!
I think it is a tradition and we should keep it but I don't think she was too impressed! We all told embarrassing stories about each other - well I embarrassed Lisa and Adam by telling stories about them when they were younger (Lisa and her strange phobia of holes in socks, and Adam never wanting to take off his Bart Simpson pyjamas!), but apparently they are mentally scarred now form the abuse I gave them. My defence is - that is what the eldest sibling is supposed to do surely?!!
Monday 18th December (Mum's birthday!)
Running round the lake with a very sore right leg and a bottom that just couldn't move was interesting! But I got through it ok and felt pretty good actually! I think I could manage that ok - if they had put me on a badminton court, then it might have been a different story!
That afternoon, I went to Teddington Studios for a photo shoot for Sky Sports magazine. As they are the ones that show the All England, it was all about promotion for that. It went really well and the photos look pretty good! I had to do the whole "attitude" look which I think I'm perfecting pretty well now if I don't say so myself!
Tuesday 19th December
Oh my god - how is my leg still hurting?! Bloody singles - never playing it ever again. And that has the backing of the physios and Andy Wood who had to put up with the moaning from me today!
One of my Xmas pressies to my sister was tickets to see "The Nutcracker" ballet at the London Coliseum. We met up at Charing Cross station and headed towards our 1st experience of the ballet! I was very excited as after meeting Jonathan Cope at the Sainsbury's talks the other week, I had suddenly got a new interest in the dance. I knew Lisa would love to go and see the ballet too, so hopefully she will enjoy herself! The Nutcracker is a Christmas story as well and hopefully it will get us in the Christmas mood!
I feel the last few weeks have been really stressful for everyone and so some Christmas spirit was definitely needed! The ballet did not disappoint.
From my prospective, watching the dancers perform was watching top athletes. Their bodies were more athletic than any other sportsmen and women I have ever seen and it was so inspiring watching the dancers. The story itself was a little odd - I think the guy who wrote might have been on a few drugs at the time as it really didn't make sense at all, but then who cares?! The dancing is the most important part and it was magical and Christmasy. Just what we needed!!
Wednesday 20th December
My bathrooms are finished! Yippee!! Now I just need to tidy up and clean.
Aaaarrrggghhh!
