Onya Safin

I'll probably be hauled up in front of the UnAustralian Commission for saying this, but I was going for Marat Safin (really) in Sunday's tennis fixture. On Saturday night at the James Squire, Paul and I had opted to back the Russian, while Kate and Kristy said that were gunning for Llleyton. Thus, the scene was set at the North Annandale Hotel on Sunday, where a capacity crowd had gathered to watch the much anticipated showdown. There were even a few other Safin supporters!

Mark you, this is the first time I've actually gone to a pub to specifically watch a tennis match, but it was worth it. Almost like being in Melbourne itself. [Note how the court had 'Melbourne' printed all over it in large letters. The other three grand slams don't do that. Must be a complex of some sort.]

Despite not being a big tennis fan, the match itself was quite good I thought. Safin was hopeless in the first set 'cos he was hitting the ball a) too hard or b) into the net or c) both. So Llleyton won that one. He got it together a bit in the second set but it looked like things were going Llleyton's way in the third until the big bloke really fired. From 1-4 down to 6-1 up then another couple of games in the fourth set...L.H. didn't have a chance. End of game. Not exactly nail biting but it was still quality.

Hmm, from last Thursday through Sunday it's been: (the) Clock, Trinity Bar, James Squire and North Annandale Hotel. There is a pattern, I know there is. And on Monday we, that is Ma, Pa and Ik, had dinner with my Aunty E.E. at a nice café in the shadows of the Harbour Br. She has a rather nice apartment in the vicinity, despite claiming that she is indigent. Hmm, I don't know what that makes me then!

I saw Elektra too, which was my first movie for ages. It's based on a Marvel comic. which I read back in school and thought was tres cool, so 20(?) years later... It's about a female assassin who has Greek parentage. Unfortunately, the parentage was deaded when she was young, so she has Issues. Nothing that a couple of throwing knives can't fix, eh what?

Time wounds all heels

It's nearly a week since my crash and I'm getting there, slowly. Hips were stiff and sore for ages until I started stretching a couple of days ago, and now I seem to be on the right track. I'll have to get some physio though, just in case I've put myself out of alignment. That's quite easy to do, as I have found out previously.

I might even ride again on Thursday or Friday, but just steady for a month or so. There's definitely no rush, and I probably haven't lost much condition in the last three weeks, despite various excesses and not really training much. I know from last year that it will come back quite quickly.

Return date for Belgium is set at February 14th, getting into sunny and warm Brussels on February 15. I hope it's not snowing too much!