The Championships Grind to a Conclusion

Tuesday is a bit of a bust. I am feeling like crap, constantly coughing and sneezing although I haven’t got a cold. I decide to spend the day in my Hotel. I shower and dress and start to write my interview with Thomas Bessis. One thing about my writing is that once I start I have an almost complete article in no time. In fact the following day I do 3 bulletin pages in less than an hour. This is mainly because I mentally write a lot before actually putting pen to paper.

At 18:00 I am sick of sitting in my room although I have, by now, set up the spreadsheet for next year’s tipping contest which I had planned to do as soon as the draw is out – good news is we have a record number (20) of tipsters.

I meet Michael Cornell at the venue and say to him I am just sitting over there talking to somebody hoping to have dinner with him. Yet again he wanders off leaving me to my own devices. I wander about Sanremo looking for somewhere to eat by nowhere takes my fancy. I try to go to the Morgana Bay, clearly my favourite restaurant in Sanremo bit it is closed Tuesday evenings (go figure) so I go back to the hotel and have a light meal in the restaurant there and pretty ordinary it was.

Next morning I am feeling better and have breakfast in the hotel despite promising myself not to do that. I arrive at the venue and it seems with the three teams finals today nobody is covering the pairs so I decide to watch Grue/Hampson for the entire session and I come up with around 3 Bulletin pages which are OK but nothing outstanding. I am then told that they are heavily oversubscribed for today and it will be pushed into tomorrow which is fine with me as it takes off the pressure for tomorrow.

The Bulletin Office is having wine, Parma and parmesana reggiano for a snack so I rush down and buy 2 bottles of wine to contribute – turns out by €11.80 a bottle is about ten times what they spent on their wine – something else for them to grizzle about no doubt. This evening we are having dinner at our haunt in Menton. Looks there will be 5 of us as a few have dropped out. So soon I will be out of here for a lovely meal.

Menton is indeed a wonderful meal. Sitting in gardens in gorgeous weather is such a food turn on for me. The company was also excellent with Michael and Vivien and Tom and Steph Jacob. We talk bridge for a little while but sort of stop when it seems the girls are less than interested. While at the restaurant I call Linda’s cousin Anne to see where Sybil is perhaps call her while Michael and I are both there. I leave a voicemail and as I get I n the car she calls me back and tells me that Sybil has broken her arm or shoulder on the cruise. The shipping line wanted to put her ashore to have it attended to but it seems she refused and will be back in London in three days time when Anne will get her attended to. A bit upsetting but given she wanted to keep going on the cruise it seems to be manageable.

Next morning and with no pressure to produce anything I sleep in till 11:15 – wonderful except that my cough is now turning into a cold with sneezing, watery eyes and all the associated crap. Anyway a casual day as I wander up to the playing area with a view to kibitzing somebody or other.

That afternoon back to the Laundromat which opens at 15:00 well at 16:30 it was still shut. Welcome to life in Italy. I go back at 18:00 and yes she is open. No change for a 10 euro note to give me three euro so I pay here when I come back.

While I have very much enjoyed myself in Sanremo, the tournament, the work and everything else (apart from some of the relationships noted elsewhere), it is two weeks today (Thursday) and I will not be too upset to leave Italy on Sunday for six days in Haute Provence and four days doing I don’t know what yet. Two weeks at one time anywhere is a long time so I don’t feel that my thoughts are unusual in this regard.

I do miss Linda more at things like bridge tournaments because this is where she really enjoyed schmoozing, dining, socialising etc. and there have been periods where everybody has their plans and I have had to amuse myself, something which in Sydney is easy but perhaps a little harder overseas. Anyway……

OK Quiz for readers. Is the word Ponderal an English word and what does it mean. I came across this while looking at the Frequency Results which had “Ponderally Assigned Match Points” written on it. It means estimated and likely I suspect from the word ponder…..learn something every day.

Friday morning and great news that Kathy Grynberg is on the mend. Still no news about Sybil but Saturday is the day. I wander up to the venue – only one more day and they don’t really need anything for the Bulletin so no pressure on me to deliver. I watch some bridge, have lunch with Boye and his sponsor, Simon Gillis and collect my payment from the EBL and back to the hotel for a relax and watch some BBO.

Friday evening there is a worker’s dinner at my favourite restaurant by the water. It starts at 21:30 and everybody who works there gets a small gift ….. one by one by one by one. I sit with two French Couples with whom I have shared duck dinner in Beijing. They stretch their English and I my French and it is very pleasant. I excuse myself after midnight and go to the hotel which is mercifully just across the road.

Next morning I go to watch some bridge. I decide not to watch Michael and Ashley as they are doing well and it is best not to watch. I sort of look for new people to watch from round to round. Some good hands but mercifully I don’t have to do any more writing. I had decided to take some photos in and around Sanremo that afternoon and….. a wild thunderstorm erupts trapping me at the venue for a few hours longer than I had intended and put a hole in my photo plans. I do manage to get back to the room, pack and get back to the venue for the final rounds of the pairs and the prizegiving.

Michael and Ashley finish 15th which, considering that more than half the field are world champions is outstanding. Michael has played an amazing 788 boards over 15 days finishing in the round of eight in the two teams events and 15th in the pairs. He earns €750 as there is a points table based on your three best events and he finishes sixth equal which is awesomely good.

I speak with Paul Hackett who is one of the organisers of the Warren Buffet Cup which is run close to the President’s Cup Golf challenge between U.S.A. and Europe. It will be in Wales in September 2010 and I have put my name forward to run the BBO there. I suspect nothing will come of it but you have to be in it to win it.

I phone Robert and speak to Katja which is good she sounds just fine except for being tired. Michael rings Sybil and finds out she has slipped on the ship, she isn’t in too much pain and will be seeing the specialist on Tuesday so I will call tomorrow or on Tuesday to find out what is happening. In the meantime she is staying with Sandra (her late brother’s companion) who knowing Sandra will be giving her the best of attention.

There is a prize giving ceremony during which bridge players do what they do best – being rude and speaking the whole time – think Central Synagogue times ten. Following the ceremony there is a buffet but I have made arrangements to meet Boye for dinner as we haven’t spent much time together during the tournament and want to catch up. I talk Michael, Vivien and Ashley to join us for our 22:30 table. It was exceptionally pleasant with such a nice bunch of people and we finished up around 00:30 which made it a late night for me considering I was planning to leave at 07:00 the next morning.

My phone rings at 06:00 waking me up and when I call back the number they know nothing about the call….. strange as I know plenty IT WOKE ME UP. Anyway I get ready, pack the car and head off for my three hour drive to Pierrevert which is where I am now waiting for Michael and Vivien to arrive. The house is fine, isolated up on a hill on a very large block of land (many hectares) but could be excellent with just a few minor amenities – like a washing machine that does more than 3kgs, a bed wider than narrow which even so narrow the linen does not fit and a television greater than eleven inches. On the plus side the pool and surrounds are superb, the kitchen well appointed and it will be just fine for the next six days.

So now for a six day chill – which is what I hear all you in Sydney are doing. I am hoping to finally rid myself of this cough once and for all. Chuck Norris dubbed into French (playing in the background) si nothing special for anybody interested.

Love to all.
XD