I don't know when it began exactly, For one thing, I remember Arthur Ashe defeating Jimmy Connors to win The Championship in 1975. That may not have been the first year that I watched, but it was around that time.
So, Sue and I are just about at the half century mark of watching Wimbledon.
Back then, I associated Wimbledon tennis with the end of the school year and the beginning of summer. It was quite marvellous to sit back and enjoy the spectacle without having to think about lesson plans for two months.
We no longer subscribe to live tv, but come July, we add the sports network for a month, just for this event. Later in the summer we will do the same for the Canadian Open and then the US Open in early September.
We also make strawberries part of the tradition as it is part of of the Wimbledon experience over in Ole Blighty. Fortunately, it is also prime strawberry season here.
There is a little stand that opens just around the corner from us that sells freshly picked strawberries from a farm just about a mile away, for the country starts right outside the boundaries of our little town.
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| The friendliest young lady is in charge of the stand this year. |
The table was full on my first visit last week but come late Sunday afternoon the display was depleted. She informed me that these were the last pickings for this year. I purchased one of the two quart/litre baskets in the foreground. It only cost $14 (cough, splutter).
We eat our strawberries and watch Wimbledon, especially the world's #1 player, Novak Djokovic, who may also be the GOAT.
Sue puts her feet up and enjoys the show.
I captured a moment that included a bit of the retractable roof, and Sue grabbed a nice screenshot of the stands.
Watching Wimbledon is one of our yearly events. What long-standing tradition do you have?
As a kid we all listened on radio, no TV and since school wasn't out till the second week of July, it was a pleasure snatched when we could.
ReplyDeleteI like your strawberry tradition!
My dad was a tennis player until he couldn't find anyone to play with so he took up golf. He would be watching Wimbledon if he was still living. The only sport we watch here is football in the fall.
ReplyDeleteA friend attended 2 days of Wimbledon this year. Apparently it was a nightmare getting in on the first date, like 7 hours in the rain. The second day was better, only 4 hours in line, and both days they got there at 5 or 6am. She was determined, big tennis buff that she is!
ReplyDeleteTraditions...most of ours are around Christmas, really. We do a Solstice fire summer and winter, but no others I can think of. As a child, watching the Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind when they were only broadcast once a year was a big deal.
That's a lovely tradition! Especially the strawberries. My husband's tradition involves UNC basketball. He signs up for the sports channel to watch them. He's not a diehard fan though--if they start losing a lot, he stops his subscription. On good years, when they go to the big tournament, he and our younger son and a good friend are avid, rowdy viewers.
ReplyDeleteWe aren’t sports fans at all and have never been. Love the strawberry part though! We could definitely get around that!
ReplyDeleteI'm not much of a sports fan, but I sure enjoy hearing about others who do love it, especially tennis. My sister watches golf but I don't, since I don't play.
ReplyDeleteMy only sports interest is the World Cup Soccer...which I don't think happens every year. But I'll watch the US Women's team this year.
ReplyDeleteI have been watching bits and pieces of Wimbledon, but David is the more avid sports fan. I like Jessica Pegula, because she is part Korean. When she lost, so did my interest in Wimbledon. Another one I like is Coco Gauff, but she lost, too. I don't like Djokovic, because he is an anti-vaxer.
ReplyDeleteStrawberries and Ice cream is my idea of heaven.
Such a lovely day! Thank you for sharing with us all. Aloha
ReplyDeleteI usually watch a lot of it but didn't really get into it this year.
ReplyDeleteYou don't have some Pimms with your strawberries? A friend of mine swears by Pimms as she watches.
Although not every year or every part of it, I have watched the Tour de France since the days of Greg LeMond. That probably means pushing forty years or so. I stopped for a time after the Lance Armstrong scandal but have picked it up the last few years again. Just got done watching the latest stage before coming down to read blogs and leave this comment.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, our strawberry crop was decimated this year by the extremely dry conditions this spring. The only ones I have eaten have been imported from other countries. Sweetcorn may be the same way, at least for the early plantings.
I watched the Major League Baseball All-Star Game just last night. My National Leaguers finally managed to win the game for the first time since 2012. And my Arizona Cardinals had four players, all of whom played. I used to watch it every year but have gotten away from that. Oh, and years ago, I watched Wimbledon rather obsessively. I'm hoping Novak can win it again this year.
ReplyDeleteWe do not watch any sports, but we do watch British mysteries together especially Poirot, Midsummer Murders and several others. The strawberries looked wonderful with the ice cream and there is nothing like fresh local fruit for sure.
ReplyDeleteIt used to be a tradition for me to enjoy tennis on TV. Not sure why it is no longer the case. These strawberries are so fresh to eat!
ReplyDeleteOooh, that strawberry shortcake looks delicious! For me it's probably the SuperBowl although if my team isn't playing, which is most years, it's just an excuse to eat and drink a beer or two.
ReplyDeleteTennis baffles me.
ReplyDeleteIt looks cozy... I like and especially I like strawberries :-))) We are also on our last legs here with the berries... unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteI'm a fan of Olympics summer and winter, I love to watch the different sports and the performances of the athletes... I like to watch biathlon, it's every winter not just every 2 years... you watch I rarely watch TV.
I wish you a lot of fun... relax and enjoy.
A hug from me.
Just the strawberries here and we have feasted with great joy and blobs of ice cream and yogurt. We are now down to the white-centred berries now, and they are not nearly as good as the high-season ones.
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