I have gone tennis-mad over the summer and Autumn; I’ve been playing anything between once and 3 times a week. It’s going to come to an end soon as the outdoor courts (although now free) are becoming unplayable and the indoor courts are mind-bogglingly expensive.

 

I must control myself a bit more on court, however. I just can’t stop laughing and swearing. I don’t understand how proper players do it. Every time a shot goes wrong I have this compunction to shout “fuck” as loudly as I can at the opponent. Most ungentlemanly.

 

A friend has just pointed out to me that it infuriates him the way politicians use the word “refute” when they mean “repudiate”. To refute something is to disprove it whereas repudiate just means deny. Great: another reason to get angry at the utterances of complete strangers.