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Hello, Chris!
I have only read the first of Mac's books...which initially was called "You Cannot Be Serious", but was later changed to "Serious".
Yes, I would certainly recommend it.
I really enjoyed it!
It was very funny and very forthright!
It was almost like having John McEnroe standing in front of you, talking to you!
He doesn't pull any punches ....
He calls a spade a shovel.......not a digging implement!
I am planning on ordering the second instalment.

Hi elle
Yes. I did mean what to do, and I went with the long standing engagement.
I taught my children exactly the same as you. They used to do first Punch and Judy and then Magic shows for children's parties. I said once they had accepted a booking, nothing should change that. They didn't like it if they got invited to something interesting, but too bad. I did go a bit far when I told off the older one for being late- he'd been knocked off his motorbike on the way!

Hi, Rusty!
How is Le Tour progressing?
Have you had chance to look in on the tennis?
I don't suppose you have.....
Update then....
Serena dispensed with her opponent very quickly in two short sets.
I didn't watch, as I have been absorbed in the Kei Nishikori versus Ernests Gulbis match.
An excellent standard of tennis, marred in the end by injury.
Both players suffered injuries, but a second fall put Gublis out of contention, although he gamely played the match out until the end.
Neither player deserved to lose!
The young woman who put out Simona Halep yesterday has herself gone out this afternoon!
Milos Raonic won his match.
You can disregard my hopeful thoughts of rain, in my earlier post...... we have brilliant sunshine again now!!!



Hello, Ros!
Yes, you made the right decision, I think!
And hopefully , your cousin understood?
Did she want to reschedule her proposed visit?

The only day she can reshedule to I have an even longer standing engagement!

Hello, Elle!
Le Tour going well.
BMC won the time trial and Greg van Avermaet is in yellow now.
There is an American riding for Team EF who crashed during the first stage and has a broken shoulder blade.
He is riding on through the pain and hopes to get to Roubaix, but they fear the cobbles may be too much.
They make 'em tough in Texas!
I did not see much of it as I had two trips to the garage to collect cars.
A busier day than I planned for!
Seen no tennis!
Tomorrow I have a gas engineer coming to service my boiler in the morning sometime!
Nice breeze here.

Good evening, Rusty!
I am glad that you are enjoying Le Tour!
It seems that all sportsmen are mad!
Your man for cycling with a broken shoulder blade, and the tennis player this afternoon for carrying on, having an injured leg!
The commentators thought for the sake of his prowess in future matches , he should withdraw before making the injury so much worse.
I hope your cyclist will not suffer any repercussions , either?
I'm watching del Potro play.......he's won the first set, and it's even stevens in the second......
So why were you collecting cars from the garage?

Hello, Elle!
All cyclists are a bit loopy, anyway!
Riding with a broken shoulder blade is bad enough, but will be agony when they get to the cobbles at Roubaix (if he is still in the race).
Bouncing over the cobbles will be dreadful for him.
His team mates are helping him as best they can.
I remember Cancellara riding with two broken bones in his back.
And one of the worst I remember was the Johnny Hoogerland crash.
A French TV car side-swiped Johnny into a barbed wire fence.
Johnny got himself free from the barbed wire and rode on with blood pouring from his wounds.
He finished the stage and had 33 stitches in his leg and won the polka dot jersey.
It can be a tough old sport!
Johnny and bandaged legs on the podium.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtZpMFsJwbQ

Hello, Elle!
I was collecting my own car and a neighbour's.
But the garage owner was on holiday last week.
He went mountain biking in Switzerland and had lots to tell me.
So it took a bit longer than I reckoned!

This is the incident where the French TV car hit Juan Antonio Flecha and
Johnny Hoogerland.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srBL3grkH80

Hoogerland sued the French TV company and it was settled out of court.

Hi, Rusty!
Oh my giddy aunt! That looked painful!
Johnny's legs were certainly a mess!
I couldn't decide whether he was crying from emotion at his winning the polka dot jersey, or from pain from his injuries!
Maybe a combination of both?
And what happened legally about the incident?
Was the driver of the car that hit him held responsible ?
There seem to be a lot of these types of accidents in cycling?
What were you having done to your cars?
Was it a service?
I didn't think the garage was near enough to you to walk there....so how did you get there each time?
After three and a half hours - or thereabouts - the Juan -Martin del Potro v Gilles Simon match was postponed till tomorrow because of light failure!
Talk about a cliffhanger.......!

Hello, Elle!
Yes, his legs were a mess.
I think he was just relieved the stage was finished.
He rode a long way like that and possibly thought he may not make it, and not gain the polka dot jersey.
The man in the blue shirt at the side of the stage was Bernard Hinault.
The driver of the car said that he or she swerved to avoid a tree!
But the car did not stop! Just left the riders tangled in barbed wire.
I think the driver was thrown off the Tour.
I do not know what happened legally, but Johnny Hoogerland sued either the driver or the TV company and it was settled out of court.
Yes, there are lots of things like that on the Tour.
Dogs bringing down a bunch of riders etc
Laurent Fignon used to throw bottles at the motor bikes if he thought they were too close.
There is a good bus service on the route to the garage.
My car was in having the brakes checked after an MOT advisory note.
They were fine.