Sue's Sports Starter by Sue_Thearle

Hello chums. I do hope all is well with you all. It’s been the usual comedy rollercoaster chez Thearle this week. A few things have also caught my eye – not the least of which was this story about the pregnant marathon runner (Amber Miller), who completed the Chicago Marathon at 39 weeks and shortly afterwards went into labour. All was well though with a bouncing baby girl rapidly making an appearance, I’m pleased to report. And thrillingly for me, notwithstanding this woman’s heavily pregnant midrift, she still managed to finish the race in a quicker time than I did when I ran the London Marathon…..ahem……

Moving swiftly on, a report in the Daily Mail also cheered me up no end. Apparently people who blush (that would be me then) are more generous, trustworthy and virtuous than most. Joy. I will console myself with that little nugget of information the next time I stagger off my bike or heaven forbid the running machine, an attractive colour beetroot…..In fact it was one of the first thoughts I had as I lay prostrate in a children’s playground last weekend. My fiendishly clever son had just tiptoed effortlessly across the log roll (kind of like the one in the picture, but with no safety rope). Somehow he goaded me successfully into having a go too. Well I made 3 fairly poor attempts until I was brought crashing down by my fourth, as my legs were swept unceremoniously from beneath me. Luckily for me, no wait, not, it happened in a playground mere yards from six netball courts where south-west London’s finest pre-teens were playing.

As I roared with laughter at my own incompetence my son rushed to my aid and threw himself on top of me, effortlessly adding to my discomfort by kneeing me inadvertently in the ribcage. And yes as I staggered gingerly to my feet, I noticed I had skinned one elbow and bruised a foot, as well as sporting a furious blush. Lovely. When I haven’t been trying to admit myself to A & E, I have mostly been having to turn down tip top golf invitations this week. I had to go and interview Michael Vaughan, Will Greenwood and Lee Dixon among others, at the London Golf Club in Kent. It looks like a gorgeous course and when I visited, it was also a gorgeous day, in fact perfect for golf. So imagine my despair when I was invited to play. Doh. I didn’t have my clubs with me.

As I was furiously trying to come to terms with that minor setback, my husband phoned. He was preparing to disappear on a stag weekend at The Belfry, but couldn’t get there early enough on Friday to play golf. “The boys are asking whether you’d like to play instead,” he chirruped. As I had already arranged to work in two different places on Friday, I thought it best to politely decline. Grrrrrr. Still at least my poorly achilles is starting to show signs of real recovery. Indeed I might even be nearing the end of my physio, which is a total treat. Heaven forbid that I should actually pass a fitness test and be able to play in the school mum’s netball sessions. Mind you given the fact that I am a danger to myself in a playground, it might be best to give it a miss…Ho hum.