[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]This is really just catching up on the end of May. First of all I have to confess that I did spend quite a lot of time just sitting – yes, just sitting – and watching the French Open Tennis. Tennis has always been my favourite sport with Wimbledon Fortnight being the ultimate treat. Even when the children were small, everything revolved round Wimbledon; I remember one year doing the ironing on the patio with a portable TV on a chair – couldn’t bear to miss a moment. Although some players haven’t always behaved properly, it seems to be that the game generally is a wonderful model for good manners and wonderful skills. Looks like the fortnight beginning 29^th June will see me fitting my life and commitments round the TV schedules. And what a wonderful excuse for scones, jam, cream and strawberries – purely for the atmosphere you understand! Let’s hope the weather behaves. I can’t remember another summer when high winds were a feature every day. I do know that there was snow and hail on the 2^nd June 1975 – another piece of useless information. So far so good this year then. On the subject of the weather, Julie, bless her, did a local Fun Run (why do they use the word ‘Fun’?) to raise funds for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. So what did the weather do – well, of course, it came down in buckets. Thanks to Julie for raising funds for such a worthy cause.

On top of everything else, I’ve managed to have a really bad dose of ‘flu so I just lost a week completely. I’m now busy trying to catch up with all the invites and activities that just vanished. I took it as a personal insult – three days in bed – what a cheek!! I have always believed that germs were too frightened of me to attack – another theory demolished. However, I am firing on all cylinders again and although I was really poorly, I tried to keep things in perspective and thought about all those seriously ill folk who would give their eye teeth to swop their condition for ‘flu. Makes you think eh?

Co-incidentally, I now have a copy of Julie’s latest production which is a CD called ‘Sit to Get Fit’. It came at just the right time. I couldn’t have watched or acted upon her DVD’s – even my eyes weren’t working properly – but just to be able to sit and do these lovely gentle and easy exercises was wonderful; relaxing and soothing. So Julie to the rescue again; thanks!! This CD will be so useful for so many reasons.

On the subject of exercise, I have chosen ‘Two Left Feet Week’ which is 19^th to 25^th July. The accompanying explanatory material says: “There are short cuts to happiness and dancing is one of them. It isn’t limited by age, fitness, level, size, shape, experience or ability”. You may not agree but I believe our exercise classes and DVDs are a form of dance – movement to music – and the description here just fits our bill. It’s a wonderful therapy. I thought of it while at the theatre on the 21^st where my granddaughter, Harriet, was dancing in a show put on by her school of dance – wonderful to see young people energised by the music and giving their all. I also had the pleasure of being in the audience at a concert where my daughter, Sarah, was playing saxophone and oh, didn’t I find it hard to keep my feet still during music by Gershwin and shows such as My Fair Lady!!!!!

One thing that hasn’t exactly been therapeutic is my cat’s desire to persuade frogs and toads to come and live in the garden. Fortunately, I live just round the corner from a heavily wooded area so I have been making a series of trips with my rescue bucket, trudging across the fields to the brook which runs through the woods. Ho hum – just another day in the life of country folk!! It hasn’t exactly helped my recovery.

Well, here we are half way through the year. I was amazed to realise that 21^st June was the Summer Solstice. Surely not; but having said that, I do realise that it’s still sufficiently light to garden at 9 pm. Just to make things worse, I see that one of the TV shopping channels is demonstrating Christmas baubles. It’s funny and sad at the same time, isn’t it?

And so another month has passed. These natters were never intended to be a platform for controversial matters but I just can’t let June end without making reference to all the sadness and misery that has hit so many people in different ways this month – everything from natural disasters to human violence. Let’s hope that the rest of the year brings better times and ease to those who are suffering.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][mk_icon_box icon=”mk-moon-book” title=”Read more of Ann’s monthly natter” text_size=”16″ font_weight=”inherit” read_more_url=”https://www.moveitorloseit.co.uk/anns-blog-archive/” style=”simple_minimal” icon_size=”small” rounded_circle=”false” icon_location=”left” circled=”false” icon_color=”#005cb9″ icon_circle_color=”#005cb9″ box_blur=”false” margin=”30″][/vc_column][/vc_row]