Monday 22 August 2016

Memorandum Monday

Giving up a big wave to Sian and the rest of the Mondayers!

It's been a big weekend over here, it's Rachel's 30th on Wednesday and so we had an early family celebration (her due date and my due date 30 years ago are identical and I'm just assuming that Bingle will arrive early too and I didn't want her birthday celebrations to be overshadowed by anyone else's birthday or to have to take place in the labour ward)

Talk naturally turned to how I felt/looked at this point and I went through the family photo albums and found a photo of me taken on almost exactly the same day 30 years ago, sitting in the lounge at an open window in a rocking chair - which was my son's cue to go outside with the camera and take a photo within a photo, recreating the pose.

 
So what have a I learnt this week to share with Sian's Memorandum Monday project?
 
Turns out I am quite the sporting expert after all
 
Oh yes, that girl who was the last one dawdling out the changing rooms at the beginning of PE lessons yet the first one back at the end, the one who was the fastest in and out of the communal showers and managed the whole manoeuvre with barely a drop of water on their skin, the one whose least favourite subject at school was the dreaded games lesson - has, over the course of the last two weeks, become almost an Olympic judge.
 
When I discovered that the Olympics was taking over the TV for the whole two weeks, I was not impressed but over the course of time I've found it far more interesting that I imagined.  Not all sports, but the ones I enjoyed, I really enjoyed.  There were thrills (Ladies hockey, who knew it could be so exciting?) spills (Mo Farah falling over and still getting up to win the race) and heartbreak (Tom Daley, how could it go so wrong in the semi finals and that poor guy who lost the gold medal in the last half a second of the Taiquando). 
 
I realised that I was probably overestimating my knowledge when my husband gave me a quizzical look as I passed comment during the diving on the sharp entry into the water after a 4 turned half pike with a twist.  Baring in mind that I only learnt to swim when I was 30, don't like being out of my depth and am a founder member of the 'heads up' brigade (those of us who don't like water on our face or wet hair while swimming) I am hardly qualified to criticise.  
 
And despite the fact that the Lee Valley White Water Park where our canoeists trained (I became quite a good judge of their slalom too) is less than 20 miles away, I don't think there is any chance that I am likely to suggest we spend a day on the training course any time soon. 
 
 
 

9 comments:

helena said...

love the photo in a photo - my Dad was born on his Mum's birthday and my sister gave birth to her eldest on her birthday - makes family celebration more complicated and for several years my sister celebrated her birthday at a softplay centre etc. I too have become quite an expert in the veladrome even though I've never ridden a bike. Hope you have a good week

Sian said...

Haha! You do make me laugh! I feel the same way about sport and yet I got sucked into the Olympics last time round and have been following cycling (!) ever since.

I love that photo..it's just the kind of remembering I like. Here, my girl went out to celebrate to the same students union bar I sat in when I was her age. Weird. Happy BIrthday to your girl. She looks absolutely blooming

Ruth said...

Velodrome for me! But on the subject of diving, you only need to listen to Leon Taylor for a while to become an armchair expert ... he is just so good at presenting the technicalities in plain English ... over-rotation on entry, anyone?
And as for that photo within a photo ... just lovely!

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

You're so funny, Deb. :o) And I LOVE the photo in a photo shoot. So clever!

Patio Postcards said...

Clever photo - I think there is a whole blog devoted to people taking old(er) photos & recreating them in the now or taking the photo from then & posting that photo in the now ... neat idea.

I did not watch much of the Olympics, mostly the horse related stuff.

Susanne said...

That is a wonderful photo. Happy birthday wishes to your daughter and I said a quick prayer for happy delivery too. I do like it that the whole world over we stop and take time to get caught up in the Olympics - there's something there for everyone.

Anonymous said...

Loved the Olympics too, being on holiday with David and Josh and the fact that Josh is totally obsessed with sport we watched quite a bit of it and, like you, learnt lots.

We didn't like the Taiquando and renamed it kickie-hoppie for the men and squealy kickie-hoppie for the ladies!

alexa said...

What a splendid photo! A great idea ... And yes, we found ourselves unexpectedly enjoying the cycling.

alexandra s.m. said...

How wonderful and wild 30 years apart!
Love your mise en abyme there Deb and thanks for the giggle!
I have joined Sian for the 1st time today ;)