Hempstead Church

This is the very pretty All Saints church at Hempstead just outside Holt, I love the thatched apse. G and I met H there for their annual arts fair in the village hall, which was great. I bought another of Chris White’s glass panels for the garden (smaller than my others), plus some greeting cards. Then we sat outside for ages in the sun having a tea and a piece of delicious home baked cake (mine was apple and cinnamon). This afternoon I took down three shelves in the garage which took so much longer than it should have done - some bizarre DIY there by the previous owner! A hot and humid day.

I was so pleased that Serena Williams played some good matches and beat the World No.2 player at the US Open in what might be her last grand slam singles match as she evolves away from tennis. I’ve been privileged to watch her play several times, including being beaten by Venus in the 2008 Wimbledon final and beating Mugaruza in the 2015 final. But the match I remember best is watching Venus and Serena winning the 2012 Olympic gold medal in doubles - they had fun, the result was never in doubt and I loved watching them receive their medals. At her best, I’ve never seen a player so dominant on court, with such incredible power, she definitely had the best serve in women’s tennis. The greatest of all time in my book.