Tuesday 4 May 2021

No Sleep

 Last night I went to bed quite late for me andI took a long, long time to get off to sleep.   The result is that I am feeling tired already and it is only eleven in the morning.   Why did I stay up late?   I watched the Snooker Final between Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy.   And boy was it exciting.   It looked a sure thing that Mark Selby would win as he was quite a long way ahead.   Then suddenly Shaun Murphy began to catch up.   It was one of the events where an audience (masked) had been allowed - what a difference a live audience makes.  Really it got to the stage when it wasn't so much who was winning as who would make the one false move that let the other one in.   Finally when the night's score was something like 17 Selby and 15 Murphy - Murphy made one false move and Selby was in for the kill.   The winner got a cheque for half a million pounds and the loser a cheque for two hundred thousand pounds.   What I found so pleasing was their good natured acceptance, their friendship (Murphy said they had been friends since they were nine years old) and the way they chatted away to the commentator afterwards.   But they did cost me a decent  night's sleep.   I am not really a snooker fan but when you watch snooker at this level you can see just how much practise these players must put in to achieve the level of accuracy they do.   Like any competitive sport  it is a full time job at this level.

The morning here was quite pleasant - the sun shone and the sky was blue.   At least my mind was in gear andI sailed though the Mind Games in The Times.   But after lunch it was all downhill and it has poured with rain  all afternoon, there is a gale blowing and it is very cold- March cold - certainly not May weather.   I spent an hour on the phone chatting to friend G - who is even more handicapped than I am but copes very well and gets about happily.   I am full of admiration for her and feel she is one of those people who makes me feel I have absolutely nothing to moan about.

Neighbour H has just pushed the local paper through my letter box - I heard it fall on the mat, so I shall go and collect it and then have a quick read of local news before watching The Repair Shop.

See you tomorrow...

19 comments:

Yellow Shoes said...

What an interesting and informative account of the snooker final Pat.
I didn't watch it this year but always feel proud that my city hosts the snooker very year and does it so well.
The Crucible is a wonderful theatre.
Everywhere you sit you feel close to the stage.
In a normal year its quite funny to be in town at an interval in the game; lots of bleary eyed followers spill out of the theatre and refresh themselves at one of the local cafes before diving back into the dark again!
This year they played the final to full capacity so we will wait and see if it has resulted in a jump in infection rate.
I do hope not.

the veg artist said...

That reminded me of my great aunt. She refused to have a television until she was about 90, radio being quite good enough Thank You! When someone did finally persuade her, they fixed her up with quite a big screen, which dominated the one room she spent all her days in, and she got hooked on snooker. It was the time of the young Steve Davies, and she thought he was wonderful. I've only seen snippets of it, but it was good to see a live audience.

Rachel Phillips said...

It was great to see the crowd back in the Crucible. I can see Sean Murphy being a natural after-dinner speaker, he made a great losers speech, as also remarked upon by Mark Selby who lamented having to follow on after such a great speech. Both very sporting.

CharlotteP said...

It's worth staying up late and paying the price next day if it's for something exciting. Too often I'm up late just 'faffing', and cross with myself next day when my eyelids are drooping!

Debby said...

I was awake at 2 am this morning. I had the strangest headache. I think it may have been one of the side effects of the second covid shot that I pooh-poohed. I slept in until 8 this morning, but waking up late always throws my day off. It is another gray and drizzly day here, but I'm perfectly happy to have an inside day.

Derek Faulkner said...

I'm often the opposite to you, getting up at 4.00 in the morning to watch England when they're playing in a cricket Test Match abroad.
As usual, whenever you want rain for your garden you get plenty. We had a few hours of badly needed rain during the night, followed by sunshine and a gale force wind all day, which has greatly reduced the effect of the rain already.

Bonnie said...

You gave a wonderful description of the Snooker Final. It is great that they are boyhood friends too. I hope you were able to get a nap in today after not getting as much sleep last night. Enjoy your evening and sleep well tonight!

The Feminine Energy said...

Some things are worth losing sleep over... and my husband would say snooker is one of them. He plays billiards and practices everyday without fail. He eats, drinks and sleeps the sport. He has a marble top table here, which isn't too common anymore. Usually they're slate top. Anyway, I'm sorry you feel tired today but it surely was for a good cause. *lol* ~Andrea xoxo

The bike shed said...

The Repair Shop - comfort viewing I always think; amazing how it has become so popular. Says something about the times and public mood I expect.

Jennyff said...

An unmarried friend of my grandmother, I called her though she was no relation, lived alone most of her life and not till old age bought a television to watch snooker. However being Yorkshire she would only fork out for a black and white set which rather defeats the object. I hope you are asleep as I type this and fully recovered when you read it.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

Shaun Murphy was interviewed on the radio at about noon today and he apparently was speaking from his bed! It was a late night for him too.

Heather said...

I don't follow snooker but I have occasionally found myself caught up in the excitement of a sporting event which would not usually interest me. It is impossible to go to bed until you find out who wins.
The Repair Shop is always guaranteed to provide interest, admiration and mood enhancement.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thank you for your interesting comments everyone.

Susan said...

Amazing skill levels by both players. I can see how you stayed up very late to watch. The live audience made it even better.

Joanne Noragon said...

I envy you the Repair Shop. That season has not yet come to Netflix.

Cro Magnon said...

Snooker, for me, is just like Golf. I know exactly where the ball is going before I hit it, then it goes somewhere completely different!

Sue in Suffolk said...

I loved the snooker this year too with time to follow it properly and the joy of having live sport to watch.
Also like Cro's comment above!

Sue said...

I guess the excitement of such a good match is worth losing one nights sleep over, hopefully you will catch up over the course of a couple of days.

My Nana used to LOVE the snooker when it was first televised and she would stay up late every night when it was on. She was VERY deaf and my Dad decided that to spare the neighbours putting up with her television blaring away until the wee small hours he would get her some wireless headphones, they worked a treat.

The first time we went round for a visit after she had been using them she said loudly for all of us to hear "They are that good I could hear Steve Davis' balls knocking together". She wondered for a few minutes why we were all in stitches laughing. It was her best ever line and has gone down in family history.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Snaller Life - thank you for the first laugh of the day. Cro to follow shortly after.

As usual - thanks to you all.