Arthur Fery v Cobolli today, centre court. Wildcard to quarter finalist, well done young man although his last match against Dimitrov was a tough watch as I wanted them both to win. He stands a good chance today as I think he has won their only previous meeting (first round Aussie Open).

Dress sense still remains the same

Ahh, bless, thank you very much Trevor, most kind of you to commend my sartorial clothes sense. It's one of those things that comes naturally to me, I don't have to think about it.

Nothing wrong with your dress sense Tikay, anyone who goes to the trouble of coordinating their T-shirt with their watch strap is a fashion icon in my book.

Raise with 9-9, Mr Tight calls again, lol.

Flop 10-9-5dd, wiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

He bets 2k. I make it 5k. He jams. I call. I have a set of 9's, he has A-10.

And we see this runout.....

Eurgh, very, very unlucky. The only thing you can do is laugh, you know that loud hysterical laugh as you rock backwards and forwards waiting for matron to bring you one of those nice injections.

Well this has been a tremendous find. One of the things I miss so much about the 'old' forum was your Vegas stories Tikay, so it's great to find them here. I read through all this visit's posts and it was a grim start but the last cash has righted the boat, now to power on and get some deep runs.
Good luck Sir!

Morning Paul, & thank you.

I've not been writing much from Vegas this year even though I love writing & (I think) I have such a bunch of fascinating stories. Fascinating to me, obviously, but not necessarily to others. I'm just not sure folks are that interested in Forum Diaries these days, especially by someone of my age. It's the WhatsApp age, everything has changed. A close friend of mine just wrote his autobiography (just for friends & family), & I've been mulling the idea of doing the same. I really have had THE most amazing life one way & another with some extraordinary twists & turns, & a whole bunch of "right time, right place".

Anyway, moving on, presumably you'll have tickets for Wimbledon which starts in a few weeks? Any views on likely winners?

You still playing much tennis?

Everything OK on the Country Estate & Private Zoo?  Mrs Tune OK?

Still working, or are you retired now?

You really do need to write an autobiography Tikay, from your postings over the years it would definitely be an excellent read.

No Wimbledon for me, I have been many times over the years and don't really miss going there to watch now. It's a much easier trip to go to Eastbourne for the tennis and I often go there to watch County Week, which is an excellent level of tennis. I'm still playing although it's now about trying to maintain a decent (ish) level, whilst the body starts to slow down. No tips for Wimbledon from me I'm afraid, I generally support the outsiders and the brits, so little chance of a winner.

Everything is fine at home, we have a new(ish) German Shepherd dog who we rescued last year and is a work in progress, and an old GSD who is the dog equivalent of my tennis, still tries to play with the youngsters despite being slower and weaker. Currently have about 20 ducks, two moorhen broods, two different herons visiting and swallows nesting in the stables. Down to just 4 cats now and two horses. Thankfully Beaula does most of the animal chores, it keeps her fit and happy, apparently.

I am currently still working, I was due to retire in January but was lied to by the company taking over my business so pulled out of that deal and had to sort another one out. I managed to do that and, in theory, we complete the sale at the end of this month, fingers crossed. I will be staying on for a few months to make sure all the clients are happy, although that will be in an unpaid capacity. At least from next month I should be free of all the mundane paperwork and FCA regulations.  

Anyway I'm off to Kent for a client meeting now, good luck with the poker today, I miss out PLO8 DYM evenings.

Your menagerie sounds idyllic.

The Herons - do they come for the fish in your ponds/lakes, the duck & moorhen chicks, or both?

Bloody love Herons, but they are mean buggers. Saw a video once of a Heron eating a rabbit. To be fair, it did drown it first, perhaps to help it slide down.

Bet you are looking forward to retirement? Been so good for me. Trouble is, it only lasts so long...

Those PLO8 nights we used to have? Wow, what fun they were. And then Churchy came along & ruined it all.


http://www.youtube.com/shorts/DJdsnMyVSQ4

The herons come for anything they can creep up on, it's quite upsetting watching them take ducklings and young moorhens but that's nature I'm afraid. They're one of the reasons I've never bothered putting koi in the ponds, having to watch a heron make a breakfast out of your prize (and expensive) koi must be depressing. I remember once seeing a video of an otter taking a heron, so karma is always there somewhere.

I am looking forward to retirement, one of the main reasons is that I don't like watching my clients get old or suffering from dementia and I'm slightly wary of still working if I get to that stage. I'd like to have a few good years first.

I know you hate bad beat stories but last night was, for me, a bad one and the saying is a problem shared is a problem halved so you're going to get it, like it or not! I'd freerolled into the Sky nightly main event (which was a mystery bounty hunter) and was lying 17th out of 20 with 18 paid. Smallest stack in early position shoves and big stack shoves to isolate, I have AK and know that I can't fold there. I sigh knowing that this is likely to be it and when the cards turn over I see the small stack has KQ and the big stack has A8 so I dominate BOTH of them. Of course the first card out on the flop is the 8 and that's it I'm out in 19th. The real sting in the tail was that the short stack's bounty was the second biggest in the tournament, you know just to rub it in. Currently hate poker, so off ttom play tennis. Have a good day!

Well this has been a tremendous find. One of the things I miss so much about the 'old' forum was your Vegas stories Tikay, so it's great to find them here. I read through all this visit's posts and it was a grim start but the last cash has righted the boat, now to power on and get some deep runs.
Good luck Sir!

Morning Paul, & thank you.

I've not been writing much from Vegas this year even though I love writing & (I think) I have such a bunch of fascinating stories. Fascinating to me, obviously, but not necessarily to others. I'm just not sure folks are that interested in Forum Diaries these days, especially by someone of my age. It's the WhatsApp age, everything has changed. A close friend of mine just wrote his autobiography (just for friends & family), & I've been mulling the idea of doing the same. I really have had THE most amazing life one way & another with some extraordinary twists & turns, & a whole bunch of "right time, right place".

Anyway, moving on, presumably you'll have tickets for Wimbledon which starts in a few weeks? Any views on likely winners?

You still playing much tennis?

Everything OK on the Country Estate & Private Zoo?  Mrs Tune OK?

Still working, or are you retired now?

You really do need to write an autobiography Tikay, from your postings over the years it would definitely be an excellent read.

No Wimbledon for me, I have been many times over the years and don't really miss going there to watch now. It's a much easier trip to go to Eastbourne for the tennis and I often go there to watch County Week, which is an excellent level of tennis. I'm still playing although it's now about trying to maintain a decent (ish) level, whilst the body starts to slow down. No tips for Wimbledon from me I'm afraid, I generally support the outsiders and the brits, so little chance of a winner.

Everything is fine at home, we have a new(ish) German Shepherd dog who we rescued last year and is a work in progress, and an old GSD who is the dog equivalent of my tennis, still tries to play with the youngsters despite being slower and weaker. Currently have about 20 ducks, two moorhen broods, two different herons visiting and swallows nesting in the stables. Down to just 4 cats now and two horses. Thankfully Beaula does most of the animal chores, it keeps her fit and happy, apparently.

I am currently still working, I was due to retire in January but was lied to by the company taking over my business so pulled out of that deal and had to sort another one out. I managed to do that and, in theory, we complete the sale at the end of this month, fingers crossed. I will be staying on for a few months to make sure all the clients are happy, although that will be in an unpaid capacity. At least from next month I should be free of all the mundane paperwork and FCA regulations. 

Anyway I'm off to Kent for a client meeting now, good luck with the poker today, I miss out PLO8 DYM evenings.

Well this has been a tremendous find. One of the things I miss so much about the 'old' forum was your Vegas stories Tikay, so it's great to find them here. I read through all this visit's posts and it was a grim start but the last cash has righted the boat, now to power on and get some deep runs.
Good luck Sir!

The only thing that might make that black easier to deal with is that it wasn't for the title, a place in the final yes, but not for the world title itself. He seemed to take it well and was very eloquent when interviewed afterwards.

My snooker story is that I was once offered a bribe to lose a match, I turned it down and then played the worst match of my life and lost anyway. Trying to explain to the people I had told about the bribe that I HADN'T taken it after all was difficult as they were all convinced I had taken it as I played so badly.

p.s. this was university halls tournament, I would never claim to be any good, biggest break in practice was 83 and in a match was 50 something and I haven't played for years, but I'd still like to think I would have potted that black

I have a Spike Milligan story......

My Physio, Alan, also used to treat Spike. Spike had bad problems for many years and this was back in the days when physios could prescribe quite strong pain killers. Anyway Spike turned up at the Physio practice one day in agony and Alan did what he could and then prescribed painkillers. 'Will this ease the pain and help me sleep Alan?' 'Yes Spike, it's quite a strong painkiller', 'are you sure Alan?' 'Yes Spike, get the prescription filled and you should sleep much better', 'OK Alan many thanks, you're a life saver.'

3 am the next morning Alan's phone rang and rang and rang and rang. Alan got up and answered the phone, all he got was 'You lying b*stard!' Before Spike hung up, Spike was very much a character.

The current government is as useless as all the preceding governments, at least for the last few decades. I think it has come as quite a shock for those that voted Labour thinking that it would be a change for the better. It hasn't been. The next general election looks like it is going to be between further left and further right, the centre ground has failed in it's job and that's quite sad. I despair as the UK population deserves better but it doesn't look like there is anything better on the horizon.   

The ONLY redeeming fact about UK government? At least we don't have Trump.

Yea but the 12th, the 12th! You slaughtered him!

Apologies if my writing comes across as having been written by the police. My father was a police officer, maybe the phraseology has rubbed off.
Surely, technically, there wasn't deemed to be enough evidence is correct as the CPS would have refused to take it to court, thereby deeming that there wasn't enough evidence to get a conviction? Once it goes to court it's the jury that decides if there is, or isn't, enough evidence.
To paraphrase my father (who's been dead a while now so won't be offended), if they get to court they are almost certainly guilty, it's just whether the lawyers can prove it. I think he was a little jaded by it all after 30+ years.
Things were certainly different 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago. I remember one of the girls at my school had a bit of a reputation, at the age of 14, and was questioned by the police after she ran off with an older lad. As part of that questioning she had to write down a list of people she had been with. Local rumour was that it included entries like '4 boy scouts' '2 workmen' etc. etc! I don't think any of them ever faced a court although they certainly would now. 

From the bits I have read (admittedly not a lot), he wasn't prosecuted because there wasn't deemed to be enough evidence at the time, so possibly the other person involved refused to give evidence? Male or female surely if this happened under age 16 then it is a serious offence.

Many years ago a friend of a work colleague was put in prison for having a one night stand with a 15 year old girl. He was found guilty when she turned up in court looking all sweet and innocent with her hair in pony tails and stated that he had forced her. In reality he had met her in a night club, wearing a tight mini dress (her, not him!) and the activities they got up to were at her instigation. She only changed her story when her parents found out about it, then she claimed that he forced her. I remember thinking at the time (and still do) that it was grossly unfair, but I suppose legally he was guilty. The only safe way seems to be to ask for a birth certificate or drivers licence before taking things further, not particularly romantic though is it? 

RIP Chuck Norris

I always thought he was indestructible

For the first time in my life I think if I challenged him to a fight I might stand a chance, I'd still make him favourite though. RIP Chuck.

As a very tentative link I once played a tennis match and, at one point, one of the opponents shouted 'I can't believe we're losing to Chuck Norris and Phillip Schofield' simply because my doubles partner had ginger hair and I rock very distinguished grey locks. We thought it was hilarious, made even funnier by the fact that we beat them 6.1 6.0.

I've been taking Vitamin D for a while, it is supposed to combat Alzheimer's but you have to take at least a certain mg per day and you need to take it together with Vitamin C too as they work together. My Dr didn't know that  

Although there definitely is a general problem with doctors not generally keeping up to date with new research - there is no study (as of yet) to confirm this link

This sums it up

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-and-dementia/what-do-we-know-about-diet-and-prevention-alzheimers-disease

In particular the paragraph

But despite early findings of possible benefits for brain health, no vitamin or supplement has been proven to prevent Alzheimer’s in people. Overall, evidence remains weak because many studies were too small or too brief to be conclusive.

Which is to say various vitamins and supplements might help - but statistically there isn't enough evidence to back that up yet - that would be why the average GP wouldn't necessarily know anything about it

25 years ago my other half had cancer, we went to Mexico for 'alternative' treatment. The clinic was run by Dr Contreras, one of the world leading experts in cancer treatment and 'alternative' therapies, he still runs it. One of the things that we learnt from him is that there are many, many studies carried out into cancer treatments, almost all paid for by the drug companies, however if they seem to be producing evidence that natural remedies ARE effective against cancer then the funding almost always gets pulled and the results are not published. On his advice my other half had chemo back in the UK, she had 4 drugs, 3 were artificial copies of natural remedies. If the drugs companies can't make money out of something they are unlikely to pay for research to prove that it works. I wonder if the same is true for vitamin D, C or any other natural supplement and it's possible prevention of dementia and alzheimers? 

Greatest news stories?

The Bible
The Quran
The Tanakh

Or are we not including works of fiction?

In my lifetime my top 3 would be -

9/11
The death of Diana
The SAS ending the Iranian Embassy siege  

All of those kept me rivetted to the TV for hours