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Eirlys, I live and learn!
And there was I thinking that Maria was the (daring) forerunner of woman's tennis fashions!

Hello, Elle!
Miss Sarafova and nightie are safely through to the next round.
No idea when Nick Kyrgios is playing in the Gentlemen's Singles.
Two of my books have landed from Amazon.
Had a quick riffle through them and they shall be good.
Similar style to Lyn MacD.
A photo and wee story caught my eye.
Lily Baron was 5 years old when her father was killed at Bourlon Wood, in the Battle of Cambrai in 1917.
He has no known grave.
Lily wanted to see where he died and went to France for the only time, with her family, when she was 98 years old.
She left a floral tribute of "lilies" there, and this little note.
"Thank you for five years of real happiness- I've missed you all my life."
Lily died shortly after she returned home in 2010.
There is a photo of Lily, aged 98, holding a photo of her and family, taken on her father's last leave in 1917.

Hi, Rusty!
I have been absorbed in the tennis!
Firstly, I am glad to hear that Lucie Sarafova (and nightie?) won through.
Now for Nick Kyrgios' match.......I don't know anything about this?
I have been watching some great tennis...... I had to do a bit of channel hopping though to see to the end of some of the matches.
I saw Garbine Muguruza beat Camilla Giorgi - an excellent match. Ms. Giorgi put up a great fight.
But the match of the day (I sound like a football presenter!) has to be GB's Marcus Willis beating Berankis.
What a match!! Did you see it?
Roger Federer is playing now......he had a struggle to take the first set from Pella.
Your new books sound great.
I had a lump come to my throat when I read about Lily. What a lovely story.

Hello, Elle,
Tennis seems to be going well!
Couple of other snippets from my book.
After their father was killed in 1917, Albert and Daisy were placed in different children's homes. Their mother died shortly after.
They were re-united only after a long search by relatives who discovered that Albert was living in Canada.
Albert took a bouquet of flowers to give his long lost sister at Montreal Airport, where they met after being separated for 80 years.
In 1999, a fisherman in the Thames Estuary was pulling in his nets with his catch, when he spotted a bottle amongst the fish.
There was a note inside the bottle, from a soldier of 1914, who was on a ship heading to France and the war. It asked the finder to send the note to his wife. The soldier was killed 13 days later, and the bottle was in the sea for over 80 years. The Times printed the story, and found that the soldier's daughter was alive in New Zealand.
The fisherman took the note to New Zealand, and gave it to Emily, who was 86 years old.
He gave the bottle to the Durham Light Infantry Museum.
I think, Elle, I am going to like this book, although it will be very sad.

Hi, Rusty!
Yes, a good start to the Wimbledon tennis fortnight.
I have enjoyed the matches that I managed to see.
I am watching the Highlights right now to fill in any gaps!
Roger Federer won his match against Guido Pella - but Pella was a very worthy opponent.
I like Roger.
I was sorry to see Laura Robson go out so soon.
Your new book sounds great.
I like history told by way of human interest stories.
(That is why I liked Lyn's books so much).
But, oh, Rusty, those stories you told me are so heartrending.
I guess , though, in a way, you could say they do have a happy ending of sorts...........
Remember that book that I couldn't finish..."The Thin Yellow Line"?
I found that so distressing.
I still have it ....but I doubt I shall ever continue reading it.
I'm looking through Amazon to see what else I want to order apart from my "Boris" book.

Hello, Elle!
I forgot about Laura Robson.
I was hoping she would get past the first round.
Wonder when the doubles start?
I still have The Thin Yellow Line.
There is a village just over the river from me where there was a huge row with the council who did not want this man's name put on the war memorial, because they said he had been shot for cowardice.
The people would not have it and insisted that he be remembered, too.
i agree with that.
i have just read several pages of the book and discovered something that I never knew, and I have been reading about WW1 for years.
The family of each dead soldier was sent a "memorial plaque" with the man's name on it. Think it was made of brass or copper.
Commonly known as a "dead man's penny".
There are quite a few on eBay.
I don't think people should be selling things like that.

Hi, Rusty!
I typed a reply but wasn't allowed to send it!
This is just an experiment to see if this will go.......

Hello, Elle,
I think it got here!

Hi, Rusty!
I didn't know about the memorial plaque either.
But I have since been reading about it.
The plaques were made of bronze, about four and a half inches in diameter, and became known as "Dead Man's Penny", because of the similarity in appearance to the somewhat smaller penny coin.
1,355,000 plaques were issued, which used 450 tons of bronze, and continued to be issued into the 1930s to commemorate those who died as result of the war.
A "King's message "was enclosed with the memorial plaque, containing a facsimile signature of the King.
A scroll with a commemorative message underneath the Royal Crest, with the rank , name and regiment of the fallen soldier handwritten in calligraphic script, was also sent to the next-of-kin of those fallen in battle.
These were intended to give the close family a tangible record of their lost loved one.
The number of plaques and the amount of bronze used is horrifying , isn't it?
Marcus Willis is the 772nd in the World Rankings, and he earned today nearly as much as he's earned so far in his entire career.
Nick Kyrgios plays Stepanick tomorrow on Court 2 - play starts at 11.30am
I think theirs is the first match.

P.S. The last post is what I tried to send previously.......Goodness knows show many times I tried!