When we signed up with the teaching agency, we had to choose the area we wanted to be based in and teach out of... There were about twelve areas to choose from over the UK and considering we hadn't a clue which areas were better or worse, we did a good job choosing the Surrey region. The Wimbledon borough is lovely and gets an eyebrow raising, nod of approval, every time I mention it to colleagues. Though, we shouldn't be given that much credit for our choice, as our decision to move to Wimbledon may or may not have come down to closing our eyes and twirling our finger over the map. There are always people bustling around town, be it rain or shine, or due to the sheer amount of delicious restaurants down the main road, there's always plenty of prime people watching candidates. |
This time of year, Wimbledon really flourishes. The tennis brings people in by the bus load and they line up for shuttle buses out to the stadium all throughout the day. Every shop window is decorated with tennis balls (which I find fantastic) and the supermarkets in town, Tescos and Morrisons (renamed to Murrisons during the tournament), both with a tennis ball as the 'O' on their sign, hand out FREE samples of strawberries and cream, and if I'm completely honest, that has got to be one of THE best aspects of living in Wimbledon.
Up until now, I had not had real strawberries and cream (I know, I know). By 'real' I mean, NOT the Allens ones you get in the red bags (hmmm). These were actual real life strawberries, and pouring cream. Eaten with a fork (from Tescos) or spoon (from Morrisons), depending on which you walk past. And it seems the staff who hand them out are either incredibly forgetful, or perhaps are just desperate to get rid of the over populated shelves of strawberries in store, because not once did they say "one sample only", not even after the third or forth time I walked past and did my 'oh look! free samples!' surprised face. Victory is sweet.
The dedication that the Wimbledon locals have to tennis watching was perfectly illustrated by the lady with the rainbow umbrella one rainy day. Yes, underneath that glorious umbrella, sitting on the grass couch (Wimbledon win), complete with thermos and snacks, sat a jolly looking, middle aged lady who was very vocally supporting Bouchard in the women's final. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. She had me wandering into Morrisons (or should I say, Murrisons), with a big silly grin on my face.
Up until now, I had not had real strawberries and cream (I know, I know). By 'real' I mean, NOT the Allens ones you get in the red bags (hmmm). These were actual real life strawberries, and pouring cream. Eaten with a fork (from Tescos) or spoon (from Morrisons), depending on which you walk past. And it seems the staff who hand them out are either incredibly forgetful, or perhaps are just desperate to get rid of the over populated shelves of strawberries in store, because not once did they say "one sample only", not even after the third or forth time I walked past and did my 'oh look! free samples!' surprised face. Victory is sweet.
The dedication that the Wimbledon locals have to tennis watching was perfectly illustrated by the lady with the rainbow umbrella one rainy day. Yes, underneath that glorious umbrella, sitting on the grass couch (Wimbledon win), complete with thermos and snacks, sat a jolly looking, middle aged lady who was very vocally supporting Bouchard in the women's final. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. She had me wandering into Morrisons (or should I say, Murrisons), with a big silly grin on my face.
Most days, the deck chairs were filled with people and finding two available spots was difficult. Particularly after school, when parents and their kids would come to watch the match, and come five o'clock the business men and women would swan past and often stop to have a watch. We stopped by the grassed piazza a few times to watch the big screen and I found that sitting amongst the locals gave me an overwhelming sense of belonging. All of a sudden we were part of a bigger community and looking around at the wicked chairs, the fake grass and passionate fans laying back in the sun, made me feel incredibly lucky to be here (and glad I didn't spend money on a ticket for inside the stadium).
Xxo