Have a good Easter break? My batteries were fully recharged after a most relaxing long weekend at the Hotel d'Inlaw, highly recommended for top nosh and comfy beds. And I subsequently plopped a handful of dead Cs, AAs and AAAs into the proper receptacle in the foyer at work today. Let's stay positive, re-establish contact and explore the vaults.

Many a tear has to fall
But it's all in the game
— Tommy Edwards, It's All In The Game (1958)

Entertainments between arriving on Friday and departing on Sunday included:

Canasta:

Originated in Uruguay, or so says my big book of games, The Way To Play (Bantam, 1977). Me, wifey and the in-laws have been playing canasta on and off for some years, and I can count on one hand the number of times I've won; I should be a good card player, I think, but that's rarely the case. I was narrowly ahead on Saturday night when we agreed to stop, it being late and all. Next step Vegas to see James Caan and Sharon Stone before making a killing, then to be investigated by Grissom and co.

Boules:

Lovely weather on the Sunday, prompting Grandad Geoffrey to dig out his genuine French set of shiny metal boules. Before long three of us were touring the garden, doing our darnedest to land our heavy big ball bearings close to "le but" and sending mole-scaring sonic waves into the ground. Ceased playing when the sun cinq.

Ping-pong:

A-ha, more my game. Season ended last week for the BT Defiants, and we could get promoted, gulp. Weekend rallies were fought out on the plywood cover over the pool table using a recently acquired £5 TT set from Ikea: two sponge bats, a net, and three balls included. Kids had fun despite some zealous training and pointers from their father, who then demonstrated his formidable skills by losing to great aunty Linda through marriage. Though the net wasn't quite in the centre of the table, ahem.

Be seeing you!

Ed