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What a well-written piece from ‘an expat wife living in a big house in Manama’ – otherwise known as Bridget Lindsay.

She emerged as a lovely, warm, charming lady who in spite of leading a high-profile life is, deep down, just like many of us mere mortals.

The candid thoughts, feelings and emotions expressed of her time in Bahrain over the last four years, as the ‘significant other’ of the British Ambassador to Bahrain, sure helped us understand the ‘expat wife’ a bit more intensely.

She came across as a dignified woman of substance who held her own while wondering whether she was getting it right. She sure was!

What endeared me to her was her good nature and love for the family cats, Merlin and Fergus.

I particularly enjoyed reading about her sitting on the terrace watching the Hoopoes because those birds are beautiful – we have had a Hoopoe family visiting us every summer for the last five years and they are watch-worthy.

The incident about the European Bee Eaters (had never heard of them before) that made a surprise entry into her garden taking the lady by surprise was charming.  Her reaction intrigued me … ‘abducting the embassy officials’ to join her in watching the ‘aerial acrobatics’ of these birds.
 
In fact, it’s a strange coincidence that I was lucky to witness something similar a few mornings ago, on my way to work as I was stuck in the traffic snarl on Budaiya Highway. Not sure if they were the same birds as they looked blue/grey from a distance but the flock kept doing the same, beautiful, well-coordinated routine umpteen times tirelessly for more than three minutes until the traffic eased and I moved ahead.

Kudos to a lovely, eloquent lady who, I am sure, won the hearts of many as she wrote her weekly column for GulfWeekly with such grace and élan. Her musings on love, life and living will be missed.

Sheela Pai, by email.

With ref to last week’s cover story headlined Reaching Out about our plans to brighten up the kingdom’s bus stops and parks through colourful mosaic installations and sculptures with the community.

Thank you very much for the article. We’ve received tons of positive comments and really appreciate your interest and the interest your article has generated!

Rula Al-Chorbachi, by email.

Bahrain Tennis Academy (BTA), in association with the Dilmun Club, will be holding tournaments for both juniors and adults this month.

The first tournament will be the BTA Junior Tennis Tournament from June 19-20. Events will be held in 8 & Under, 10 & Under and 12 & Under categories.
 
Each event will feature round-robin match-play using scoring, court sizes and balls appropriate for each age group in accordance with the International Tennis Federation’s guidelines.

The tournament is open to all boys and girls who are of an eligible age. Certificates will be presented to all participants while the winners and finalists will be awarded trophies.

On June 26, the academy will hold the BTA Mixed Doubles Tennis Tournament for adult recreational-level players.

This one-day event will commence with round-robin matchplay which will lead to the semi-finals and final. The tournament is open to all recreational-level players (beginner-intermediate).

Teams may either consist of one man and one woman or two women. The slightly slower green balls will be used to enhance enjoyment and level of play. The winners will receive prizes and have their names engraved on the perpetual BTA Torch.

This will be the last opportunity this season for players of all ages to take part in some friendly competition. Matches will take place in the evening to try and beat the heat!

Registration is now open at the Dilmun Club’s reception. Entries for the Junior Tournament close on Sunday while the last day for entries for the Mixed Doubles Tournament is June 21. Email me at dan@bahraintennisacademy.com for more info or to obtain an entry form.

Dan Barrie, Tennis Director.