Yet another talent!

People often ask us what we do all day. Well, there's golf, and looking after the dogs, and learning Spanish and normal day to day things like shopping and cleaning. Then there's the social aspect of living here so the days go by quickly.

But there are a few hours spare in the evenings so Neil has been 'trying' to teach me to play Bridge. He used to play many years ago and has often said he would like to start playing again, but as well as needing a partner you need another couple and we've never known anyone else that played but out here there are a couple of couples that play Bridge and so it got Neil back on the 'let's play Bridge' theme!

We downloaded Omar Shariff's Bridge computer game and he started to play on that and I started to watch him. I played a lot of cards when I was younger and still love Cribbage, but the bidding part of Bridge was a mystery to me and now that my memory doesn't work very well remembering what cards have been played can be a challenge, to say the least.

Well, over the last few weeks I have done my best to take on board the bidding system and worked with Neil so that I wouldn't let him down.

I decided to take the bull by the horns last week and called on a couple of friends that I know play Bridge to see if the would like to come through for an evening of cards. I was honest and told them I had never played an actual game before but I had been practicing on the computer. They said that they don't take it too seriously so I shouldn't worry.

Well, Tuesday night saw us round the table, cards ready to be dealt, glass of wine poured. Just before they had arrived I had gone over the bidding system with Neil so I was as clued up as possible before we started and then it all went wrong because they split us up and partnered me with Barbara and Neil with Bernard, apparently they never play as a couple.

Oh well, nothing I could do about it now but deal the cards. Now, whether it was for the best or not, my first couple of hands were awful and nothing I could bid with, but I think Barbara thought I was playing safe. But after a couple of hands I started to get my confidence and the cards got a little better and suddenly I had enough points for an opening bid.

Time passed very quickly, and I got much more relaxed about playing and before I knew it we had been playing for over 3 hours, and had played the best of 3 and us ladies had won - by a lot, we trounced them.

So, we have a return match on Tuesday and the guys will be out for revenge!

But I can honestly say,

Bring it on!