Anyone for tennis?

Wimbledon starts today.

Back in July 1990, the UK's Secretary for Trade & Industry, Nicholas Ridley, resigned for saying in an interview to The Spectator on the issue of the EU:

'“OK, we’ll give this lot our sovereignty” is unacceptable to me. I’m not against giving up sovereignty in principle, but not to this lot. You might just as well give it to Adolf Hitler, frankly.’

Ridley along with his boss Margaret Thatcher were strong supporters of the single market & world trade benefits of the EU. He wrote so in his resignation letter:

" I believe that the proposal of the European Commission for economic and monetary union in the Community would be a disaster, both for Great Britain, and for the wider Europe in which I passionately believe. It would be heartless after fifty years of subjugation, for the Community to exclude the nations of Eastern Europe from participating in the European Single Market. The opportunities must be open for the nations of the European free trade area to join. All the nations of Europe should be free to maintain their own political, economic, and national identities, while enjoying the benefits of a free and fair trade."

Interesting stuff given a) what one can say & do nowadays without anyone turning a hair b) views on EU given the Brexiters love of Margaret Thatcher who was fundamentally pro-EU.

There is a confusing mention in a The Spectator article about this event & Wimbledon which happened around the same time. I think the years are mixed up & rather than 1990 was referring to 1989. A cabinet minister was reported to say:

‘If Boris Becker wins again this year, Margaret will be hell in Cabinet the next day.’

He did but no record of whether she was.

Around 27,000 kg of strawberries will be consumed at Wimbledon in the coming 2 weeks costing about £2.50 for 10 berries. The price hasn't risen in 10 years and it has been discovered has been subsidised to keep the bowl of strawberries & cream affordable for the "ordinary" woman & man. I'm sure that breaks EU rules. Brexit has added further controversy as to how/if this can continue - this back in 2017.

On my way back from the GP in Erkheim to pick up a "referral letter" to my internist's quarterly check-up this afternoon, stopped off at the PYO strawberry field & picked two kilos. €3.49/kg (£3.10) most of which ended up in the freezer to be consumed when the grandchildren come in a few weeks. I suspect the harvest will have finished by then. Have to get them to change their dates next year so that they can pick their own again.

Very hot & humid by the time I set off to Memmingen for the docs appointment mid-afternoon. The air conditioning on my now 17-year-old car is failing but I have taken decision to get it refilled on Wednesday despite the €70 cost - at least it will double the value of the car which will probably be scrapped in December.

Just before I left, I was looking for something on eBay classified ads (Swedish Flower chicken eggs!) & happened to see a used gas BBQ grill being sold for €15 not far from Memmingen. On the spur of the moment, I wrote a message to the seller (no telephone number) saying if they contacted me within two hours, I would like to take a look. While in the docs waiting room a message came through with the address & so I set off for the 7km trip into the neighbouring state of Baden Württemberg & bought the thing. Cheap, small and basic but with a hood & on a wobbly trolley in pretty good condition. I bought it specifically for the family visit as my son is a BBQ & gas fan. He sent a photo yesterday of the basic coal BBQ that he has at the gite he is renting this week on the French Riveria. I suspect he will be forced to eat out. I trust now  I have one that he will take charge of cooking when he is here.