Both my parents came from bridge playing families – unfortunately neither of my parents played! In my early 20’s whilst working in London for M&S, my aunt, who was one of the most enthusiastic people you would ever meet, introduced me to the game, a version of kitchen bridge. She swore by a textbook called Bread & Butter Bidding, by Brain Senior. I had no idea that many years later I would not only occasionally partner Brian but also serve him his favourite Bread & Butter Pudding when he and wife Nevena were a part of our regular bridge houseguests. There must have been a clue in her name, my aunt being called Tana, short for Sultana – as any afficionado of said pudding will know, it is stuffed with sultanas!
Fast forward 20 + years and I was living and working in my hometown of Hove (actually) when an acquaintance re-introduced me to bridge via a duplicate club – I had no idea it could be played competitively. I am lucky to have met my husband through the game, travelled to lots of countries and parts of the UK - my travel agency came in very handy during this period - and to have my name engraved on a few national trophies, all because we both loved our bridge. One of our favourite sayings when opening or overcalling with a very few points, either giving us a good result or a bad one, was “I haven’t come all this way to pass”. Nowadays, proximity to venue doesn’t apply!
Having chosen our ideal place in which to enjoy our retirement, Geoffrey (husband) sadly passed away before completion, but I am now very happily ensconced in our chosen home in Eastbourne, from where I have been delighted to write the odd Blog on my new hometown.