... there was lots of big sport, which our hotel was unable to let us see. So I have been catching up through the BBC website. The England women's 20/20 games against Australia and New Zealand, of which I have watched the summaries, were thrillers, especially the beating of Oz by 8 wickets.

It seems that Lancs lost two county matches. Their batting isn't good enough. And the Lions were out-muscled by the big Boks (a friend found a bar in Lucca which had it on - he told me that the ref was dodgy, but I dunno).

Montecatini Terme is a Victorian era spa town, where most of the buildings are Belle Epoque small hotels, which accommodate people who come to take the waters. So the in-house bar and music were not up to much. But the golf courses were very good, especially the one designed by Arnold Palmer - lots of water and bunkers, but offering lovely classic views of the Tuscan countryside.

Bloody expensive though. I'm just spending my pension euros, so don't have to convert, but prices in the posh shops are just daft. No worries. On one of our no-golf days a few of us took the (cheap, fast and on-time) train to Lucca, a walled town in the Tuscan manner, wandered round the Centro Storico, lunched in a shady hidden courtyard. Very nice. And my Italian is still serviceable.

My golf was inadequate again, but so was that of some of the others, and nobody minds because we're on holiday. On the last day I played with a 5 handicapper. On a par 3 I hit my best 5-wood - a crisp smack to the middle of the green - and John hit a wedge to two feet from the pin. What can I say? I've got more hair than him, so ya-boo.

I arrived home yesterday on an easy BA flight from Pisa, and an easy drive on the M25. This morning I thought about laundry and stuff, then went up to the golf club just because it is there. And I played quite well.

Then I cut the grass back and front, did the laundry, watched a bit of tennis, and I have something out of the freezer getting ready for supper. I'm planning a restful weekend, which I need to recover from the usual pisshead week away with the Solo's mob.

No time to post pics of my bank of pink ramblers. Later. Sorted for now.