Well, here we are again almost at the end of another year.

It's been a great year for the club. A lot done and a lot achieved but we will keep the loud blowing of own trumpets for the AGM.

Please tell me that you've not forgotten and that it's in your diary and in fact you've used the 'sorry but I've got to go the AGM' excuse multiple times already. I know I have.

'I think we need to start the Christmas shopping...'

'Did I tell you that (insert MIL name here) is coming on Saturday?'

'The bins need to go out...'

See - it's the perfect excuse. A shoulder shrugging moment. You are at the AGM. And the pub afterwards wasn't planned. It wasn't your idea.

By the way, we've changed the venue. Because of the recent floods, we are now convening in the Church Hall at St Chad's at around 4.30pm.

Can someone please tell Steve Fisher? I think he's still waiting for the Roger Parry competition to start.

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So, apropos of nothing, Lilly Allen. Wow, have you heard her new album 'West End Girl?' It's visceral. The inside story of her attempt at a move to New York and the breakdown of her relationship when she goes back to London to star in a West End show.

The music isn't great, but the emotion is raw and the words are excoriating. 'Bitter' and 'angry' don't come close. The whole thing is a bit of an overshare TBH. Don't listen if you are of a sensitive disposition.

I have it on repeat in the car.

Hold on, hold on, there is a tennis connection. Yes, it's tenuous but it's November and there's not much to write about. Give me a break here. I only mention it because there's a track called - you guessed it - 'Tennis'.

I won't go into the detail. All I am saying is that we don't have anyone called Madelaine at the club.

And that's probably just as well.

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OK, on to the boring stuff.

The Horticultural Society, AKA our landlord, has advised that we need to close our hardcourts for a few days due to some planned tree felling and pruning along the Quarry Path.

I've blocked out the five days 15th to 19th December on Clubspark so that the courts can't be booked or used through to 5pm. The good news is that there's no tree surgery taking place once it's dark, so the courts are playable at night.

There's a possibility that the work might be completed in three or four days rather than five, especially if the weather is not too bad. I will send out an alert if we get lucky.

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We were fortunate (not sure that's the right word) with the flooding last weekend. The weather forecasters and environmental agencies involved with potential flooding as usual erred on the side of caution.

Those many of you who remember Michael Fish will understand why, I guess. (Those few of you who don't, check him out on Google).

We generally work on the principle that the prediction of a peak of 4 meters at Welsh Bridge means very likely flooding of the car park and grass courts, with the shed and the clubhouse also at risk as would also be the hard courts.

At one stage late last week, there were several predictions higher than 4 meters and one I think that was 4.5 meters.

Hence the decision to relocate all the heavy machinery in the shed, and to put the contents of the clubhouse up high, out of harm's way. And hence the issuing of dire warnings about imminent flooding and risk of drowning in the club car park.

All of which we didn't need to do. The water went up to about 3.7/3.8 meters at its peak on Monday.  Although the car park is still under water, the clubhouse and shed remain dry.

And tennis was still played.

Hey ho, better safe than sorry and all that. But a major inconvenience all round.

We will decide about whether to put the clubhouse back to normal, over the next few days. For sure there will be other flood events as we go through winter...

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Right, that's enough nonsense from the chair for this month.

Did I mention that I'm hoping to see at least some of you at the AGM on Saturday? 4.30. Church Hall. St Chad's. Come and meet our prospective new committee member (spoiler alert - it's not another grumpy old man) and say goodbye to the committee members who have gone or are leaving.

And feel free to give your committee a hard time if you are not happy with anything at the club.

Although not me of course. I am terrible with criticism.

Take care in the car park, and don't play on the grass courts!

As always, enjoy your tennis,

Jeremy