• January is often a favourite time of year for me in my capacity as a Tennis fan, I have been to Melbourne for the Australian Open once, way back in 2010 and it is my favourite of the Majors. Ever since, back in the UK I have often woken up in the small hours to…

  • Even on our journey home from Brasov we were planning our trip to Cluj in February, booking plane tickets in the pub at Victoria Coach Station whilst tucking into an all day vegetarian brunch and drinking a pint of Guinness zero. I had loved Brasov so much, I wanted to have gone to Iasi earlier…

  • Why it’s easy to support Oana Simion! Whilst my love of tennis extends back to Pete Sampras and Justin Henin, then later of course Roger Federer and Simona Halep, the latter opening me up to the world of Romanian tennis stars, one player has influenced and inspired me personally more than any other, Romania’s Oana…

  • THE EMOTIONS OF A FAN. When Miriam Bulgaru won her semi final yesterday I cried. Because she is my joint favourite active player and I was so happy for her. The two players who always felt all the emotions for were Roger Federer and Simona Halep. Both now retired and tennis feels empty without them.…

  • With the exit of all the Romanians in singles and the Doubles Final with Stefi and Briana later in the day we took the free time to Uber to Bran and visit Dracula’s Castle. The drive was pleasant and very scenic, should I return next year as I hope to do I would like to…

  • The trip is a starting to near an end, the beard is at a point where it is becoming itchy. Whereas the previous mornings I got up early for Oana’s practices with her defeat in singles it was a later start in doubles, I was afforded the luxury of a lie in. Not that the…

  • Same routine as before early walk into town, picked up some cheese pretzels for breakfast and then onto Starbucks for coffee. Met the Wolf for practice at the club ahead of her second round match which her parents had attended for. Sadly Oana’s match was poor, a couple of missed smashes at the net got…

  • Today was an earlier start, leaving the Guest House at 7am and walking to town as the sun rose over Brasov, a pleasant stroll with Postivity Penguin through the streets and parks. It was cooler today which was handy as having left my jumper on top of the coffee machine the past couple of days,…

  • So my sincere apologies in advance for most of today finds me complaining about my eye. Suncream has seeped in on a hot day and it’s very painful. Only at 2250 now is it starting to heal. We again walked to the club this time via Meron for Breakfast where the four cheese sandwiches were…

  • The travel from Bristol to Brasov was a day and a night, lengthened by the bloody Flixbus moving bus stops and making us miss it, forcing us to catch another coach to Heathrow and an Uber to Luton for a lot more money then we had hoped to spend. My party is Postivity Penguin and…