Serena Williams's Wimbledon Comeback Ends in Defeat
Serena Williams, the seven-time Wimbledon champion, returned to Centre Court after a four-year absence on Tuesday but was defeated in three sets by 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint. Williams's eight-year-old daughter, Olympia, occasionally yawned from the players' box as the match unfolded. Joint was not even born when Williams first played at Wimbledon, highlighting the generational gap.
Despite the loss, Williams displayed much of her old magic, prompting admiration from fans. The former world No. 1, now 44 and a mother of two, impressed with her form. As one observer noted from their sofa, "She's 44 and has had two kids, how is that form even possible?" The answer lies in the extraordinary nature of elite athletes, who seem to belong to a superior branch of evolution.
Penelope Keith's Enduring Legacy
The week began with the sad news of Penelope Keith's death, sending those over 40 revisiting her greatest hits. Keith, best known for her role as Margo Leadbetter in The Good Life, remains a beloved figure in British television. The show has never waned in popularity, standing alongside classics like Fawlty Towers and Dad's Army.
Keith's portrayal of Margo was marked by her wardrobe, innocence, and giraffe-like frame, often contorted in slapstick. Her character was as English as they come, reminiscent of Joyce Grenfell. Keith's training with the RSC and her role as Beatrice in a 1978 TV movie of Much Ado About Nothing showcased her versatility. Her wardrobe in The Good Life came from Harrods and Frank Usher, known for flowy outlines. Her follow-up sitcom, To the Manor Born, was described as Schitt's Creek but set in Somerset.
Co-star Paul Eddington, in a final TV interview over 30 years ago, expressed a wish for his epitaph: "he did very little harm." The modesty and joy he and Keith brought to the world make them rare treasures.
Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition Sells Out
On Wednesday, 80,000 people waited online to buy tickets for the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum. By Thursday morning, an additional 40,000 joined the queue only to find every ticket gone. The tapestry, insured for £800m, has only left Normandy twice, making this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The 1,000-year-old embroidery depicting the Norman conquest has sparked widespread interest, despite being a subject many haven't thought about since school.
The excitement contrasts with typical entertainment preferences, as one parent noted: "I managed to score an even bigger ticket to see a 1,000-year-old bit of cloth with this really exciting battle embroidered on it."
Secondary School Induction Day
Thursday marked induction day at secondary school, with parents hovering over soon-to-be year 7s. Modern tracking technology allows parents to monitor their children's movements via phone apps, a stark contrast to previous generations. Smartphone bans for rising year 7s aim to retrain parents, but the habit is hard to break. Children are conditioned to expect tracking, and it shocks them to learn that parents once left the house without any supervision.
Fibre: The New Protein
Fibre has emerged as the new protein, according to a New Yorker piece on "fibremaxxing." Gastroenterologists and influencers explain that fibre affects health beyond "gut motility," formerly known as shitting. The article features a food entrepreneur who ate pints of blueberries at a sitting, leading to weight loss and a realization that she wanted a divorce. This trend offers hope for those on GLP-1s, subsisting on modest portions of fruit.
