Okay, okay. I know it has been almost a week since an entry has been posted to the blog. There’s just too much going on around here, and were trying to smell all the roses in the area.

One thing I failed to mention in the last entry was playing Court Whist on Monday night, January 28.  The following was taken from the blog:  http://healthilyeverafter-pam.blogspot.com

Originally, this game was played by royalty in the 18th and 19th century. It is similar to bridge because it involves four players broken into teams of two, however, it is much easier to play. 

Tables are set up for four players.  You can have more or less people playing, just so there are multiples of four.  Each table is assigned a number. To begin the game, every player randomly picks a number and that is the table where they would start the game with a partner.  

If you don’t like your partner, not to worry—you keep rotating tables and partners.  It is a great mixer.  If you keep losing, you could end up sitting at the same table all night but at least you change your partners.  Because this game allows for lots of conversation, it is important to keep things moving or you could be playing all night.  

THE DEAL

• The dealer deals in a clockwise fashion, and the player to the dealer’s left leads the first round, or “trick.” Any card may be led (following the theme of the round) and the other players must, working clockwise around the playing table, play a card according to the lead card. If the player has a card of the same suit (spade to spade, hearts to hearts etc.) he must play that card, if he does not, he can play any card.

THE WIN

• A player wins a trick by placing the highest trump (face card) in it. If there is no clear trump, the winner is determined by the highest card of the suit originally led. Aces are high.  Once determined, the winner will lead the next round of play.

THE SCORE

• Scoring court whist is determined after all 13 tricks have been played.   Don’t forget to mark your score on the section that was just played.   When four games have been played the scores are added for that first round. 

  “Winners Walk – Losers Stay”

• The winners of the game “WALK” to the next table and then play the losers of that table.  You cannot have the same partner in the next round (next four games).  The “LOSERS” always stay at the same table and then play the next round (four games) with a new partner. 

• The game continues until all six rounds (four games in each round) are played—see the Tally sheet for details.

Back to the present.  Kay arrived home last evening, just in time for happy hour and bridge.  And we spent a quiet day today, with both of us recovering from jet lag (and I don’t know why I was suffering from this malady). Thus, there is not much to report.