Stroll on

So. It ends.

On the BBC, Sue Barker's final piece to camera as she reviewed the last two weeks, was a simple "I'm missing it already". Then the credits rolled to the sound of Frank Sinatra singing Too Marvellous for Words over a montage of memorable images from this year's event.

I, too, have had my own, personal soundtrack to this year's Championships - the aptly named Demon Days. It's been on an almost continuous loop and has accompanied me through each and every journey to and from the AELTC. And some of those journeys were in excess of three hours each way, as there were precious few direct trains to Wimbledon. Instead, the connecting services would take me to exotic places like Woking and Surbiton. And, I think, Narnia and quite possibly the Lost City of Atlantis.

So, as I look back on the last two weeks of the whole Wimbledon experience, I think the enduring image will be the commute to and from the grounds. That's rather tragic, isn't it? It could have been the magic of being at the centre of such a global event...or rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous...it might, just might, have been the tennis. But the commute? Some might read that and argue that I didn't deserve a shiny piece of laminate that entitled me to by-pass the queues and saunter in through the gates each morning.

But - and here's the thing - everything went well. Really well. My role during Wimbledon fortnight was to ensure the internal coverage was just right for IBM.

And IBM made sure that was an easy job.

Now in its 21st year, the IBM/AELTC (mixed doubles?) match is well established. The service provided is without equal and has been faultless this year. The IBM SEER smartphone app has taken the world by storm - the first augmented reality application that actually delivers real-time results.

I will write one final post in a few days, to include some of the more unusual statistics for this year (ie number of strawberries eaten and amount of Pimms quaffed), but for now, some thanks where thanks are due.

Firstly, to gypsum. Yet again, the quality of his prose is matched only by the quality of his photos (he's getting quite good at this photo malarky, isn't he?). And please remember - this blog and all the work he puts into it, is in addition to the work he gets paid to do - and which in itself sees him busy until midnight most nights.

I have to also thank 2-D, Noodle, Murdoc and Russel for keeping me sane on long journeys in over-crowded and over-heated trains. Thanks also to SJ, Chris and Jo, for understanding that working at (and commuting to) Wimbledon leads to a disjointed family life, at least for a couple of weeks.

Finally, thanks have to be given to the IBM Team who have done what they do so well...yet again.

And in doing so, made my first Championship a stroll in the park.