Henry de Montherlant: Volley good game

The 16th arrondissement has a reputation for being stuffy. Its long avenues lined with elegant Hausmannian apartment blocks are the haunt of ancient Parisian pensioners with their pampered poodles and Hermès scarves. Several were in evidence today shuffling to lunch in their Sunday finest, dogs and dowagers greeting one another alike. But in the autumn sunlight the streets had never looked more inviting, the golden stone seemed to glow and I could easily imagine myself perched on one of the sun-soaked balconies soaking up the unseasonable October warmth and listening to the rustle of autumn leaves.
The 16th is on the opposite side of Paris to us - 9 o'clock to our 3 o'clock  - but nowhere is really very far away 'intra-muros' and even with a Metro change it took us less than 40 minutes to get there. Tennis Henry de Montherlant is a pleasant ten-minute stroll from the Rue de la Pompe metro through  hushed streets past grand houses and entrances and is situated next door to the monolithic Russian embassy on Boulevard Lannes.
We had played here once before, but I had forgotten quite how smart these public courts were - many of them newly re-surfaced.

We were round the corner on Court 2 surrounded by trees and overlooking the Bois de Boulogne. It's a leafy setting, but the court surface was poor - as if Courts 1 and 2 had been forgotten in the renovation and there were a few deep cracks and worn patches that I remembered from last time. It didn't put us off - the glorious weather was more than enough to compensate and at least the net was in a decent state. It seemed to inspire my net play after a bit of volley practice with my partner and we went on to triumph. A welcome return to form.

Full marks for court maintenance: Louis Lumière

I've felt quite Parisian this autumn - after a summer spent almost entirely out of the city I finally understand why the French are so obsessed with what they call La Rentrée. It is a concept so French that the English don't even have a word for it. It literally means "the return" - to school, to work, to the city itself - and it's quite a thing here, as much of an event as Easter, Halloween or Christmas in terms of shop displays and marketing opportunities. So after a month spent busily installing everyone back at school, in a new job in the case of my husband, enrolling the kids in sports clubs (football and ice skating) and getting back to work etc we finally returned to tennis this weekend. Most excitingly my daughter has a new racket which she was desperate to try out and after only managing the occasional singles with my son over the summer I was looking forward to reviving the family four. Unless you book a week in advance, the best way to get a weekend reservation is to go on line the morning of the day you want to play and look for a cancellation. I found one for 2pm on Sunday on Court 2 at Louis Lumière - close to home and newly renovated. We'd last played here on my birthday back in June and courts 2 and 3 must have the best surface of any public courts in Paris - and I say that as someone who has played on many of them.

 Court 2 was slightly let down by its poor net with its macramé-style repairs, but after the first set we moved to Court 3 which had become empty and found a brand new net in place. It was a lovely autumn afternoon, perfect for tennis - not too hot and with no breeze. Sophie's racket proved a winner and despite her midnight tour of the city's museums and sights with her friends during the famous Nuit Blanche (another Parisian concept where many attractions stay open all night with free entry for visitors) she was not too tired to triumph on court. She even had enough energy for a 100 metres victory sprint on the athletics track afterwards.

We shouldn't leave it too long for a re-match!

THE WINNER: WHAT A RACKET!

Happy return(s): Tennis Louis Lumière

I haven't blogged for ages, not because I haven't been playing tennis, but because I've been playing on the same courts over and over again - close to home or tried and tested. I've played at Louis Lumière before, but the court we played on today - number two - was so beautifully resurfaced and with such clear markings I felt it deserved an honourable mention. There are three courts here and numbers two and three are now of the same high standard, this is a huge improvement on a year or so ago when we found court three had huge potholes and a net held up by a stick! Court maintenance has been duly carried out although court number one is now very much the poor relation - take note when booking.

It was my birthday and the sun was out, none of us was in top sporting form having rolled in at 2am from a surprise party the night before. I was still suffering from the effects of one too many glasses of Champagne, but no matter - my partner was as keen as a ever for victory so the match was on. We've been playing on the worn out surfaces at Porte de Bagnolet of late - school playground standard with fading lines and sagging nets. The net at Louis Lumière had a few small holes, but it was the right height and was securely fixed at the bottom to resist any gusts of wind. The court surface was the best we've played on - smooth and newly painted with clearly visible lines (and no other markings - nothing worse than misjudging a lob because you're looking at the markings of the handball court).

My partner occupies the high ground

I'd like to say we did it justice, but my partner complained it was a lacklustre game in spite of our decisive win. I was just delighted to be playing on a such a great court and couldn't think of a better way to blow away my birthday hangover. It's a holiday weekend here so I'm enjoying a three day celebration - well four in fact as I have tickets for Roland Garros on Tuesday which will also be the perfect occasion to treat myself to some more new balls.

30 rue Louis Lumière

75020 Paris

Metro: Porte de Bagnolet