184th Post

Unusually, the weather conspired to prevent play for consecutive Wednesdays.  Brogan had cleared the pistes but with only five attendees and a threatening sky we decided to retire to the coffee shop and discuss the game rather than play.

Hopefully the next three Wednesdays will be fine enough to permit us finish Competition D before the year-end.

The following article is an interesting expose on the place of Petanque in the French psyche.

https://www.francetoday.com/activity/petanque-its-not-a-game-its-a-religion/

Also, Petanque in prison..........

Interesting...........google translated from French.......

The facts go back to Wednesday, July 11. A man is caught in a sports shop in the middle of the shop. The police are called and pick the individual out of the store. He has in his pockets four balls of petanque and a stocking, also stolen, under his pants. 

By looking at his car, the police noticed that the front and rear plates do not match. One of them was falsified. This is a vehicle that was stolen two days earlier in Saint-Lambert-des-Levées.

To this must be added that this 28-year-old Saumur driver was driving without a driver's license (he had been taken away), that he had refueled twice without paying and that he had damaged the stolen car. In short, it was enough for it to be presented in court on Friday at the court of Saumur, in the context of an immediate appearance. For all these flights and for driving without a license, he was sentenced to 6 months in prison, 4 of which were suspended. A 4 month reprieve was also revoked. He was taken to the prison house last night for six months.

Read in the Western Mail of Saturday, July 14, edition Saumur

Music link supplied by Dave....... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL7ZjFp1Z5s

183rd Post

When rain stops play before it even starts you can always take out the oul' camera phone and while away the hours......even Olive's Room had only a couple of imbibers.  Here's hoping next Wednesday
is kinder....the scoresheet remains the same, of course!! [ click on photos to enlarge ]

All was not so ROSY today!!!

I knocked on every door but nobody would come out to play.....

Study the 4th piste carefully...no more excuses not knowing where the humps and hollows lie!!!

The Parks Dept. have put an enormous grey and orange canopy over the pistes...NAWT!

I waited and waited and then the men in the white suits arrived but they didn't want to play!!

If you've got cabin fever today you might enjoy this link....

https://petanque.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/strange-training-devices/

[highlight the link / right click on it / click on the 'Go to https://petanque.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/strange-training-devices/' command ]

182nd Post

By all accounts the sixteen players today played enjoyable games in a great spirit.
Nigel, who didn't play today, has been joined by Richie on the 190 mark.
The importance of playing until the bell rings, and finishing that end was proven again today as Richie gained 3 points in that last fourth game to join Nigel at the top of the leader-board.
Colm called by today and Mike joined us for coffee on his crutches.  Sean and Tom played for the first time this session. 
Once again our best wishes to any players who are indisposed at present.  We do hope you are able to resume in the near future.
The possibility of an away boules trip next summer in France gained some traction with various players expressing an interest. 
We will fix a date for early January to book flights and a hotel for June 8th to 15th flying into Perpignan, presuming there is availability, for interested parties.
   

Week 6						NAMES
Wed. 14/11 /18						Date:
G.1	G.2	G.3	G.4	Tot.	R.T.	Game:
				0	130	Bridget
13	13			26	148	Brogan
12	9			21	102	Catherine
				0	71	Colm
12	9			21	132	Dave
				0	124	Dolores
10	13			23	135	Don
13	13	5	5	36	74	Eileen
11	13	9	1	34	168	Jeanette
				0	115	John
				0	91	Kitty
11	8	13	1	33	81	Liam
11	8	13	1	33	79	Maeve
				0	0	Maureen
13	13	5	5	36	121	Michael
				0	95	Mike
				0	190	Nigel
				0	0	Pat D
				0	117	Patricia F
13	8	13	3	37	190	Richard
10	13			23	23	Sean
13	13			26	111	Shay
				0	24	Sheila
13	8	13	3	37	37	Tom D
13	6			19	87	Tom S
11	13	9	1	34	124	Tony
13	6			19	150	Yvonne

Ooops....wrong sport!!

The town boules area in Roscoff, Brittany, just beside the port, in front of the Hostelries.

To check the proposed venue for the South of France in June 2019 highlight and click on the link below.....If it works you can see how close the boules area is to the hotel [Mar i Sol], prom and beach.

https://goo.gl/maps/6J967VknUAq

181st Post

Halloween display from National Botanic Gardens

[Since rain prevented play today!]

Some views of the delights of St Annes Park....

In the absence of play today we had a brief discussion on the possibility of  a Boules Trip to France next Summer for members following expressions of interest earlier in the summer.

Outline Proposition:

A week in the Sun in the South of France in St Cyprien Plage, near Perpignan, with as much Boules as you'd like and our own little competition.

Dates:       Sat 8th June  to  Sat 15th June  2019 [before schools finish]

Flights:     Aer Lingus       Return flight        

                  Sat. 8th             Dublin to Perpignan   06:00 - 09:30     €107.99

                  Sat. 15th           Perpignan to Dublin   10:10 - 11:35     €107.99

                                       Total:        €215.98

Accommodation:  Sat. 8th  to Sat 15th       2 Star Hotel : Hotel Mar I Sol,

                                                                        St Cyprien Plage

                                                                        Total: €525 or  €595 for 7 nights sharing 

                                                                    [< €300 each]

                     Breakfast  €9 per day.

Walks along seaside promenade.  Beach alongside. Market on Tuesday and Friday.

Port with shops and restaurants.  Boules area a few steps away.   €1 bus available for visit to Perpignan and other resorts.

Over the next couple of weeks we'll assess interest and if it's a runner and flights and accommodation are still available we will start the process.
Check this out for example....City Of Bath Petanque Club........https://www.facebook.com/bathboules/