266th Post Fresh Shoots....boules expansion.

 

Rockfield Park in Artane had two Boules Pistes constructed by Dublin City Council this week.

Donaghmede Park, also, had a double Piste intallation completed by Dublin City Council this week.

The third week of the Thursday group was in full swing on the 17th June 2021.  There are a couple of spaces left to fill to complete the group of 16.

Gerry and Dave playing with and coaching Elizabeth and Carole.

Dave, Maureen D  and Yvonne playing with and supporting Maureen B 

Tom D supported Kathleen, Bernie and Bridget in their early days at Boules.

The Wednesday Group is back in full swing with most doubly vaccinated.

The works on the carpark extension are underway. There will be a direct link to the the Playground area with a toilet block and coffee kiosk which should benefit the boules players also.  The works may include the upgrade to the Boules Facility.  The Thursday start-up group and the recent Saturday group are all supporting the need for this re-development.

Hard to keep these prize tulips in the shade....even the rakes had their moment in the sun!

John Sweeney, North Central Area Sports Officer for Dublin City Council, arrived to view the activity on Wednesday to listen to our concerns and offer suggestions on how we might access some small amounts of funding towards maintaining and equipping the groups that use the facility.  He will be in contact with The Parks Supervisor and hopes to liaise with him in the proposed upgrade of the facility.

A group of eight played on Saturday 19th and they really enjoyed the experience.  The only downside was the difficulty finding parking with the Market in full swing and the park being heavily used.  The parking expansion may help in that regard.

265th Post.... Survey.

 Hi all.

Following our meeting today in St. Anne's where Tony outlined the developments with regard to the Pistes and looked for suggestions from the group regarding play going forward, I'm doing this post and sending a WhatsApp message to the St. Anne's Boules Group.

I'm outlining the same questions here for easier reading but please reply through the WhatsApp or failing that to my email which I'll supply on the WhatsApp message  if you find that easier.

Answer in this format: e.g.     A - Yes  or No 

                                                B - No or Yes

                                                C:     etc. as you wish to answer.

A:    Do you favour playing in Competition?

B:    Do you favour just Casual play?

C:    Do you favour a mix of Casual and Competitive play?

D:    Do you favour 2 hours play across the year?

E:    Do you favour 1 and a half hours play in Winter?

F:    Do you favour 2 days play in the week?

G:    Do you favour just Wednesday Morning play?

H:    Do you favour 1 day Competition and 1 day Casual play?

Pity we were not able to play today with the current refurbishment of the pistes.  These works are temporary with a view to a full upgrade when funds become available either through fund-raising or through grants.  Our thanks to Tony, Mike, Maeve and Tom for continuing to press for improvements through the appropriate channels on our behalf.  If anybody has a 'Sugar Mammy or Daddy', please don't hesitate to let us know!

264th Post ..Post Covid Possibilities.

 As most have one vaccination and some are double vaccinated we hope to restart Boules in St. Anne's. We will meet for 10 a.m. next Wednesday 12th May. 

We will discuss how we wish to continue to  play and our discussions with the Park's Section re upgrade. We hope to play after the meet. 

Hope to see as many as possible.

263rd Post

Under the Government Level 5 Plan for living for the rest of October and all November we will not be meeting up for group boules in St. Anne's Park.  

If you wish to practice yourself or with one other that may be okay.  The following are a couple of photos from our play last Wednesday 21st Oct 2020 before the announcement of Level 5 restrictions.

The pistes are becoming worse by the day and while challenging they are almost not fit for purpose.

I'll re-send the letter to D.C.C. to try to elicit a response for the long delayed upgrade.

Bye for now!!

262nd Post

 

The following photos are courtesy of Nigel.  We are continuing to play wearing masks and distancing.  Yvonne kindly supplies coffee and treats at the bench afterwards.  We used the remaining funds to support her coffee purchasing. Being social and active outdoors brings its benefits despite the terrible condition of the pistes.  Some manage the conditions better than others but the mud/water at the end of two pistes affect play badly.  

Tony and Mike have met with the new park supervisor and Tom has e-mailed the relevant city engineer to check on the status of the promised upgrade of the facility.  Fingers crossed.

Nigel and his wife, Vivienne, and Eileen and Tom Donnellan were involved in a semi-final match in Alden Park.  Nigel and Vivienne overcame Eileen and Tom in a keenly contested game to progress to the final.

Hoping all the members of the Wednesday Group are staying safe and well and keeping spirits up.

261st Post

Despite the Coronavirus threat we are continuing to play on the Wednesdays with reduced but steady numbers.  Most are wearing masks and all are distancing as much as possible. 

Great to be out in the air and not entirely confined.  The pistes have not been maintained this year as Tom, who annually weeded the edges, has not been in a position to do so yet this year.  Hopefully later in the year.  

I propose to e-mail the Parks Dept., in the absence of retired Mick Harford what is the status of the proposed redevelopment of the Boules Area.  I know that the proposal for the Coffee Kiosk and developments near the Playground have gone to planning but I'm not sure if our proposal was included.

Mike is bringing the gear each week and doing the draw.  Please assist him by arriving 15 mins before start of play.  Late arrivals expect to be accommodated but make the distribution of teams awkward for the organiser, though he may not mention it.

Don't forget the pistes are raked clear of leaves early and scoreboards and rings set out by other players each Wednesday to allow for smooth and timely running of the group.

Our thanks to Yvonne for bringing coffee and treats each week since coffee at Olive's Room was compromised for us.  Not expected but most welcome Yvonne.  In the absence of a collection for competitions this past while I propose to present Yvonne with some of last years collection by way of thanks.

260th Post

 

The intrepid warriors, masked up and braved the elements and the Covid conditions to play our adopted sport.

We had thirteen to start and two brothers came later to try out the game.  We accommodated them after the first game completed on Piste 1 as they were late arriving but if our numbers recover to pre-Covid levels we may have to reconsider as we had 28 on the books.  The current restriction of 15 in an outdoor setting might be a concern going forward.

Almost everyone was wearing cloth masks or face guards to protect themselves and others.  The games were enjoyable and competitive.