As some of you will know, Richard spent his birthday walking around Kew Gardens and sent the following photos.
So nice to see he had a new outfit for his birthday!
Having enjoyed being warm and dry for a while, he then headed off around the gardens
There seems to be more serious talk of a National lockdown from Monday. There are still some rink slots available today and tomorrow if you want to get an hour or two of bowls in. Go on, you know you want to!
Spotted on Facebook.
Maybe Bill Gates is an exception? Wasn’t in 2015 that he prophesied the pandemic ?
Knew I’d missed something … Happy Birthday to Ranjani for today! Hope you having have a great day!
And Happy Birthday to Richard D too!
Keep the birthday dates coming through. At least we can all raise a glass or mug of something in celebration with you.
Bit late with today’s post. Sorry if you’ve been eagerly awaiting something highly interesting!
We’re going to move to using all four rinks – hopefully from Sunday. I’m awaiting to hear back from David H and our web host – the wonderful man who has been accommodating all our rink booking needs over the last 7 months! John Quinn is also a master greenkeeper and for those of you who receive Bowls International, he has a regular item in there.
If you only want to bowl for an hour – that’s fine. Can you add “1 hour” next to your name on the rink booking system. (See Ange’s booking for 31 October at noon) .
I know some of you are put off of the thought of bowling for 2 hours on your own, so 1 hour might be preferable. Jane will be at the Club on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and could sell you a book of one hour vouchers if you need them.
Not surprisingly, the club income has dropped dramatically this year. Your well being (mental and physical) is of great importance to us, so if you can get out and play for just an hour it will be beneficial to you as well as the club. I’m just sorry that we cannot open the bar yet as the social side of bowls is also important.
Roll on 2021 as it’s Cambridge Park’s Centenary Year. Have any of you got any suggestions to put on the celebrations list?
How about a day or afternoon where we invite Key Workers to come and have a go ?
As no one is admitting to an electric blanket, I’ll go back to bowls. Namely the English Bowls Coaching Coaching Scheme Handbook from 1980.
The Shots of the Game
The draw shot has a numer of valutaionts – position; trail; rest; block; yard-on; wick
(Apparently you don’t admit to playing a ‘fluke’ shot but just apologise!)
The Rest Shot:
This is a draw shot played with slightly increased pace so that you ‘rest’ your opponent’s bowl from a favourable position and occupy that position with your own bowl. Your incoming bowl must punch your opponent’s aside or forward but remain still in the favourable position.
You hve to apply just the right amount of force to your bowl to play this shot well. Your target is your opponent’s bowl and working back from it, you must establish the corregt line of delivery and the correct shoulder. Good folllow through along the line of delivery will help our accuracy and ensure that your bowls is delivered with sufficient pace.
‘Tap and lay” or ‘rest this bowl out’ seem to be the instructions at Cambridge Park. It is a very useful shot and you can watch several members play this very successfully at the club (when we’re all playing that is). It’s a good shot to practise on your own too (in current playing times).
The Glossary of Bowling Words is quite interesting in the little handbook and I shall save those for another day.
Update on George H. He’s still in West Middlesex, but alas no visitors allowed apart from his daughter. Please send him some positive thoughts.
Yesterday’s breakfast radio show was talking about electric blankets. Have you got one? Do you used to have one and don’t bother now? Are hot water bottles more your thing?
As a child, I moved from hot water bottle to electric blanket and eventually to a microwaveable wheat bag. I no longer have a microwave but I have an electric throw which, on top of the duvet after an hour, just takes the chill off the sheets. It’s not cold enough yet to move to the winter duvet or put the throw on but I’m sure it won’t be long!
What’s your preference?
By the way, the sun is shining this morning if you haven’t stuck your head out of the window yet. Hooray!
Congratulations to Ray & Ranjani Verralls on their 30th Wedding Anniversary today. Modern celebrations call for diamonds, although traditionalists go for pearls! The choice is yours!
In between celebrations, Ray is doing a brilliant job on securing the outdoor fixtures for next summer. Thank you!
A Baker’s Dozen online bookings so far, so we’re pleased some of you are able to play.
For those looking for other things, we have a few more reading recommendations:
Courtesy of Brenda D:
The Kashmir Shawl by Rosie Thomas – “A sweeping epic Word War II romance novel”
If I Die Before I Wake by Emily Koch – “How do you solve your own murder?”
Courtesy of Mike C:
The Five People you Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom – a fable about the meaning of life and life after death
The Lewis Trilogy by Peter May comprising The Blackhouse, The Lewis Man and The Chessmen – great Scottish crime thrillers
I’m part way through The Confession by Jessie Burton Page and also Homework : A Memoir of my Hollywood Years but Julie Andrews. I just need to set a bit more time aside to finish at least one of them!
Those cover different genres so a good selection to choose from.
Bumping into Corale and Nadine after their walk yesterday morning, Corale recommended The Independent Rambling Club
https://sites.google.com/site/independentramblinglondon/home
Three walks a week ranging between 4 and 10 miles, so if you want to get out and about during daylight, this group are working looking up. They went to Hereford last week and are in the Windsor area this Wednesday and Hampstead Heath at the weekend.
Thanks to everyone offering suggestions. It’s really helpful especially when you’re stuck in a rut and not sure what to look at yet.
We know some of you will have been missing your indoor bowls for the last week.We now have the option of booking to play either solo or singles, the latter if you meet the government criteria of “no mixing households indoors unless in a support bubble”We appreciate that not everyone wants to play on their own but we are trying to accommodate as many playing members as possible.If you agree and meet these terms and conditions, there are a few more restrictions in place, but here we go!Rink slots available:10.00 – 12.00 Rinks 1 & 312.00 – 14.00 Rinks 2 & 414.00 – 16.00 Rinks 1 & 316.00 – 18.00 Rinks 2 & 418.30 – 20.30 Rinks 1 & 3BookingPlease book your rink slot online with your name and your partner’s name if there are two of you. You cannot just turn up and bowl. (Select the day and rink first before you select the time slot)Arrival ProceduresPlease do not arrive more than 10.00 mins before your slot time.No more than one household in the lobby area at a time – please wait outside. One or two people won’t take long to sanitise their handsNo more than one household in the changing room at the same time. Collect your bowls/shoes and go straight to the appropriate changing destination table. Sign in and leave your vouchers on the round table.Please keep your face covering on until you’re ready to bowl.PlayThe usual disinfecting processes need to be followed during and following play.If only one rink is in use, please do not put all the rink lights on and turn them off as necessary after use (having sanitised your hands of course!)Unless there is no one playing after you, please finish 5 minutes before the session end time so you can clear the rink before the next session starts on the adjacent rink.AterwardsAs soon as you have returned your bowls/shoes to the changing room, please leave through dining room door straight away. The bar will not be open – sorry. Just give us a bit more time on this one.The number of chairs at each table have been reduced, so there is even more space available.If you can keep your rink bookings down to 2 mid week for now, it will give as many people who want to play a chance. However, if there is a spare slot within 24 hours, you can book it.All the above is plain common sense and should enable you to keep further than the recommended 2m social distancing.We will try it for a week and see how it goes. It would be good if we dropped back to Tier 1, but we’ll have to wait and see.Please ensure you have a warm top with you. The heating will be on but probably not as high as usual and with only a few on the green, it will feel chiller.(If you’re rolling up on your own and 2 hours seems an endless thought, you can purchase books of 1 hour vouchers. If there is no one at the club who can serve you this week, please put “IOU – 1 hour” next to your name and then we can sort it out later. This week will just be a bit odd! )
Happy birthday to Val N, Lucy H and Laurence! Definitely not triples separated at birth!
The sun isn’t quite up but it’s not raining and we hope you manage to get out and celebrate in some way or another with your famlies and/or on the golf course. Val & Laurence, may your day be full of birdies!
Lucy hope you can celebrate even if you won’t be on a golf course.
Second post of the day to follow later