Bowling beauties

Today I stepped on a green to play bowls for the first time in at least 38 years!

When I was a stay-at-home Mum with my three kids, I didn’t get much opportunity to do things for myself. Heavily influenced by having so many bowlers in the family I decided to give playing bowls a bash. I would have been around 25 years old and my youngest – my daughter – used to come with me to bowls. She was a breastfed babe, as were all of my babies and I would discretely feed her when needed. I must have been quite a rarity as I’m sure there wouldn’t be many 25 year old breastfeeding Mums at any bowling club. My daughter loved the attention she got and I got to get out of the house for a bit.

Today I stood on a green for the first time in over three decades and hoped that I could still play a decent game. The game went pretty well and my Aunt, seemed to be enjoying chatting to the other ladies and bowled a few very decent bowls. She certainly set the bar for me to reach. My first attempts were a bit abysmal to be fair. The main issue for me is that it still hurts my knee to try to get in the right position to bowl. Because I have still got a way to go till my knee is more bendable and less sore we should be OK to go back and have another go.

It felt good to be on that green again and I couldn’t help but think about what my family members that have passed. I’m sure they would be delighted that someone is offering to take on the mantle and follow in their footsteps.

The season ends soon and so I can just go on a Saturday for a roll-up and try to get more accustomed to having my knee bending the way it needs to for me to be in a better position to bowl.

This is all part of my plan. To find various ways to not only exercise, but also to have fun. It also helps to build a community/social network for the future. The rest of the plan needs some working out, but by the time I decide it is time to retire I will have social interaction which is what I will need.

I had a memory come to me of a conversation with my husband, when I was home recovering from one of my many operations. My husband was working and I was spending a lot of time isolated and my mood started going down. My husband is a bit of a hermit – I could imagine him on a dessert island pootling about – he doesn’t really need people round him all the time. Anyway, I said to him that I was struggling with all the time on my own while I recovered. He said ‘why don’t you have a project of some sort? That will keep you busy’ That is where we differ a lot. He is happy to potter about on his own and do so quite happily for long periods of time. But – as I told him – it’s not about filling my time and simple boredom. For me it is that I miss people. I miss talking to people and interacting with them. I know that I can’t go for long periods without having anyone around. It just doesn’t work for me. So, as I slip into my twilight years, I will make sure that I find ways of continuing to be with people.

Perhaps joining the Bowling Club will help me with my need to continue to have fun and social interaction. That way too, it will protect the hermit hubby from an overly needy wife!