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Jean had been in touch with Brian from Rosebud Rosellas for some weeks. He gave her times and dates of all upcoming bowls. We chose Thursday Triples. It's such a pretty little clubhouse inside & out. With Pennant memorabilia over the bar. The Bowlers Tavern. The lovely bowler shows wind direction. Today there's zero wind. When we arrived we met Vice President Maz. We stood and had a great chat with some of the members Bob, Bill, Treasurer Arthur, John Robyn, Marg, Marilyn and Tina. There are three grass greens We played out front on the West Green. It has nice little shades. We loved the scarecrow Martha! And the memorial bubbler. Jean played with Marilyn and Bob. Against Mal who was with Maz and Wayne There were three rinks. Two games of triples and one Pairs. Two games of twelve ends. Second end Jean worked it out and Marilyn consolidated. It didn't take Mal much longer. He got two. Jean had two. Mal tried to steal. He got second shot. We came in for lunch. Second game Mal played Eddy, Tina and Frank. And Jean was against John (Macca), Marg and Bob First end Jean did a beauty. She said " Maybe it will be the only one! " She was right! Mal's opponents had shot. Mal came in with weight and hit it smack in the middle. He took shot! Second game we both lost big. " We all got tired " Jean said! President Tony came later. Mal took a selfie with him. And his dog Freckles! We came in and all sat together for drinks. Leo served us at the bar. They told us he's just been added to the Adelaide Crows Hall of Fame. He used to play AFL for North Melbourne. Rosebud - the Rosellas had us beat!

We'd been told we must come to Mount Martha as the greens are great. We heard they have Wednesday social bowls so Mal rang to get our names down. Mal had spoken to Lesley who didn't have the list with her. We were on our way when Geoff rang to say it was cancelled as there were only two names down due to expected heat so we said we'd come for a rollup. Geoff took us on a little tour. Inside they were having a meeting about the greens. He showed us the lovely decks. There are two Tiger Turf synthetic greens. They recently merged with the Petanque club so the third green is now Petanque. There was a Mixed Pairs championship on the East Green so we rolled up on the old green. The Central Green. We liked their shirts with beach sheds. Jean stepped into the unknown. A little bit dodgy with Mal in the ditch but she managed one on the first end. Mal was determined. We both did better. He got one back. Grass was OK. Weight not so much. Mal snuck two in. Jean finished well. After our rollup Keith the social bowls coordinator came to apologise for no social game. We were ok. On the way out Jean met with Rob and Brian the current Men's Pairs Champions. Mount Martha - we did like the green!

After our visit to watch the lower divisions play the finals at Karingal We decided to see if we could catch the end at Mornington Civic. It's a nice little clubhouse. The bar was open. We saw lovely trophies and Pennant flags. The verandah housed many spectators. There are four greens. One grass out the side. And three others including one plastic synthetic green - Green D. There were ten teams here today. Flinders vs Village Glen Retirement, Blue Hills vs Main Ridge, Karingal vs Rosebud Country Club, Karingal vs Mt Eliza And lastly Rye vs Mt Eliza. Jean laughed because it's always Mal who gets a photo with the President but she got one with President Glenda! The winners were Rosebud Country Club Division Two; Blue Hills Division Four; Village Glen Division Seven; Mt Eliza Division Six and Division One was won by Mt Eliza. They were all smiles. Even the runners-up. Mornington Civic - great bowls seen!

When we were at Dromana on Monday they told us their Division Five plays in the Pennant Final at Karingal on Tuesday. Jean wants to buy the Karingal shirt so we're going. It's a decent-sized clubhouse. With lots of Pennant memorabilia. We'd seen Karingal play in the Preliminary Final last week at Hastings. That's where Jean saw the shirt. On the Outdoor green were Sorrento vs West Rosebud and Dromana vs Frankston. Under the dome was Somerville Vs Blue Hills. We sat with the Dromana spectators. Dromana was ahead by 15. Both greens are Tiger Turf sy nthetic. With one under cover. All the Karingal people were away at the Finals in Mornington. Bowls Coordinator Nathan was by himself managing everything. They were out of shirts so he'll contact us and send them when they're in. Karingal hosts the Finals.

Balnarring is the third club we've visited on the Mornington Peninsula. We rang on Tuesday to find out there's a game on Wednesday afternoon. We rang to leave a message. John rang back on Wednesday to give us the juice. We arrived early and met him in the club. The Ibis greeted us out front. It's a tiny Clubhouse. The bar is named for Harry Dutton. With a nice verandah out front. And the 'Barefoot Bar'! Bryan and Moira had a sandwich before the game started. There are two greens. One flat carpet synthetic up top, The Jim Rentoul Green, And a grass green down below where, John tells us, the Peninsula Division One final will be played. There's one nice little shelter. All the seats have memorials. They have sticks we draw for the game. Jean got rinks 3 red Lead and Mal got rink 4 black third. It was Fours. Steve, Jean, Norm and Bob Played Bryan, Bernie, Robbie and Hans. Mal, Moira, Jenny and Ron. We're against ninety-nine year old Milton, John and Garry. Many of the players were in their 80s.  We love a game where less mobile people can play. Jean asked Mal to call out when he does a good bowl. He forgot. Lucky Jean spied it! Jean said " I should've taken photos of my good bowls in our rollup! " She got a few shots but each time her teammates Bob and Steve would do one better. She didn't mind at all. Jean's team won, Mal lost - despite his good bowls. 2nd game we swapped opponents. Mal did two top shots. Skip said Jean had shot so she raced down to get a photo. Alas, when they measured it was second shot. Mal won and Jean lost her second game. We came inside for drinks and raffles. Mal and Jean didn't have a coin to pay for Jean's wrong bias. Garry donated. Mal came second and got $5. Loved the oldies at Balnarring.

We arrived Sunday morning in Rosebud and set up our caravan. Jean did the washing then we set off to Dromana to find out about social bowls on Monday. SUNDAY Jean had been in touch with someone from Rosebud Country Club who told her there's triples with people from many clubs at Dromana on Monday. We came to get our names down. We couldn't get a shot inside the clubhouse because it's a construction site. They have dry rot in the floor. It'll be done by April. Out front is a temporary clubhouse. The first people we spoke to were David and Joe. They were here to watch a triples game and showed us where to put our names down. Jean met Carmel on her way to the shed. She told Jean her husband Terry runs Mondays. Mal met Bob and Terry. The Triples game was close. There are two Tiger Turf greens. The front one is very new. May 2024. It's the Gwen & Doug Hildebrand Green. The little shelters are nice. MONDAY We wanted to get a photo for our map. A worker to let us inside the construction fence. President Peter introduced himself. Treasurer George and David looked after the draw and got our money. We chatted for a while with Colin and Peter. It's three-bowl triples. Two games of eleven ends. We played with Steve. Game one was against George, Colin and Ken. The flag was full North. The wind headed all the bowls north. Jean managed two shots. It wasn't a great head. Mal took shot and Jean got second and Third. Mal did another and we got Four. Another lousy head when Mal came in for two. Jean got a toucher then drew shot. We lost by five. George did half-time announcements and welcomed us. He called the Raffle. Jean scolded Mal because he didn't buy Raffle tickets. He said " I didn't see them selling! " We didn't need to. George called Jean's name. She won $10! Our second game we were against Nino, Len and Peter. We're told they're gun bowlers! The Pennants stickers say they're ' The Friendly Club '. We'd agree with that! We were several down and Mal took the kitty splendidly. Another wayward head - Jean got one. After that we went down four with a ditched kitty. The guns got us well and good. Jean was too scared to ask the score. We came up for beers on the deck. Shellacked at Dromana

We've come down to the bottom of the Mornington Peninsula to see the bowling clubs. We visited two clubs today Sorrento and Rye. SORRENTO It's a pretty clubhouse that's nice inside. There are lots of trophies and Pennant flags. Mal met Alan who showed us where mats and jacks were. Jean chatted with Jill. There are three greens all up. Two are synthetic - one is a small four rinker. Out the back is a nice grass green. We rolled up on the little green. It was a bit slow. Mal was eager to get out. It took us a while to work out the weight. Mal got a couple. Jean put her bowl down. By end three we started to get our weight right. Jean scored a full count. Then Mal got his own back. At least we got the grass right. Jean got one. The shades are nice. RYE Rye's not far from Sorrento so off we went. It seems from outside like a nice clubhouse. There are two greens. One is synthetic. The Con Glew Green. There's another little grass green. Sorrento and Rye - nice on the Peninsula.

We're visiting all the clubs on The Mornington Peninsula. At the moment we're on the Westernport so we came to Hastings on a Tuesday Pennants day. A bowler greeted us at the door. It's a nice little clubhouse. With a verandah where the spectators sit. Jean was over the moon to see Paul Mercurio (son of Gus) - ballet dancer and film star - is the local Labor Member. Jean met Bruce in the clubhouse. He showed us around the club. Mal started a conversation with Ron, President Dave and Life Member Gerry. They were watching the Mid-week Pennants Preliminary Final against Karingal. It's a Tiger Turf green. The Charles and Don Hodgkin's green. The plaque on the wall tells their story. Next door the second green is being pulled up to replace the carpet. If not for the construction one could get a view of the ocean from the green. In the end Hastings lost by one point 59 to 60. Peter and Mal struck up a friendship. Peter gave Mal a bowls shirt he says is going to be a collector's item. We came back Wednesday to pick it up. Hastings - well played!

Our first stop on The Mornington Peninsula is Flinders Golf Bowls Club. It looks nice and cosy. With a verandah out front. And a cute little outdoor area. It's a grass green. The Richmond-Alexander Green. The succulent garden is nice. Jean stepped onto the grass. We struggled a bit with weight. Jean managed one shot. Mal let a bowl go. Again, not much chop. Mal got one too. He did manage a Resting Toucher. Jean finally worked it out. Flinders - we rolled up Ok.

Jean's Mum Betty, her sister and Aunty Heather all suffered from Breast Cancer so when we saw on Facebook that Warburton had a Pink Day to raise money we had to join. We arrived early on Saturday so we could sort out where to stay. It's a nice little clubhouse. The bar fridge was donated. There's lots of Pennant memorabilia. Outside is the Paul Byrne's Pavillion. We walked over to catch Warburton Twos play Mooroolbark in their last Pennant game. They are the Kookaburras. There's just one plastic synthetic green. The Keith & Edna Thomas Green. It has good, solid, permanent shades. With Pink balloons! With a misty mountain behind - Mount Donna-Buang. We're told it has snow in winter. We met President Tony. Then we met Matt whose partner Aimee talked with Jean on Messenger and arranged for us to get our names down for Pink Day. PINK DAY SUNDAY We had parked our van at the nearby footy ground and walked over to play in Pink Day. We met Gazza and Michelle who'd organised everything. Mal Aimee gave us her number and Mal phoned her to get our names down. The raffle table was impressive. It seems there is a trophy. We met one of the selectors Steve. He was arranging payment for the Spider. Chris called the cards. Everything Jean wrote on the day got erased so Jean's forgotten many of the names. She thinks our first opponents were Bruce, Mick and Matt. Jean scored an ordinary shot. We lost by one shot. Our second game was against family Em, Ann and President Tony. Jean just pipped Mal for shot! Mal did pretty well though! We won by two. Our final game was against another family Selena, Harry and Craig. Mal got a Freddo for his good bowl! We won 10 to 3. Chris did the presentations. The day was won by Jason who we played with last year at Yarra Junction. He thanked all the volunteers. That included Rayner - 15-time Ladies Singles Champion - who helped every year but who they sadly lost to cancer just last week. Mal won a raffle prize. That's going to Jean's sister Megan. It's local Yarra champagne. We got two Warby Burra Stubby holders. Of course, since we were parked nearby. Mal was the last to leave! Warburton - we had such fun!

Our last club in Strzelecki Region for a while is Corinella. We took a forty minute drive to Bass Strait to get there. Jean's corresponded via Messenger and they said the green is open and we're welcome to roll up. There's a lovely bowls mural out front. We got to see inside the clubhouse. We liked all the past Presidents underneath the honour board. It's an impressive trophy case. Outside is a nice verandah. We joined Phil and Robyn for a rollup. We played with two bowls each. Phil proudly told us he's been in six winning Pennants teams. Mal was excited. He showed his talent early. Jean got her bowling arm ready. It was an ordinary head. She got shot. Jean reckoned she had shot. Mal did the finger thing and said he had it by a bowl. " Rubbish!" Jean cried! Jean had a Resting Toucher but pushed it out with her second bowl. She kept two though. Terry and Cheryl arrived with some supplies. They are club work horses. Phil showed us the anniversary glasses. 1973. Phil had to go. We said goodbye and set off back to Korumburra. Corinella - impressive achievements. POST SCRIPT: Corinella's President Steve Bray contacted Jean on Messenger last night while we were at tea in Korumburra to ask if she left her being arm there. Jean was dismayed. She had no idea! We didn't want to drive 80 minutes to retrieve it and were headed to Warburton. Steve suggested one of their Pennant players Jacquie could take it to Lang Lang which is on the way. Bowling Arm retrieved thanks Steve!

When we arrived in Korumburra on Sunday we went to check out the bowling club which is just up the road. Unfortunately it was all locked up with high fences. A couple of days later we drove past and there was a guy doing some work. He said we could take some photos. There are two carpet synthetic greens. This is the bottom green. It's named for Norman Alp who it seems helped lay the original greens. The scoreboards are donated. The bell is precious. WEDNESDAY They have Barefoot Bowls on Wednesday night. We thought about joining them but we're too hot and tired after our game at Leongatha today . We came to say hello. The Pennants trophies are impressive. Johnny, Mick, Joanna and Tracey were sitting watching Division One practice. They are on top of the ladder. The club is always locked up. Mick gave us the code so we can roll up tomorrow morning. We met Tracey's husband, President Brian. They played Barefoot on the top green. We had dinner cooking in the caravan so had to leave. They invited us to come back Friday for $20 dinner. We put our names down. Korumburra - top bowlers there! POST SCRIPT: We came back for tea on Friday as invited. There were loads of people there. They had raffles. Jean won a prize. $20 gave us two courses. Lasagne And dessert.