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We came to Club Dubbo on Monday to put our names down. We arrived ten minutes before the 10am start. When we arrived the bowlers were all assembled. We met Bruce the vice chairman and Anthony the bowls coordinator at the table. It must be a Men's day because they put all the women together in a triples game while the men all played three-bowl pairs. Three other women played together. It was 11° and Jean was the only player in short sleeves. Jean played second in a two-bowl triples game with skip Gai and June. Against Liane, Pam and June. Mal played with opposing lead Ray. (Ray and Mal) For skip Bill against skip Glenn. (Glenn and Bill) Mal got the line and weight quickly they scored up early. After about eight ends Jean finally worked it out. The opposition had two purple and Jean took shot. In the end Mal lost by one, Jean lost by two. We came inside and Jean chatted to some of the women about her friend April who used to be a junior here. Brian and Judy remembered April. Club Dubbo - we both lost but we had fun and enjoyed the company.

We're only in Coonabarabran one night and, ordinarily would miss out on a game by one day. But we decided to play tomorrow arvo and arrive late in Dubbo. We initially came for a rollup (Jean won). Then Jean spoke to Donna on the bar who said she could take our names for a game tomorrow. We're so desperate for a game we agreed. Jean's sister Alison told her that her sister-in-law Karen works at the club. Donna told Jean she'd be in at 1pm so we stayed to meet her. Jean did her usual walk around to take photos and spied a thank you for Barry Wilkinson for his service. You wouldn't believe it but a few minutes later, who should walk over but Barry Wilkinson! He told us about his 46 years as greenkeeper and how when he retired the three greens were the best in the district. He enjoyed his time there. He said there are not many bowling members left. Barry introduced us to Justin the new greenkeeper who was mowing when we arrived. One green is fallow. There are three in total. We rolled up then played on the back green - number 3. We came back Sunday arvo for our game. Tony organised things. We played on different rinks. Jean played with Levi and Dean (Jean, Dean and Levi) Against Matthew, Paul and Sam, (who plays for NSW Under 18's). Mal played skip for Liz and Vince. Against Steph, Glenn and skip Tony. (Glen, Vince and Steph) Mal and Tony enjoyed skipping together. We loved the 80s music in the background. The rollups helped. Jean nailed the weight. The club shirts are reminiscent of nearby Siding Springs Observatory. Mal's rollups worked well for him as well. Jean was happy with how she played. Then Mal came in for three for his team. Mal got hat off from his second for shot and three for the team. The whole game we had hecklers Rachel and Carol to entertain us. Mal's team won 19 to 6. Jean didn't pay attention to her team's score but it was also a win, something like 17 to 8. Dean said he'd try to send Jean a club badge Coonabarabran - so grateful for the game and great company!

We didn't have this club on our list. It was only when we went to Dubbo City and found it permanently closed that Jean did some research and found it. We drove over to find there's ladies bowls on Tuesday morning. Jean met Beryl and Judy and put her name down. They introduced her to Carmen the bowls coordinator. We arrived on Tuesday and met Vicki and Julie in the office. They are stand ins today because most of the women are playing at Narromine. (Julie and Vicky) They introduced Jean to all the women. There were two games of three-bowl triples with one short. They decided Jean would be skip so she drew a skip stick. The club has two synthetic greens The plastic kind.! It's super quick. There's a nice outdoor area. The men are known as 'The Rhinos' Jean played with Sue and Vicky (Sue, Nicki and Jean) Against Di, Ruby and Veronica The green was soooooo fast. It took Jean eight ends to get the weight. She put in a pearler then Ruby came in and took it off her. We had a mix up with our caravan park. We'd booked and paid but stayed two nights at the wrong park. Mal had to hang around to move if the Dubbo Discovery Park gave us our money back. They rang and said they won't. We decided to stay where we are. All we got was a credit for our unused three nights. When we told Joy the caretaker what happened, she didn't charge us for our first two nights. We gave her rave reviews on Wikicamps. They were one short so after we sorted out the caravan park Mal came and played with the ladies. Mal played with skip Julie with Chris against Mary, Helen and skip Cheryl. (Chris, Mary, Helen and Mal) (Skips Julie and Cheryl) Cheryl asked Jean if Mal had played on this surface before. Jean said yes and Cheryl replied "He's very heavy. I thought he wasn't used to it." Then Mal suddenly worked out the weight. Mal's team lost 27 to 13. Jean's team won 22 to 13. While we were there Sue's husband Ron told us about yet another club we didn't have on our list - Macquarie Club. We decided to go there for Mal to get a game on Thursday instead of Narromine. RSL Sporties - Jean won and Mal got half a game!

Mal rang Gunnedah Services and Bowling Club last night to find out if they have bowls Thursday or Friday. He was told that the public are not allowed to bowl on the green. We didn't believe that so dropped in today. We saw a sheet that said they had a game on Wednesday. We saw a lady setting up tables outside. She said the Bowls Club only opens when they play bowls. She suggested we go in to the main club and get the name of Scott the Bowls Coordinator. Mal rang Scott who said he's away and there are no bowls today and tomorrow. We can come for a rollup. Jean's been a bit sad because her Dad Roy, who passed away in December, spent much of his childhood in Gunnedah. Jean went to visit her Dad's cousin Vicki to learn more about her Great Grandfather Jock Hamilton. The club has a sign to encourage us to come back. We saw the club has two synthetic greens. We came back on Friday and got a mat and Jacks. We played four ends but are a bit bored with rollups and desperate for a game. We're going to stay an extra day in Coonabarabran for just that. Gunnedah - oh we wish we got a game!

We were told by a bloke at the Showground caravan park that Walgett Sports Club is closed down but the greens are still maintained for rollups. The club has a nice entry way. We got there to find the club, the greens and the box locked. Jean pressed her nose against the glass of the door and a woman came out to apologise they were closed. Jean told her about our trip and asked if we could have a rollup. She unlocked everything for us. She told us even though it's not well-maintained, they do play social on Sunday. She also said the club has requested a grant to get a synthetic green. There are two grass greens. One is left fallow. The other is in bad shape with dirt all over it. The bowls run over it and wobble all over the place. Mal put a bowl down and said "I don't think we'll be playing too many ends!" It took all our strength to just get a bowl 21 metres. Mal reckoned it was about nine seconds. We played two ends. Jean got two on the first and Mal got one on the second. Walgett - not much of a green or a rollup.

We drove four hours this morning from Surat to Lightning Ridge. Mal had rung last night to get our names down for a 2pm Sunday start. The club is just seven minutes' walk from the caravan park so we got our bowls and set off up the road. We arrived and were surprised by such a large club in a little town. We walked inside and saw how large it was. Several areas. We went outside to see there are two greens. One is grass. It's the 'Bert Cooper Green'. The second green is synthetic - flat carpet under permanent cover. It's called the 'Ben Kennedy Green'. It's the first green we've seen that has fans inside the cover. Apparently the green and the cover resulted from a Government grant. We sat down for a chat with John. He's on an off-road trek from Adelaide. There he's a member of Henley club. Around 1:45, Adam, who was filling in for the Bowls Coordinator, got the list and collected our money. There were only twelve bowlers - they all sat around outside to wait for the start. There were three games of pairs. We played fourteen ends of three-bowl. Jean and Vicki played together. They played against Mal and Gordon. Mal and Jean skipped because Gordon was a bit uncertain and Vicki has only been playing a year. Jean worked out line and weight pretty quickly But Mal said his radar was off again. He was often narrow and short. Mal wasn't happy when he scored his first shot on end five. He exclaimed "Seven start!" Jean kept taking their shots out. Jean was tickled by a little bird that was running across the top of the cover. Jean and Vicki were ahead the whole game, The highest margin was seven. In the end we both won seven ends. Mal and Gordon caught up and only lost by two. Jean said to Mal "If you'd had 21 ends you'd have got it!" Lightning Ridge - poor Mal had a little loss after a big comeback.

We're in Surat for one night. Mal rang the club from Roma last night and was told they usually have Saturday morning bowls, but not today. Jean walked the 500 metres from the caravan park to the club while she waited for the jug to boil. She met Gail and Barry (Cossy) from Tocumwal who were rolling up. They've been coming to Surat for seven years. They stay about seven months. Gail asked Jean if we were the ones who rang up last night. She asked if we wanted a game. Jean raced back to get Mal. Cossy looks after the greens while they are here. Selwyn the barman was here when we got back. He opened the club for us. It's a little club with a nice bar. It has a lovely, relaxed feel on the green. The surrounds are serene. The Balonne (Condamine) River is just behind. We played together Against Gail and Cossy. Mal and Cossy played some good bowls. We played ten ends. We were up by a bit until the sixth end then they got away from us. We lost by two but had a lovely time. We sat around outside afterwards and chatted about floods, bowls and trucks! Surat - a pleasant game with lovely people.

Narrabri is a much larger town just half an hour from Wee Waa. We stopped at the bowlo before we got to the Showground to see if they have social bowls today. We walked up and the first thing we saw was a fallow green with a guy mowing it. Mal thought he was the greenkeeper and went to chat with him. His name was Scott. He said "No, I'm just the dog's body. Whatever they want, I do." There's a nice shrubbery garden outside with Lavender. When we came back later we went inside to ask for the key to the box. A guy gave us the lock code. We took care to read the green rules. Mal rolled the jack. Jean took first blood with two. Mal got one second end but Jean bowled consistently. Mal had three and Jean bowled smack bang in the middle. We got bored so decided to finish after about eight ends. Mal got the last one and took the kitty back to the plinth. Look how well we bowled! It was all pretty boring although Mal said "You did some pretty bloody good shots!" Mal did a few pearlers as well to take out Jean's shots. Narrabri - we're a bit tired of just rolling up!

Jean's been in touch with Wee Waa Bowls Club via Messenger. They said there's no social bowls on Tuesday but we were welcome to roll up. Jean said we'd be there around midday. The clubhouse was nice inside - pretty big. Mal forgot his bowls shoes so had to go back to the caravan. While he was gone Jean checked things out. First she discovered there were two greens. One was a Synthetic. It was that plastic surface. It was dedicated by Karen Murphy. They are pretty proud to be associated with Australia's Cotton Capital. When we arrived the box was locked. Jean went and got the key but when she came back it was unlocked. She said to Mal "They're expecting us!" Outside we met Steve the greenkeeper. He asked if it was us that contacted on Facebook. Jean said yes. He said he manages Facebook for the club. Steve told us the club now has only about twenty bowling members. When they play, they play social on Sunday mornings. The second green is a grass green. It's the Norman Sweetman Green. It was such a lovely winter day for bowls. Perfect blue sky and no wind. The green was pretty true. We enjoyed rolling on it. Mal wore his nice new Roma shirt. Jean won the first end then kept ahead the whole game. Mal tried to cheat. He knows Jean is forgetful. He kept claiming he had one more shot or Jean had one fewer. After a while Mal finally scored a three to even the score. Just then, Steve came by with some cloths and drink holders to remember them by. Mal made Jean take the photo with his good shots. When it was 14 to 10 Mal said "My radars off!" Jean said "Look at the score. Your radars not off, I'm just bowling exceptionally well!" That was all Mal needed. He scored two multiples and Jean gave up. We came inside to buy a drink to thank the club for the lovely gift. Wee waa - yes we will remember you!

We're in Roma one night, staying at the bowls club. It's a nice little club. Small inside with a friendly feel. There are two grass greens, one out near our caravan And the other out the back. When we arrived Jean stood for a chat with Ian (Macca) the golf greenkeeper, Greg bowls greenkeeper and Greg. We told Greenkeeper Greg about our trip and that we were looking for some people to roll up with. He said "When my mate gets here we'll give you a game!" Mal and Jean played together Against Greg and Kingy. They will play in a Fours tournament tomorrow at Quilpie so we agreed they should play together. Greg plays Third and Kingy Skip. You could tell. Around end five Jean called to Mal "I think we're about 20 down!" We changed front three-bowl to two-bowl to give them better practice to play fours. Right then we started to improve and won a couple. Kingy plays sometimes at Toowoomba with the 'Western Outlaws'. Last two ends we agreed whoever lost bought drinks. We got two, they got one. I guess that's what matters After our shellacking we came inside for drinks. We had a great chat about etiquette and farming! Kingy explained that the club is called 'Roma Roadtrains'. We stayed for dinner. Mal had steak. Jean had seafood basket. We waited for the raffles. Roma - we wish the boys well at Quilpie.

We drove an extra 90 minutes from Taroom today just so we could play Barefoot Bowls at Miles Bowls Club tonight. We came to the bar to put our names down with Sarah⁰. Everyone was sat at the bar. It's a small club. It seems like a workers club - in Nationals territory! Jean liked that. Then we sat down for a chat with Jenelle and Tom. Mal stood under the sign. The green, as Stan in Taroom told us, is a carpet synthetic. It's that green and black one we don't like. It has old-fashioned shades. Mal asked Ash who was who won the 'A' Grade singles so he could make sure he didn't play the winners. There were three games under lights. A nice change. We got six on the first end but Jean forgot to take a photo. We played together Against Ash and Scotty (been here from Scotland just three weeks). (Scotty and Ash) Jean got a photo of her four Before Ash stole them with a fabulous weighted shot! Scotty told Jean there are three Scotts in the club. Big Scott, Medium Scott and Wee Scott. Guess which one he is! They seemed to all be good friends. They ribbed and encouraged each other all game. Bob kept commenting on Jean's red bowls that always had shot. We had four then Mal played weight and knocked Ash up for Shot. We were scoring lots and Ash was taking us out. Still, it wasn't enough. Last end Jean did four perfect weight bowls. Ash then put the kitty in the ditch for one! We won 14 to 7. The first six got in their heads. We came inside for drinks and raffles. Scotty showed Mal a 1984 World Championship that Scotland won. Miles - a win with very friendly people.

We dropped in at Taroom Bowling Club on our way to Miles.. It's an hour's drive from Theodore and 90 minutes from Miles. We were supposed to stay at the pub tonight with no power or water but found out Miles has Barefoot Bowls on tonight so decided to drive through for that but we wanted a rollup at Taroom. We saw a car but couldn't find anyone. Then Stan, who was doing some maintenance inside, came out to say Gidday. It's a pretty little clubhouse with a nice long bar. It reminded us of our favourite Mundubbera which is not far. There's a funny-looking structure made of horse shoes. Jean thought it was a coat rack. Stan bragged that the Taroom grass green is the best in the district. We'd believe that. It was lovely to roll on. About 14 seconds after the rain last night. Stan asked us to be sure to tell Miles that. He doesn't like their synthetic. He said "Like bowling on a pool table!" We'll make up our own minds on that. We decided to just roll four ends because we had a way to go yet and Jean hadn't put sunscreen on. We both got it pretty well. Jean won the first two ends for two. Mal won the next two to even the score. Taroom - if only we'd been there on game day.