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We saw on the website that Coomealla has social bowls on Wednesday and Saturday. We're booked up those days. People we've met told us Coomealla is a must-see so we drove out in the afternoon - hoping to find some members to roll up with. It's a swanky club. Of the hundred we've done, it's one of the only three to charge green fees for a rollup - $6 each plus a $5 deposit for the mat and jacks. There are two synthetic greens under cover. We rolled up on the one outside the bistro. It's a true carpet. It has a big TV screen in the middle. I guess they think they'll get big games there. Even with the bad taste in our mouths (having to pay fees) Jean said "It's lovely to roll on". Though it was quick and narrow - half usual grass. Jean took a couple then Mal got a Resting Toucher and said "You have to get a photo of that!" It was quiet. No bowlers to roll up with. It was a bit boring. Jean was surprised her bowls did so well on synthetic. After a while (despite wanting to get our money's worth) we gave up. Jean got a four on the last end to win 13 to six. Coomealla - you pay dearly for the pleasure.

We went to Merbein to have a rollup - it was hot and not much fun! Jean had contacted Merbein months ago to find out when they have social bowls. Jude wrote back to say that because they are a small club they don't have social bowls as such. We decided to drive out and take a look. We weren't impressed. First thing we saw was how rundown the club looks. It hasn't had a coat of paint for a while. The blinds were down so we couldn't see inside. The sun shades weren't much better. Dust and weeds basically. There are a couple of signs around the club to thank people. One we think is for a bubbler donated (was closed up so we couldn't really tell). The other is to thank Jeff Greenhill for laying some pavers. Most interesting thing about the club! The club has two and a half greens. One is synthetic - very old by the looks. It's been pulled up in places so it's unlikely members bowl on it. There is a three-rink grass green that looks OK though it has no lines at present. The main green is grass. That's the one we rolled up on. Everything was locked up so we had to use Jean's synthetic jack and a bowls cloth for a mat. We decided (because it was 34 degrees in Autumn) to only play four ends. Jean took shot on the first end. Mal wasn't very happy because of the heat so we decided to finish after two ends. Jean scored again. A hollow victory. Merbein - nothing to see here!

When we were at Swan Hill Racecourse Bowls on Sunday we met runners-up Gail and Bruce from Nyah Bowls Club. Bruce is the Secretary. We arranged to have a rollup with them on Tuesday. (Mal and Jean arrive) When we arrived they were just finishing up with some school kids. The club has two nice greens. They are maintained by the members. In fact Gail told us that President Bryan just mowed it this morning. (President Bryan) When we arrived Mal said "You know what I forgot? My bowls bag!" He was fixing the handle and left it in the annexe. Bruce gave Mal a set of XGs size two. He was so excited. He really misses his XGs that got stolen. We started our rollup - us against Bruce and Gail. (Mal, Bruce and Gail) We played 2-4-2. Mal was having such a good time. He beamed from ear to ear. We got a five on the first end. Mal and Bruce had a good chat. Gail and Bruce got a few in but we ended up winning eight to four. We went inside the club for a cuppa. Gail had made us lovely sandwiches. We all sat around and chatted about our trip and bowls. (Mal, Gail, Bruce and Bryan) Nyah - Mal thanks you for your hospitality and your XGs.

We had decided to go to Barham because the folks at Racecourse told us it's a great synthetic under cover. Waze told us it would take 50 minutes to get there. Jean said "If it takes us through Kerang we'll go there instead." It did. When we arrived we met greenkeeper Shane, who we're told has looked after the greens for 20 years. You can tell. They are outstanding. There are four grass greens. Three are beautiful The other has been fallow for about ten years. Shane suggested we rollup on Green B adjacent to the clubhouse. The sign said the greens were running at 15 seconds but Mal reckons it was closer to 17. They were quick! Like many other clubs we've seen, all the seats are donated by members Just after we started our rollup David arrived and checked us out. We chatted for a while about the clubs around Kerang and fishing for Murray Cod. Jean started well with a short end. Mal went long and she scored shot after shot. Suddenly it changed and Jean lost the plot. Mal worked it out and evened up the score. We finished up even. After our last emd we met Marlene who came down for a rollup. We told her about our trip She thought it was a great idea. She told us about the Black Duck Jackpot Triples tomorrow but we said we had a prior engagement with Bruce at Nyah. Kerang Bowling Club - fantastic, fast greens.

When we went to Murray Downs on Friday we met Carol who told us about the 2-4-2 pairs ournament they have there today, Sunday. We got our names down. When we arrived we met Alex and Kess from Swan Hill and some other guys. In fact there were lots of people who recognised us from Murray Downs, Lake Boga and Swan Hill. We also saw Rastis and his owner Danny who we met at Lake Boga on Friday. We caught up with Carol. They have two nice grass greens. Right on the Swan Hill Racecourse. We could hear them call The Swan Hill Cup. We watched a race go past, then it was on the tele! The Jockey Club played country music which was nice. We played on rinks 1, 2 and 3 in front of the clubhouse. Three games of eight ends. It's 2-4-2 pairs so, of course Mal and Jean played together. We played against Fay and Helen. (Helen and Fay) There were people there from all around. Swan Hill, Lake Boga, Manangatang, Moulamein, Nyah and of course Racecourse. We won the first six ends then went off the boil. They got five on the last end to win by two. Second game on rink two was against Brian and Rod from Swan Hill. (Brian, Mal and Rod) We won 16 to 3. We came inside for afternoon tea. The ladies put on a lovely spread. Third game on rink one we played Peter and Donny from Racecourse. We tried our best but they were too good for us. Mal's drives were close but missed every time. We needed five to win, we got one. At least Jean scored a Resting Toucher! They gave us each a stubby holder and a bowls cloth to remember them by. Alex and Kess won the tournament. We've arranged a rollup on Tuesday with runner-up Bruce at Nyah on Tuesday. Swan Hill Racecourse - we didn't quite make it to the finishing post.

Jean contacted Swan Hill Bowls Club via Messenger during the week. They said they play Friday 1pm so Jean asked them to put our names down. There are three lovely Tiffdwarf greens. When we arrived we met greenkeeper Mark who told us Friday they don't start until 3pm so we went shopping. We came back and met Alex who's organising the game for the person who usually does it who's unwell. It's a quaint old club. We liked 'Scotty's Bar' They have some good tournaments: Fridays they play just one game of ten ends. Two-bowl triples with a placed jack. Costs $5. Winner gets a $4 voucher to spend over the bar. We had a quick rollup with Alex but Jean wanted to save her energy. It was 26° and we were coming in to the heat of the day . We played on the front green. Jean played lead for skip Graham with Kess, against Damian Mal and Alan. (Mal, Alan and Damian) There were 16 players. The green was tough. Earlier we needed lots of grass but now the line was more true. Much quicker though. Mal worked it out quickly. Jean, not so much. Jean started to work out the grass but still struggled with weight. She got shot lots but far from the kitty. Didn't last long. It was a close game. Both teams won the mat lots. Graham and Alan were very good bowlers. We left them plenty of room to draw. Last end Mal's team was two up. We drew. We needed a number for the jackpot so we played another end. Kess' yellow bowl knocked Jean in for shot, then she scored another. Graham put one in for good measure. He won by two after a great bowl by Alan took third shot. After the game President Brian introduced himself. He asked for a minute's silence in memory of Len Wolfe who passed away this week. Lynda told us Len always played lead and won a championship at age 80. Rest in peace Len. Jean won the prize for lead bowler, a free drink but gave it to Damian. Swan hill - an intimate game with friendly, good bowlers

We were told this morning at Murray Downs club that Lake Boga has a charity game tonight for Motor Neurone Disease. It's just 1 km from our caravan so we drove down. We met husband and wife Ken and Janet.  Ken is the President. We got our names down. They said a couple of players recently lost spouses to MND. It's barefoot bowls - fours - two games of seven ends. They were expecting 100 people - many from Lake Boga. Lots don't know how to play bowls. The club has two really nice. Wide grass greens. They were both full. There's a step up to green two. They were preparing the green when we arrived. Mal wanted a roll up before we played. We rolled up on rink 3. The game cost $15 with a sausage sizzle. The spread was fantastic! We filled our plates! It was like Christmas! The Lake Boga shirts are impressive. It was an eclectic mix of players. After dinner they were all in a party mood. By 7pm we were chomping at the bit to get going. Jean played with Mal, Richard and Nola. (Richard, Nola. Mal and Jean) We played first game against Brenda, Barry, Trevor and Trevor. Meanwhile the sun set and the dusk came over. We lost by four. Second game was against Ken, Robyn and Kevin. We won 13 to three. With only seven ends each game was pretty much over before it began. Back inside we won two raffle prizes. Lake Boga - thanks for supporting us and MND.

Jean rang Murray Downs Resort yesterday afternoon and got our names down for a 9:30 start but we weren't convinced the message would get through. We set the alarm for seven to get there by 9 just to make sure. Lucky we did, our names weren't down. Mal went straight over to the office and saw Dawn and Cecilia who organised the game. The greens are set on a golf course. There are three. All oversize greens - eight-rink. They look immaculate - unusual for a golf club. They have their own greenkeeper who is super proud of his work, and rightly so. We played two games of ten-end triples on A Green. Before the game we chatted with Doug and Keith (Keith, Mal and Doug) and Dave and Noel. They have a good way to create the draw. They pick the skips, then the skips draw their lead and second out of a bag. Jean played lead for skip Neville with Carol from Racecourse club. (Jean, Carol and Neville) They played against Ned, Mal and Harry. (Harry, Mal and Ned) Mal liked playing second because he could take the kitty off Jean's shot bowls. Luckily Carol took it back. Then the skips moved it twice. Mal's team got two. Next end they got a five. Jean, Carol and Neville cried. The last end it was ten all. Harry's team won by one. Second game Jean played Betty, Dave and President Gary (Shorty). (Betty, Shorty and Dave) Betty told Jean that Shorty plays Division One for Murray Downs and Neville for Racecourse. Apparently they had a mighty battle in the final and Murray Downs came home. It's obvious. Jean had shot almost every end and Shorty's blue bowls took it off every time. Jean's team finally scored on the eighth end so no nudie run! Shorty won eight to four. Mal played his second game against Noel, Terry and Diane. (Noel, Diane and Terry) He reckons his bowls weren't near the kitty all game. Jean thinks he means everyone else's were closer. After the game Shorty took us over to see the John Mayers Pavilion, named for a stalwart of the club who has passed. He proudly showed us the trophies for their recent Division One Pennant wins for Tuesday and Saturday competitions. We saw the old photos and the picture of the year they won every Pennant Division. They are called 'The Rams' and had a poster made up. We were very happy because Carol got our names down for a two-four-two pairs tournament at Racecourse on Sunday and Betty told Jean that Lake Boga (where our caravan is) has a charity game tonight for Motor Neurone Disease. We might go if we have energy. Murry Downs Bowls Club - proud of their achievements.

When we were at Stawell Bowling Club on Saturday we met President Ivan and put our names down. We arrived 90 minutes early today and the only person there was a lady vacuuming. Peter soon arrived and recalled us playing at Golf on Saturday. We quickly noticed the lovely metal garden art of birds on the fence And on top of the sun shades. There were a lot of friendly faces there from Saturday at the Golf Club. The club has two synthetic greens. They look about the same vintage. Fake grass. We decided to have a rollup so Mal could practise his turning technique. Ivan said the clubhouse has been here a while but it looks immaculate. It's clad with colorbond. It has a nice, big kitchen. We played on B Green. It was three-bowl triples, two games of ten ends. There were seven triples and one four. Jean played lead for skip Peter with Les. (Peter, Jean and Les) Mal played second for skip Rob and Pat. We played each other first game. )Pat, Mal and Rob) The first two ends Jean took shot then Mal took it off her. He played well but so did Jean. Peter's been singles championship runner-up the last four years. You could tell. He took it back! Jean made comment about her bowls suddenly going narrow. Laurie, Jean's teammate from Saturday, said "What, you're not bowling as well as you did in Saturday?" That was nice. She was doing ok. Jean's team won 8 to 5. We stopped after game one for drinks, bickies and raffles. Stubby and coke - $5! Second game Jean played against Joy, Laurie and skip Adrian. (Adrian, Joy and Laurie) It was a bit harder as the grass changed. Jean had it nailed first game. She got it eventually helped by Les. The team was ahead the whole game but lost by two with four down on the last end. Mal played against Lesley, Geoff and skip Rob. (Geoff, Rob and Lesley) He struggled a bit. He reckons he was nowhere near the kitty all game. Nevertheless, they won ten to six. Stawell Bowling Club - love the birdlife!

A short story today. We decided to go back out to the bowling green at Chalambar Golf Club in Ararat because at least they gave us some information when we were there. The club has one tiffdwarf green. They used to have a second but like many golf clubs, they thought it would make a better putting green. We couldn't find mats and jacks so Mal asked Steve, former bowler and defending C-Grade golf champion. Steve and Mal walked over to the shed and Steve found the key. The got a mat and jacks. Steve amd his wife gave us a little cheer squad. We rolled up. Mal worked it out straight away. Jean struggled with grass - got weight fine. The only time she got shot was when she aimed her bowl straight at the jack. It was weird because there was no wind. Chalambar Golf Club - nice to meet golfers for a change.

We had bad luck today. We've been trying to ring Ararat Bowling Club for days but they never answer. We've left messages but nobody contacted us. We decided we'd drive out and find out when the four Ararat clubs play social. Jean woke up at three AM and trawled the internet. She found a notice that said Ararat had triples on at 12:30 so we drove out and arrived at 10:15. There were some blokes having a meeting. Jean asked about the game. They looked at her quizzically and said "It's already done". It was Lara all over again. No offer to accommodate us. They just went back to their business. We won't go back there. Then we went to VRI. It was all closed up with No Tresspassers signs and no info about social bowls. Then we went to Chalambar Golf Club. At least there a bar staff member told us they play on Thursday - after we leave. We finished up at Aradale. Waze took us to the street behind the club. From the back we saw a bloke leaving so we quickly drove round the block and flagged him down. He said they don't have social and most of their members will be at Ararat this arvo. He welcomed us to rollup and told us where to find mats and jacks. We were so grateful to finally get some help, we jumped at the chance. To change the subject, Mal and Jean discussed yesterday how Jean bowled so well at Stawell Golf but Mal couldn't get the grass. He said "The third asked me to go round a bowl and my Aeros can't do it". Jean (who studied Physics in high school) said "Well, if you can stand your bowls up to go straight, surely the opposite would work. How about next time we roll up I put some bowls out wide for you to test it out." Mal thought about it overnight. At Aradale Jean put her bowls out for him to go around. We were impressed with the work the club had done. The green was synthetic. The sign said 16 seconds. We thought it much faster. Mal tried delivering his bowls with a slant. It worked! He showed Jean the slant and explained that as you put it down you remove the bias momentarily. As the bowl slows the bias kicks in and it turns more sharply and his bowls can go around. He was very pleased with his discovery. He kindly suggested Jean have a go at taking out his shot bowl. Instead she put the kitty in the ditch. Mal thanked Jean for her idea and said "That was a good hit-out!" We checked out the big bell. Jean (accidentally) rang it. Mal said "That woke the neighbours!". It was made in Glasgow in 1868. The plaque said the green was created in 2009 to replace the grass laid in 1970. Ararat - Thanks Aradale - not so much the other clubs.

We tried to ring Stawell Bowling Club but got no answer so drove up. Ivan the Stawell President happened to be there and told us they do play Saturday but alternate with the Stawell Golf Bowling Club. We put our names down to go to the Golf Club today. Ivan told us they also play Tuesday so we put our names down for that as well. We arrived at the Stawell Golf Bowls Club to see the funny sculptures. They were created by Frank Stewart who is no longer with us. They named the green after him. There is also a nice memorial to bowler Max. We met Terry from Match Committee who introduced us. We also met Muriel and Barb - the two oldest lady bowlers. The green is synthetic - fake grass. Running 14 seconds. Because it's a golf club, they have a tiny little club house in a shed. We played fours. Two games of ten ends on three rinks. A lot of players were away at competitions. Jean played lead with Rob, Laurie and skip Grant. (Jean, Grant, Laurie and Rob) Against Mal who skipped his team of Frank, Muriel and Ashley. (Frank, Muriel, Ashley and Mal). It was a fun game. Mal and Grant had a real skip tussle. The team said Grant is a former Australian champion and Australian representative player. Jean asked him and he said "Now I'm a has been". She didn't believe that. Jean got shot one end and kept it. Unusual in fours. Grant's team won by seven. We stopped for drinks and raffles before the second game. Second game Grant played a triple Peter, Ivan and Peter. Mal played Jenny, Rob and Terry. (Jenny and Rob) Jean was over the moon she worked out grass and weight on a Synthetic. She started with shot most ends (didn't stay that way of course) her team played really well. Took shot off the opposition when they had it. Grant bowled like the bowler we know he is. Laurie and Rob were awesome as well. Won the first seven ends. The opposition needed six to draw on the last end. Grant won by four and won the day. The team was the only two game winner. Mal played better in his second game because he didn't need to take as much grass. He nailed the weight. He enjoyed talking with Terry who was a Primary School teacher. Mal drew 11 all. After the game, Peter bought Jean a Chardonnay and said she could keep the glass to remember them by . Stawell Golf and Bowls Club - nice new friends.