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We drove the 20km out of Cowra for a rollup at Woodstock. The Cowra people warned us it was really slow. We weren't prepared. Club was closed but we peeked in the window. Looks inviting. The green was pretty dodgy. Weedy patches everywhere and the grass pretty long (for a bowling green). First bowl sent down was way short. We threw barely legal kitties and still struggled. Jean's Almark Edge Plus have more turn so she was able to get them in - taking half the usual grass. Mal's Aeros had no chance. He scored three shots while Jean scored two fours, a three, two twos and a one. After end four Mal said "This is doing my head in. Up and back!" At 16 to one Jean felt it was a rare but uninspiring win. Soooo slow at Woodstock!

We drove just under an hour from Boorowa to Cowra for a Sunday morning game. Left at 7:15 to park the van and get there by 9. We saw some people go through a gate so we followed them. Went into the club and there was not a soul to be found so we sat down outside and waited. Mal remarked "There's nowhere to put our names down". The cleaner heard him and said "In the office!". We followed him to a room where all the bowlers were and introduced ourselves. There were three games, one triples and two pairs. Mal played skip with Bob against Sandra and Steve. (Mal and Steve. Sandra and Bob were off at the pokies.) Jean was lead for Dennis against Wendy and Lisa. (Mal couldn't work the camera. Dennis and Jean top, Jean and Wendy below. Lisa left early) The sunday game is free. That's a nice change. It was a really fast green. Jean bowled pretty well but Wendy was on fire! So many times Dennis and Jean had three or four then Lisa came in with an arsey bowl and took shot. Coming into last end it was 11 all. Jean had two shots then Lisa drew 3 narrow shots inside Jean's. Jean pouted then remembered she had fun. Mal said Bob and Sandra played really well. Steve had a bit of bad luck with his bowling arm and didn't get his line and length. Mal and Bob jumped ahead but then the opposition made a comeback. They got a 1 then a 3 then a 2. Mal said to Bob "We need to step up a gear!" They did and they won 22-10. Last end Mal put the kitty in the ditch. The Cowra group told us we should check out Woodstock - 40 minutes away.. We have an extra day up our sleeves so will do that. The green is very slow apparently - will take some adjustment. A win for Mal and a loss at for Jean at Cowra.

We were determined to come back to Boorowa to check out the green we missed on our last trip - at the ex-services club. It took longer than we thought to get there because Waze sent us towards Goulburn. We had to turn around. Then we followed a sign to Boorowa and ended up on a dodgy gravel road. Caravan got very dirty. We didn't get a game so had a game of singles on the 'John Crowe Green'. What a close game! There was a max of 3 in it all game and we kept swapping the lead. We're both bowling really well. We had really tight heads. Jean took the opportunity to try a few 'skip shots' and took out Mal's shots several times. On the last end it was 24-20. Mal had 3 shots. Jean took the kitty and killed the end. Mal decided that the rule was the kitty goes on the T. He got 2 to win 26-20. We thrilled ourselves at Boorowa Ex-Services club.

We drove half an hour from Crookwell to Taralga for another twilight game on a Friday. Mal rang the club to put our names down but they said "Just turn up." The drive out was good. They'd repaired a lot of the potholes but there were a few spots where half the road was missing. We were worried about coming back in the dark. We were unimpressed that when we got there there were boys in Christmas shirts kicking footys on the green. Apparently they were there for a Christmas party. They turned out to be nice young blokes and became our cheer squad. The folks at Crookwell told us we'd have a good time at Taralga. We got there at 5 and waited for the bowlers to arrive. We chatted with Bill, a former bowler who gave us all the stories. It seems all the bowlers had been to a punter's club do and weren't up to a game. Bill recommended we have a rollup. We did. The green was patchy and super-slow Jean didn't have the muscle for long ends. Still, we put down some good bowls and were soon noticed by the party boys who let out a huge cheer for every good one. It started out annoying but got to be fun. Mal was called "Dad" and Jean "Mum". In the end "Dad" won by one shot (of course!). One of the boys came over and congratulated us on our great bowling. We didn't reaĺly like the music they played. A bit loud for us oldies. We had a talk with Ken Croker (who was also impressed) about our trip. He seemed to like our idea. Taralga - what a hoot!

So two days after Jean's Dad's funeral we took off to Crookwell. We skipped lots of places we'd planned to visit because we'd spent so much time at Shellharbour. When we got there we met the lovely Cheryl, who was looking after twilights for her hubby. We sat and chatted with her and Janet, who explained to Jean the job of a rouseabout. (Cheryl) The bowling club was next door to the Services Club which bought it out. So there is still the old bowling club building at the back of the green. Apparently they have a grant to refurbish it. (Bowlers in front of the old bowling club) We read on the website they had twilight bowls. We found out from the bar staff it was a prearranged triples competition. They staff told us if we turned up at 5:30 and a player didn't turn up we might get a game. Mal clearly smiled sweetly at the right lady and he got a game. Jean watched and chatted with other players. There were 5 games. Crookwell has one green out so they play half on Thursday and the other on Friday. Cheryl told us Twilight used to be only men. Tonight there were 9 women (30%) so that's progress. (Mal, Marion, Rooster and Buckets) It was Marion, Mal and Sam (skip - Marion's son) against Buckets (Darren), Rooster (Chris) and Ellis (skip). Buckets kept talking about what a bad bowler he is then kept on putting down pearlers. Apparently they don't put up the score for twilights so it was a bit hard to follow. Sam's team (Marion) rolled the jack lots. Jean figured they were winning until Ellis' team scored a four. Jean asked how many ends they play. Marion said "Until 7:30 when they ring the bell". That's fun! (Rooster, Mal, Ellis and Buckets. Marion and Sam left early) Ellis told Jean he's been bowling a while but he's still learning. Sam was giving him lots of tips on how to bowl which was really nice to see. Sam's team wasn't so impressed when he put down a good bowl though. It was a low-scoring game. 8 all on what they thought was the last end. Mal did a super-narrow bowl that went out, then put down a beauty that took shot. He sent his third to the back but it didn't matter. Second shot was the one that won the game. 9-8. Cheryl rang the bell at 7:30 and they all finished the end they were on. Mal said to Sam "I should have told you I'm an aggressive player". Sam replied "So am I, if I lose I hit people!". Cheryl told Jean that one girl who is a bowler has a serious cancer-related illness. The whole community got behind her and raised money to send her on the trip of a lifetime that lifted her spirits. That's very sad but is the beautiful side of country towns that we love. Crookwell - you can feel the community spirit.

Jean spent the day with her sisters to arrange her Dad's funeral. Mal chose Corrimal Bowling Club for a game of triples. 22 minutes from Shellharbour. He said the blokes at Corrimal were a great bunch. The green was really good. It was fast and bowls rolled on very well. Apparently Corrimal Bowling Club is owned by Warilla Bowling Club and Warilla's greenkeepers manage the green. They also have a two-rink mini green like Shoalhaven Heads. They played a handicap game of triples. Mal skipped with lead Terry and Greg, against lead Troy, Geoff (who knows Ian Whybrow) and skip Greg Burke. Because Mal had played in the Twos they were given a handicap of 18 against a team with 21 handicap - so they had three start. Mal said "The game started and we got the jump on them then all of a sudden they just caught up." The rest of the game, it seems was neck and neck "Only one or two points in it all the way through. They were very tight heads." According to Mal "Then we dropped a six. We pegged it back and almost caught up. On one end their skip Greg put down a shot - I thought he dragged it back for four and we were so dejected. We couldn't see the bowls properly for the sunlight. Then my Second called it and we had one!" Mal says that was the turning point of the game. His team got back their confidence and came back to win 22 to 18. (Geoff, Greg [skip], Terry and Greg. Troy had to leave early) Mal really enjoyed himself. He said there was a bloke there "He was just like Dave Croker - same size and he laughed a lot". Corrimal, a really good bunch of blokes.

Jean's Dad passed away at home yesterday, 6th December so we're a bit sad. We thought we'd play bowls at Oak Flats Bowling Club today to keep us occupied. Before the game we had a lovely chat with Vicki, Val, Brian, George (who organised the game) and Ellen. (Mal, Brian behind, Val, Vicki, George and Ellen on the right) The green was very quick. We had to take grass but there was zero wind. A nice change. It was very quiet. Eerily so at times. The club had lots of interesting things we hadn't seen before.: An emergency shower Beautiful green dedications And unusual rink and Jack markers. There were four games. Three of pairs and Mal played triples. Jean played lead with Val against Ellen and skip ( and husband) Richard. First six ends Jean had a toucher on the kitty but Richard had lots of tricks up his sleeve to take shot. End 8 the wind came up and changed everything. Jean said later I haven't had so many touchers in, like forever!" (Jean gets two touchers) But Richard just kept taking shot. After the game Jean said "Richard, even though you made me cry it was a pleasure playing with you." (Jean, Val, Ellen and Richard) Mal played second in triples with Harry and skip Paul against Faye, Vicky and skip George. Mal started out with a blinder. At one point his opposition skip was heard to yell "Get in that caravan and go!" After the game George said "Halfway through the girls came into their own. They came up and won. (Faye, Paul, Harry George and Vicki) After the game Jean got to share lots of stories about her Dad which everyone listened to intently. That made her feel much better. Oak Flats - thanks for your kind support.

Jean went with Megan (sister 5) to pick up Susan (sister4) from Shellharbour to Waterfall so Mal drove down to Bomaderry. It was a nice green - pretty fast. Mal's played at Bomaderry many times when we've stayed at Jean's parents so he's pretty friendly with a lot of the guys there. They remembered him when he phoned. Today though was the first time for this trip. There were 5 games played - 4 pairs and Mal played skip in a triples game. He played with lead Gary and young Charlie against Paul, John (Judy Garland) and skip Steve. It started out an ordinary game Mal said "We had them 16-3 at one point". Mal was really impressed with his lead Gary "He was always in the head - that's what you need in triples and my second Charlie had a great line. I had a good team and it showed in our results." At around end 16 they started to pick up and it got more compelling. "Steve the skip played some really good bowls!" (Gary, Mal, Steve, Paul, Judy and Charlie) On the second last end Mal's team scored a 5 then Steve got 2 on the last end and it was all over - 22 to 13 to Mal. Jean's old friend Lana, who lives in Bomaderry came to the club for a catch up. We all sat around and shared our experiences of bushfires and lots of other interesting things. (Lana and the boys) Bomaderry - one of Mal's favourites.

Jean's Dad came home from hospital today so Mal went to Shoalhaven Heads by himself for a game of triples. Mal was impressed with the greens. "They have one little green with just two rinks on it". One was out and the other was excellent. A bit slow with the rain but it picked up as it dried out. Jean tried to get there but she missed the train and didn't make it. Mal did his best to take photos and gave Jean a rundown of what happened. It was raining when Mal got there. They were supposed to start at 12:30. They gave it until 1pm when the rain stopped and the sun came out. Mal is not great with names. He played second (he thinks) with Len and skip Mark. They played against John (Mal thinks it was Ian) and their skip Cyril. It was a good game. Mal said "We laughed and we got on well." (Ian, Len, Cyril, Mark and Mal - Mal missed John out) He said "Their skip Cyril was too good for us. He played really well - like a champion." Mal said that when Cyril had to have a skip shot - take bowls off the jack, he did it. "Like, we had two shots on the kitty, he peeled them off in one shot and they got four out of it." Mal said they were just unlucky. "Cyril had a blinder - nobody could have stopped him." Mal's team lost badly 7 to 28. When they got back into the club, apparently they were like one big happy family. They were so pleased to have Mal visit that they gave Mal a beer glass holder and a pen. Mal was chuffed. Mal had a great day. Shoalhaven Heads made him feel like he belonged.

Jean's Dad is sick in hospital so we decided to stay on the coast a few more days. Drove over to Club Windang for a game of mixed triples. Got a fast email response from David early in the morning to get our names down. He met us at the club and introduced us to President Greg. He offered to take a photo of us with the club mascot. (The big prawn Club Windang mascot) We arrived at the club at 9 and organisation was well under way for a 9:30 start. It was a good rollup. There were12 games of triples and one pairs. It was about 40:60 women which was a nice change. (All the bowlers after the game) Jean played second with Lead Carol and Mal as skip. We were against Phil, Peter and skip Ivan. Carol is a new bowler. 2 years including a year out for Covid. She was on today. Every end she had at least one in the count. Very impressive. This led us to be 8-nil up after 5 ends. Then they scored a single to put them on the board. That's all they needed. We didn't score again for 3 ends. Then they got a 6 which put us behind. Last end we needed 4 to win. Went down by 7 in the end. (Peter, Ivan, Jean, Carol and Mal. Phil had to leave early) Everyone was so friendly. Those we met asked us about our trip and wished us well on our travels. They all praised the club for its friendliness. Club Windang, a friendly club.

We came back from Goulburn to the coast - Shellharbour - for Jean's Mum's 90th and decided to take the 20 minute drive to Gerringong for a Saturday game. There were three games of pairs in all. Mal and Jean played against Irish couple Dennis and the lovely Attracta. It was a good game with poor conditions one side was super wide the other super narrow. Jean had to bowl her Edge Plus out to the next rink number. Dennis and Mal talked so much the forgot to mark touchers. Mal and Jean were ahead all game until it was 9-9. We got up again by 3 then with 3 ends to go they picked up a four to put us behind. We needed 3 to win. Mal did a great shot to kill the end. Jack went on the T. His toucher in the ditch was too far away and they scored 1. We lost 13-16. We had a lovely chat after the game about our trip and the fun Dennis and Attracta have when they bowl together. Though they boys talked lots about Pennants (well Mal did). Thanks for the company Gerringong.

Mal played with the boys for Wednesday triples at Goulburn Railway Bowling Club. Mal drove down for a 1pm start. Jean took a 45 minute walk from the caravan park and arrived just after 2:30. The game was Mal as second with Bill and skip Stuart against Brenton, Norm and skip Ray. It was a bugger of a day. The wind had been blowing a gale (all over the south of NSW) for 24 hours. Every end had what Jean calls a 'bowl-repelling jack'. Despite this, Mal said "It's running perfect. You've just got to remember to take your grass!". When Stuart asked, Mal did his best to deliver. He said "The biggest difference is their skip. Every time I get a shot on kitty, he takes it off". It was more admiration than complaint. (Skip Ray has a go) (Yep, Ray takes shot again) The guys were pretty friendly. They introduced themselves to Jean politely when she arrived. (Skip s Ray and Stuart, happy Norm in front, Brenton, Mal and Bill) The score stayed pretty level the whole game. The teams were well matched. (Skip Stuart directs Mal's shot) Stuart's team scored a four with four ends to go. To put them up 20-16. Then Rays team got a 3 which made it 20-19 with up and back to go. Going into the last end it was 20 all. Mal took shot then Ray took it off him. Last bowl Stuart knocked out Ray's bowl for two. A thrilling win. We had a great chat with the boys after the game. Stuart said Ray is the most improved player in the club. We learned about how Norm, with his smiling face is a favourite with the ladies in the club. Ray and his mate Phil entertained us with stories from their days as NSW coppers. Nice memories especially for Jean as she remembered her Dad's days as a copper so long ago. Great competition and good company Goulburn Railway Bowling Club!