You can play pétanque practically on any surface, but dead leaves are not one of them. To indulge their passion, volunteers have to roll up their sleeves, grab a few tools and go to work. And this is what happened last Saturday.
About 8 to 10 people were already at work we arrived. Luckily Saint Nick gave us a break and allowed a few weak rays of the sun to shine on the court. It was still cold, but it encouraged the volunteers to do their job. And they did excellent work. Within an hour or so, the field looked as smooth as a baby’s bottom.
The field was clean but still wet, and when you play on a damp surface, you have to adjust your playing style. You have to throw your boule a little harder and avoid the little craters created by previous shots. The best way to deal with such a surface is to use “plombés” (lobbing shots) but it is not as easy as it looks.
Anticipating the cold weather, Tamara concocted some kind of Glühwein to warm up our valiant workers. After the cleaning job was completed, everybody was invited to make merry and have a little sauce. Nothing like a little mother’s milk to keep your fighting spirit up.
Despite the chilly weather, a surprisingly high number of people showed up to play. I managed to take a few pictures before we started playing and Tamara shot a few more while I was playing.
Old Man Winter is going to stick around for a few months and certainly entertain us with some more spectacular atmospheric conditions, but you will have to pardon him. What else can an old man do to have a little fun?
I still believe that a picture is worth a thousand words, and I will let the accompanying photos tell the story.
Ta ta for now…
Alain
Look in “My Photos“