Not a Matter of Life and Death

Petanque is played in Villeneuve de Duras on a Saturday.  People, mostly men, come from around the area.  You pay €1 per game and you are given a number.  A draw takes place, and your partner for the game is selected that way.  The draw also decides who you will play against.

Saturday was my first day in Villeneuve on this trip and I'd had no time to prepare, apart from giving my boules a quick rub-down with a bit of sandpaper.

The day was one of highs and lows.  The low was that on game 4, I was fannied.  The game is played to 13 points - the first team to get to 13 wins the game.  A fanny is when one pair beats the other by 13 points to 0.  So that was the low - and a first.  I have never been fannied before.

The high, and much more significant, was that I beat my arch-rival for the first time since I've been coming here - probably 15 years or so.

The fact that she is 86 years of age has nothing to do with it.  La Mamie, as she is known, is a fearsome player.  She uses little effort but always seems to get close to the cochonet.  Anyway, on Saturday I beat her.

As I said, petanque is not a matter of life and death, it's much more important than that.

Once I've worked out how to do this bloggy stuff, I'll post a photograph.