why wy?

Now with exams over, my social life has bloomed - like cactus after rain. But some days, a gel just has to stay home and do laundry. A quick shout to my neighbour (literally yelling from the carpark) quickly led to a couple of beers, G&Ts when the beers ran out (to be honest I only had 3 bottles in the house) and suddenly, noticing the sunset, I said a little too brightly: Let's go for a walk!

Walk walk walk.
Past the local lawn bowls club. Lawn bowls is a cross between regular bowling and golf and is usually played by old people. It is what I would term daggy cool, ie like wearing golf wear to the club.

A couple of bowlers, the sort of men you would see at a country pub, give us the once-over. Bowling clubs are known for their extremely cheap grog. We are contemplating this when suddenly, a female face pops up.

Are you gels interested in bowling?

Short answer - we walk back to get some moolah, exchange friendlies with the bartender ($2.20 pots!) and find ourselves barefoot on the green.

There's plenty of advice from the men:
"Why did you do that? You stupid woman!"
"I'm not trying to coach you but...'
"If you can't get within 3 feet of the jack, you have to start taking clothes off.''

Incredibly offensive of course, but on a warm relaxed Saturday evening and after a couple of beers, everything is funny. It's all harmless, it feels like hanging out with the uncles at the end of a wedding dinner, when everyone has had a bit in them, and they are putting their arm around you and giving you "serious advice', while their wives just roll their eyes.

Two of the bowlers are nicknamed Chopper and choppa. I'm not saying the local club is a rough place, but but Chopper has been banned from lawn bowls on three occasions. There's a lot of etiquette, he says. Uhuh. And he also punched the president of another club (when he was a member there). At the AGM.

We impress them with our preference for beer over "girl drinks', our keenness at bowling - if not ability although I actually got better after two beers - and they even forgive us for being vego. (I wasn't feeling up to the sausage sizzle.)

I'm not sure if hanging out with drunk old people is something I want to do on a weekly basis, but it definitely makes for an unusual night out.