Whilst FR stayed at home to collect 'the keys' (yes, we have them now!!) the rest of us went off to the Santa Rita Natural Park Visitors' Centre. On our
fossil hunting expedition a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that another activity they had organised was an Archery course. Mateo had tried this when he was in England and had enjoyed it, so I booked for him to take part - and of course, Ruy and Romy wanted to have a go too.
Today was the day and it was quite a chilly one. I packed some sandwiches and some of my special hot chocolate and off we set. And we had a great time.
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| Explaining the different types of ...pointy ends.... |
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| One with a very point end! |
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| Manuel had the group of children and he was a great teacher |
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| Marking the distance to the target |
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| Ruy - the left-hander - receiving his first instructions |
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| Romy's turn |
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| Take aim |
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| Fired! |
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| Mateo the archer |
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| Not bad for a first attempt |
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| Getting the hang |
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| and looking the part |
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| Who scored the bull's eye? |
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| Yes, Ruy! |
As my feet had turned to absolute stone after four hours being supportive and appreciative - which I was, the time absolutely flew by (no pun intended) - and the session drew to an end, I had to insist that we left. I couldn't believe how much my children had enjoyed the morning. I had a go and fired three arrows, after which my fingers hurt so much I couldn't have done more. Obviously I hadn't captured the technique but all three of mine absolutely looked the part. Ruy was exceptional and Manuel, the teacher, has given me his number to see if Ruy could join the club that meets in Priego de Cordoba on Sunday mornings. It's a long way to go so we'll have to see... But one of the other tutors on the course had been the Spanish champion for two years running, so he would get some excellent support if he went. Some of the other tutors on the day used their archery skills for hunting and they demonstrated some scarily accurate and lethal weapons for this purpose.
When we got home, we had a delicious roast dinner awaiting us and we were absolutely ravenous. And, of course, the keys to our new home. That story will commence shortly.
For now, we're just addressing that target, finding the nocking point and setting the right trajectory. Archery - and its Zen qualities - is an excellent metaphor for starting out in a new home. And I do so like to think I could take the following approach to moving....
“Don't think of what you have to do, don't consider how to carry it out!" he exclaimed.
"The shot will only go smoothly when it takes the archer himself by surprise".
from 'Zen in the Art of Archery' by Eugen Herrigel
(but somehow, I'm not sure...)
Am I right in thinking that the Spanish are a bit more relaxed than the British about children getting together with sharp pointy things? It looks
ReplyDeletelike fun!
Oh yes, very relaxed and with a hint of only just contained chaos. We're adjusting nicely. Axxx
ReplyDeleteWe 'did' archery at school and I loved it, though not being very zen about things in general.
ReplyDeleteYour post brought back all that enjoyment.
And eager to hear about the house too!
Glad it brought those memories back, Helen. I don't think we were ever encouraged to be zen about things but I enjoyed the book, even if I hardly ever put it into practice. I prefer a bit of chaos, I think.
DeleteHouse stuff to follow.
Axxx
My daughter had a go at archery, enjoyed it and then progressed to target rifle shooting - be warned!
ReplyDeleteForearmed is forewarned...to continue the shooting metaphor, Annie. Thank you ! Axxx
DeleteFirst of all, I'm amazed that you went out anywhere, while the key collection process was underway. I envisaged you being determined to hold them before anyone else, and not letting go of them until they were being turned in the lock of the front door...at the very first moment you could get there.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, it looks as if you all had a great time, but I too have a fear of children with pointy things...whatever happened to those arrows with nice little rubber suckers on the end ? Lovely photos Annie.... and going with the flow, not thinking things through too much, just doing it.....has to be the right way to go. Jxxxxx
It's interesting, Janice, that just knowing we would have the keys on Saturday was enough for me. I've been living in the house now for a month, so what I want to do now is get the moving process underway and there are a few things we need to sort out first - like insurance and changing the utilities to our name. And I find those things rather boring, so leave them to FR!
DeleteI was amazed how much the children enjoyed the session - it was chilly and required a lot of concentration but they stuck it til the end. They weren't using those really pointed ones in practice, don't worry, though it would have been a nasty accident if anyone had been hit by any of the arrows used - they go so fast!
I shall be going with the flow - I'll keep you informed which way we travel!
Love,
Axxx
Gosh, that looks like fun, Annie, and I know our two would have enjoyed it at the same age. Like Ruy, my DH has a very good eye and was a school shooting champion. Nowadays he enjoys introducing the grandson to target-shooting with an air-rifle, though I'm sure he would love to have a go at archery too. As my 'sighting' eye is almost unusable at the moment, I'll have to wait until after the ops. :-)
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else, I'm following every step of your move with keen interest.
Thank you Perpetua. Ruy would love to have a go with a rifle too - but I think we'll stick with bows and arrows just now. Our new garden is plenty big enough for us to have a place for them to practice though they'll have to save up to buy the equipment. We've heard that there may be a place nearer to us to practice the sport, which would be great!
DeleteI'm sure archery isn't the first thing you'll want to focus on once you've had your op!
I shall keep you all informed of house move progress.
Axxx
I shot a few arrows in my teens ... I could almost feel my fingers itching reading this. Archery is great fun, as well as a jolly good metaphor :)
ReplyDeleteHappy news about the keys, so happy for you guys!
Itching? Gosh, I think I must have done it wrong as it made my fingers zing with pain! I like archery better as a metaphor, definitely. I once began a poem, 'My life is an arrow....but someone misplaced the bow' because I felt at a loss. A friend carefully took it and wrote next to bow - 'It's slung on your back'. I cherished that.
DeleteHoping to be in by Easter!
Axxx
A lovely blog post to read on a foggy Pennine morning in Huddersfield.The hot chocolate.the learning of a new skill and the roast dinner all sounded wonderful experiences.Hope your Easter home will provide so many new experiences for you. x Maria
ReplyDeleteMany thanks, Maria. Hot chocolate on a foggy Pennine morning sounds like a good idea too! I have no doubt our new home will provide lots of new experiences...I do hope the majority will be good ones. Axxx
DeleteMy boys would have a blast with that!
ReplyDeleteOh my, Kelleyn - just been catching up on your blog,. which for some reason, I haven't had in my blogroll! What exciting news and how much your family has grown and will grow!!
DeleteArchery is a great sport and it certainly kept my three occupied for a good three hours, which is no mean feat. Thanks for dropping by. Off to catch up a bit more now! Axxx