Golf

Greetings. Earlier this year, E started to learn to play golf as one of her PE lessons (never an option in my day!) and was instantly smitten. I knew she was smitten because she actually looked forward to PE lesson days! The only other time that happened was when they went to the local leisure centre and took part in a spinning class - she loved it and I think I might just have to add it to my 50 list, just so that she can come with me. Unfortunately, they were only allowed to do golf for one term before it was back to the dreaded dance and she missed it terribly. So, this week my 'new thing' was to go to the local driving range with her and learn to hit a golf ball!

The only problem was that they don't have any clubs for hire there but a nice man directed us to the local sports' shop where they had a sale and we are now the proud owners of 2 number 7 irons (look at me trying to sound knowledgeable!). They were ridiculously cheap otherwise I wouldn't have made such a mad impulse buy for something I'd never tried before and might hate. Back to the driving range and £2 in a
machine gets you 35 golf balls in a little basket - I was thoroughly overexcited just watching it spit them out!
Fortunately, there weren't many others present to witness my attempts to hit the ball into the net. E was brilliant and even had her swing admired by one of the men there - me, not so much; I seemed to hit the tee more than the ball and my swing lacked confidence and fluidity. However, it was FUN! Given that it is near, cheap and that we now have the necessary equipment, I can see us nipping here quite a bit this Summer. There was also a little putting green and, again, I got giddy with excitement when my ball went into the hole.
I do think I need to work on my swing a bit more - 2 days later, I was wondering why my left knee seemed to be playing up and I can only assume that it was down to the golf!

Other happies this week include:

Starting to piece together my first quilt:

A visit to the Wolf Conservation Trust in Beenham for 'Wolfy Wednesday'. The photos below were all taken by E who's much better at photographing wildlife than I am.

Mosi, a female timber wolf:

A red kite, hoping for a buffet when it came to feeding time:

We were a little concerned when we saw the goats that they were destined to be lunch! They are actually used to provide enrichment for the wolves by making scent trails through their enclosures when the wolves are out on a walk.

Anniversary lilies:

An outdoor performance of Tosca, performed by the 'Opera Brava' company. Only £5 a ticket and they were fantastic. 

Part of our picnic beforehand:

There was a bit of rain in the second act, and the crocheted blankets came into their own, but it didn't dampen anyone's spirits!

Finally, poppies in the front garden:

It's all a bit of a riot out there at the moment - the red poppies, Californian poppies and lavender all jostling for position - I love it!

I'm planning a quiet day at home today - I might do a bit more quilt piecing and maybe a bit of garden taming in the lovely sunshine we've been promised. 

Hoping you have a lovely week. Toodle Pip for now. x