END OF YEAR THOUGHTS

TWO GOLDEN EAGLES LOST

Eagle & Child Bowling Club lost two more lovely gentlemen this year who will be greatly missed. As I previously touched on around the time of his passing in early Spring, Jim Turner played the game with a smile and that's how he will be remembered. During the Summer, we also lost Arthur Parker.

Arthur was a well known face in Leyland having been an immensely popular lollipop man at the Methodist school for twenty-odd years before bowing out last year. His legendary popularity through the ages at the school would extend to the passing motorists I feel, for whilst taking high-fives from the kids and charming the parents, he regulated the flow of kids crossing and busy traffic movement quite brilliantly. I experienced this myself for four or five years when passing that way in a morning. Little did I know he would end up a bowls teammate a few years later.

A Workington lad, Arthur had lived in Lancashire for much of his adult life, though his Cumbrian twang remained. He was a steady bowler indeed, cool as a cucumber but deceptively competitive. Known at the club as Arthur "The Cap" Parker - for never seen at the green without adorning his well worn cloth cap - he was still in very fine fettle going in to his late eighties before illness cruelly struck him down. 

Arthur, and Jim, were both in the Leyland League team of Harry Glynn's that I served for four years. Prior to that, having just joined the club in 2019, one of my first experiences on the green was when Barry Wright invited me to play doubles with his best bowls pals, Arthur and Steve Loynd - "The Three Amigos". I partnered Arthur and we won, mainly down to Arthur's wily woods. I'm glad that's remained a vivid memory.  

ABSENCE MAKES AMBITION GROW STRONGER 

My fifth crown green bowling season started to show glimpses of a standard that I would like to hit with more frequency. If I can just keep some composure next year and be a bit more consistent then I think I can be much more of a nuisance to opponents. 

I think I've learned a lot this last Summer season. My technique has naturally improved and can't be too far off the finished article really. Psychological and tactical sides of the game could be far better - making the right decisions at the right time, being composed enough to allow myself time to conclude what shot to play - and then execute it. 

A stable head space is absolutely paramount in this game and as documented many times previously, my temperament remains the biggest hurdle to make bigger strides forward. But those self destructive bouts of red mist are a little fewer and far between and as I understand the game more, I realise that some days, whoever and wherever I am playing, regardless of how well I might have played previously, it just doesn't happen and there's no point torturing myself over it. It's a game. Owt can happen. All you can do is send your next two bowls as best you can and certainly can't control what your opponent does. The sheer simplicity of it, really. 

Having taken a Winter break, absence has created a clean slate for Spring 2026 and made ambition grow stronger. With high expectation comes disappointment much of the time, but since the first bowl rolled I've always felt it's that strong will from within to be that better player that's a vital part of the package to becoming one.

NO PRESSURE ON THE RUNNING FRONT

Recent revelations about high blood pressure have been addressed with readings restored to normality. Too much caffeine, too much alcohol - moreover a little too much of both - a strict regime seems to have done the trick in a matter of weeks. I'm feeling much fresher as a result.  

Runs have been shortish and tentative lately whilst waiting for a tight hamstring to fully recover strength. But there is a feeling of more in the tank and a sort of awakening really from conflicting bad habits that I kind of overlooked for too long because strong quality coffee and premium lager are of course, most enjoyable - but, as I have reminded myself, can be even more appreciated in much more moderation.  

If there is some sort of running ambition for the forthcoming year, it's little more than to stay fit as much as possible and keep enjoying it. Less junk miles from my doorstep and find time for more specific location runs on the fells. To push hard, but not too hard as to end up sidelined for a few frustrating weeks which happens all too often these days.

ADIÓS SAN MIGUEL, CIAO CAFFEINE
A slump was felt just a few weeks after galavanting with bounds of energy on the Scottish moorlands in October. After running from the doorstep straight in to an adventure playground of majestic scenes of rugged land and sea, the comparatively dull nature of my doorstep back home into urban familiarity was uninspiring, but I just didn't feel that great and heading for the local fells and moors didn't feel like a good idea either.
When I did get going again, a hamstring tweak has needed a week or two to calm down and during that period, a random blood pressure check revealed startling statistics that put the shits up me a bit. My readings placed me well in to the Stage Two Hypertension zone, and there isn't a third stage. 

I eat fresh and quite carefully, obviously I exercise more than your average Joseph or Josephine and so I had to confront myself with what I was doing wrong.
Firstly, I drink too much beer and have been doing for a number of years now. Not getting pissed or anything silly, I'm past all that, but a few cheeky ones, most nights and it becomes a habit. Perhaps I "reward" myself for a hard day at work, a hard run or just pop one open to wind down for an hour or two at night. Whatever the reason, exceeding weekly alcohol recommendations is one of the red flags for high blood pressure and my loyalty to San Miguel has been exposed beneath the deception of an otherwise seemingly perfectly healthy lifestyle. 

I knew I had to cut down, but sometimes a reality check needs a spark and a blood pressure check was it.
For now I'm assuming drinking too much is the main problem, but I also love my coffee and a heaped three-scoop press Americano style that's strong enough to stand your teaspoon up is how I like it. Limiting myself to just one of those per day now to keep the caffeine levels at bay too - so it's a rest from beer, coffee considerably reduced, along with cutting out any extra salt, reducing my cheese intake (which I'd admit has increased since going vegetarian/pescatarian earlier in the year) nipping delicious and authentic full fat Greek yoghurt in the bud and eating a small raw beetroot like you would an apple on a daily basis (sounds grim, but I love beetroot) ... and basically pulling all the stops out to hopefully avoid a trip to the medical centre and being prescribed tablets to address the matter.
A couple of weeks in to this self-cleansing regime and blood pressure checks have showed sporadic results at times, though generally a slowly lowering trend. But there is further to go and more time required to keep up the good work.
After the first few foggy days which I think was withdrawal from my mid-morning and afternoon cafetiere, I've noticed that I'm brighter and much more focused on things. According to the scales in our bathroom - which might not read accurate but are consistent at least - an astonishing five or six pounds have shed from somewhere and since getting out for a couple of tentative jogs post-hamstring strain, I can feel the benefits. I feel more energised and my running posture feels better somehow.
Maybe excesses of alcohol and caffeine have been diesel passing through a petrol engine all this time? Future running performance will tell.
I'm not saying I'm going tea-total, I like a beer or two and will certainly have a few over the coming festive period. I'm not saying I won't have a blow out and treat myself to two coffees one day either, but more and more it appears I've been slowly poisoning myself with two perfectly legal stimulants over a long period of time and will be very careful not to drop back in to the same habits.
Whether or not blood pressure will eventually settle down, at my time of life I'm sure there will be a multitude of other benefits from staying on this more straight and narrow trajectory in to the future.

WINTER BOWLING BREAK FEELS PERFECTLY NATURAL
Late Autumn I had a few good sessions on a restored community bowling green close to home at The Ley Inn and found it to be a cracking little green running well for the time of year and an amazing facility provided for free. I'll be back there to practice again before next season for sure.
Since then, I have not rolled a bowl for nearly two months, but have no real desire to do so just now. The weather has been dire or green conditions unsuitable whenever I might have had a window to nip out for a practice. We seem to be having an extremely wet Winter again and on the odd occasion rain subsides for a day or two, hard frosts have dropped. Approaching the Winter solstice, daylight is also in fairly short supply so all in all there seems little to be gained and no point even thinking about bowling again until in to the New Year.
It feels like a natural break from the game and one that this year, is a welcome one and will actually serve me better going in to next Spring and the new season.
I've certainly no lingering regrets about stepping back from Winter League duty and the team is on a great run, topping the table with a two point cushion just now so it's fair to say they haven't missed me either! The six man set up is thriving and hopefully Captain Marginson's Misfits will continue good form all the way to promotion at the first attempt.

CURIOUS ABOUT INTERNATIONAL INTEREST
These pages currently built up in this blog format have generally remained unseen until recent times. It's simply a personal diary of my own sporting recreation which I've decided to make accessible to the public domain and yet not advertise it as such. I'd prefer people to stumble upon on it.
Still very few of the many people I know are aware of it whatsoever, certainly within the circles of crown green bowling and running. Yet recently when I checked the Blogger stats column, remarkably there has been an influx of views - and worldwide too - including over thirty different countries.
I'd clocked interest from Singapore before, but now regular views from Hong Kong and Mexico are ranking second and third. I'm curious to know what these readers from the other sides (and this side) of the world think of my humble mutterings and invite them to leave a brief comment should they feel so inclined.