The good, the bad and the (not so) ugly

I actually meant to post this on Saturday, but for one reason and other I never got round to it, but it is what I was thinking at the time so I am posting it now.

Tonight (Saturday 26^th March) is my nieces’ birthday party. She will be 30 years old, but does not look it. What happened to the year’s in-between her 21^st birthday party and this one?

Anyway, I have a decision to make. Do I go along and become the drunken uncle, who has all the dance moves of a Thunderbird puppet? On the other hand, do I go along and become the drunken uncle who sits happily in the corner mumbling away to himself, and receives dagger like stares from his wife due to the fact it is her turn to drive on this occasion?

The good, the bad and the (not so) ugly could actually describe up all those attending tonight’s get together or indeed the looks I will receive from his wife due to the fact it is  her turn to drive on this occasion. Either way, it is going to be a fun night. Drink. Dancing (either Thunderbird puppet based or not) and plenty of banter.

Next weekend I am going shooting with a couple of friends. Before you get all high and mighty, we shoot clay pigeons, not real pigeons or indeed real anything, except real clay pigeons.

We get together about three or four times a year to reduce the number of clay pigeons to a reasonable amount, and every time we go there, we fail. Don’t get me wrong we hit a lot, but not as many as we really should. Its fun, it is entertaining, it is a chance for good friends to get together and laugh at each other inability to hit a small flying saucer shaped object travelling at high speed.

We know HOW to do it and we have the means TO do it, so why cant we totally wipe out all of the clay pigeons that come our way? Well, it is just a bit of fun. Isn’t it? Well, for us yes, it is. We have been going clay pigeon shooting for about 5 years or so and it wasn’t until this year we decided that we should get a bit competitive. So we have made a tacky little trophy and who ever achieves the highest score at the end of the year gets the tacky little trophy and, wait for it, AND their meal paid for.

“A meal?” I hear you say ask. “What’s all this about a meal?” Oh, it is all very civilised. Before we go out blasting away, we have a cup of tea and a bun in the very pleasant clubhouse restaurant (they also cater for golfers). After we come back from our clay culling, we sit down to a proper meal. This proper meal usually consists of freshly made beef burgers, chipped potatoes and salad followed by some vintage cola (none of your sugar free nonsense, as we need to build up our strength after a strenuous morning ‘wasting’ clay pigeons).

Anyway, these events are in the future and this is now, so I will see what I can remember and perhaps add it to this blog, so until then, I say hail and farewell.