Well for today's practice session at least , watched Kevin's veteren recordings yesterday which included a live recording of Foyot, fantastic to watch and comment, anyway its clear the vets can still shoot and without stress, I sneaked away for a 30min on my own shooting practice today, trying to slow everything down, result was 5 hit out of 10 with 2 carreau at 8 meters.the games easy today lol

With the outdoor season wrapping up across the UK, we’ll Scotland anyway, I’m starting to think seriously about winter pétanque training. I’d really like to build a solid routine over the closed season and focus on improving my skills, consistency, and decision‑making. It would be fantastic to hear from both Kevin and Steve about possible training ideas, whether that’s structured drills, routines that can be followed individually, or even video/Teams‑based sessions during the winter months. I’m keen to develop something meaningful that keeps me progressing even when away from competition season. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

It was absolutely worth it to play against German, French and Dutch players in Coevorden, in the north-east of the Netherlands close to the German border. Wind, rain and cold weather followed us for most of the day, but somehow that made the experience even more memorable. For the first time, I actually enjoyed having spectators watching me play. Usually, when someone watches me, I get nervous because I’m so focused on not failing. And, ironically, that pressure makes me struggle with both pointing and shooting. Yesterday felt different. I think I have finally put a full stop to that craziness. I simply played, enjoyed the game and let people watch. A small victory perhaps, but an important one for me. And 250 Euros gives some adrenaline kick to be honest 😆

In this competition you shoot 10 balls at 8 metres. You write down the balls shot and the carreaus and pass on that result here. Kevin will announce the 3 week winners. We do this for 4 weeks. The final 3 winner are the ones who make the most progress in the 4 weeks.

In Amsterdam my petanque balls were allowed in the hand luggage. In Spain, Lanzarote, I had to take them out of the hand luggage and put them in the suitcase so that they were checked in as baggage. My magnet to pick up the balls is only allowed in the hand luggage.