Day 61, 050509 (Archery)

First up, the day 60 Wordle (ie, task #37):



I love these; they give an odd sense of what's been happening. Fun stuff. Anyway.

Last time I updated I had a few things to write about, which I failed to do!

I've started archery (#68) lessons, for starters. Two weeks in and I'm still thoroughly enjoying it. Friday is archery day, which means I'm not going to the boozer on Fridays for a couple of weeks. Last week I had a quick play with different types of bow, all of which are terrifying. I kept on thinking "this thing is going to snap" when using the square bow, and I'm glad to be proved wrong. There's not that much to say about my adventures in toxophily so far, but:

• The range is nearly impossible to find if you've not been there before or don't have a natural curiosity as to where unmarked, barely more than a dirt track roads lead.
  
• Because these are beginners classes there are kids. Two of them. They talk constantly and don't listen to instructions (such as "don't point arrows anywhere other than down the range"). There's also a kid who has been shooting arrows for ever, as his dad is in the club; he's great but also likes to talk. His was the square bow - tiny bow, astonishing draw.
  
• There's also a couple of people in the class I'm sure I've met before. One of whom I'm almost convinced I went to school with. Now, that would be a trick, seeing as I went to school 90 miles away.
  
• Because 90% of this is about breathing and concentration, it's a very relaxing way of spending an evening after a rubbish day at werk. There's something very therapeutic about watching an arrow leave the bow, and go exactly where you wanted it. At 10 yards I was getting consistent 30s, and at 20y I'm getting consistent 20s. I think we'll be spending a week or two at 20y before going to 30, but when we get to 30 I'll probably need a bow with a bigger draw than the club bow I'm using.
  
• We're using bog standard recurve bows owned by the club, as simple as they come. Easy to hold, easy to string, easy to take apart, and battered to bits. If I take this up as a hobby I'll end up coughing for a new bow, I know I will. Already I can see the limitations in the club bows.
  
• In week one the rugby club - on whose ground we shoot - were having a linedancing night. A lot of cowgirls and redskins walked across the range at one point, along with more than one fellow wearing little more than a stetson and some chaps. Somewhat surreal, and a couple of choice remarks about bows and arrows (and Brokeback Mountain) were playfully tossed about.
  
• For fun and games someone stuck a picture of a squirrel on the targets last week. I'm still not sure how I feel about this. It reminded me that this is a survivalist skill, not an abstract activity.

For all this, I'm not going to tick this one off until I've completed the six-week course. If most of what I learn is muscle memory and how to assemble a bow then I'll be fine, but I'm already thinking about whether I want to have this as a proper hobby or not. Tending towards a yes, to be perfectly honest, which has surprised me. My original spreadsheet says this may have a commitment weighting, and without a doubt it does. The concentration and breathing alone is enough to lift weights from my branes, and I can see this being a thing that I do for quite a while.