After a busy, if not responsible, morning at the Regatta, the sub editor accepted an invitation to play in the nocturne de petanque at Varen. Teaming up with Andy Clench, the no 1 son of David and Joyce, I was not surprised to find only about 20 competitors as these events seem to have lost popularity in the last few years. In the hey days of the Verfeil nocturnes when I was assistant secretary, we would have 50-60 players taking part under the floodlights. Sadly Vefeil petanque club is defunct and Varen may be going the same way.
That said, we had a very convivial evening. Andy is very integrated into the village life and all the players know him, whereas I have only played there rarely (and not at all this year) and was only recognised by the old regulars. I was especially gratified that the maire of Varen said how impressed he was with the regatta participation and especially how much he had enjoyed the Picnic in the Park at Mas del Sol - "je me suis régalé", he said.
What about the petanque, you ask. Frankly, we (meaning me) were rubbish, losing all 3 parties fairly comprehensively. So, should I have stayed at home? Andy may think so, but I enjoyed the evening, even the ribbing that les anglais traditionally endure. If readers like to play petanque I urge you to try an evening at a nocturne, it can be fun and you could end up with French friends and a few euros in winnings.
Malc sub editor
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