Dartz

Regular readers of this blog know that I enjoy a game of darts around the house, primarily because it is the one barroom sport one can play without a competitor. The game's origins are murky, dating back to the Middle Ages, but the modern version was was invented by a carpenter from Lancashire named Brian Gamlin in 1896. To be played properly, one must hit the numbered pie slices on the target in combinations to count down from 301 to zero, but that method is beyond this writer who cannot do math in his head. A much more simple game is called "cricket" which (when played by this American at least) requires the player to hit the 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, and 15 in sequence and exiting the game with a bullseye. This is the game we have played at Ronald and Jane's estate for the past two days. We had some construction to perform prior to play, however.

Part of the pleasures of hanging around here and doing not much of anything is the daily wild bird feedings that Ronald performs. He buys bird seet at the market and distributes it every afternoon

on the driveway leading to his large outdoor shed.The birds come down from the trees to peck away at the seeds, making a noise like soft popcorn popping while they feed. They are truly beautiful, with the Crimson Rosellas and Rainbow Lorakeets being my own personal favorites. There are other varieties: magpies, crested pigeons, and ducks. They all gather together, but then they segregate themselves into groups, much like kids at a junior high school cafeteria, and who knows who are the "cool" ones here. Watching them from the open door of the shed is really fun, and one afternoon a magpie simply stood in front of me and complained in the most varied vocal fashion for about five minutes. What an incredible range of songs and noises they make! Unlike American magpies, who simply squawk, these fellows have a combination of whistle and hum that is truly remarkable.

Hardly content with just bird watching, Ronald and I set out yesterday to build a dart board backing mount out of some spare wood that was lying about the shed. The wood came from an old deck that was dismantled and the boards were as hard as a rock. We laid out three vertical boards and

then attached a series of horizonal boards to them, having to drill pilot holes prior to setting in some screws with the driver. Due to the stupidity of the builders, the drill seemed to be working overtime trying to get a hole through the wood, but towards the very end we figured out the proper speed adjustment for the drill and got a pretty good laugh at our previous efforts. The resulting mount was as heavy as a refrigerator and we had to think for a while how we were going to mount it on to the metal walls of the shed. Ronald came up with the idea of placing two boards on the exterior of the shed and then putting bolts through the wood to hold it in place. The results are impressive, as the photo shows, with the dart board mounted strong enough to withstand a hurricane. We have had several games of cricket since, and it promises to be a pleasant reminder of our stay once we leave this delightful place next month.