Growing up with bows and arrows

Growing up with bows and arrows Wed 14 Mar 07 13:07
I thought I would write a longish one as I’m getting quite old and might forget this

Just over a year ago I mentioned to a friend I was thinking of enrolling on a bow making course in the woods nearby, but the five days holiday needed was putting me off. I would rather be sipping things by a sunny pool. He persuaded me by saying something along the lines of “You’ll regret it if you don’t, when would you ever do that again” and he was right

Variety does make life pass more slowly which is something we did as kids, but didn’t realise at the time. As we grow up we become preoccupied with relationships, career, mortgage, life becomes routine and utterly forgetful. Groundhog Day without the fun. Its Wimbledon, it’s Christmas, you retire too old to do anything and then you’re dead

Who cares if everyone stares while you test all the footballs in Asda, life is too short

Making a longbow from a lump of unseasoned ash is a risky business, perhaps a third of them being made on the course snapped, but mine was OK and now takes pride of place for any visitors who want boring to death. Maybe there is something primeval for an Englishman that brings on a little tingle when shooting arrows, like the smell of a wood burning fire makes me think I’ve forgotten something. Or maybe it’s the accurate power projection thing of golf with the Zen of throwing a frisbee

Anyway if you get into archery a word of warning. Those Realtree compound bows from the USA with the fibre optic sights do look sexy, but instead of the middle C twang of a standard recurve bow, you will hear a deep bass “thud” shortly followed by muttered “oh shit” as the arrow goes about ten times further than planned, towards a busy highway and/or school

And as of last weekend I’ve moved on to rockets