Brush with curling leaves them slipping and sliding

13 March 1998

Brush with curling leaves them slipping and sliding

THERE I was sitting in a lay-by in Northumberland Country Park and suddenly several army helicopters came swirling overhead. Looking in my mirror I realised I was no longer alone but had been joined by numerous camouflaged vehicles – so much for finding peace and quiet to catch up on letter writing!

Camouflage was much on my mind on this trip as earlier I had walked into a toughened glass door and later that day I was dreading black eyes or even bruising and broken limbs as I had been invited to learn to curl with the Roxburgh group.

Contact leader Liz Kitely and I were picked up from her house by Margaret Allen, our instructor for the evening – she wasnt going to let us chicken out.

More than a

dozen mem

bers met us

at the ice rink,

the sound of

which reminded

me of waiting

on a London Underground

station. We first learned how to throw the stone and all about brushing. Once you gain confidence at walking on the ice its time to have a go at throwing the stone to try and get it to rest in the blue or red circle marked on the ice the other end of the rink.

Liz Kitely and Lesley Mitchell, local editor for the FWC magazine, were the most daring members in that they took the most falls, but with practise maybe Farm Womens Club could get up a team or two – weve got the sweatshirts to keep us warm!

Jean Howells