No time to get bored at Ciudad Patricia

by Gwyneth Walton

Here at Ciudad Patricia, there is no need to stagnate in our dotage, as there are many activities to participate in.

Darts, Rummikub, Bridge, Crazy Golf, Petanca, indoor Gym and indoor and outdoor pools, offering Aqua Aerobics, Choir, to name a few and the latest string to our bow is Short Mat Bowls.

We were fortunate enough to be offered the equipment by a disbanding club, so all we needed to do was to approach the management for a suitable site and the green carpeting to play on. Any new activity is favourably received by the management as it is their aim to have contented residents joining in any activity they are capable of and, of course, making friends with other nationalities.

The Short Mat Bowls made its debut in September and ten residents play weekly for approximately one hour. We are feeling our way with this game as some residents used to play Lawn Bowls with clubs up and down the Costa Blanca. We are interpreting the rules in our own way and enjoying ourselves but there is still a lot to learn. The game is played with the same bowls as those used in Lawn Bowls and, as the name implies, on a shorter green. Our aim is to get nearest the jack and the four nearest bowls score, 4, 3, 2 and 1, each end totalling 10. At the moment we are playing in two teams, men against the women and I am glad to say the women are holding their own!

I participate in Darts, along with 15 others. We play in two teams on two dartboards, in our library/activity room, surrounded by well stocked bookshelves with books in many languages. All these can be borrowed along with jigsaws, dvd’s, and video cassettes.

My other activity is Rummikub. We usually have approximately 4 tables playing weekly for 1 hour, all participants exercising their brain power ... with a welcome drink afterwards, alcoholic or non-alcoholic and a chat to unwind.

I used to play Bridge with many Dutch residents but, unfortunately, I have had to put this on hold temporarily, as my husband’s health is deteriorating but I can assure you, I feel we have made the right decision in coming to this beautiful resort on the outskirts of Benidorm.