Sometimes I wonder how my OH gets anything done at work as he often chats with me during the day via text (which I love!) and remember him sending a link during a conversation just over a year ago. It was to an article he thought may be of interest to me and it appears he knows me better than I know myself, because that text prompted me to try something new and it is now my new passion, clay pigeon shooting.
When we met back in Tokyo I was a real city girl, I loved the bright lights and when I wasn’t working I spent time wandering around the concrete jungle or in bars overlooking the sprawling metropolis, like a scene from Bladerunner, I never ever saw myself standing in a field dressed in tweed and shooting clays in the great British weather! However, here I am a member of The Shotgun & Chelsea Bun Club (S&CBC) after reading that article about a lady who founded the club to create a less intimidating environment for females to try what is a predominantly male orientated sport.
After receiving a warm welcome by post last October I felt like I had found the shooting equivalent of the ladies networking group I belonged to in Tokyo and couldn’t wait to attend an event. I like a challenge but I don’t like feeling unprepared, so I found a local shooting school and had a private lesson a couple of days before my first Bun Club event. Hitting my first clay was exhilarating and satisfying, I was hooked.
As I walked into the room for my first Bun Club event I felt like a new girl at school with other ladies chatting in small groups but was greeted warmly by the host and had a great group to shoot with. The instructor was lovely and I hit a few clays, so it was back to the clubhouse to mingle over tea and cake, what more can one ask for.
Shooting also gets me out of the house and allows me to enjoy the beautiful countryside we have here in the UK, especially when the sun comes out to play.
It is through the S&CBC I met a local lady that has become my shooting buddy and a friend. I look forward to our joint lessons, even when it’s cold and wet outside as we have a giggle and more importantly when I am in the stand holding the gun I have to focus on the present and switch off the usual thoughts that busy my mind. It may seem odd to compare shooting to when I do Ikebana (Japanese floral art) but it is almost zen like when I mount the gun, call “pull” and lock on to the clay as I prepare to pull the trigger and hit the clay.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting Victoria, the founder of the S&CBC, in person and I even came home with a rosette for doing well in my category, which was a lovely way to end the 2018 Bun Club season.
Categories: Country Life, Lifestyle, Outdoor Life, shooting
Tanoshimi 