I’ve played in a couple of tournaments recently. In the Panmure Open Doubles, my partner Thierry and I did somewhat better than expected (top photo); but in the NZ Open Triples, my team did somewhat worse. Despite our very stylish neckerchiefs.

Here’s Maisie, who along with her hooman is a fixture at these things.

This week is just a little club tourney on Sunday, no events the following week, then it’s the Auckland Regional Triples. At the end of the month I’ll play in the National Triples down in Christchurch, which we’re making into an extended weekend. And then I don’t remember what comes next!

Like with any other competitive sport thing I’ve done, entering these tournaments for me is less — much less — about winning than it is about seeing people and places, having fun, etc. I do have my game face on at the time, but not like some people. And since winning at pétanque is mostly mental, that kind of attitude probably doesn’t make me a winner.

With local pétanque, or even professional pétanque, it’s pretty easy to put the sport into perspective: the stakes are low. But when I see big time pro athletes being all gracious and normal in the post-match press conferences, I do think about how they must be really really great actors to not say “I’ve spent the last three weeks – literally and only – thinking about ripping his throat out and drinking his blood while all of you peasants line up to suck me off on global TV. How do you think I feel right now?”