While in Cormatin, the weather was rubbish. Without sun to lie in, or the motivation to get out and about more, we needed something to do. When the one movie we had was finished, I had run out of writing steam, we had eaten all we could and had more than enough hot chocolate and coffee, Courts started playing games on the phone and I played solitaire on the computer.
There’s only so long you can play solitaire for though, and so on our way home from CERN we sat in McDonalds for a couple of hours using the Wifi, checking in with people at home and… downloading new games. This time though, we downloaded games we could play with each other and so it is that on the rainy days and nights since, I’ve taught Courts how to play Checkers and he’s taught me how to play Backgammon.
Thanks to a lucky streak in terms of power supply, we have been able to play pretty much anytime we want. We don’t have to worry about strapping a board on the bike, losing pieces or knocking them over. We can play lying down, sitting up, on opposite sides of the tent or in the park. The pieces won’t slide away when we pass the phone to each other.
I used to play Checkers with my grandparents when I was little and staying at their house, and I haven’t really played it since. I’ve discovered that either my grandparents let me win a lot, or I was significantly better at Checkers when I was little. In fact, I’ve discovered I suck at both games and I regularly spend the night curled up in the losers corner. Despite this, I’m still addicted to the games, as is Courts.
Thanks to a few rainy days, we are now planning on getting a really nice wooden Backgammon board when we get home, maybe Checkers too. Maybe they will sit and gather dust once internet and TV are back in our lives but you never know, maybe they’ll catch on and we’ll convince our friends to play too.
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