Fruit smoothie

Today I was at a "target sport activity day".

The voucher for it was a birthday present, and I finally got around to booking it.

There were apparently just over 200 of us there. We were divided into groups and given the chance to try our hand (and eye) at: archery; crossbows; axe and knife throwing (under instruction from a trio of woodsman types affectionately referred to by their colleagues as "those bearded lunatics"!); air rifles and pistols; and clay pigeons.

The safety briefing - "That white box behind the bar is the first aid kit" - didn't exactly inspire confidence, given there were to be axes, knives, arrows, bolts, pellets and shot flying around... But I was heartened to discover my group included no less than three doctors! (And in fairness to the organisers: the instructors for each activity were very focused on safety.)

It was a really enjoyable day, though a little cold and windy when standing around waiting your turn.

At lunchtime, there was a shooting display by Mickey Rouse, former European and World champion. He demonstrated amazing skill and speed, while including tricks such as shooting eggs thrown by members of the audience (some of whom, standing downwind, got quite a lot of egg back!).

And... he threw up and shot fruit and veg! He showed us how to reduce a tomato to juice...a cabbage to a cloud of coleslaw...and then finally...he did this to a watermelon!

The a77 can shoot up to 12fps with the motordrive, and what you see here are three consecutive frames. I was lucky to catch the exact moment when the shot hit the watermelon (unlike with the cabbage, where I got nothing between the whole veg and the coleslaw shower). I recommend the large version to see the moment of impact better.

I think it's unlikely to convert die-hard grouse and pheasant enthusiasts to veggie shoots, but it was fun to watch! :)