Boules in the Park

Today, I went for a walk along the Aude river, which is just half a block over from my "house".  It was lovely weather, about 72 degrees and sunny.  I saw a group of folks playing "boules", the French version of bocce ball.  It was interesting for two reasons: 1) there were women playing, as well as men (which is very unusual in Italy, but apparently France is moving into the 21st Century) and 2) they were using a magnet on a string to retrieve the balls off the ground, so nobody had to bend over!  Something to keep in mind in my 90s.