Janathon Day 7: Confined

Janathon Day 7: Walk 5.6km, Time 1hr 10min, Weather wet.

The weather again dominated the day: rain and more rain. Luckily it eased by lunchtime, which was when I set out. So I could have no no possible complaint - if I had been sensible that is. 

If I had stuck to the pavements  walking would have been straightforward. Instead I had the idiot idea that it would be nice to walk across fields and along an uphill footpath through a wooded area. And it was nice. It was very pleasant being in the open, breathing the soft post rain air, looking round and seeing the trees merge into the mistiness of the sky. It was enjoyable but, and this is a big but, walking was painfully slow. The fallen oak leaves had mulched down into a pulp on top of waterlogged, slimy clay. As a result every time I planted my foot to push-off it slipped back. Theoretically this might be good strength training but at the time it just felt like hard work.

This is probably a good thing as my Janathon is a bit light on serious exercise. In fact the aim is more to get out and try to see my surroundings afresh. If possible notice things I had never seen before. 

Today's photo is an example. The shed is about half a mile from my home and I don't think I have ever paid it any attention at all. There is no reason to; you pass and ignore because it means nothing. It is just a brick shed, that probably has some river management function (the concrete conduit behind it is where the River Gade has been channelled). 

Before today I had never thought about the strangeness of the warning. Why do you need a warning about a confined space? Does it mean the shed is a confined space or the conduit behind is a confined space? Either way it would not be a surprise. You only have to look to be aware of the dimensions. If you can read the sign you can see how big the space is. Why do you need to be told?

I am beginning to think that warning signs up and down the country are a huge conceptual art project that is secretly transforming our landscape. In that spirit I would like to take this sign and place it right in the middle of the park. I think it would be much more fun there than hidden away unnoticed in its small riverside corner.