Wednesday, September 07, 2011

2011 Streak Day 225/365 (Aug 13th): Slapstick

2011 Streak Day 225/365 (Aug 13th): Walk - 4 miles, Time !hr 10min, Weather - still grey

It has taken three days to get to the canal. Usually when I return from holiday it is my first run - a form of touching base. Today however was a walk. My legs felt weary and told me that although I had done OK, I could do with some rest. But total rest is impossible in  2011!
The gentle walk was fine but on holiday such a walk would not even have been mentioned in the daily stats.
Along the way I saw three young men (twentyish), dressed in suits with ties loosened off, messing about on a row boat. They were trying to get from one side of the canal to the other but lacking oars they were using a lump of wood to paddle. Progress was unsteady but they reached the other side only to be berated by one of the boat owners, whereupon they abandoned the row boat.
I can only think that young men in suits on a Saturday lunchtime meant they were refugees from a wedding.
I can remember something similar from my youth. After a wedding, three of us decided to play golf in rain so hard nobody else was out on the course. Being drunk we did not care how wet we got and also being drunk we found every inept shot funny. My own low/high point happened when a three wood slipped from my hands when driving off (as I said it was very wet and the grip was slippy) but then I could not find the club. I looked all around but it was nowhere to be seen as I went through the classic ‘searching for something lost’ routine of looking again and again in the same place and being just as surprised each time that it wasn’t there. I had all but given up when I looked up and saw the club hanging from a tree like a long catkin. It had obviously flown up and the head had hooked itself over a branch - amazing. I retrieved it and carried on with a puzzled look on my face like Stan Laurel.
Sometimes I think I still see life as a never ending silent comedy.

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