Walk This Way *

December 27th is the date on the calendar which traditionally finds Reidski out and about for a walk. Well, Christmas Day I’m not going out as there are too many new toys to play with and Boxing Day there’s too much football on the box. So today was walk. But, first, the last couple of days …

… Don’t’ think I’ve ever seen the boy as happy and grateful as he was when he opened the wrapping paper on his main present and he had an Xbox 360, which he’s been asking for over the last month or so. He thought he wasn’t going to get it and would instead have to use all his savings on buying one himself. But me and his mum relented and got it for him. A lovely day was had by all even when boy’s grandma exclaimed about how difficult it is choosing what to eat as “you never know how it will affect your stools!” I finished the day by watching some of the rain-affected Test. I chose the wrong time to walk home however, as England lost five wickets in the two hours or so after I left – bollocks!

Yesterday was watch Reading take a great point from Chelsea and more evidence to convince me that, with Chelsea now looking far from invincible and ManU getting a bonus addition of Henrik Larsson from next week for around 10 league games, then the west Londoners are not the champions this season.

Then it was joining the boy and his mum to some very old friends of ours. Champagne was sipped (okay, guzzled in my case) and turkey and mushroom pie was consumed before we sat down to some games. And I have to claim star turn at the charades. But why didn’t they get the six-word film that I acted out? Well, for the second word I was very discreet, for the third word I was charm personified and for the sixth I acted as bourgeois as they come. After many minutes, however, I knew that they just were not going to guess the answer, particularly as the ex and her friend were doubled up in hysterics with tears rolling down their faces, while the children were simply sitting open-mouthed at the sight of this bloke trying to act out The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.

Today, as I said with it being 27th and all that, was go-out-for-a-walk day. Walk to Greenwich via Deptford Market as I needed a cheap pair of gloves. Jumped on the DLR for what has always been an eye-opening journey to Bank. From Bank, it was walk past St Paul’s Cathedral, and head for the river and walk along the north embankment. Well, it was walk along the narrow path beside the Thames until coming across some fucking tosser feeding the bloody birds – by birds, I mean hundreds of horrible seagulls – and Reidski’s phobia comes into full force. So, it was retrace my steps and take alternative route, but at least it was one that took me past here. Well, not quite past, rather, in. Then it was walk along Embankment toward the West End until crossing the river at the new and improved Hungerford Bridge as my plan was to visit the Royal Festival Hall and see what was going on there. The answer was quite clear – building works. “Oh yes,” Reidski thinks, “that’s why it’s been covered in tarpaulin and scaffold for months!” Always bright and intelligent, me!

But walk on I did and, while tempted, didn’t go in here, here or here. Instead, it was straight home.

The soundtrack to all this walking around was Camera Obscura’s Let’s Get Out Of The Country, Arctic Monkeys truly brilliant debut, Belle and Sebastian’s gorgeous The Life Pursuit and Mogwai’s Happy Songs for Happy People. And the reading material on trains and in pubs was Peter Carey’s The True History of the Kelly Gang, which promises to be a right cracker when I get into it.

Tonight, it’s been fun listening about the defeat for the forces of darkness at Inverness and a Cobblers’ fan phoning Radio Five about the starlings’ story as related by JJ, which Ray Stubbs refused to believe until another Cobbler said it was the highlight of the game at the Sixfields yesterday.
And on to tomorrow when JJ and I go along to see The History Boys at the Wyndhams. It’s hard to believe but we met a year ago and have shared many cultural activities such as cinema and gigs and stuff but this will be the first time we have been to the theatre together. I’m sure we’ll enjoy. I know we’ll enjoy. And then we’ll watch Dracula on the box tomorrow night – but she’ll have to cuddle up to me cos I’ll be really frightened.

* Run DMC and Aerosmith