Dusk and the sky moves through hues of blue from light on the horizon to dark at its peak. To the west the moon, a sliver of a crescent to the bottom right and yet the rest is still visible like the grey bottom of an old school party popper has been placed over it. A bat flies over my head and I turn and watch as its silhouette carries on straight then lifts towards the street lamp where some poor bug will no doubt have met a quick demise for its supper.
Half way round my walk, the cathedral lit up outside as usual is in total darkness inside but the sound of the organ smashes out into the night air, perhaps the Phantom of the Opera has found himself a new domain?
On the doorstep out the back of a restaurant a worker sits staring up at the top of the road maybe looking for someone but also possibly from shellshock from a busy night hoping it'll end soon. I often feel the same at the end of a working day.
A small red car takes evasive action going down a narrow road too fast, clearly not aware that the raised curb of the pavement juts out a considerable distance at one point. An American man and woman are sharing a joke probably unaware they're broadcasting very loudly through the open window of their house. Not like Americans to be loud and annoying.
The large pub so often empty as I pass is unsurprisingly… still largely empty. However for the first time I can remember they're playing music or maybe it's because after a nice sunny day the windows are open. And I miss you, like the deserts miss the rain, the words come floating across the road to my ears like a greeting from an old friend. Maybe it's a subliminal message to customers to return and get the tills ringing again.
In the local Tesco one of the workers with long straggly blue hair tries to look busy and fails. His look is one a Jim Henson Muppet that was thrown into a cupboard in the 1980s and has been resurrected from its forgotten state now looking moth eaten. I'm sure his mother loves him.
A BMW floors it from a standing start at the traffic lights, the Tesla to its right moves calmly away and turns to drive up the hill. That's the petrol V electric debate easily sorted then.
The moon has now vanished from view, the stars take centre stage giving rise to contemplation of how insignificant we really are if you allow your mind to wander to such things. Mine doesn't in fairness, it's fixed on the solitary low toned hum of an electricity box which powers the neighbourhood. Just feet away a drainage system carries flowing water down and out to the river at the bottom of the hill. It feels like a potentially dangerous mix. What you can't see in the dark now is the Chestnut tree that has sprouted out amongst the bushes and could potentially cause chaos to the small power substation with its roots if allowed to grow to its full potential.
***
Two cars roll past like mobile discos. The first rhythm is trying to be upbeat with the tempo but the tune feels weirdly melancholic as if having a battle for the listeners soul with the bassline and the drum patterns not marrying at all to one another. Not for me Clive. The second is more Latin inspired with a salsa type groove but still leaves you feeling at a certain age that music was better in your day.
A man on a bike rings his bell to forewarn of his presence, fully safety conscious he's wearing a skid lid and has lights on. Another cyclist rides towards me with no lights, his reflective yellow jacket blowing behind him and he's got a mini stereo that sounds like it was playing what could only be described as modern soft rock or to label it another way whatever he was listening to it sounded quite frankly dog dirt.
A woman stands at the pedestrian crossing with a dog on a lead waiting for the lights to turn green. She's wearing a huge coat that it's far too warm to be wearing even at this time of the night. On her feet sliders, on her legs white trousers with black animal print. Come on Sherlock put it all together, what's your conclusion? That she's wearing pyjamas, forgot to walk the dog and has thrown a large coat on to try disguise that fact and taken the dog out. I think even Watson could have pieced that one together. No shit Sherlock.
A man in his early 30s carries what I originally thought was a briefcase but in the dark it could equally be a laptop case. His walk is laboured and that of a man that wishes he was home way sooner.
Bin day tomorrow or so it appears as not everyone has their bins out for collection. A voice appears from nowhere saying sit once and then a second time. It throws me as I've no idea where it's coming from. Finally I see the top of a man's head from behind a large Volvo 4x4 the opposite side of the road further up. I'll assume he's got a dog on a leash and not an errant child who wouldn't go to bed and that he's trying to train with the time now five minutes to ten.
A police car swings into the station car park. Can their modern cars fit any more lights onto the front? Feels a little like overkill to have two main headlights and then rows of smaller lights under each one like they've been designed by a small child or maybe a boy racer.
Gravestones are now fully visible in the cemetery or at least they would be if it wasn't mostly in the shadow of darkness. The council has clearly been hard at work today. I was always told it was unlucky to walk across a grave so someone's going to have some misfortune bestowed upon them having hacked through all the long grass accumulated over the winter months. Fortunately whatever noise they made doing it earlier it doesn't appear to have woken the dead.
There seems an inordinate amount of traffic around the town given the time of night. Cars whizz around in all directions. There's a fair few people out on foot as well. The nice weather brings people out from their hiding places once more like flies around shit. This being England it also sees men shedding layers of clothing for every degree the temperature rises as a bald headed, pot bellied man walks down the hill in a t-shirt and shorts before getting into a car. He'd have been better off carrying on walking wherever he is going.
An alarm with an irritating two pitch whine goes off. I can't see the source but it shows no signs of abating as the noise thankfully starts to fade for my ears at least which suggests it's on a building. Car alarms I find go in bursts rather than continuously like this one is now doing.
A man in his 20s in a lurid tie dye t shirt crosses the road and steps out right in front of me. His pace is too slow which annoys me equally as much as the afront on my eye sight with his poor fashion sense. I have to step out onto the road, around a row of cars and finally back on the path to make my point. I only call him a dick head in my head and not aloud which is progress for me. His hair is unkempt and he has the feel and appearance of a stoner from the 1990s.
A lad stops and stares intently at his phone as he types something into it. If he doesn't wear glasses already then he should and if he does usually he should try remembering them when he's out and about.
Two grey haired old ladies walk down the hill in silence. A minute later two women in their 30s follow them down but with plenty to say to each other. Coming back towards town I can hear the alarm going off again. The neighbours are going to be super pissed. That must be fifteen minutes since I first heard it go off.
My body is a walking contradiction in terms, my mouth feels like I've been licking the roads, whereas my bladder could water the plants. Can't solve the first issue without sorting the second.
A Mini Cooper crawls up the hill of an empty car park, does a full 360° lap of it again barely crawling around and then drives out. Utterly bizarre. Clearly didn't like any of the 400 empty spaces to park in then. You'd forgive the speed at noon on a Saturday hoping for a single space to park opening up by way of comparison. The sound of a motorbike's throttle goes on and off as it reverberates around the enclosed space of a multi storey car park as it goes up every level all the way to the top. Maybe I'm like a dick head magnet tonight.
Half ten and someone is pushing their bike up one of the town's steepest hills. I've not been able to cycle for 18 months because of injury. I take their laziness as a personal insult.
A couple stand facing their front door as the man fiddles with his keys. She's wearing a long pink dress with white spots that comes down to just above her ankles, sensible plain white low cut trainers, her hair neatly into a bob that cuts off just before her shoulders. She looks like she wouldn't say boo to a goose. Great straight posture, stands patiently waiting for the door to be opened and doesn't say anything derogatory, she's the type of woman you'd take home to meet the parents. Maybe that's where I've been going wrong all these years.
A cat crosses the road using the proper crossing point which is impressive. It does then piss off up a grass hill and through someone's bushes into their garden but still …
Unlike yesterday the moon isn't hiding from me on the last leg of the journey. Venus sits at a 7 o'clock position from the crescent. If the moon had a tail it would form a poorly spaced giant question mark in the night sky.
The Champions League theme bursts out from behind the window of a living room window unexpectedly breaking the silence of the night.
A man largely in darkness is sat stationary atop of a bike. He's making a grunting sound and he seems to be grimacing in pain which selfishly is a relief for me because his left hand is down around his groin area and he's rubbing himself.
***
Under a street light four kids play a game of old fashioned tag trying to run off equal measures of energy and mischivnes as one girl tries to kick someone or should that read viciousness in her specific case.
The moon continues to grow as the month passes, it's size now reminiscent of a DreamsWorks animation movie opening as clouds roll on by. All it's missing is a Giant Panda who's a Kung Fu master. Two teenage girls bound down a hill full of noise and chatter but go on mute as soon as they realise they're not alone.
A family of four Americans walk past, the daughter berates the mother with an exactly Mom, her response to that comment is the giggles.
A parked police car causes ironic chaos as cars breaking the speed limit come flying around a corner and have to brake sharply. Handily for the drivers there's no one in the vehicle and no sign of any officers in the locale.
A girl dances in the middle of a road to music as her friend films on her on her phone. Further up a couple stand barely uttering a word to one another. He towers over her by several feet, she turns to walk and her face says she's not happy about something. Another young couple sit on the wall of a car park. He clearly knows how to show a girl a good time.
An old boy in his late 60s struggles with four heavy laden bags of shopping. His pace is not much faster than that of a tortoises. He's off to McDonald's for a late cup of tea, enjoys comedy programmes, knows who S club 7 is and I know all this having lost the circulation in my fingers upon lightening his load and made the painstakingly slow trip with him. That's my good deed done for the month and we're only on day two. He offers me his hand to shake, I'd have preferred a cup of tea. He is however genuine with his gratitude. If I can feel my fingers again soon maybe I'll get a warm glow from the act of kindness to a stranger.
Four door men stand out side two different bars. They out number the customers trying to get into either establishment 4 to 0.
A moth flies at me and smashes into my left eyebrow and I rick my neck trying to get out the way. Clearly losing the circulation in my fingers half an hour earlier not enough to give me good karma.
Comments
Post a Comment