There's been a bit of a lull in my posts on here recently, due to "circumstances beyond our control" as British Rail used to say. When things first changed, I was determined not to focus on the things I could no longer do, then all of a sudden, I realised that life has handed me a perfect excuse not to do things I dislike. Now I can't stop thinking about things I can't do - but in a good way!
Things like decorating. In my view, decorating is the worst thing ever invented and I'm genuinely in awe of people who enjoy it or even do it for a job. Amazing. I, on the other hand, dislike everything about it, from all the prep work needed before you even start (can anyone put masking tape on in a straight line?) right through to the clear up at the end (how many times do you have to wash and rinse the same paintbrush before the water runs clear? Also how did I manage to get paint on myself there?). The thought of never having to decorate again makes me smile. I'm smiling now, just thinking of it.
Gardening is an odd one to add to the list because in my mind I'd like to be a gardener. I have a romanticized idea of wandering out to the garden with a little gardening basket, wearing a pair of patterned ladies gardening gloves and holding my pruning shears at the ready. I imagine working away in a little potting shed where I have trays of seedlings and baby plants huddled together against the cold. I have visions of cooking my own home-grown vegetables and serving them on a table decorated with a vase of home-grown flowers. The reality is very different. I don't like creepy crawlies, can't stand getting soil under my nails and pruning or weeding make my back ache. Then there are trimming the hedges, mowing the grass and raking the lawn to add to this list of things I dislike about gardening. Once I look at the advantages versus the disadvantages for gardening, the result is always the same; I buy my veg at the supermarket and do the bare minimum in the garden so the neighbours don't complain. Never having to do gardening again? Bliss!
For my entire life, I've also believed that trying not to upset other people meant I had to do things I disliked. Camping for example. When friends invite me to go camping I feel obliged to seriously consider it. After all, I would get to spend time with friends doing something they seem to enjoy and it does sound idyllic; to find an isolated place which has an incredible view right outside the zip of your tent and experience the peace and quiet of nature. Except it's less idyllic when you're tired and hungry but can't find a good camping spot on an almost vertical hill, when the only view outside the tent zip is mist and when the cows, sheep, birds, midges and fellow campers take it in turns to keep you awake through the night. Or when the wind threatens to blow the tent away, leaving you out in the elements at 3am (most bad things happen at 3am). Or when the tent has small, previously invisible holes in the roof and the torrential downpour is now happening inside the tent, noisily battering off the plastic groundsheet and leaving your feet lying in a puddle of freezing cold water at 3am. Or when your camping buddy has forgotten the tent poles and you end up trying to sleep in the car with the gear stick, steering wheel, door handles and seatbelt clips fighting for your attention at 3am. Yes I have experienced all of those scenarios and none of them are idyllic, especially not at 3am. Add to this my dislike for creepy crawlies and you'll see why having a valid reason, rather than an excuse, not to go camping is great news!
Kayaking and surfing are also examples of things I can now legitimately avoid without the risk of offending friends. These activities also sound amazing, to be drifting on the ocean waves on a warm sunny day, wetsuited against the cold with beautiful birds and fish flashing in the blue water all around. And yet, reality has never lived up to the expectation for me. There was the time I tried an "eskimo roll" in a kayak and sank it with my legs still trapped inside. Or the first time I tried surfing and a relatively benign wave still managed to wash me off the surfboard which then came back to me with vengeance and cracked me sharply on the skull at exactly the same time as I inhaled lungsful of sea water. Getting hauled out of a freezing wetsuit that seems to have glued itself to cold skin is almost as much fun as trying to dry yourself with an already damp towel which is covered in sand and exfoliates as it goes, without getting you dry at all. Really the best part of these activities is getting home, having a hot shower, putting comfy warm clothes on and having a cuppa. All of which I can do without ever going near the sea. (Although I will admit to enjoying a bare foot paddle occasionally)
In view of these experiences, you may think I don't enjoy the outdoors, but I love being out in the fresh air and I'm even a supporter of some forms of exercise. As you have probably guessed by now after reading my blog, walking is one of them. I don't mean walking on a treadmill, or even walking through the town to the shops. I mean joyous walking when you feel that sense of accomplishment gained by reaching the summit of a hill or a mountain. It makes me blissfully happy to be out walking in a nature reserve and see or hear birds, seals, dolphins and deer in their own habitats. And my worries are forgotten when I'm walking along a beach or going up to the top of a cliff to watch the waves. Walking with a friend is twice the fun because you listen to their thoughts and feelings and get new insights or perspectives on life, the universe and everything. Writing about the walk keeps it alive in my memory long after the walk is done and I thoroughly enjoy trying to find the right descriptive words that share sights, sounds, feelings, history and my random thoughts with others.
So although my change of circumstances means that decorating, gardening, camping, surfing and kayaking are things of the past, I'm not going to miss them, in fact I might go and crack open some champagne. But I would miss the walking and I would definitely miss the writing, so I am going to make every effort to ensure the rambling and the rambling never stop. I'm looking forward to getting back out there, but in the meantime, where did I put those champagne flutes?
Yaaay glad u are slowly rambling again. Lovely , funny post 😁 please don’t attach rockets I know how this would end 😂