Adrian Baldwin
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Observations
  • Reviews
  • Blog
  • The Blog Library
  • My 70s Things
  • Contact Me
  • Links

So sorry Mr. P.

2/3/2022

0 Comments

 
Since 17th January I have been taking part in an event from Big Team Challenge called the “WellMeWalk”. After active encouragement from the company to shake off the January blues and the extra weight piled on over Christmas, 36 teams have been formed. We are tasked with covering the length of the Great Wall of China.

In order to contribute to the cause, I have been running at lunchtime, diligently counting the steps on my phone and logging my achievements on the event website at the end of each evening.

Running in single degree temperatures from West Haddon towards Long Buckby and then back again has been cold, repetitive and dull, but not without some moments of wonder.

On Tuesday this week a Hercules C-130 flew over my route at such a low level that the pilot and I could have waved to each other. The aircraft was impressive, noisy and going slowly enough to defy gravity. As it thundered overhead, the dark grey bird was huge, and frankly awe inspiring.

And one bird leads to me another.

For the last week or so, I have regularly been accompanied on part of my journey by a pheasant. Honestly, there’s this bit of woodland where this male pheasant was hanging out and, when I ran by, it would run alongside me (only separated by about six feet). The first time was surprising, but then I began to see the same pheasant in the same place every day.

I actually started to keep an eye out for the bird and even started calling it. After some noise from the undergrowth, out would pop Mr Pheasant and he’d run with me again.

As a digression, I normally hate pheasants because they are stupid and unpredictable, and when you ride a motorcycle, they are a menace and more dangerous than you might think. Only a few weeks ago one of my motorcycling buddies had a pheasant fly into his crash helmet and he was lucky to stay on his bike. His helmet was wrecked in the incident.

I appreciate that projecting any kind of human thought process on to a bird with less intelligence than my keyboard is silly … but it was like Mr. P. was my running buddy. Most probably he was just trying to run me off his patch, but he was good, if bizarre, company.

Over dinner the other night, I shared my running story with misses B., miss B. and the younger mister B. It’s fair to state that there was much eye rolling and suggestion that I was mad and ‘so embarrassing’. But I didn’t care and yesterday Mr. P. and I ran together again.
​
Picture
​On my run today though, Mr. P. didn’t come when called. And then to my horror, I found a mangled body at the side of the road.

Now admittedly, one pheasant looks a lot like another.  So, it might not be my running pal … but the body was right where I always see Mr. P.

When I called today, just in case it wasn’t him, no pheasant appeared. And that was rather sad.
​
A bit like me according to my kids.

Blog Home
Blog Library
Home

Follow @AdrianBaldwin71
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Adrian Baldwin

    Blogging for more than a decade



    Archives

    February 2025
    January 2025
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    February 2024
    September 2023
    August 2023
    June 2023
    December 2022
    July 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    May 2021
    October 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    March 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.