A Simple Twist of Fate

 

A Simple Twist of Fate

When Steve and I arrived at the start of our run this morning on another glorious sunny day; even that early, there was a full blown photographer geek guy park with two computers positioned on the roof of his car, and a camera with a serious looking lens, mounted on a sturdy tripod. Steve commented that he must have got up early to catch the sunrise and the man said in a northern accent that he had been there since 4 am and had also got some good light on the stately Arundel Castle behind him that he had not planned. The castle is always struck by the earliest flood of light to show of its grandeur. Compared to this dedication to his art, we thought he made us look lazy, with our 5.20 am appearance.

The difference being that although we have marveled at all the sunrises we have seen in our runs in the last three months of pre-dawn, into crack of dawn and on to post dawn moments; that sunrise what not the main point. The still of the woodlands for our run, while it is devoid of human noise and infections has always been our main point.

Just before we got there we were surprised by a group of four young deer bouncing about in the middle of the lane, two sporting rapidly growing antler sets. We were all smiles at that thinking that this would be a good omen and we would see a lot more, but we didn’t. Not one more deer on the whole loop. 

What we did see however was a group of Hares, that stopped us in our tracks, not only because the most we had seen together in all our years was a maximum of two. The sighting was of a group, was not unusual just for the numbers but because they were all sitting up like Meer cats, face on into the sunshine, still as could be. So still, that we looked around to se if they had been thunderstruck by the sight of some spiteful beasts like a fox or two. There was nothing to be seen anywhere near then. It was weird to look at the sunlight glowing golden on their big ears. We stayed and stared at them as they stared toward the sun. It was a full five minutes until one by one, they moved, first to sit in a cat like position and then they hopped off and away. What a treat.

By the time we got home we were both thinking about breakfast. Today is Sunday and we do have a morning snack at the weekends after five days of one meal per day, dinner only.

 Before we ate, Steve asked me if I would give his hair, beard, eyebrows and ears a trim up since. He said he was feeling a bit fluffy and people had been calling him Kenny (Rogers that is). I told him there were worse things that folk get called and that that; was a compliment. 

We used that time as part of the daily routine of wearing the harness and so Birdy crept around the patio in her smart coat and not even straining on the leash while I made Steve look more respectable again. Everybody was happy.

Yesterday we have been fortunate enough to get a shopping delivery from Waitrose it’s so hard to get a slot right now. We had included a large white toast loaf, butter and pâté on our shopping list. A touch of naughtiness once in a while is a basic necessity of life.  Steve had bought a new mini speaker, for the times when we listen to a book on audible together at dinner. For breakfast this morning he had selected a favourite album of us both to munch to or in my case almost dance to; Dylanesque of Bryan Ferry.

That album has so many of Dylan’s best songs on it and sung in a very different but equally unusual way. With Bryan Ferry’s pretty vibrato in his voice, as opposed to poet Bob Dylan’s harsher, more aggressive tones. I was ever a Bob Dylan fan from the early days and then later a Roxy music fan too, so this album is a perfect combination. The whole album is an emotional rollercoaster ride for me.

Amongst the tracks are:

If not for you,

The times they are a changin’,

The gates of Eden,

Knockin’ on Heavens door,

All along the watchtower.

Many of the songs, that I loved when I was a young woman, had so much meaning to me and most of these still have. It was by A Simple Twist of Fate that I met somebody who has turned out to have been such a rock to me and I’m not talking music. It is ten years since that I met this guy, by just that, a simple twist of fate. I had only gone to have my bike checked over by the GBR team mechanics, who were based in a squashed up corner of the team hotel for the European Championships in Athlone, Eire.

He was in the workshop when I arrived and we were introduced by the mechanics. He quickly became one of the most important cogs in my triathlon and private life inner circle. I couldn’t name how many ways he has helped me. I had been doing triathlon for twenty years then, and he was one of the newer athletes to the sport. He had worked hard to qualify for the GBR team and was doing the sprint distance in Athlone. We talked for ages and he worked out the simple logic that if I was there at the championships at 70 years old, doing the Olympic distance and that I had already competed in quite a lot of Ironman events, having not entered the sport until I was 50, that he, as a much younger very good athlete, should also be able to do well in longer distance events.

When I saw him  some time later at his home, he was wearing a tee shirt that declared that he was training for Ironman Austria. I do hope that I had something to do with inspiring him to take that enormous step because I cannot think of one other thing of worth; that I have done for him or his family. He on the other hand, has supported me through thick and thin in all sorts of ways, reliable to the last and in touch constantly to see if I need any help. Always ready with advice and guidance as well as numerous amounts of more practical assistance in the sport.

Heaven bless all my friends and family and that particular Simple Twist of Fate.