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So I was getting into my car and this bloke says to me: "Can you give me a lift?" I said: "Sure; you look great, the world's your oyster, go for it." Tommy Cooper Success is doing what you plan to do whatever the results. John Watson |
Walking in Petts Wood and The Hawkswood Estate Page 4Wednesday Oct 1st 2003 The burglar alarm At 2 a.m. this morning one of my nightmare situations took place. The burglar alarm started ringing loudly. The usual code did not work to switch it off. The master code did not work – the noise was horrendous both in and out. Eventually I cut the wires for the inside alarm and suddenly it was much quieter inside. But outside the lights were flashing and my neighbours must have been cursing the noise. I did not have a ladder tall enough to reach the alarm so I ended up balancing on the first floor window sill as I prodded and whacked at the alarm (which was just within reach) with a garden fork. Eventually I prised the box away from the wall and it fell into the garden below still flashing and blaring away. Then suddenly it fell silent! You can see the blank rectangle in the photo where the alarm box once was.
Repairs to the alarm will probably cost from £500 to £1000. The moral of the story is to be better prepared. I thought the master code would help me solve all problems but it didn’t. There must have been a third step that I could have learned about in advance which would have avoided smashing up the alarm system. The result of all this hassle was that I slept in late and reached
the woods late. The topic of the day was how cyclists complain about motorists infringing their rights and then get indignant when pedestrians complain that the cyclists are infringing the rights of the walkers in the woods. Cyclists are allowed to cycle on the main paths but not the smaller ones. I commented that all this was just human nature. Thursday Oct 2nd 2003 Confrontation Today was a rainy day. As I walked along Kyd Brook I was confronted by two white terriers who were yapping and barking at me. The owner said that they only barked at people who were walking the opposite way to them. If you came up behind them and were walking in the same direction all was peace and quiet. Very human. I got rather wet in the rain but used the walking stick jog to keep warm on the last leg of my walk. I got home to be greeted by the neighbour’s loveable cat, Lizzie. As I did my after walk weight lifting, she insisted on jumping on the weight lifting bench and then on to my chest. My behaviour must have seemed incomprehensible to her. Her behaviour had me laughing so much that I did not have a very energetic workout. She was peering at me over the top of the barbell as I was doing bench presses. I had trouble avoiding her nose. It amazes me how much trust animals have in their human companions. Yesterday my computer guru, Danny, came up with an excellent way of doing squats which avoided using squat stands and the risk of collapsing under the weight of a bar bell with heavy weights. His method is to just use heavy dumbbells. Obviously you can’t achieve the results of a power lifter this way but you can easily build up the leg strength needed by the average citizen. You also avoid the danger of dropping a heavy barbell on to the kids or household pets.
Sunday 5th October 2003 Batteries run out Today I took a digital camera with me into the woods. I planned on taking photos of key places mentioned in the above accounts. Unfortunately my camera's batteries gave out just as I reached some of the more interesting potential photo situations such as sheep spread across a large undulating field near Botany Bay Lane. I have seen a fox run across this area but it did not attack the sheep. I am reminded by the camera failure of the key importance of energy in carrying out any plans or projects. When we are young we are full of energy but seldom have any constructive purpose to spend our energy on. As we get older our energy grows less just when we need it most to carry out all the plans we have now thought of! As i walked up Botany Bay Lane a young puppy, a cocker spaniel, rushed up to me. It was full of energy, enthusiasm and bonhomie. It certainly did not need batteries! Monday 6th October 2003 Missed opportunities Because I had gone off with fading batteries on Sunday, I had missed the opportunity to take photos in brilliant sunlight. Today I had to wait for the sun to appear from behind the clouds. The windows of opportunity did not last long. Another missed opportunity occurred in Hawkwood Lane. I met what looked like a huge setter. It was in fact an Anatolian sheepdog (the kind used by Turkish shepherds). I should have asked the owners if I could photograph the dog but, as it was the first time I had met the owners, did not like to be too pushy. As they walked on it occurred to me that I might never meet them again or, if I did, might not have the camera with me. An opportunity missed. Tuesday 7th October 2003 Trust The forecast had said it would become brighter. Instead I got caught out in heavy pouring rain. Trust in forecasts is often misplaced. My walk ended up as a brief one. The only thing of interest was an encounter with an alsatian. I was not sure whether it was being playful or was just warning me off. Its owner was ahead of me on the path when the alsatian ran back to run around me in a somewhat intimidating manner. My trust in the alsatian's friendly intentions was strictly limited. In the end the rain showed no sign of let up and I returned home. As I drove my car into my drive, Lizzie, the neighbours cat stood right in front of my car. Amazing trust. |
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