Thursday, 4 June 2009
A Familiar Dance
A boy of about 10 walks along the street. Traffic whizzing by on this busy afternoon. Its sunny, so he is wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Cheerfully he is in mid-swig from a bottle of cold juice. Sighing content, he screws the cap back on. But in mid-twist, he stops, and jumps. He does a familiar dance. Head back, startled. Shoulder turning, his body twisting. His foot raised for flight. Eyes full of how startled he is. The steps are ones so many of us have done before, most folk would recognise those motions, be able to join in. That dance called - WASP!
Labels: boy, drinks, glasgow, juice, street, summer, sun, walking, wasp
Thursday, 19 March 2009
When Do The Clocks Change? (1)
12 noon, I open my drawer expecting to find various packets of food I can chuck together for lunch. Instead I find rice, rice, and nothing but rice. Oh. Miscalculation. I know I have stuff to go with rice at home, but in terms of having them here, I fail. So it goes. That leaves the canteen, which will mobbed going at this time, but needs must. As I exit the building I can see a colleague sauntering over, hands in his pocket, wearing just a shirt in the unusually warm day, and wearing my jacket I think he has made a smart move. I walk fairly fast, catching up with him a little at a time, till he joins the end of the queue on the front door step of the canteen and I step up beside him.
P was in our department last year, but has moved on this year. He is from one of our English offices, so is only up here periodically. It’s good to catch up. He had to borrow money for his lunch, so is keen I stand close by as he gets the ham and chip roll and tea in a polystyrene cup, like he always gets, in case he doesn’t have enough. But he does, and I get my food. The sign says “chicken kiev, chips and vegetables”, so I ask, suspecting, what the vegetables are, to be told that they are peas. I don’t like peas, actual mixed veg would have been fine, but not peas. We do have beans as well, she offers, I take her up on that option.
We wander back, stop at the middle of the grass section, the clearing, the cobbled bit after the bridge over the pond. We sit on a bench, and enjoy the sunshine and we chatter. He knows most of the people that wander by, exchanges comments with most of them. We get to discussing when the clocks change, so when the next person approaches he blurts “hey, when do the clocks change,” the man looks startled, and we can watch him fumbling for an answer. Our group conclusion is end of the month. We finish our lunch, and return to our offices, looking forward to the clocks changing, because then, then it will be summer, for real, or something.
P was in our department last year, but has moved on this year. He is from one of our English offices, so is only up here periodically. It’s good to catch up. He had to borrow money for his lunch, so is keen I stand close by as he gets the ham and chip roll and tea in a polystyrene cup, like he always gets, in case he doesn’t have enough. But he does, and I get my food. The sign says “chicken kiev, chips and vegetables”, so I ask, suspecting, what the vegetables are, to be told that they are peas. I don’t like peas, actual mixed veg would have been fine, but not peas. We do have beans as well, she offers, I take her up on that option.
We wander back, stop at the middle of the grass section, the clearing, the cobbled bit after the bridge over the pond. We sit on a bench, and enjoy the sunshine and we chatter. He knows most of the people that wander by, exchanges comments with most of them. We get to discussing when the clocks change, so when the next person approaches he blurts “hey, when do the clocks change,” the man looks startled, and we can watch him fumbling for an answer. Our group conclusion is end of the month. We finish our lunch, and return to our offices, looking forward to the clocks changing, because then, then it will be summer, for real, or something.
Labels: change, clocks, lunch, pond, sun
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