And welcome to a brand new era!
Yes, after last week’s outpouring of frustration and indignant, impotent rage and sorrow, it’s time to turn a new page. It’s time to draw a line in the sand and, starting here and now, to concentrate on all that’s good in life.
And what better time than the start of a brand new decade?
No, don’t worry, you haven’t fallen asleep and lost six years. The decade I’m talking about is of the personal nature. You see, last Saturday saw me turn the grand old age of fifty.
Strange Days
It’s a bit weird. In fact, even writing that sentence feels strange. It’s almost as if the much anticipated and planned for event has taken me by surprise in some way. It’s like it’s not quite real yet. I’m fifty—I. Am. Fifty.
Thirty and even forty never quite struck me in this way, and I’m not sure why. I mean both are landmark birthdays we once thought of as ‘old’ (only to quickly reconsider as the years flew by), but neither hit quite as hard. I guess, on some level, it’s that impact that made (made?) me choose to celebrate in the way I did.
You see, back in the callow days of my youth, there was a tradition. When myself, or another member of my circle of friends, found a reason to celebrate we would embark on The Otley Road Run.
Run Time
Said ‘run' is an infamous pub crawl starting at Woodies Ale House in Headingley, Leeds, and after 2 and a quarter miles and fifteen or so pubs, ending at The Dry Dock just outside the city centre. If you don’t start at eleven A.M you’re late, and eating is, of course cheating (beer is food!).
It’s a pub crawl as infamous as it is famous, a true trial of endurance and liver health. A young man’s day of drinking. And, for that reason, somewhat of a last hoorah.
Not that I have any plans to shuffle off this mortal coil any time soon, you understand. No, there’s still life in the old dog yet. It’s just that, these days such an adventure is that little bit harder than it used to be. I certainly don’t remember being bought water at any stage of previous iterations.
But, we did it!
Old Glory
Of the nine people who started at 11am in Woodies and two who joined a pub or possibly two later, thanks to public transport, six saw the Dry Dock beer garden and as midnight approached in The Packhorse (a pub in the centre of Leeds that isn’t an official part of the run but is very much traditional) there were still three of us.
Everyone who attended made it a very special day, however, and yes it did serve the dual purposes of resurrecting the glory days of my youth for one final encore and underlying how much my life has moved on, improved, and, dare I say it, settled down. It proved to me, if proof were needed, just how many really, really good friends I have and that includes my dad and my brother-in-law, who also crawled along with us for a good portion of the day.
Family Matters
Of course, that does kind of indicate that the rest of my family were absent for the big day itself , but yesterday, a mere three days after the day itself we met up for a and a catch up (minus niece Holly, who had to work). It might have been a little late, but it was a fantastic afternoon, and, although perhaps slower paced and entirely less alcoholic (if you don’t count my birthday gifts—seriously, what kind of impression am I making on people?) was just as, if not more, enjoyable. A larger, joint celebration between my recent birthday and Tina’s upcoming one in October is also planned—After all, you’re fifty all year, aren’t you?
Now, I’m not going to sit here and present myself as some kind of reformed sinner. Saturday will not be the last time I day-drink, nor will it be the last time I have to be poured into a taxi. The sensibilities of age, the responsibilities that come with it, and the speed at which the years seem to fly by probably may mean a line has been drawn, though.
R.I.P Otley Road Run. We just about remember most of what happened upon ye.
Until next time.
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Hey, there! If you enjoyed reading any of the above, why not take a look at some of my published work? Below you’ll find links to a number of short stories I’m lucky enough to have included in anthologies. I’d love to know what you think.
New Tales Of Old
Death Ship
Pestilence: Drabbles 1
Reaperman: Drabbles 3
The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu
Eldritch Investigations
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