Parklife

Hello, dear readers!

Yes, after last week’s slight aberration I am back in full, if slightly tired, force.

This week there is no hangover, no headache, no dry mouth, and no distended stomach from eating the body weight of Giant Haystacks in Italian food.

So with that clarity of thought established, what might I offer you for this week’s brand new and definitely not re-hashed offering? Well, that’s a walk in the park.

Yup, you guessed it, I’m being intentionally literal.

Local Knowledge
The park in question is a local(ish) place in nearby Wakefield called Pugney’s. A few square miles of relatively lush greenery centred around a lake. There’s probably a story to the name, but to be brutally honest, I’ve never been interested enough to give it much research. It is a pleasant place, though. Spacious, airy and just about perfect for a socially distanced meet up.

The meet up in question was with my parents and it was much needed. Since Covid-19 entered the public conciousness earlier this year, I have seen said parents a grand total of once. That’s once in six whole months. If we broaden the circle slightly to include siblings, then the number of meetings falls from one… to none.

Crowd Control
So yes, there was an underling reason to our little sojourn to the almost countryside. There almost had to be. I mean dog exercising aside, there’s little other reason I can see for just walking (and certain;ly not jogging or running) around a park like some kind of uber-healthy psychopath. Of course, that might just be me.

To cut an already long and meandering story (I told you I was tired) a little shorter, it was Thursday morning that, after a game of chicken with some very changeable weather, myself, Tina, and Bonnie (the hound) set off for the aforementioned destination. a double set of temporary traffic lights around some roadworks meant we got there a little late, but the delay did give the peek-a-boo rain time to blow over and a warm if somewhat cloudy day to set in. Of course my mother and father had managed to beat us and had secured a table outside the small cafe which supplies park-goers with refreshments.

A three-hour holiday away from shielding, and coronavirus ensued, and at least part of that holiday felt like it was spent on the outskirts of normality (a much underrated little resort between Ordinary-On-Sea and Bog-Standard Sands). In fact, if it had been just the four of us (plus dog) then it would have been perfect. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Off The Beaten Path
The car-park should have been the first clue. Even at 11am on a weekday, it was uncomfortably full and although the number of people who had spilled out of the cars were both fewer in number and more widely dispersed than one may have feared it still meant the two mile wander around the lake felt like running a gauntlet of possible infection..

Part of this is undoubtedly due to the paranoia which has been fuelled by the combination of a compromised immune system and a global pandemic, but even when faced with a wheelchair user wearing a face-mask (Alright, not a complete gimme but surely a cue to be cautious) people seemed to be heading straight for and at me. On a couple of occasions I felt like I needed to go around people, off roading and taking advantage of the grass surrounding the paths. Again, I’ll admit that the fault could be with me. I could be being overcautious. I could be pre-empting the movements and motivations of people. All I know is that on occasion, it really didn’t feel like it.

Bad News
Now I will admit that as the day wore on, and certainly once the circuit of the lake had been completed, I started feeling better. This may well have something to do with comforting presence of the people who’ve spent all their lives looking out for, over, and after me. It may have been helped by the light conversation and the smiles of the families which surrounded us. Whatever the exact recipe, it was a cocktail which served to lull me into a sense of security, of normality. I even risked a peck on my mother’s cheek as we said goodbye.

This feeling of familiar normality followed me as I drove away from Pugney’s and was only interrupted by the newscaster on the car radio proclaiming that my local area was to be put back onto a firmer lockdown. The meet up with the folks had occurred right on the cusp of it being allowed, but more importantly the news was a splash of cold water rousing me from that encroaching sense of normality restored.

It will be. I have no doubt of that. It will probably be too late for my birthday next week, but it will come. A day out at the park . A meal with family. It will all be restored. Until then, we just have to hold fast and grab what we can.

Until next time…