Into the beyond

 Dear Marmite,

Yet another anniversary has arrived! It was one year ago today that I retired. Now I have got to this auspicious moment - one complete year of thumb twiddling - I am ready to work. I have tried volunteering, and necessary as that seems, there aren't so many opportunities at the moment. The food parcel delivery thingy dried up despite a second lockdown and other charities are concerned about getting too close and spreading germs. Instead of being retired, I'd like to think of myself as being between jobs.

Yesterday was a day worthy of mention. I took Nasser and his family for a walk in the woods - Stockgrove Park, near Leighton Buzzard. As a child I used to swim in an indoor pool there. That was at a time when there weren't many public pools. I didn't manage to find the house or the pool but I did manage to get us lost. Although in all fairness, it wasn't just me to blame.

Getting lost is rather a recurring theme, Marms, and at this point you are probably oozing sympathy for all involved. So let me fill you in. We parked near the Heath and Reach entrance - at the time I thought this was the only one and from my childhood memory, the grounds weren't particlularly large. 

I have to say the place was quite busy considering how cold it was and how foggy. We walked past the lake - great for duck spotting -  and took a left up a hill and then later rejoined the main path after pine cone hunting. So far so good. We ended up at a Scout Hut by another car park. Again, no problem. Then we set off from there to the left and wandered up hill and down dale. 

It was around this point that Adnan (13) declared that he had seen enough trees. When you are in a forest this is a problem. Kenan (9) said he knew the way back because he had been collecting Pokemoms. However, he had only been collecting them since the Scout Hut so we circled back to the wrong car park. 

To chivvy the boys along I set a few challenges and races. The last of these turned into a bit of a disaster as I predicted that our car park was straight ahead and got Adnan to run ahead in search of it. This gave him purpose and he thought we would be leaving sooner - a great idea all round, I thought. I then had second thoughts as the signs seemed misleading and crowds of people were surging in from the left. Unfortunately Adnan, by this time, had disappeared into the blue beyond - probably never to be seen again. 

Amira (Mum) and Kenan followed in the direction I  had sent Adnan while Nasser and I set off for what I thought was the "right" way. So now we were one group split up into three smaller groups in a foggy forest that was far larger than I remembered.  Nasser and I had been here before - far too many times. 

At this point Nasser started to offer to write the blog for me - so today I can't take credit for all that I have put to paper. We thought we had got to the car park. It was a car park but not the one with our car in it. This was actually quite funny. Nasser left me and jogged in the direction I thought our car park was and left me to walk to the main road. The sky was growing heavy at this time and under a canopy it was growing dark. Time was of the essence.

Suffice to say we all eventually became one again. I don't think the boys were too amused but Amira feels she has been initiated into my rather too inclusive club of wild days out where getting lost is part and parcel of the experience.  Anything could happen and as Nasser said it is always memorable for all the wrong reasons.

As we head for Christmas I have taken to heart an article in the Guardian about putting up decorations early to cheer yourself up. So my tree is up - just a few days ago - and the stockings are up too. I have gone, once again for an avant garde Christmas tree. This time from John Lewis - my favourite shop. I have used my decorations from Singapore that have been collected over the years. I think you would recognise the style, Marms. 

There is a house in my street that looks more bling than Orchard Road. I am not normally too enamoured by OTT displays but on this occasion  - a time of doom and gloom - it has made me smile.

As Boris said - Let's celebrate Christmas and be jolly careful. And, as someone else added - celebrate Christmas with your loved ones and bury them in January! One thing I am not volunteering for is a jab. I am prepared to take my chance in that domain. 

Yet again, I think you would have enjoyed my walk in the woods (perhaps). At least in England I have noticed people are attached to their dogs when out walking while people in Singapore are attached to their phones. On that note, I will say bye bye to my beloved dog to whom I am very much attached.

Love you

XXX