Against the Flow

Today is the first of my new invigorated approach to life and it makes you feel good! Don't get me wrong, I'm not thinking it will be easy, but already, the new mindset has me feeling so much happier. Hope it lasts!

I can be this convinced already, because on day one, I had some road rage! Well, not me personally, I wasn't the propagator, I was the recipient and it didn't even upset me. In fact, it made me laugh. Following a car travelling towards Teddington, I felt compelled to flash him. He ignored me. I flashed him again. Now he started gesticulating at me in his rear view mirror with two fingers, so I gesticulated back with one, but still he did not slow down. I flashed him again but now he actually increased his speed, in truth too fast in this built up area.

He came to a junction where he had to stop and I came up behind him once more, and siezing my opportunity, flashed repeatedly. More gesticulations as he pulled away from the roundabout, going in the same direction as I was. So I continue to flash as he pulled away from me.

Something then obviously struck him. I think it was anger, because he suddenly decided he'd had enough as his break lights invaded my retinas with burning intent. He pulled abruptly into the kerb. I pulled up alongside him and wound down my passenger window. His was already down and there he was, a youngish chap, poised ready for a tirade, and boyo, he knew some words! I frowned as he likened me to female genitalia, up to which point I hadn't even had an chance to say a word. Now there was a car behind me becoming impatient. Abuse from my left and from behind.

I used the same forefinger I had used to gesticulate with in a downward motion only minutes before, only this time it was pointing upwards, in an attempt to quieten him down, as if to say "one moment", which didn't work, so moved it to my mouth to end the tirade. A few more expletives later, he made moves to exit his car, removing his seatbelt...and I grabbed the opportunity to call across:
"Your petrol cap is hanging out....You're spilling petrol all over the road!"

The look on his face was priceless. It made me laugh. "Oh..." he said, looking back down the length of his car. He looked back at me and I could see was desperate to say thank you, but all that came out was "Erm...". I saved his embarrassment and just put my thumb up and said "You're welcome", I put my foot down on the accelerator, smiling as I left him behind.

The impatient BMW behind me drew level with me at the next lights. He seemed to think I was a 'banker'?...but I could be wrong as I was trying to lip read. I smiled and nodded sweetly as if to thank him for his observation. He sped off ahead of me, doubtless late for his next important meeting.

I was on my way to the same location as my Tuesday night blip, originally to shoot the same frame, but in daylight, so I could compare and contrast. As I was shooting, I noticed what I think was a small Cormorant (can't be positive) fishing in the rapids of the weir. I had to blip it as it felt like a parody of my challenge.

Somehow, I already knew I was swimming upstream, just like the Cormorant standing his ground against the flow. The good news is, that in performing his parody clearly for my benefit, he was being successful. He would not go hungry.