Now I'll have to keeeeeeel you.

I've had hours to stare at walls and reconsider loads of things during the past couple of weeks while my body recuperates. Suddenly at 0'Dark Hundred this morning I smiled. The DW finished yesterday, my brother phoned and told me about a chap he knows who has just completed it and is wrecked. Nothing unusual there, it is physically very demanding, however my bruvver was amazed when he discovered that in 1973 and 1974 my partners and I did the race 5 hours faster than the bloke he knows.

I believe in Peckham they use the word "Respect." Little knowing the context.

Anyway, the reason I smiled to myself at 0'Dark Hundred this morning is that the blokes I won the trophy with could not let their photos be taken. Two more memories were stirred, both involved the same crew.

There is a tunnel at Savernake forest, dug by the navvies to carry the Kennet and Avon canal through the hillside, it's about 700-800 metres long. Basically it's pitch black and just wide enough for a canal boat to go through, originally using foot power, it would have been walked through by the crew lying on their backs and walking the roof, all you can see is a pin-prick of light in the distance. Halfway through one of our boats apparently juddered, the bowman ordered, "Sit bloody still!" to which his partner replied in very clipped tones, 'There's a RAT in my lap!"

The same crew had changed seats and were approaching the bridge at Staines in the middle of the night when a low flying goose hit the front right blade of the paddler and flung him out of the boat. His partner refused to let him hang onto the boat in case he was capsized and made him swim to the bank. Friends, what are they for?



If you have no idea what i'm on about have a look at this.


Devizes - Westminster