White horses

Parkrun was back on after a three weeks of cancellations due to sodden ground after the weather decided it only wanted to be rainy, but even it is bored of raining every day now, so it held off enough for the course to dry out a little.

The trouble is that the fenlands ground doesn’t drain well because there’s maybe a foot of peaty soil, then solid clay under that.

I hoped I could remember how to be the finish tokens giver-outerer; I could, although I had to run after a lad who flew through the funnel without taking his token. The funnel crew decided we needed to convert the funnel into a maze instead of a straight line. How much fun that would be.

The funnel manager would have fun times. ‘Stay in order, please!’

How the timekeepers and I would laugh.


The weather was lovely: sunny and dry, and not too breezy, so not too cold. I dragged Mr Pandammonium out, and we got the train to Cambridge North, from where we walked up the river away from town for a change.

Mr Pandammonium’s plan was to walk up to Bait Bites Lock, cross the river and walk back down to town.

‘That’s quite far.’

My objection was overruled, and we set off.

The wind picked up, and blew the River Cam the wrong way, even causing white horses to form, except when I wanted to take a photo of them.

In the best photo I got, the river is apparently flowing briskly from left to right (southwards), but actually oozes from right to left (northwards).

Before we got to Baits Bite, Mr Pandammonium piped up.

‘It’s quite far.’

I told him so.

I was starving. Mr Pandammonium wasn’t because he’d had already eaten because he has started one of those complete-diet cults fads. It’s ruining my life. We changed the plan and aimed for Milton Tesco, where I found some suitable fodder.

We walked back to Cambridge North through the business parks, where we discovered a Co-op. We had a neb inside to see what they had to kill time, having timed our arrival poorly with respect to train departure times.

It felt like our jaunt was cut off too early, but I was knackered by the time we got home.


See the extra for more flexagon fun.