In Search of A Blip.

Joined Polly for a walk in the park in the hope of getting a blip for the day. Not long after we got into the park I spotted thisgentleman with his hat gloves and walking stick ,not dressed as most walkers. Very Old School I thought.
Just then a voice at my side asked about Polly.
Another elderly gentleman was passing this time dressed in a long raincoat and cap. he got chatting and he asked what else we did apart from walking the dog. After admitting to playing golf and dabbling with the paints I asked if he had any hobbies. That opened the flood gates. He was, he told us, the oldest tennis player on Merseyside and still took part in tournaments including Wimbledon. He then produced the press cuttings to prove it. He was annoyed that to count as a veteran you had to be over 39. He is 82 and felt this a little unfair. He was interviewed by the Liverpool Echo and not long after a new category was formed for the over 60's.
The paths divided and we went our separate ways.
Damn I should have got a picture.





A little further on we caught up with him as he had stopped to speak to some other people with dogs.
I plucked up courage and asked if I may take a photograph. He was very flattered and insisted on removing his hat. I asked him to put it back on as I wanted him as he was and it was also very cold. "I don't have a tie on" he said.

"I am not from a fashion magazine , I just want a picture of you "

On my link you can see a full length version.

We continued on our walk together. He is a retired research chemist who was retired at 59. Because he was getting under his wife's feet he retrained and became an insurance and mortgage broker. He has just retired from this.
A very interesting but quite sad character.

As we parted I said that perhaps we would bump into him again sometime.
" If you have enjoyed an experience do it again" he said.