Roly was 'ere

On New Years eve I announced that it would be a good idea to mark it with somerthing memorable. So why, I suggested, didn't we walk into Oxford. Hoorah they all shouted. Well all except the children. Who boo-ed and hissed, in appropriate panto stylee.

SWIA rang her friends. Yes, they cried, let's do it. And 'he's behind you' and so on.

Luckily for me (them) I came to my senses. It's ten miles plus and darkness was due in a matter of three hours. We'd never make it, I don't know the route (all right, I know, I just follow the river, but in the dark I didn't want to become too closely acquainted with it, let alone any teenage offspring of my or her loins. Mind you, teenagers and water: an unlikely a mix as you might find. Anyway I digress...). So we ummed and ahhed, we phoned a friend, asked the audience and decided to 'do' Port Meadow.


So you get to see some pictures of same: very wet. Yes, we got incredibly muddy and a bit of a mess in the pitch dark. We were fozen and gasping by the end, and madly trying to think of somewhere that would take under 18's. We ended up in Browns having beers and cocktails and dripping river mud onto their carpet. And after two or three of those, we decided to party until the wee small hours. Phones came out again and by the end of it we had our four, their three, her two and the various parents to make a party of several. One of whom is a professional and wonderful cook and writer thereon, so she made a pud and I lashed a chicken stew to the bottom of the pan with black gunge.


And then Roly Wicksteed appeared. At least, the rest is a blur as "I was, ver ver drunk". So going into Oxford in the morning to do voluntary work (yes, NY Day - there's dedication) was a bit haphazard (actually I sloped off as the last chime of midnight receded; the others stayed at it until 03:15. They were very Roly). Notwithstanding, we did OK that morning. Copious Kenyan coffee contributed.

And then lo and blooming well behold, if the self same perambulation didn't appear in the NY Day Times as one of the top ten walks. Port Meadow, Wolvercote and back. Our walk eggzackly. Can I claim off anyone? Get a royalty?