Gas and air and speakers corner

Another interesting, fun packed week - another week closer to retirement! Here are some of the highlights. 

A trip to see the Winston Churchill film, Darkest Hour at the Showroon Cinema - excellent movie, definitely worth watching. 

A Burns Supper at our local church - members invited non-church going friends along like me who enjoy a Ceilidh but are still to be convinced that Jesus really was who he said he was (is?). The main speaker, who was excellent, reminded me of the scene from Chariots of Fire where Eric Liddle was evangelising to the locals at a Highland Games about his God-given athletic gifts and religious beliefs after winning a foot race.   

Having reached the tender age of 55, I finally answered the call for a bowel screening this week at the Northern General Hospital - an experience  which proved to be funny, interesting and downright uncomfortable in equal measure. Have you ever had a camera stuck up your bum? It’s not for the faint hearted I can tell you, but the gas and air certainly helped - it felt rather like a trip on the Magic Roundabout. As ever the NHS staff were brilliant, providing the necessary reassurances and humour aplenty - thankfully I was given the all clear, so there’s a few more years in the old dog yet. Then there was the conversation with a hospital porter on the way out who was wheeling a trolley with a plastic bag on it.  "Have you got a body in there?" I asked him. His reply: "No, but I will have in a minute." Not quite what I was expecting but all part of a typical day in a hospital I guess.  

And finally, teaching my students about sport in South Africa - I got quite emotional talking about Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission - such a powerful story with so many lives affected in so many different ways. I suggested the TARC was an example of inspired and visionary leadership - some of my students were less convinced. I thought I was doing quite a good job until I saw one student nodding off in the corner - clearly not!

I chose Concord this week - arrived a bit earlier than normal to be greeted by Angela and Neil, the Race Directors. Even had time for a quick warm up lap during which I met Laura from Nether Green Primary School who was busy preparing for the local primary school cross country event which was also taking place in the park. Who said school sports was dead..?

At around 9 Angela jumped on her soap box to issue her instructions to the gathered throng of about 100 parkrunners - a bit like Donald (Lord) Soper, the famous Methodist Minister, frequently seen speaking to the masses at Hyde Park Corner, and other places, up until his death in the late 90's. Angela then handed the megaphone to Musafa, aged 5, to start the run. "Ready, steady, go" he shouted in his tiny little voice, a stark contrast to his namesake in the Lion King movie - and away we went. I ran quite hard today for a change and was quite pleased with my time - then hung around to cheer my colleague Kim over the line who managed to break 31 mins for the first time in a while - well done Kim. 

Another enjoyable start to the weekend. Until next time - happy parkrunning.

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