Royal Ramble

I'm about to go rambling. That's right, rambling. Some of you are thinking 'oh no, here goes a lengthy blog about frikkin' nothing once again' but no, I mean real actual 'doing one of them walk type things' rambling. Those long time readers may remember this New Year's idea happened about the same time in 2010, with the view for several further walks to happen and as the year drifted on, so did the organisation of such activities. Well, with a New Year comes new enthusiasm. Not from me, but from James and Helen who have sorted it all out. I am merely tagging along with walking boots in hand. Well, on foot. They'd be useless in hand and just provide sore feet and heavy arms. We are tackling the ever lovely Parkland Walk from Finsbury Park to Highgate today. Its the old disused railway line that is now overgrown with plant type things, or plants as some people know them, and provides a pleasing walkway through North London. It has also been the grounds for many a rape and murder, but y'know, that just provides character. And the knowledge about not straying too far off the path.

Personally I shall be treating the whole journey as though its a survival task. A combination of watching the appalling (sorry Rufus!) 'Famous and Fearless' last night followed by the Road has put the task of 'staying alive' right in the brain. Famous and Fearless, which was watched for the excellent Rufus Hound's efforts at BMXing - and it must be said I laughed a lot watching him fall off and kick a bike - was such a hugely boring let down. Apart from a few of the contenders, they weren't really famous at all, and the tasks were barely things to give the title of 'fearless' to its victors. Street Luge? Driving a car very slowly up a ramp till it falls over? No. Were they serious about this show they'd have fired Jenny Frost out of a cannon at an angry lion, or dropped Charlie 'Dear God I will' Boorman(kind) out of a plane and into a shark. That's the sort of show I wanted to see. Instead it felt like a ten minute show called 'Nothing types do mild things' with 10 minutes of actual content stretched more drastically than the last bit of Cher's actual skin. Come on Channel 4, please don't use the post Big Brother budget to just churn out nicely lit dullness. I want to see someone from a boyband actually on fire or nothing at all.

Then The Road. I remember reading the book of Cormac McCarthy's epic tale of misery and post apocalyptic nightmares and spending every page turning moment feeling pretty bleak and sad about everything. One journey in particular that became tougher than usual was the train to Aberystwyth, staring between pages of description about a 'scorched earth' then looking out the windows to see empty, grey, rainy Wales and thinking 'its happened. Its really happened.' The film, aside from a slightly annoying child, is just as disturbing. Made even more so by sitting in between Nat and Tom who, in turn, would freak out at the slightest bit of on-screen vomiting (Nat) or on-screen gruesome bodily harm (Tom). I have realised that to enjoy films in our house I think I may have tread carefully down the viewing paths of either Care Bears The Movie or little all else.

So with those in my mind I fully expect to tread through the North London 'countryside' with thoughts of survival in mind. I shall often walk off and return with whatever I can forage for food, which may well be such delights as old shoes and used condoms, constantly repeating about how we need to stay off the path and questioning whether or not someone is following us. They probably will be, its a fairly often used route. Or, more likely, due to excess Xmas consumption, I'll just complain alot about being tired and provide little conversation in order to try and breath properly. Go team!


Last point of today: Its hugely sad to hear about Pete Postlelthwaite dying. He was an amazing actor, really able to play almost any role. He died far too young. RIP.