Not a good time to have a tricked out back!

Started walking again on Tuesday and was able to get to the shops for re-supps, sure the freezer is OK but things like milk etc don`t last that long and as this is the first spell of snow in the UK, like this, for eighteen years, I guess we can accept thats its OK to be a little unready? So walking with a twisted gait to accomodate the sudden Muscle siezures , I set off the half mile to the local Tescos.

Five minutes into the walk, whilst making my way along the middle of the road (there was nothing else using the road so why not) I trod on a lump of frozen snow and twisted my back and "Wammo" I was hit with a muscle spasm that required me to lay flat on my back and for somebody to pull both my legs straight. (in the middle of the road?) so given that the service wasnt available, I danced, jigged, twisted, cavorted, moaned and cursed.Much like a plains indian getting ready for war, for a few seconds and eventually it wore off!! Phew!!!!!!!! I was now sweating and breathless (as only those of you who have experienced such a thing will know)

I looked around and there was no one watching, so gingerly I continued on. I had previously passed a lady clearing her drive and mentioned that mine needed doing too (she laughed) I was serious :o)) Tee Hee! further on somebody said good morning to me and quite a few people walking made contact, in fact it was very pleasant that people took the time to greet each other at such times, aren`t people funny? Those that had never spoken for as long as I can remember ( in one case thirty years) would say good morning, etc.

I got to the shop having passed quite a few people with bags full of "milk", in some cases maybe ten bottles (20 litres) to find that they had sold out, the long life and powdered milk was all gone too, so I shopped for any other things that I needed and started home to "Black tea", eugh!!!.

In almost the same spot my back tricked out again and this time the spasm went on for longer and yes, you guessed it, there were people about and some quite concerned, saying, was I alright and that they had thought that I had been hit by machine gun fire, others that I was doing a "Thaw dance" those that know me, just took it for a normal attention seeking reaction, when nobody was paying me any attention.:o)). I was dissapointed that there was no milk after my effort to which end I visited the shop once again in the afternoon, possibly to experience the friendly attitude of the other residents as much as to actually get milk, and still I didn`t manage to get any, as once again the siege mentality of us Brits kicked in and as soon as the delivery came in it was gone.

On my way back I passed the son of a friend of mine who was unloading his car, and we chatted for a while about why I was walking like one of the Marx brothers ( he periodically having back problems too, simpathised) and I mentioned that I hadn`t been able to get any milk and he immediately produced a bottle and gave it to me. He having just been to the main Tescos and aquired enough to keep both his and his parental family going "for a few days" so a result. He wouldn`t take any money for it, and so I walked home rejoicing!!!! carefully of course :o)). I got home without incident other than a few more strange looks (Quasimodo isn`t seen much on the streets of Leatherhed these days)

I repeated the exercise the next day just to keep my back repairing itself and for the exercise I guess, (I can crash my car in good weather! let alone snow, and I certainlydidn`t fancy digging it out yet, for the obvious reasons) I passed my friend son (also called Robin) who had his son playing in the snowand helping him to build the biggest snow man that I yet seen, he was just finishing the body. I asked his son ( five years old) if he was going to throw a snowball at me to whit he hit me square in the face with one. I picked up a large lump of soft snow and stuck it on his head and a good time was had by all. I mentioned that I was going up to the shop again and that if I brought him a carrot would he like it for the snowmans nose. His reply was Bu*ger I`ll have to finish it now, :o)) I replaced his bottle of milk with thanks and supplied him with a huge carrot which he duly used as the nose.

On the way out for a meal that evening I took my friends and wife along to have a look at Robins superb snowman, only to find that the head had been smashed and the body partly depleted (apparently it had happened in the late afternoon ( after school) when kids had run onto his land and done the deed! what a waste, what on earth gets into the heads of thes kids when they do something like this? I was told later that this had happened all over my small village, I felt really sorry for Robin`s son in particular who had enjoyed helping his dad make it. :o((