Take A Walk On The Mostly Mild Side

 




Under the present lockdown rules in the greater Melbourne area, we, the people are allowed two one hour recreation/exercise times beyond our dwellings. Such activities must occur within a five kilometre radius of your home address. Face masks are mandatory. 

No problem. I take my walk early most days to avoid the inevitable casual wanderers and path cloggers. I like a vigorous walk. I use the time to clear my head, sort out my plans for the day and to observe the world just in case an idea presents itself. I want to be ready to receive it. I am further soothed by my sonic cocoon. Music and movement set me on my way.

Most of my morning walks present as a form of splendid isolation, where not much in the way of uneventful things happen...

That was until yesterday- About thirty minutes into my walk serenity began to evaporate. Without warning I found myself being dive-bombed by an agitated Noisy Myna Bird. Being dived once is annoying. Three times is totally unsettling. I was guilty of passing through the bird's territory and the bombing raid was ferocious and sustained. All in a flap and feathers flying. Zoom and zoom again close to my head, my ears. Attack from behind each time. Such a snarky bird. My gait quickened. Message received- please leave the area!


As I regained composure my walk took me along the esplanade bordering the bay. As I walked the pathway, a boy aged about 9-10 suddenly whizzed past me from behind, aboard his bike. He got about twenty metres in front of me when his swift and hurried pedalling was abruptly halted when his bike collided with a small white car emerging from a driveway. 

He was thrown onto the path and the bike was pushed to the grassy verge. As I rushed to see if he was okay the driver of the car jumped out, breathless and quite obviously concerned for the boy. He clutched his leg and looked quite bewildered by events . Fortunately he was quite okay apart from a bruised shin and a degree of shock. The driver also shocked by the suddenness of events unfolding at 8.00 am in the morning. She kept insisting- 'I wasn't going fast, I wasn't going fast.' I informed her I had seen it all unfold and indeed she wasn't going fast. 

 The boy's mother rode up on her bike and remaining calm re-assured her son and mercifully the much concerned driver. I picked up the bicycle, and noting it was undamaged, lent it against the fence. I felt it was okay to continue walking. Calm was being restored and the boy had his mother to attend to him. 

I was almost home when I rounded a corner and encountered a fellow walker dressed in active wear and fashionable sneakers. It was then I noticed her face mask around her neck, enabling her to smoke a cigarette as she walked. Such an incongruous sighting. Dressed to impress as a sporting devotee while simultaneously dragging on a lung buster!

I would not forget this outing...

Writer, Fay Weldon once wrote- Nothing happens and nothing happens, and then everything happens.' 

So true Fay, so true. 




Comments

  1. Carol Varsalona29 September 2020 at 16:28

    Alan, your morning was quite a mix of beautiful scenery, a disruptive snarky bird, and an accident. That is enough to take my breath away. I thought of the movie "The Birds" while reading that portion of your slice and was greatly relieved that you did not look like the victim after the attach in that movie. My slice is another segment of my Embraceable Summer Gallery and am hoping that you would offer your first photo that is just stunning with those colors for the gallery. Of course, if you would like to add a short poem, I would be thrilled to add your work. Enjoy your day and hope for nothing more to happen.

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    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright30 September 2020 at 10:02

      Thank you for your kind remarks Carol. It was a little reminiscent of The Birds now that I think of it. It was my Tippi Hedren moment, though I fared a little better. I share follow up your suggestion. Glad you liked my photo.

      Delete
  2. Dogtrax29 September 2020 at 19:50

    I love your nature writing, of capturing the world in motion, even in these difficult times.
    Kevin

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright30 September 2020 at 10:05

      Thank you Kevin. I think our writing becomes a more critical act of faith in these times of challenge. The world continues to move as you say. We must note the changes in ourselves and those occurring around us.

      Delete
  3. Stacey Shubitz30 September 2020 at 03:47

    Your writing and photos make me wish I could get out early in the mornings for a sunrise walk. However, with my kids being little, it makes it difficult to mobilize anyone for anything these days! (Much as I'd like to go in the afternoons, work takes precedence at that time of day.)

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    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright30 September 2020 at 10:08

      I do have the luxury of being able to just 'go' Stacey. But I do have to be back in time to greet the arrival of my Granddaughter who we care for while her mother works from home. It is interesting all the paraphernalia required just to get out of the house these days. Your time will come...

      Delete
  4. Joanne30 September 2020 at 12:07

    What a morning! I have traded my early morning walks for a mid morning walk with my Grandson who we watch while his parents are working from home. I love walking with him but do miss at time the early quiet walk alone. You have a much nicer view and walk than I but I will enjoy the little pond and the geese that I go by each day.

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    1. Alan j Wright30 September 2020 at 13:20

      It was a memorable morning Joanne. Like you, I appreciate the solitude that an early morning walk delivers. I do have some wonderful views on my various walks, but I would also enjoy seeing your pond and its geese or something equally bucolic on my wandering pathways.

      Delete
  5. Fran Haley30 September 2020 at 20:48

    Good heavens, Alan - so much for your peaceful walk in solitude!

    First: I am thankful the boy - and for that matter, the horrified driver - are okay. And you, as the witness!

    That is one fierce-looking myna. I wonder why it was so aggressive... what was it defending?

    I have to say that the myna reminds me of a favorite book read to me as a child, about the animals of Australia; it is a place I've always wanted to visit. I mourned, deeply, over the losses in the fires at the beginning of this unbelievable year.

    The walker with the cigarette: Incongruous for sure. A nurse friend of mine once told me of a patient who, following surgery, was smoking via a cigarette placed in the open tracheotomy hole...

    Lastly, I love your wordplay in the title - the substitution of 'mild' for 'wild' was a heads up that something interesting was in store, and boy, was that true! The Weldon quote rings true again, as do the Bard's: All's well that ends well (whew!).

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    1. Alan j Wright2 October 2020 at 16:13

      Thank you for your thorough response Fran. My walk was indeed the antithesis of calm and solitude- but it was memorable. Glad you noted the wordplay in the title. All ended well and for that I can be most thankful. Cheers.

      Delete
  6. Karen3 October 2020 at 21:26

    What a walk! You have captured it perfectly, and I really love your word choices. (“Music cocoon” is my favourite.) I think I’m glad we don’t have mynah birds where I live! 😉

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    1. Alan j Wright4 October 2020 at 10:21

      Thank you Karen for your kind remarks. Up until this point I had no concerns regarding the Mynas. They are usually territorial and aggressive towards other birds such as magpies and wattle birds, but I had never found myself in such a situation. That Noisy Myna ruffled my feathers, no doubt about it.

      Delete

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