Bubble Race

Number 7 in Timms Times — a blogger’s view from 2014

Chasing Bubbles is not what you expect senior citizens to be doing. Marilyn, my wife, is redeveloping her ability to walk after a knee replacement, and yesterday was the first decent walking day for a week. Previous days had been spent splashing through puddles in pouring rain, or repeatedly walking supermarket aisles, while the worst British floods for 200 years were developing.

But yesterday, the sun was out — briefly — as we emerged for a walk alongside the excellent anti-flooding channels through a park in our home area, Coopers Edge. Marilyn leaned on her crutches while we gazed down at the bubbles on the racing muddy stream below us. I foolishly said that the water was flowing about as fast as we could walk — and quick as a splash, Marilyn was off, taking the extra long strides that crutches make possible. The bubbles lasted for at least 200 yards, and so did Marilyn’s sprinting.

At the end of the day yesterday, Marilyn’s legs, arms, and shoulders were more than a bit sore. But she saw the funny side. The stream’s bubbles had burst  — but Marilyn’s bubble was still perfectly intact.

16 February 2014