Autumn & Winter

I ran to work on Thursday morning. It was the most enjoyable run of the year. It was early and apart from a rogue cyclist I had the path to myself. I follow a path that matches the old railway line that linked Luton to Welwyn Garden City and my tired old legs are cushioned by a carpet of leaves. The maturity of the foliage makes for the illusion that you are running through a tunnel of golden browns and green with shards of sunlight breaking through it really is easy for me to dispel the Big bang theory. 

Can such beauty be caused by coincidence?  

I look at it this way. Whatever made us, created something that he wanted us to enjoy. And although WE are doing a good job at buggering it up, I’d suggest it’s difficult not to argue that it is a beautiful world, and where it’s not, that’s usually down to man. 

So if there is a higher being and he created something for us to enjoy, would that not imply that he loves us? I mean, I wouldn’t do Hitler a favour. It’s one of the reasons why I so love autumn. It’s not just the climate, the scenery, the freshness but it’s also a great bridge between the joy of summer and the misery of winter. If winter is a necessity, then thank God it doesn’t follow summer. Imagine how miserable we would be if overnight we changed from daylight until ten to never seeing daylight outside of office hours. 

There is an illness called SAD (Seasonably Adjusted Disorder) and its people who get depressed because they don’t get enough UVA in the winter. My business partner had it and had to have this bright lamp in the office. It was like having an apparition of an angel, and it caused havoc with all the planes flying into Luton airport at night but it did the job. 

But for the workers among us, lack of sunlight can be a real problem. We drive to work before dawn and we sit in our enclosed offices with its artificial light and then we drive home anytime after 4pm and its already pitch black. I’m fortunate that I have a shower at work which affords me the opportunity to go for a 35 minute run at lunchtime. Ah, sunlight!

But even for the most dedicated of runners there’s the horrible tension between festive calorie intake and pounding frost covered pavements. Some runners like the cold, but blokes in tights is just not a look I’m ever happy to embrace. Bright yellow gloves & matching beanie are also an acquired taste! 

Need i say more!

 Having said that, they obviously breed them hard in Luton as I’ve seen countless nigh time runners wearing all black! C’mon guys, do you have a death wish? One year I was bought a flashing armband, and although I did feel like a Christmas tree I also did feel decidedly safe. And I guess that’s the message: If we are going to stay running in the winter in the dark to counter the inevitable calorie attack, lets make sure we can be seen, even if we look stupid to the people that can see us.

Talking of Christmas, loving the ads more than the telly. Streets ahead, even though they have Lily Allen singing (& her attitude does grate with me) is John Lewis who have equalled their feelgood offering of last year with the little boy who couldn’t wait for Christmas day so that he could give everyone their presents.  Who would have thought a rabbit could have inappropriate thoughts about a bear.

Ahh, true love xx

M&S is pretty sassy too, and I don’t even mind Ferrero Roche but then anything was better than the awful ‘oh ambassador you spoil us’ drivel, but the two that need to be removed from our screens are Morrissons and the Samsung Galaxy ads. What’s so annoying about those ads is that they have great content within the sentimental drivel. To me Ant & Dec are comedy genius and the sole reason (other than Joey Essex (is he for real?)) to watch ‘Help I’m a celebrity’, but those inane faces they pull as they are introduced to a platter of festive fayre by a superimposed gingerbread man are enough to make me vomit up my pancetta!

Comedy genius

Proper blokes

 

Similarly, the engineer in the cargo ship who face-times his family has a Slade soundtrack, brilliant! I mean, they were no Mott The Hoople but they could produce a tune. But Mr engineer if you are wealthy enough to own a Samsung galaxy, sire three kids and own a dog (no I’m not talking about the wife) you can afford to take Christmas day off! Perhaps I’m not living in the real world, but a similar Christmas ad which does resonate with regards to estranged families is Sainsburys where they are making a video Christmas message for their Dad serving in the armed forces and all of a sudden he appears through the door. Pure class, and an opportune time to salute all our boys who will be serving in hostile lands away from their families this Christmas. God bless you all sirs!