Sprung Feet

On the radio today was a programme called ‘Go For It’, a children’s programme with the presenter Barney Harwood. Today they had several children in talking about grief and loss with the children’s poet laureate, Michael Rosen, who had lost his son to meningitis. I sat with my hands over my face trying not to get tears on my keyboard (a recurring hazard these days) listening to them so sweetly grappling with the intricacies of grief. One child turned to the poet and asked with such sincere worry ‘Are you alright?’ The poet blinked and really, really thought about it. ‘Yes’ he said. ‘Thank you…thank you for asking.’

Yesterday I was feeling a bit anxious as my Mum heads off on her ‘grand European Adventure’ in a couple of days. I feel quite mollified as it has usually been me disappearing without a second thought to ‘somewhere else’. Quite a different thing when shoe (even with new insole) is on other foot. Anyway, to pull myself together I went, on my new springy feet, shoes full of foam, for a long walk in the hot spring sunshine. It was marvellous. My legs felt half my age….and I was thrilled. Unfortunately I shouldn’t have gone quite so far and for quite so long without checking the foam fitted the shoe properly. After a couple of hours I had more blisters then foam, and collapsed annoyed on the banks of the Cam unable to take another step. I called a friend with a bike who came to the rescue but now I can’t wear any shoes except clogs. Hopeless.