Tuesday 4 June 2013

We've Taken To The Streets

Sonata:
 I sat in the sun with  no socks on today . Oh , the heady delights of a Dutch summer ! In fact , all Leeuwarden has crept out of their burrows and , blinking , rushed outdoors . On Sunday , I sat toasting on the balcony as a mini marathon pounded past the end of the street .


 Now it's the turn of the Four Evenings Walk , where anyone keen can sign up to walk a  5 , 10 or 15 kilometres route each evening for four days  , with a medal for those who complete the challenge  . Hundreds of children join in each year . In rainbow colours and all chattering nineteen to the dozen , they were like  flights of cockatoos .


 I look forward to their return tomorrow . I do like to see other people keepng fit .
 Mind you , there was a downside of the sudden ending of winter/spring ( indistinguishable this year ) and that was the resurrection of The Shorts . No , not mine ... I last wore shorts fifty-odd years ago ..... but Husband's . I'd hoped to lose them in the move but of course they came along , too  !  So ,  when he appeared this morning in the checked bloomery things again , any vague plans for taking a picnic lunch upstream and breathing hearty country air vanished .
 Instead , we joined the procession of mature couples heading towards C & A gents'  department  . The queue for the changing rooms consisted solely of sheepish men and their steely-eyed wives .By the looks of it , by tomorrow   there won't be a flapping trouser leg to be seen  in Friesland    . And by the time we're  sitting by the river under a tree tomorrow, eating our sandwiches , I hope Husband has forgiven me !.

9 comments:

Tattieweasle said...

Ah yes men's shorts! Luckily my darling one decided this year that he really didn't have the legs for shorts anymore...I feel rather sad about that!

English Rider said...

Pray tell us what the men's fashion short is this season?

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

Well , C&A's probably not the best place to find it , whatever it is . But we left with two pairs of khaki unflappy ones .... and no blood was shed .

Marcheline said...

No one ever told me that the most difficult part of marriage is keeping one's husband in appropriate clothing! Mine loves sweatpants and over-large tee shirts, and throws a fit when I suggest going shopping for proper clothes for, you know, actually going out of the house in. Sadly, I am not a good enough shopper to be able to buy him clothing that fits without his actually being there to try it on. So....

Liz Hinds said...

If the sandwich is tasty enough he will forgive you i'm sure.

Is that a canal at the end of your road?

What a great idea the Four Evenings Walk is.

molly said...

I think that may be one of the real reasons men get married ---they need someone to dress them properly. Thanks for the laugh! Steely eyed wives leading sheepish men by the nose into a department store on a day fit for a picnic! Hope you got out to the riverbank the next day in the spiffy new shorts!

rachel said...

That made me laugh.... The Gardener has accused me of culling his clothes, as indeed I have, but only in a fit of desperation. Holey t-shirts and saggy baggy boxer shorts..... ghastly!

Friko said...

Well? Has he forgiven you?

My heart invariably sinks when Beloved comes up with his idea for suitable going out apparel. We also invariably row about it; in the end he will give in, with a very bad grace, and wear something I suggest.

Luckily, it’s still too cold for shorts in the UK.
Those skinny white legs!

love those cupcakes said...

Fortunately the mister here never wears shorts. However, he does insist on wearing hats. And I never know whether to laugh or cry.