We're really into spring now and the first three signs are there on Winter Hill:- larks (or as FSS would say 'laverocks') ascendent, curlews calling and a frog run over on the mast road.
There begins my story. I was most ways through my Extended Climbs session, having run from the Top Barn to Noon Hill, then down to George's Lane, up to the Trig Point, down and up the Ramp, with just Two Lads and the Pike to go, when there he was. Not run over, but seemingly injured. Only managing little jumps (frogs don't hop, hopping is done on one leg) and making very poor progress towards the pool inside the mast enclosure. Every time he landed his legs went all skew wiff and he had to untangle them before his next attempt. It was obvious that he wouldn't be able to clear the little concrete wall that underpins the wire fence; so I went into Good Samaritan mode.
Overcoming my dislike of all things slimey and wriggly I picked him up and, baulking at the thought of throwing him over the fence, I entered the enclosure to drop him over the lower rail that surrounds the pool. Unfortunately he landed on his back so I leaned over to right him and at that moment heard an authoritative voice demanding to know what I was doing. I began to offer a brief explanation but was interrupted by the same voice telling me in no uncertain terms to get out. I was hoping to be able to admit that my explanation may have seemed a trifle lame but decided not to enrage the owner of the voice further and as I leaned over the fence to give Freddie (by now we were on first name terms) a final nudge, I felt something crack at the bottom of my ribcage - and it wasn't the fence.
So there we go. Possibly some exaggeration and sensationalism (I am from a family of journalists and a Daily Mail reader to boot) in the headline, but much of the above is true. I can still run, but coughing is painful. Hopefully the pain will subside reasonably soon.
I have no picture of Freddie, but for those of who don't know what a frog looks like:-
2 comments:
What's an intelligent man like you doing reading the Daily Mail? Isn't that an oxymoron?
Are you hopping mad?
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