I know the meaning of the term “to hobble” for that is what I am mostly doing at the moment.
My current job is distributing leaflets. Unlike most of the non-computer based work I do this one is freelance, I guess, in that I’m doing it all self-employed like. For a nice lump of cash I will deliver one leaflet to every resident in the Moseley area. So far I’ve presented 2,000 of them with a nice shiny sheet of folded A4 paper telling them all about Moseley In Bloom. This has taken me two days and about 16 hours. At a rough guess based on an average walking speed of 4 miles per hour, allowing for breaks and the like, I’ve covered 50 miles so far which makes up a little over one third of the total area to cover.
I has become somewhat clear to me these last 48 hours that I have not been doing jobs involving too much physical exertion of late. 18 months ago, fresh off the farm, I was in relatively tip-top shape. Working on the bins or whatnot proved no problem for me. Now, while I’m still fairly fit, at least compared to most of my peers, I’m not the superman I was. Or, at least, I’m not able to walk 25 miles a day without some serious recovery time.
But I’m not moaning or nuffin, because I know it’ll get better. I’m just out of practice, or at least my legs are out of practice. They need to mend and when they do they’ll be more powerful that you can possibly imagine. But right now I’m hobbling.
When I started the job on Wednesday, all full of energy and bounding away, I marveled at how old people would take as long to walk down the street as I despite my covering three times the distance. Walking home from the bus stop, all cold and damp from being caught in the hail earlier, I watched helpless as normal people bounded across the road while I had to wait in the knowledge that it would take me longer than usual to cross. I’m all stiff and bandy legged, like a pensioner. (If you’re wondering how I’m actually able to do the job, once I warm up the pain goes. It’s just after sitting for a few minutes that the hobble kicks in.)
On the plus side I’m working in the fresh air and the more often than not sunshine and by the time it’s all over I’ll be fucking fit. So enough with the moaning. I’m hobbling off to bed.
I will look forward to getting my leaflet and finding out all about Moseley in Bloom.
Is “fucking fit” like “fighting fit” but more fun?
Got my leaflet yesterday, so thanks. Arrived at the same time as something that looked like a free newspaper but wasn’t. Guess there are lots of people walking the streets of Moseley around now…
Yeah, I noticed I seemed to be following some rabid political rag though I didn’t check it out. Lots of pavement pounders about at the moment – must be an election due…
Bit cheeky but could I hijack some of your readers to offer thier memories about the generic shoolgame It/Had/Tag?
We’ve found london split between players of It/Had and He(!) but my guess would be some of the more West Midlandsy people who read here will have played “Tig”?
Anyway it reminded me off something you might find people here talking about so if anyone feels to drop some more geography on the comments:
http://www.abitnice.com/archives/000151.html#comments