Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Back to Reality

It was back to earth with a bang on Sunday morning, as I had to take the Munch (smallest Birdwatcher nick named after Mickey the "Munch" Skinner) and four of his friends to Stockport bowling. Because we don't have a big enough car, we had to throw ourselves on the mercy of pubic transport. There is a perfectly good train service from Buxton to Stockport. It takes about forty minutes and on the occasions that I have used it, it is rarely late. However since time began there have been engineering works on the line somewhere between the two Stations, which means that every Sunday the service is reduced and you have to take a bus from Buxton part way to Stockport and then pick up the train again. It adds considerably to the journey as it meanders through the highways and byeways of the Peak District stopping to pick up from Dove Holes (ugliest village in England apparently), Chapel en le Frith, and Whaley Bridge before returning to the A6 and the extensive road works near New Mills. Of course no one gets on or off and these stops, but stop we do and wait for several minutes just on the off chance that someone might want to get on. The lads were very quiet. I thought they would be. All I could hear from the back of the bus was the sound of gentle snoring. In addition to taking his mates bowling the Munch had what is inaccurately called a sleepover on Saturday night. I vetoed their attempt at staying up all night at around 4.00am, and Mrs BW dismissed all appeals threatening deportation with hard labour at 5.00am. We got them up at 8.30am and they all seemed rather tired.

The Bowling went okay, though being Mr Grumpy I find the loud music and inane cartoon jokes on the scoreboard irritating. Then it was off to Pizza Shed for lunch. Why they bothered to choose toppings for the Pizza is beyond me. We spent hours debating whether to have meat or vegetable toppings and then all they did was scrap the toppings off and eat the Pizza base. It made no sense to me, but then I am old and do not understand the ways of the young anymore.
They seemed to enjoy it anyway which was the main thing.

7 comments:

Kim Ayres said...

When I was a kid and my dad would take me and a dozen friends somwhere, we would all pile in the back, with a few in the boot.

Life got easier when he bought a hatchback

The Birdwatcher said...

:) We once piled seven into my MGBGT, four of them were nurses. I didn't make it any easier but it was much more fun.

I, Like The View said...

I used to eat the toppings off pizzas and leave the base. . .

now I opt for a salad

much easier but not as much fun

;-)

(actually that's in Pizza Express - not the Shed; I remember the Shed in student days tho, where one used to build a kind of upside down Millenium Dome out of breadsticks and cucumber slices and therefore cram three times as much salad into one's bowl)

Barry Lawrence said...

Fear not!! You are not alone in standing at the "poor, bewildered and old" end of the ground.
Never forget, the world today has branded us weird and out of touch because we think a) sleep-overs involve sleep, b) train journeys involve trains not trains and buses and c) delicious and good-for-you toppings on pizzas are what make them appetising and distinguishable, one from another.
It's not so much that my wife doesn't understand me, it's that I don't understand ANYTHING anymore!

fiwa said...

wow, 4 young boys on public transit. that is brave, but I guess they were probably sedated by the lack of sleep. Hmmm... the bowling does sound a bit frentic. I remember going to midnight rock&bowl where they would turn off the overhead lights and only light up the lanes and pins, and of course play rock music. those were the days...

The Birdwatcher said...

ILTV - It was a hut not a shed, but I too remember the as much salad as you can eat deals. Happy carefree days.

Reg - Its the modern world. I don't even understand the language anymore. The Weasel in particular is incomprehensible, except when she wants something. Mind you humour transends the generations. I played them some old Monty Python clips that they thought were really funny.

The Birdwatcher said...

Fiwa - They were comatose o the bus. People gave me funny looks as if too say have you given these kids something? I retreated behnd the paper and read of Englands semi final glory.