Part one in what may be a new vaguely regular series, where I document people who I’ve met, seen, or run away from who are somewhat strange.
The Ramblers
A couple of weeks ago, as I was out for a walk, I came across three ramblers. I could tell they were ramblers, because they had woolly hats (even though it was warm), North Face branded coats, and expensive looking carbon fibre walking sticks. One of them had a plastic covered map, and round their neck hung a compass.
We were walking towards each other along a public footpath that ran the length of a field. I say footpath, it was more of a dirt track that clearly had cars drive up and down it as evidenced by the furrows of mud either side of a grass line. One end of the track did have a wooden pillar with which to prevent vehicular access, but judging from the sorry state of the pillar at the time, someone obviously forgot to tell said vehicles.
All three ramblers were Ladies of a Certain Age. As in, I’d say, late 40s to mid-50s. They were chattering amongst themselves whilst they looked at the map between them, and then just a few yards before I passed them, the lead LoaCA (Rambler-in-Chief, I surmised, as she had the compass) stopped dead.
She started poking at something on the ground with the end of her walking stick, excitedly oohing and aahing.
Look at this one! Just look! I wonder what sort of dog did this?
Surely she was not. I slowed. One of the other LoaCAs peered over her glasses.
Oh yes! It must have been a big one. It’s an odd colour. I wonder what it must have eaten?
They were. Rambler-in-Chief continued prodding.
It’s quite soft. I don’t think it has been here very long.
I couldn’t quite believe it. These ladies had not only discovered a large dog egg, they were poking at it with a walking stick and discussing the type of dog that produced it and what said dog may have eaten.
The ramblers appeared to be on a dog poo discovery expedition. I left them to it, and a couple of minutes down the track I looked back to find them still huddled round it.
People are strange.
