Balaclavas and bears

Tony and Barry had one. I reckon half the kids in our class had one. But I didn’t. My mum wouldn’t even listen to me.

        ‘You’re not having a balaclava! What do you want a balaclava for in the middle of the summer?’

        I must have told her about ten times why I wanted a balaclava.

       ‘I want one so that I can join the Balaclava Boys . . . ‘

       ‘Go and wash your hands for tea, and don’t be so silly’

 The Fib and other stories – George Layton.

So this morning I had a phonecall from Bob. 

      "Steve .. I'd like some advice about balaclavas"

We'd agreed that today we'd ride down the Gloucester-Sharpness canal towpath to Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands centre. The only problem being that .. this morning .. the temperature was registering 0.5 degrees.

     

      "Thermofleece Bob. Definitely not wool. If you find something good, I'll have one too."

The last time I had a balaclava it was a Mountain Equipment Thermofleece - and I'd lost it in Glencoe after taking it off to dig a snowhole. Warm work digging snowholes. Prior to that I'd been about six, and it had been heavy, itchy wool.

Just after lunch Bob duly arrived with two balaclavas and off we went, wending our way across the great divide between Cheltenham and Gloucester to find our canal towpath.

It was cold beside the canal. And grey. And derelict. But our spirits were lifted when we spotted two bears asleep on a bridgekeepers bench, and had a friendly chat with the man himself.

     

 "This time last year," he said, "The bridge expanded in the heat, and we had real problems getting it open." 

So here we are, four days into Spring, and the yet the weather, contrary as ever, has decided to retain the character of Winter, and keep us waiting for warmth.

Is it any wonder then that, last week, in a fit of pique, we booked a holiday to Mallorca.

Looking across to the Severn Estuary from the Gloucester to Sharpness canal.