Author Archives: Roads

149. In at the deep end – Stratford 220 Sprint Triathlon

Posted on 16 May, 2007 | 11 comments

It’s not even 9 on Sunday morning, and already I’m out of my depth.

Looking out of my new goggles and through a bubble-strewn maelstrom of churning waters, I can see the floor of the pool falling away far beneath me, and just for a moment, I consider drowning.

The truth is, I’m into new territory here. Way out of my comfort zone.

stratford-220-sprint-tri-swimI’d thought it only in concentration camps that arrivals were routinely branded, until the ruthlessly efficient blonde by the desk had smilingly scrawled numbers onto my flesh.

And a few minutes later, fearfully lined up in numerical order beside the pool, we’d all edged nervously forwards towards our fate. This was something different. We weren’t just starting a race – we were being processed.
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11 Comments

Posted in 2007, racing, Shakespeare Country, summer, triathlon

148. Farewell to Tony Blair

Posted on 11 May, 2007 | 2 comments

tony-tony-tony-by-sifter-flickrcom

The manner and style of yesterday’s resignation speech showed just how much of a presidential style of politics Tony Blair has brought us. We elected a Prime Minister, and created a President, and I’m sure that was never quite our intention, even if it was maybe his.

blair-bush-baby-by-suzannelong-flickrcomLooking back now, over these past ten years, and the reality which finally emerged from the long-held dream of a Labour government, what should we decide to make of Tony Blair ?

The press reviews are rightly mixed this week, as we witness both British and US soldiers perishing, for the most part pointlessly, each and every day.

And beyond Baghdad and back at home, it’s clear to anyone that this government is tired, and has been lame for far too long as it awaits the departure of the king.
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2 Comments

Posted in 2007, Iraq, politics

147. Eurydice – from this blackened earth

Posted on 2 May, 2007 | 5 comments

eurydice-by-steve-w-flickrcomSometimes the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls.

Walking from Waterloo Station to the City of London, you can read this entire poem along the underpass.

Eurydice, by Sue Hubbard

Related articles:
142. South Bank spring – Tate Modern, London
14. A London favourite – running on the South Bank
80. Paul Simon – lines from an English railway platform
36. The Embankment, inspiration and reality
11. London Snow by Robert Bridges

5 Comments

Posted in 2007, London, music, poetry

46. On the front line – Crawley’s echoes of Madrid

Posted on 30 April, 2007 | 2 comments

The London bombers of 21st July 2004 were convicted today, including Omar Khyam and Jawad Akbar, from Crawley.

(This article was first published here on 01st April 2004; see also the 7/7 attacks on London and further writing under Iraq).

Every week, since December, I’ve run this route. And all those months, I’ve run past that house, safely unaware that someone inside was planning to kill me.

iraq-war-protests-basra-madrid-woking

It’s just seven miles, but in many ways it’s a microcosm of England. Starting alongside factories, warehouses and office blocks, across the main road by the new shopping park, and through the bleak housing estates. Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in 2004, Iraq, Spain

146. School cross-country – Clandon Park 10 km

Posted on 25 April, 2007 | 10 comments

clandon-park-run-2007.jpgBack to the beginning.

The school playing field, on a Saturday, was a place I never knew. The only time I saw it, as substitute at hockey. we won 3-1, but the hockey coach refused to bring me on. I wasn’t picked again.

Now, thirty years later, I’m on the playing field again. I’ve picked up my number from the teachers in the gym, and ticked my name off on the list. And this time I’m ready, more or less.

There are a few of those long-nosed and lanky-legged running club runners you so often see in a local race – I can see them warming up around the track. But there are many more nervous housewives and out-of-training Dads, sipping anxiously on their water bottles. Revenge for a school career of sporting failures lies tantalisingly within my reach.
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10 Comments

Posted in 2007, Guildford, racing, Surrey and Sussex

145. Roads of Stone update

Posted on 23 April, 2007 | 4 comments

This site has moved to a new dedicated domain at http://roadsofstone.com
– so please update your RSS feeds and outgoing links accordingly.

guildford-high-street-21-april-2007.jpgRe-directs are in place and everything else remains the same.

Meanwhile, there is more writing on the way … so thanks for reading.

– Roads

Related articles:
1. Chicago 1, London 3
48. Chaucer’s April
134. Before the mast: Pewley Down, Guildford
13. A winter night’s fartlek – Guildford town and track
121. Hot in the city – Billy Idol at Guilfest

4 Comments

Posted in 2007, Guildford