Colurful Character- The 'You won't believe what I saw' mental

The other day, Liam, Alex and my bad self were walking from Heaton to town. As we were sauntering along, I saw a gent on a bicycle in the distance. I was waiting to check out his bike (Bikes are pretty, so what?!), so watching intently. As he got closer, I saw it was an elderly gent. I LOVE seeing old people on bikes, so was filled with a little self-satidfied spark. It was shortlived.

He pulled over.
He said "Hey, lads, you'll never believe what I saw on Northumberland Street today!"
I'm the kind of chap who will always humour somebody who comes across as a bit crazy, as it's hilarious, and just because I'm pretty nice and well mannered anyway (Mostly). I said "Go on then, what'd you see?"

He leaned a bit closer… he lowered his speaking volume… He went "A bloke, with two wooden legs! But the funny thing was… He had both if his real feet…"

With that, he cycled off. Seriously, like, that was it! He pulled over, took a few seconds from his day (And remember, he was old, time isn't exactly on his side), confused us, and left. MENTAL!

I loved him, he was everything I look for in an eccentric- dressed a bit unorthodox, riding a bike, trouser legs tucked into socks, funny voice and one big mental personality trait… Awesome. I really, REALLY hope I see him again!

His bike was a rusty pile of scrap metal, by the way.

The first day

So, this is the first post on the blog. I really just want to go on about things that are happening in this City, from people I've seen to things I've noticed.

I'm currently fighting the fading effects of swine flu, and although I didn't want to buy in to such a fashionable illness, I thought 'Maybe theres something in it', and took the sicknote from my doctor (who I like a lot- she's real nice). I was in town today, on Northumberland Street, after my visit to the surgery, and in around ten minutes I saw a couple things that really made me think a bit .
I saw two police officers giving what looked like the hassling of a lifetime to a woman. She had a kid with her, I'm presuming her son. One policeman was talking to her, the other was holding the boy. She was talking and getting a bit excitable and the little boy was crying real loud. I don't know what had happened, but we assumed she may have been caught shoplifting, what with the footsoldiers attitudes. What will happen to that little boy? Will he be taken to the police station to ait with his mum or will he be taken to a guardians place or..? I dunno. But it wasn't nice to watch. The woman was foreign, or at least speaking in a foreign accent. I hope that boy has somewhere he can go so he doesn't have to wait in the station, it's a totally un-rad environment, especially for youngsters.

My mood was lifted within five minutes though, when I saw an elderly gent* walking along the street in a fully hilarious style. He looked like he had just stepped out of a time machine, he was really frantic, looked a little worried and was seemingly very curious. He made me smile. I wonder if that dude has family, or friends he hangs with, or maybe a walking partner, who joins him in his excited stumbles around the city centre. Either way, he was crucial.

I'm gonna update accordingly, as my mind wanders.

* For those interested in the elderly, you should check out my firend Nialls zine, 'The Elderly'. contact Niall via his blog www.llainsevaerg.blogspot.com