Plans

[ladyofastolat]

Last year, when Pellinor was away during the late May Bank Holiday weekend, I walked the coastal path. Naturally, this one occurrence is enough to make this a thing. So this year, knowing that he would be away during this first May Bank Holiday weekend, I decided to walk the coastal path again. Because it's tradition now, isn't it? I always walk the Coastal Path when he's away for a Bank Holiday weekend. It is known. It's a little more challenging this year, since I have got to* fit it around getting up at 3.30 a.m. on Monday and tromping around on the Downs watching Morris dancing. Also, for various reasons (bus times, a later finishing time, less daylight than in late May), I don't think I'll be able to do what I did last year, and get a dozen miles under my belt after work on Saturday, so it must all be done on the Sunday and Monday. But I think that's doable.

The trouble is, the weather forecast is turning more and more rainy every time I look at it. The following conversations have ensued.

Everyone at work: Of course, if it's raining badly, you just won't do it.
Me: No, if it's raining badly, I'll just get wet.
Everyone at work: But WHY? It's not as if you HAVE to do it.
Me: YES I DO! *pause* Okay, no, no I don't, but... but...!
Everyone at work: But what?
Me: I've planned to do it! If I don't do it not, I'll feel all disgruntled and disappointed and grumpy with myself.
Everyone at work: Why?
Me: Because it was The Plan! So I'm doing it, whatever the weather. Because it's The Plan!

I don't think any of them understand. I should probably talk myself round to their way of thinking, but... but... it's The Plan!

* To be fair, there's no "got to" about this. It's not even my dance team that does the dancing. It's Pellinor team, and is he going? No, he's not. He's up in a field near Stoke on Trent smiting evil. I'm just going as a spectator, and an eager participant in the post-dancing cooked breakfast - good fuel for the 30+ miles that will lie ahead of me. But this, too, is The Plan. I've done it every year for at least 15 years, and will feel equally disgruntled and disappointed and grumpy if I miss it.

And, hey, if I get up at the crack of dawn and get soaking wet, I can feel all the more virtuous and deserving of post-walk chips. :-D

Comments

[bunn.livejournal.com]

I like walking in the rain. It's a pity that my current hounds don't. But there are probably practical reasons that make it harder doing a really long walk?

LOL at THE PLAN. Are you SURE you aren't a Dark Lord? Doing things Because There Is a Plan is a very Dark Lord thing to do.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's actively harder, as such - unless it's wet enough for everywhere to turn into hideous squelch which must be slowly picked through. But when the scenery is lost behind grey mist and rain is dripping in my eyes and leaking through invisible holes in my waterproof, I find the walk becoming much more about endurance than pleasure.

I don't think I can be a Dark Lord. A Dark Lord wouldn't do the wet walk himself, but would delegate it to minions. He'd only take to the coastal path himself in the final book of a multi-book series, and his Dark Aura and/or incorporeality would be enough to protect him from the rain. You will never see a Dark Lord wearing a cagoule.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

At this time of year, I tend to just assume that skin is more waterproof than a kagoule and just get wet and enjoy the fogshapes in the mist... But that would be risky going long distance, I suspect.

It's true, a cagoule is simply not a Dark Lord garment.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

But a K'ghûl might be...

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

The May Day Bank Holiday has worked its magic... We've seen no rain here for a month, but the BBC is forecasting deluge for tomorrow.

I was planning a walk along a local green lane, but I'm not sure how overgrown it will be. If it's raining heavily, I might give it a miss rather than risk passing through a cow parsley car wash...

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

I have waterproof trousers. I hate wearing them, since they're big and baggy and noisy, but I think tomorrow might call for them. Everywhere's so dry that a bit of rain is welcome. I just wish it wasn't all going to happen this weekend.

[louisedennis.livejournal.com]

I think many people underestimate the importance of the PLAN.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

Precisely! I was surprised that nobody here understood about The Plan. Although perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised. A few years ago, Pellinor and I had planned to walk - and did walk - the coastal path in three days. After 2 days of glorious weather, the heavens opened and it rained torrentially for the entire third day. "Why on earth didn't you just do the third segment another weekend?" everyone at worked asked afterwards. I was quite amazed that they could even ask that, and that, to them, there was nothing wrong with this solution.

Mind you, I suspect that my sort of attitude is what leads to people getting rescued by Mountain Rescue half-dead in a blizzard or lost in the fog.

[louisedennis.livejournal.com]

When I'm concentrating, I remember to put things like "unless the weather is horrible" into the PLAN and then it is all right, but often I forget. And when the PLAN is "pootle around on the Internet this evening" it's quite hard to remember to add "unless someone invites me to do something more interesting".

B. made me put "no heroics" into G's birth plan (which we had to write out to be presented to the hospital where, it was moderately obvious, they filed it in the "ha! ha! they all think you can plan this!" box) which was just as well.

[leesa-perrie.livejournal.com]

Sometimes it is hard to abandon The Plan, no matter what the weather is doing! So, I guess you'll be getting wet and no one at work will understand why, but eh, it's The Plan! :)

At least it won't be snowing. We hope.