Germany has been decided upon as the destination of choice, specifically Cologne and Berlin by train. Whether or not this actually happens remains to be seen. The initial enthusiasm is waning as it is tempered by doubts about travel, language, hotel etiquette, general anxiety and what on earth is one supposed to do all day. A small part of what I take from Philip Larkin as a poet, or try to, is his declaration that he wouldn't mind going to China if he could come back the same day.
And how can I expect to have a better time there than the last few days I have had going to Swindon. Here are just a few highlights.
I saw this remarkable construction in Cosham which I took to be a crane but am now informed was pumping concrete up and over the outside of the building to fill in the insides.
I took a ride on a one coach train, a wonderfully out of the way branch line from Westbury to Swindon which only had two other people in it until a few more got on at the next stop, including a mother and three children who sat right behind me and as soon as the train set off, one of the kids bawled out, 'WE'RE ON THE WRONG TRAIN', which they were. I commissioned a new portrait, provisionally entitled Fat Poet with His Mother's Dog. But the highlight was surely witnessing the bike racing debut of my neice, Laura, in the Swindon Road Club evening '10'. It was quite an emotional thing for me, really, seeing a new generation take to time trialling and what a stylish rider she looks. It was all good, not least that her admirable effort of 32.42 was good enough to beat a handful of other competitors but not quite good enough to beat the sort of times I used to do when I was three stone lighter and about 20 years younger.
