In which I just did some exercise!

Today I traversed around Point B's major park, employing an exercise technique suggested to me by a friend: run 100 steps, walk 100 steps. Yikes. I made it half way using this method, before an old injury started to seize up. Still, quite impressed at half way, and I hope I'll be able to keep it up enough to do better in time.

While walking I had plenty to look at, including two black swans and their bebbes (odd time of year, surely, for baby swans), various dogs and at one point a huge gaggle of geese, advancing from the lake to lay waste to the rest of us. Why are geese so much scarier than ducks? Is it because I'm convinced they have teeth, and it's only because no one's managed to get near enough that no one has reported this? Who knows.

Look at them, being all cute and cuddly, until...

AAAACK! Now you tell me those aren't teeth!

The topic of recreational hunting was brought up in conversation recently, and I must confess I'm surprised that a) it exists at all in this country, which after all has a no-guns policy, and b) that anyone - especially in this country, which has none of the history or regrettable need of Africa - should want to do it. Seriously. Ricky Gervais once said that it's the mentality of people who hunt for pleasure that disturbs him, and I'd have to agree (although I also object to the killing of an animal for sport. I eat meat, unapologetically, and so I have been told those two statements don't reconcile with each other...it's not an argument I can address simply, so let's just stick to the "mentality" thing). How can it really offer a rush, and should it? Should we indulge in taking pleasure from another thing's death (this is how I feel about a lot of computer games, but that's another kettle of fish, really)? But this is probably a debate that could go on for infinite web space, and I find it hard to do without sounding judgemental and high-horse...ish. Suffice it to say I'm confused by it all. But then I'm confused by the popularity of the Twilight series, too. :)

Back in the park, today, while I was in the middle of 100 steps of walking, I was passed by a group of cyclists -- there always seems to be a pack (what's the collective noun? Google offers a few peoples' suggestions, including "pedali) of cyclists whizzing round -- and in the brief snatch of conversation I heard "...she ended up marrying his best man, from their wedding!" Hee. Not only deliciously tantalising but hilarious to hear from a bunch of cycle-mad men (I would've said "butch" but it didn't feel right when applied to cyclists). I love imagining the context of this conversation.

Whoever says boys don't gossip as much as girls has no idea.