I remember that morning so vividly. 11 years ago, on holiday in Switzerland and it was a grim start to the day. I’d got up early, before the family woke up, to go for a run along part of Lake Thun. As I started it was chilly and damp but after a few minutes it started to rain, proper RAIN. It absolutely chucked it down, forcing me to shelter under trees. The rain kept on getting heavier and I kept on getting colder. Time to abandon and head back to the warmth of the Hotel. But then an odd sight. A group of joggers and running under umbrellas. How can you run holding an umbrella….. They stopped and beckoned to me, I think I’m joining them…..

A few minutes later I’m running under an umbrella held by an Italian chap who didn’t speak any English, none of them did. But they were clearly talking to me excitedly about something. Then the mad Italian umbrella group stopped. Stopped in the pouring rain and under umbrellas start to pass around a drink from a small hip flask…. I didn’t ask where that flask had been carried as I couldn’t see any pockets on any of the Italians….. I don’t know what it was but it was warm (with no pockets, a little more concerning) and tasted like cough medicine. Stood in a rain storm, shivering under umbrellas, drinking cough medicine with Italian strangers. Without understanding a word we somehow managed to figure out that we supported equally crap football teams. Newcastle and Monza…

What a bizarre morning. Especially bizarre as it was Hawklad’s mums birthday and just 2 hours later we were sat outside, in blazing warm sunshine having ice cream for breakfast….. As we enjoyed the beautiful weather, 5 Italian chaps walked past, waving, and shouting to me “Newcastle, Newcastle, Newcastle”…

Bizarre…….

34 thoughts on “Bizarre”

  5. Brilliant, I love it, and what a wonderful encounter you lucky thing. It’s great to meet such thoughtful, fun people, plus they met you too and had that wonderful encounter too. Maybe they recall it with fond memory, just as you are.
    I will have a think about which one of my bizarre moments I can share on my blog this morning. Probably keep it brief, as I also want to put something healthy in the slow cooker, before I get ready for work (my shift starts at stupid o’clock). It might be published later, we’ll see, watch this space:
    https://oversoil.wordpress.com/

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      1. That was the same with a Japanese family I was hooked up with in Telford. I was asked to help the mother register with the doctor. 📝 There was a lot of me giggling I can tell you.

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  11. Bizarre but lovely, I think? I am sure those guys remember too. So interesting that it was your partner’s birthday. Some things we are not meant to understand.

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  12. What a beautiful moment of meeting. We really are never alone, though I think sometimes we forget this in our busy world. I know I do.

    It sounds like a beautiful birthday for your person. As always, I hope you are well, Gary. I hope this is a lovely memory for you and your day unfolds into something lovely for you

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  13. You have the best stories, Gary, and I can see why this one stuck with you all these years later! I can almost taste that cough medicine in the flask too. 😆

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