A Tiger by its Tail (Tale)
After reinstating the old domain of malcolmandnuran.com I have been asked to recommence the Tarpeena Tales blog but after so long it takes a while to get the creative writing juices flowing so to speak. One needs a subject to inspire.
Well inspired I became today while cycling on a heavenly day on my usual 20km circuit in order to generate a thirst for the afternoon ales. They always taste sweeter after vigorous exercise but I digress.
Whilst cycling on a heavenly day for cycling with a balmy 25degrees temperature and with little wind to get me annoyed , which I do easily nowadays being old and weak and hating to cycle into a strong wind as it slows me down and takes me longer to get home to open that thirst quenching beer, oh oh I digressed again.
Whilst cycling down the bike track in a dream enjoying the conditions and letting the mind wander I thought I saw a large stick on the track and , as is my habit, I swerved at the last minute to avoid having the stick rap me on the ankles as I hit it. However in this instance the stick reared up as my tyre whished past and peripherally I caught sight of a large tiger snake and lifted my foot of the pedal which was about to pass over its head. Speed saved both me and the snake. It's the first one I've seen this year funnily, alive that is, all the others have been flattened by cars and I certainly wasn't on the lookout for it. Delayed shock took over an hour later as I came home and I needed a stiff drink to get over the near miss. Nothing different to normal as , by cycling back up the Riddoch Highway on the last leg ,there are often drivers that come closer than the permitted 1.5 metres. They who get my waving finger in their rear view mirror which they probably don't see anyway as they obviously missed seeing me.
Still it made the bike ride more interesting than normal and both the tiger and I live to tell this tale.
So there after a ten year spell in which a lot of life has been started and sadly lost in the family I have started a new volume of Tarpeena Tales. I shall have to get in the groove again.
10.03.21