WAGS 16.03.2022: Crisis Sub-Committee Meeting at Alvor

This week´s walk was advertised by Rod as follows:-

“WAGS Walk 16/9. If it isn´t p...sing with rain. Alvor Swimming Pool Café, near the beach and boardwalk. 10.00 start.”

Well, come the day, it wasn´t p...sing with rain, although the dust storm emanating from the Sahara lent a surreal hue over everything and made for some interesting camera colours. Our in-house photographer was absent, pretending to wimp off because of the non-existent rain – not that he was the only one... our younger and reputably tougher fellows in the AWW had called their walk off as early as the Monday because of fears of getting wet – but we reckoned that it wasn´t that Yves was scared of the rain - it was that he simply didn´t want his brand new, shiny blue, Mercedes damaged by the sand storm. Where his friend Peter (who had joined us for the past four or five walks) was, Heaven knows. Maybe he had been put off by Myriam´s interrogation the previous week( and I quote) “When are you going to b...ger off?” But Antje and Hazel between them took the requisite walk pictures with great success in Yves´ stead

And so it was that six of us gathered at the Café at the appointed hour and eventually, once the Leader himself had turned up,  at 10.10 and had his a coffee, we seven plus Sascha gathered in preparation for the Starter photo which, once an extremely large gentleman had managed to squeeze himself past us and through the café door,

was duly taken.

The walking group then departed with the non-walking John H´s final instructions to the ladies being

 "when you get Rod alone, don´t you go fighting over him.”

I believe that Chris chaperoned Rod for a short distance but then abandoned him to his fate. 

Whatever that fate was, Rod survived to tell the tale.

Here the tale is, sent in by a clearly still excited Leader, in record time for him, just one day after the walk itself:-

The Leader´s Report

On the assumption somebody is happy to stick it somewhere!

WW 16/3 The walk of The Ladies and the Tramp. 

Infrequently, if ever, in the annals of the WAGS or indeed the AWW has a leader found himself in the challenging/stimulating/intimidating/arousing/envious/perfectly wonderful (please highlight whatever would apply to you in similar circumstances!) situation of having an entirely female flock. Such was the reaction of the leader that he is still quite unable to quite recall where he actually went.

This was not helped by it being a particularly unpleasant day with a Saharan dust laden mist and 100% cloud cover. The forecast rain never appeared so those that were fearful of trench foot should never have concerned themselves!

In any event we set off along the beach on the lagoon side, the tide then being well on the make, to the end. We then walked along the massive granite blocks of the

Roderick Frew

sorry.....pushed the send button in my excitement!.... but I continue

breakwater as far as the very rusty (but presumably still operational) navigation light at the end.

The return along the beach was uneventful...and even if it weren't you would hardly expect me to say so! It was intended to go right to the eastern end and back along the boardwalk but as the appointed lunch hour was nigh we cut it a bit short and headed back to base to meet up with the still incapacitated John and Chris. During the course of lunch, John called a meeting to determine the relative responsibilities, if any, of the two bloggers*....Paul having his say, (as far as I could make out!) via Myriam´s mobile. Far be it from me to interpret the result but doubtless you will receive some sort of notice of intent from one or other or both, or indeed perhaps neither, in due course!

Cheers for a while,

Rod

(*Yes. “Two bloggers.” That´s the problem. See later.)

The Track and the Statistics

No track has been made available, but I believe the distance was 6.4 kms and I doubt if the total time was much more than 2 hours.

Photos.

We are indebted to Antje and Hazel for the photos of the walk. Here they are, together with the occasional caption or speculation. First of all, Rod and his Bimbos.

Don´t ask what they are doing to him

Maria interviewed a calm digger

Sascha met a friend

En route, Antje took some portraits.

Post-walk

Back at the Café, after a lengthy discussion about bimbos, to which Rod confessed to being partial, and about pão caseira, pão torrada, pao de lenha, etc., etc., etc., which the waiter bore with commendable patience, we were served a reasonable variety of tostas, tuna salad baguettes and bifanas.

Bifana tosta

Bifana normal

The Crisis Sub-Committee

Then, with the Leader´s permission, JohnH convened the Crisis sub-committee. He explained that Paul had recently been indicating (at some considerable length, it must be said, in a recent blog) that he did not want to continue as Chief Blogger. In fact, he had been trying to coerce JohnH into taking over, which JohnH refused to do – he doesn´t give in to pressure -, not least because he did the whole of the summer Breakfast walks blogs. And besides, the Blog is completely Paul´s baby; the rumours that he has direct lines to Bill Gates and to whoever the current chief executive of whatever Silicon Valley company it is that owns Blogger may be untrue, but the fact remains that he is the only one among us who knows how it all works. And in addition he has a limitless resource of anecdotal, literary, classical and subversive references, bon mots, covering a huge and eclectic range of all manner of recondite, abstruse and esoteric subjects, albeit embellished, as often as not, with a judicious touch of the bawdy, the salacious and the Rabelaisian.

In contrast to which, JohnH´s subject matter seems to be limited, going on as he does at increasingly boring length about guinea fowl, and pies, be they Scotch, Melton Mowbray, or whatever. Indeed most discerning critics say that the blog-reading public now have little appetite for such pedestrian fare.

No contest.

While applauding Paul´s 16-year or more contribution to the blogs, the sub-committee agreed that he could not possibly be allowed to simply walk away from it. Some expressed doubts that Paul would even be able to refrain from having his say. For example, he hadn´t been able to resist the temptation of commenting on last week`s “ Words Fail Me” blog. Some way had to be found to lock him in.

(At this stage, true to form, Paul tried to butt in on the meeting by phone call but was politely told that he should not let us interrupt his cooking of his brunch.)

JohnH then put forward three proposals:

1. that Paul should be elevated to the position of Paramount Chief Blogger (PCB).

2. that JohnH, being still willing to do his bit with blogs, should take the position of Pro-Chief Blogger (PCB).

3. that, and this is very important,  other members of the group should do their bit by writing pieces for the blog which then whichever PCB who happens to be around can post into the blog, fresh ideas always being welcome.

All proposals were approved nem. con.

Crisis over.

Myriam and Rod then said their farewells for the next few weeks as they were going off cruising, separate journeys one should make it clear.

Back home, Paul faced up to his brunch.

Reportedly, a Mushroom and Bacon Freedom Omelette with Fry-Up Potatoes, and what looks suspiciously like a schooner of Guinness on the side. 

Salute to the Paramount Chief