Eskdale baseball

For one reason or another I seem to be running a week (at least) behind real time. I’m not going to pretend that this is entirely without merit, but it also gets a little confusing at times. In that respect I have some sympathy for the guest who turned up a day early, and who had also booked under a previous name. She assured me that this was nothing – at least she had come to the correct hostel this time. It must be the season for this sort of thing – I asked a couple hoe they had got on up Scafell Pike, to which they replied, “Oh, we got a little lost, and ended up walking the Old Man of Coniston, instead. I think we drove over Hardknott Pass, and couldn’t find our way after that.” I cautiously enquired whether perhaps they had turned left out of the hostel rather than going right. “Yes. I think that must have been what happened.”

Mick, however, was not in the sort of mood for accepting the simplest explanation for things. He came in from walking the dog, and announced to us all that he thought there was a creature in the biomass, probably a bear. “You think there’s a bear in the biomass, actually living in there?” Rachel asked. “Yes. Probably.” Rachel then went on to seek clarification about this animal, “Is that the type of bear that is very very small, with a tail, whiskers, and little pointy ears?” Mick did at this point concede that it might be a possibility, that it could well be a mouse rather than a grizzly bear. He then wandered off contented that this great mystery had been solved. More of a mystery to me though, is how/why he ever allows me and Rachel to go on a road trip to Whitehaven together. I can’t go into too much detail here as it’s quite possible that the authorities are still on the look out for two women who ‘may have escaped from some institution or other’. I for one however think it’s perfectly acceptable to get excited about free Kellogg’s pencil cases, and 39p Star Wars lucky bags. “LOOK AT THAT, RACHEL! LOOK AT THAT!” (Perhaps I should get out of the valley a little bit more.)

First weekend in October, Rory (brother number two) and Jen came to visit. We were all rather sad that Rory’s friend Graham wouldn’t make it (due to being ill with bronchitis) – we really could have done with an extra fielder for our afternoon of baseball. Eskdale baseball isn’t exactly like MLB, very similar I’m sure (in terms of standard), but with the slight difference that we use blue plastic balls from Aldi (which have to be retrieved from the sheep field every now and then). It wasn’t all fun and games, though. I had some serious discussions with Jen about dinosaurs and avocados, and whether of not she will soon be known as The Last Botanist (a breed not quite yet as rare as lichenologists). The weather was beautiful, and it was lovely to be out and about. Rory even brought along his harmonica, and treated us to an ode to something or other when he felt inspired.