When I was eleven I went on a day trip from my new secondary school, based in a place called Dalkeith, to the darling city of Edinburgh.
Unlike any other field trip, this one was run by a Catholic priest who was an English teacher and he was trying to instil a wonder and excitement about books into his new charges. We went to the Scottish National Library and were taught how to search for books, how to order them from the librarians and generally how to be comfortable and confident in such a special place. This came in very handy for me as I ended up spending many hours in this and a couple of other wonderful libraries when i began to habitually skip school not long after this field trip.
He also took us to a cafe and bought us a simple meal, but before this we trawled the wondrous range of second hand book shops that used to grace that lovely city. I didn’t have any money to buy books then, but it did not stop me from looking, falling in love with and promising myself that I would, some day, possess such riches as these.
This was all at the later stages of the first term in my first year at secondary school. It was a bitterly cold, snowy/slushy day and I was not adequately dressed to keep myself properly protected from the weather – but this did not stop me from remembering the day fondly.
This weird priest also organised trips to the annual D’Oyly Cart productions of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas at the Kings Theatre (well, I think it was that theatre). None of his pupils could escape the preparations he would make for these trips and everyone, regardless, was subjected to the libretto, the songs, the recordings, etc so that when we attended (or not) we would be familiar with the whole thing. This was a great thing to do as we were then able to enjoy a lot of the games that the cast regularly played as they did their performances - giving off topical references and messing around with the edges of the script. The Gondoliers I vaguely remember and the Mikado I remember quite vividly.
When something is good you will enjoy it no matter how well prepared you are for it. If it is special, preparing for it will not take the mystery, or any of its unique quality away from it. Rather, it will only add to what is already special; give you more to appreciate at the time and more to ponder on when you have the chance to look back.
And, there are times when the planning and envisioning are pleasures, too.
So, when Alison and I are sitting pouring over maps and arguing about which road to take don’t look on us with pity. The path is already in our eyes and our feet are beginning to march to the tune of the beckoning road. Join in the game; offer ideas and advice; add your own harmony to the song!
Planning is an odd thing. It stops you from wishing your life away by allowing you to focus on the future .... while living in the present(?)!
......Sorry, getting a bit carried away, but I have to find some solace when Christmas is all around!
Have a happy Christmas and enjoy the coming year!
And, yes, I promise to actually write about the route in more detail in the next few blogs!
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