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Thanks, Parallelogram. How monotonous must that balcony marathon have been?!

Tyke

Thanks for warning me. If he mentions showing me his googlies, I will be ready for him, and if he talks about "bowling a maiden over", I will have to resist kicking him in the aforementioneds.

Malone

I have seen your mother's bowling game being played in the park. It does seem rather genteel. But I like games where the balls bounce.

I take your point about varied exercise, so I might practise leg breaks today.

Grunger

I also have problems doing daily exercise. I only do walking but constantly meet people coming towards me on the same side of the road. Obviously someone has to cross the road, but what is the etiquette of the situation.

Does the younger person have to cross, and should men give way to women etc. And what do you do when there are people on both sides? I just turn and run but this seems awfully rude. I might write to the Government for clarification.

Grunger

What a vicious sport you seem to be involved in, 'leg breaks' sound distinctly threatening.

Jigjag

I wish I could help with the etiquette involved in walking these days, now that we've all to keep our distance (literally as well as metaphorically). Maybe you should do your walking only on streets that are wider than two metres? That would involve no-one having to cross to the other side, step on the road and so on. I've seen people doing various manoeuvres to avoid coming within two metres of another person - big, sweeping detours, which involve setting foot on the road (fortunately traffic-free at the time), and I've seen walkers turn sideways and shrink themselves against hedges, walls etc to allow an adequate clearance.

malone

A peaceful session in the park - no officials and no broken legs.

jigjag

I would follow Malone's advice, but dont climb hedges or walls to avoid others.

Malone, Grunger

I asked the government for advice as to what should happen when two people exercising are on a collision course. I received a reply from Tony Hancock, Minister for Exercise:

“Thank you for your enquiry. The general rule is that steam gives way to sail, so the more powerful gives way. Therefore a runner should give way to a walker by changing course. Two walkers approaching each other should assess who is the more mobile and that person should cross the road. Where this proves difficult, it is permitted to move onto another person’s property to allow a walker to pass.

Where oncoming walkers occupy both sides of the road, the most powerful should walk down the centre of the road and traffic must give way to this walker. Cyclists must not ride on the footpath under any circumstances.”

This seems good advice and I think I will follow it this afternoon.

Grunger

Here's wishing you many more peaceful spells of exercise.

Jigjag

Thanks for passing on the government advice. I'm assuming Mr Hancock is a crusty old soul - 'steam gives way to sail' sounds positively antediluvian. Still, the rest of the advice appears to make sense, after a fashion. I wonder how we've to 'assess who is more mobile', is there a set of guidelines? Does age come into it? Does speed, the rate of covering the previous 10 yards of pavement, matter? Will allowances be made for additional burdens - ie a spry 50-year-old carrying two heavy bags of shopping might be more deserving of the place on the original side of the road.

I'll give this whole topic some more thought before I venture out.

I distrust dogs so much that I flatten myself into the hedge, cross over road etc to avoid them. Recently treated everyone as if they have a dog!
It's the cyclists that get me. Our pavements are less than a metre wide, they come puffing up the hill far too close. Only option is to keep looking and cross the road as appropriate as they do not manoevre to avoid one.
Lots of noisy DIY going on!

malone

A letter to the Times today suggested that a walker should play the bagpipes to keep others at a distance. I am surprised that Jigjag is not doing that as he plays them so well.

I think that the government advice is that mobility affected by shopping bags etc should indeed be considered. In the spirit of Utopism, people should mutually self-assess and give way to more disadvantaged.

I didnt enjoy the Times crossword yesterday. Too many oscure words - e.g.Axeman (possibly someone I will meet in the park), Dunkirk was spelt wrongly and Zucchini (what sort of veg is that!) - the homophone does work here or in Italy think.

Rosalind

I am rather terrified by dogs too. I have been pestered by a lot of them lately and most of them seem bigger than I am. Their owners seem to think it is funny and I think the goverment advice should be that they must remain on the lead even in the park.

Cyclists are a nuisance. They cant avoid walkers or themselves. I dont think they know what 2 metres is.