Our daily morning routine walk with Trixie, our black and white mixed heritage dog, was disturbed by excited shouting and applause from the nearby school field.
It is sports day and the field has been transformed to an area with tiered seating for children and parents and others, to watch and encourage and cheer and clap at race after race tumble down the make-shift running lanes. Much clapping. Much smiling and some prizes.
And I remember such days when I was even smaller than I am now. Our school field was on a slope, which added to the atmosphere. I had no athletic prowess and the whole thing filled me with apprehension, but I wanted to be part of it.
In the 60 yards proper race, I would be last or there-about, with legs flailing and lungs bursting.
But the egg (usually a potato) and spoon race, being careful and not dropping the egg, gave everyone more of a chance.
The sack race gave us hessian sacks to jump in – exhausting and the smell of hessian was intoxicating.
But mostly, I loved to be in the obstacle race – skipping with a rope,, diving under a blanket, twirling a hoop, bean-bags into a bucket, and a final scamper.
Smiles all round.
We are big on all sorts of things which spark memories of the past and the emotions which go with them. We do the sea-side, we do hymns from Sunday School, we have done playground games. We have enjoyed ‘Dog in the playground’ – But this was a new idea – Sports Day.
We love it.
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