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Beenham
Lodge Was Great For Athletics
Being
a natural runner from the year dot stood me in good stead at each
school I went to because if you're good at athletics, football,
rugby, swimming, etc you got treated better all-round. Probably
because of the very competitive 'house' system that all schools
adopted back in the day.
Schools
do have the house system these days but thanks to the Lefty,
Nanny-State where we have to protect our 'little dears' from all
sorts of competition, let-downs and disappointments 'real'
competition between pupils isn't as forcibly encouraged nowadays.
Anyway,
getting back to the point. At the lodge we all had bus-passes to get
us to and from school every day. (Freedom!!
…. And didn't we treasure it?) But often, because of
after-school activities or just laziness getting to the bus stop,
we'd miss the bus and have to wait forever for the next one to come
along. Being a bit too impatient for that I'd set off and run back to
Beenham Lodge with my duffle-bag filled with books and P.E kit to
keep me in check. Very often getting home
before the other lads who'd waited for the bus.
(I 've enclosed a video of the trip here. Be sure to wach it on Youtube as I've added extra info in the description.
(Click Here! it will open in new window :-)
This
used to happen once or twice a week and I just loved running anyway
so it was no chore. I'd run down to the bus in the morning and back
up the hill again in the afternoon/evening. All that running kept me
in good shape for Fighting, football, rugby 'and' athletics of
course. Especially cross-country. There was the other method to my
madness of course, because if I got picked for the teams (which was
always) I'd get to escape from the lodge for a few hours – BONUS!!
So,
although I felt 'caged' not being able to just walk down the road or
go and call on friends etc anytime I felt like it, (because
being in 'care' those days was a hell of a lot stricter than it is
now) I did get the benefit of accidentally keeping very
fit and my mind much more alert than the others who just lazed about,
biding their time until they were old enough to leave the care
system.
Catch You Later ... Fred :-)
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