Do you shuffle?

I don't know about you; but I love a lucky dip. Also, I love raffles, tombolas and random presents. Some time ago, Dearly Beloved sold off all of his hefty boy's toys (he used to sell expensive audio equipment such as Bang and Olufsen) on ebay and bought, with the money he had made, an ipod. I've always thought it was a silly little thing until I rediscovered getting outside to exercise. He uses it every day for his commute, but he's loaded it up with music that I love and when I go out for my hour long walk..............I put it on shuffle. Today, I felt, as if I shuffled my way around  fragments of my life. Here's today's shuffle.

 Push off with some ACDC and a really rebellious youth!! Late nights, waking up and truly not knowing where are I was or who the **** are you? The Cornwall Colliseum, rock bands, drinking in pubs underage and cider and black!!! Anyone remember the General Wolf? Seven Stars? King of Prussia? I think I threw up and got thrown out of all of them!!!! It's no wonder I flunked my A levels!!!!

 Up the hill, and past the supermarket across the roundabout and a time for Fleetwood!!! Where am I now, oh I remember.......moody, long teenage nights, usually grounded with......if you can remember them.......my record player!!! Bought from Woolies with a clear plastic lid to keep the dust off! Mum banging on the ceiling with a broom because it was always too loud and as 'Second hand news' throbs in my ears, I'm there again with a room full of joss sticks trying to mask the fact that I'm smoking out of the window!!!!

 As I reach the top of the hill, Cara Dillon starts to sing to me. She is a recent part of my history. I love the way that she sings with her Irish accent and as I pound the pavement, 'Bold Jamie' quickens my pace and even now, music is part of my every day life. Cara comes in the car with me to work, she helps me with the houses work and whilst I type, she's singing 'I wish you well'.

 Breathless, and at the top of the hill, I turn the corner to Robbie Williams (I wish!!) and 'hot fudge' spurs me on to pick up the pace. Now Robbie.............you were with me all through my mature student day at Exeter Uni!!!! You would be chatted over with a coffee and a muffin (Oh now I really wish!!!) with the students on my course alongside Marlowe, Lawrence, Austen and Simone De Beauvoir. We had such intellectual chats. On my one trip to the US, I tried to introduce some lovely folk ( well, actually as square as oxo cubes!) to the Robster!!! They found him far too sexual.......... earthy raw. It was good to do NY and PA, but it was good to get home too because I only met the 'quiet' people.

 As I turn the corner to the cricket club and head out along St. Cleer road and I'm there, in Dearly Beloved's shared house, staying over at the weekends and us re-aquainting ourselves with a past that has woven in and out of our lives for the nine years previous to us getting together. We knew each other in Bath. He was a friend of a friend. We socialised in the same group and heady nights were spent in the Salamander (packed, seedy, smoky, dark, barely room to move with sweat dripping down the walls!!). I ran a pub, called the Saracen's Head (nothing like the Salamander may I add!) and my staff and I were no older than twenty five and we drank as hard as we worked! The Salamander, where we drank on nights off, had the word's best juke box! It's official as far as I'm concerned. It's a wonder we didn't all end up and A&E!!! We were literally 'living on a prayer!'

 Just as I'm about to head for the home straight, I'm shuffled onto 'Born Slippy' by Underworld. Something I've never mentioned is my love of film and I have favourites and Trainspotting has to be up in my top one hundred. As I mentioned, Dearly Beloved used to work in an audio electrical store and would buy traded in speakers and amps, so he introduced me to surround sound and a night in with really good film. I have quite a few music sound tracks on the i-pod.

You can keep the gym, expensive zumba classes and anything else on at the leisure centre. Firstly, I haven't got the money and I wouldn't waste it even if I had it! I'm happy with the charity shop trainers, fleece hoody and three mile circuit with hills. I'm getting faster and it's getting easier. Now, a night is not complete without that circuit, music and the way it takes me to a place far, far away!