Just Like George Banks

I have had a real treat today.

I will give you a few clues as to what the activity was that gave me such pleasure.

It involved unwrapping a gift that I think one of my children gave me at Christmas 2016.

I know that sounds a bit negligent as a parent to not remember
1) that one of your offspring gave you a present and perhaps worst of all,
2) that you cannot recall which child it was but at the time it was an abstract thing, amongst books, socks, after shave, etc  but obviously evoking a very fond memory from the childhood of the giver.

I have attempted, as one of the conventional parental team for our family of three children, to give them all and in equal quantities some great and fond recollections and so even such a specific gift did not give me any further clues as to the identity of the benefactor. It was a case of the thought that counts.

The decision to unwrap did rely upon a certain coming together of key factors.

If any of the accumulated circumstances of the individual constituents were absent or diluted then the act would be wasted and the activity thwarted.

I had thought of unwrapping the item earlier on in the New Year of 2017 but the essential components for success were just not there. I attribute that to global warming.

The main contributing issues are a giveaway as clues;

a)a bit of a steady breeze,
b) dry climactic conditions and
c) a clear open space.

In the preceding days to this early Spring weekend I had kept a careful watch on the weather forecast which would herald the arrival, or not, of two out of the three factors.

My wife had mentioned the possibility of a trip out to the East Coast of Yorkshire as an activity in which family and friends could actively participate. Being English by birth and through a complex genetic inheritance does give me, like many of my compatriots a periodic longing for a sight of the sea.

This must go back to our status as island dwellers and that none of the mainland population is apparently more than 70 miles away from a coastline.

I have, again like many Brits, often been drawn to a beach but have remained confined to a vehicle and rain-spotted windscreen view of sand and surf when out of season or in seasonally inclement weather.

This latest prospect of the first trip of the year to the coast was exciting but tempered by a lingering cold and potentially wet front coming in from the west and offshore northerly winds. It did not sound good but the morning of the expedition was reasonably bright and dry to signal the loading up of the car with a travel rug, blankets, towels, inflatable cushion, football and Frisbee.

Any coastline has its own micro-climate and driving out of a still-air diesel pollutant city gave no clues as to the intended destination some 25 miles out in a north easterly direction. The wind turbines at two rural locations on the route were at least turning and so this was a sign of some residual prevailing breeze.

I was therefore pretty hopeful that the activity could go ahead.

The vast open beach of Bridlington South Bay was busy with walkers and just about every breed of dog but no one else was partaking in my prospective activity.

The aforementioned unwrapping was done on the wall of the Promenade high above the sands.

Worryingly, there were no instructions for assembly but with only five components even my illogical and impractical mind was not challenged too much.

What did give cause for concern was that the product did not have any brand name, country of manufacture or the CE mark to signify that it was not toxic, capable of spontaneous combustion or had been the consequence of exploitation or criminal conspiracy.

Descending to sea level was the catalyst to starting the activity and so the flimsy plastic, black printed eagle facsimilie swelled its representational wing span and soared up into the sky, or at least to the full extent of the rather weak looking white nylon twine which was about 50 feet.

It was a magical experience and I could just not help myself from humming loudly the melody of that wonderfully optimistic song from the 1964 Mary Poppins movie

"Let's go fly a kite........................................."