Sense of Humour
If I was a successful writer or just rich, people would smile (condescendingly) and whisper “eccentric.” Instead I get everything from “odd sense of humour” to “weird.”
That’s okay, I’m comfortable with myself, some things strike me as funny whilst not raising a smile with others.
Today I went into Iceland. An assistant was wearing a T shirt printed with ‘Home Delivery ask me for help (or similar). I read that and immediately wanted to say to her, “my wife is expecting twins, what pain control do you recommend?” But, I didn’t want to be helped out of the store.
Broken toilets can be funny as well. When I see them with the sign “Out of Order, sorry for any inconvenience” on the door I grin uncontrollably. If you have to explain something, it’s not funny – but, for younger readers, these facilities used to known as public conveniences. Okay, simpler toilet humour, the doors to the Gents in Tesco used to have a sign stating “every little helps.”
Oddly worded signs can amuse me. Sue and I read one at a wildlife park the other day. The words were about a baby otter that had been found “abandoned by a pair of walkers.” No, the walkers found the abandoned otter cub, they didn’t leave it.
During the last severe floods I painted a sign which I hung below the welcome to Wellow sign, I thought ‘‘twinned with Atlantis” might raise spirits – at least it wasn’t torn down.
The other wildlife park we went to last week had keepers talks at set times, I asked if there were any facilities for deaf people and was surprised to be greeted with a blank, no. There were ample ramps but deafness seemed to be a new concept. Sue completed a feedback form and we await a reply.
On the way to the first park I was driving along, turned to my left so Sue could see my mouth, when a blinding blue flash reminded me of the well known speed camera. My fault, I let my attention slip.
And a perfect way to commemorate the 30 years Sue and I have now been together. Only a few weeks after we met I’d been taking Sue somewhere on the back of my bike when I cruised through a speed trap somewhat faster than I was driving last week. When she was riding her bike, Sue was once stopped by a bike cop for going through traffic lights too late, when asked about the slip she said “sorry officer, I’m deaf and didn’t hear them change.” And she got away with it.