Black and White Town - Doves

Lyric:- 'There's no colour and no sound' - Goodwin, Williams & Williams

Song Choice:- I remember listening to this during the Flora 1000 Mile Challenge back in 2003 but on checking Wiki it says it wasn't released until February 2005 so maybe my memory jukebox is playing tricks on me. What I do know, is that I heard it running through the underpass at the old London Marathon 20 mile point, going towards the 19 mile mark      further down the Isle of Dogs. Maybe I've lost the plot...but if you ever need a lift during a run when you are flagging, get a load of this one down your lug-holes as it's never failed to lift my running cadence. Try it for yourself here.

Anyway, it's the Black and White bit I'm really interested in today because if you know me, you'll know I'm a very Jet Black, Snow White kinda guy. The thing is, I'm trying to be a bit more Midtown Grey nowadays if I'm being honest; only it's not as easy as I thought it would be as I'm getting even more dismissive of things as I get older.

Now, before you say I'm becoming a 'Cantankerous Old Git', I don't think I am, it's just that I'm seeing life post GBS (SIDP) with far more clarity and with far less procrastination. Being 'Middle of the Road', just isn't me and probably never has been. I'm finding being AVERAGE, well arm very AVERAGE indeed.

I don't think I'm programmed that way. Why is so much of our everyday lives so mundane I'll never know? Why do we put up with mediocre standards and service. For instance, my local Citroen dealership phoned me offering me a cheap deal on an engine service - good for them as I'm always impressed by companies being proactive with their sales and I took them up on their offer. Then low and behold, when I take it in today they are quoting me £15 more and only agree to the original price when they've listened back to the September telephone conversation between myself and their sales representative to make sure I'm not LYING. Shame on you +Evans Halshaw . If I was them, I wouldn't be sending me a Customer Satisfaction Survey.

I think it only makes me more monochromatic.

What am I mean't to do here? Lower my standards, go Grey or Greyer in my case and yield to the masses? Or in a very 'Black and White' kinda way - Keep on with my one-man crusade; like asking the bloke in the Co-op why he thought it was ok to leave an unleashed fully grown Rottweiler to roam at the front door, yesterday . (FYI he said it had never bitten [yet] so there was nothing to worry about!!!). 

You can only guess what I said...nowhere near the dog I hasten to add.

Yikes, can you tell I've struggled? So for now, and safety's-sake, I'm going back into full contrast mode until I can pluck up courage to 'Fade to Grey' once more. I'll give it a few years perhaps...

But more tomorrow.

Rory Coleman
976 Marathons - 241 Ultras - 13 1Marathon des Sables - 9 Guinness World Records
www.RoryColeman.co.uk