Characters

I rather enjoy the company of unusual people with two caveats- that they aren't nasty (or violent) and they aren't boring. Otherwise I'm pretty tolerant of all sorts of oddballs, whether whacko or just eccentric.

Karen will confirm that I'm still in touch with a few of them, particularly Cinema anoraks (architectural train spotters). There is something about the Telecoms industry that attracts obsessive people and many BT (& other) engineers would qualify as Asperger's Syndrome sufferers, a mild form of autism.

Now there is someone we see occasionally that sooner or later I will be on first name terms with. He is the oldest paperboy in town and is certainly getting on a bit. (You don't see many paperboys with beards and flat caps). Most of the time we see him ambling round the streets thoughtfully with occasional glances at his watch. However, one day when we were driving past, he looked at his watch then burst into a brief gallop and went back to his shuffling gait after a few steps. Both David and myself burst out laughing because it looked so ridiculous but I immediately had to discuss why it was inappropriate to to do because he may have been challenged in some way.

Despite this, he rapidly became nicknamed "Ernie" as in the fastest milkman in the west.

Now it just so happens that he was passing my front door the other day as I came out of the house. Our eyes met and I thought I'd better say something. The conversation went like this...

Me: "Good Afternoon."

Him: "NEEUURRGHH."

Now, it was a friendly noise, but a rather odd one. I've decided that I like him...