It has been my experience in life (thus far) that no matter how bad things seem to be something or someone pops up and drags you up from the pit of despair. Like a light in the darkness or an oasis in the desert.

On occasions I have to admit that it has been in the presence of other peoples misery that I come to realise that my problems amount to nothing compared to the situation others find themselves.

Today it was a headline in a newspaper that caught my eye.

I have just got through 2 days back at work and have been sharply reminded of my sheer mediocrity. Friday night was a dark night with feelings of ineptitude mixed with healthy dose of self pity. I finished the night watching a film called the Weatherman. I won't fill you in with the plot - i will let you discover it all for yourself (unless you have already seen it). On any other night I would probably have switched over after half an hour because it just to miserable. But this night i was just in the right mood for it and i sat and watched it and thought

"Yeah life is just like that!" It isn't but that was the mood of the night.

I slept in Saturday because i just couldn't be bothered to get up. The smell of the coffee machine filtering a brew drew my teenage son from the abyss of his bedroom and ~I gave him a lift into town to spend the day with his friends. I lolled around the house for a while until I too decided to roam the streets in search of inspiration.

It was late in the afternoon by the time i arrived there. I made for a chippy because although food is not love it is pleasure so I enjoyed a portion of chips with salt and vinegar!

As i crossed the square and the market was closing up with the shadows of a long dark night reaching out into the space left by the light. I miss the summer I thought. It is not just weather but up here in the north east of England daylight last from 3 in the morning until 11 at night in mid summer. You can do so much all day long. Today the city was settling down for the night but in the summer the day is just beginning. I would still have enough daylight to put in a good bike ride, country walk even some surfing. The downside is the winter nights are so flippin' long.

I tried the Library for a book i had been reading over Christmas but had to return to mu Mum before i came home. It wasn't there but there were a couple of Rosser's as there had been some kind of altercation outside of which I knew not what. I then repaired for a stroll around the river. Just a mile or so but I found it very restorative.

It was then that i decided to buy something to read whilst on waiting for and transiting on the park and ride bus. My mood from the previous night had been dulled but not abated, however that was to change in an instant.

It was a headline on a local newspaper. It was one of those moments of light on the road to Damascas, a point of time when your perception of the world is turned on its head by it's sheer ridiculousness.

Like coals to Newcastle in it's absurdity, surely I had read it wrong? But no it was true

The headline read thus :-

"Students complain about noise!"

As if!!