I used to like to ride in the snow when I was younger and keener or perhaps more foolish, now if I see sub zero temps I like to sit indoors with Sky movies for company.
Being a couch potato is fine for a while but I needed some exercise so I have been dusting off the old walking boots and getting out and about in the snow.
I have visited all the high spots, (see previous blog entry) Leith Hill, Wye Crown, they really are spectacular in the winter and no one else is stupid enough to go up there in the snow so it is really quiet.
Anyway so far, nothing too strange... What I wanted to write about is the strange social change that takes place when it snows. I live in a fairly quiet residential area in a coastal town on the Kent coast, as soon as it snows the dynamic changes dramatically - we shift from quiet estate to teenage snow Armageddon!!
For the past two years we have had gangs of teenage hoodies numbering fifteen to twenty in number who take great delight in throwing snowballs at house windows or moving cars. We are not talking one or two "fun" snowballs being gently caressed against the windows, no, imagine a Gatling gun of teenagers hurling snowballs as hard as they can and then standing just out of reach ready to run should you be foolish enough to challenge them.
True to form I was stupid enough to challenge them, all twenty of them...
In a t shirt.
With no shoes on.
After initially turning me into a human snowball come ice sculpture and with a well aimed strike to my right testicle, which still hurts a bit to be fair, I decided to try and communicate with the kids and see if I could reason with them, maybe understand them.
Those of you that know me will remember that my previous attempts at this have generally ended with a 50% good outcome and a 50% bad outcome, good odds I thought.
I stunned them into stopping throwing snowballs at me by congratulating the testicle shot hurler and reached out to shake his hand - this really confused them.
I then actually had a really good conversation with them, they were between 15 & 16 yrs old, mostly from the area. none lived on the estate that I lived on but came here for the sport and the buzz of being chased. They said no one had ever come out to talk to them and that they really preferred being chased by angry people.
After about 15 mins the police turned up, obviously my concerned neighbors feared for my safety and called for Kent's finest (note all neighbours stayed safely indoors). Now this next bit I am really not making this up - the police cruised up to the kerb, buzzed down the window and said "are you the terminator?".
I calmly explained that I am not the terminator I am just a resident that came out to talk to the kids who were throwing snowballs as a community member. I said the kids were OK really just having some fun and everything was under control. They seemed happy with this and without getting out the car drove off.
We eventually ended the confrontation with an agreement that they would not bother us any more, they said I was "weird but alright" we shook hands and off they went, one even offered me a toke on his joint before he went.
Not saying this was the best way to handle things and it could have ended quite differently but not all hoodies are bad.
