A is for Arthur

July Alpha male bet challenge.

A is for Arthur - or 3 Arthurs.

Arthur Ransome
Ignited my love of the Lake District, he set my imagination on fire with his tales of Swallows and Amazons that I read avidly as a child. I am still drawn to the Lakes and love to visit whenever I can.

Art Garfunkel was a favourite musician during my formative years, here singing: I Only Have Eyes For You which links rather well to Arthur the third:

Having been educated at a Girls' Grammar School, when I went to a mixed college, I initially found it difficult to focus on academia. One morning in October, when in the library, an unsuspecting guy walked past - 'That'll do' I thought rather matter of factly.

I pursued him unmercifully. All I can say is he was lucky there were no mobile phones or social networking in those days, I'm sure I would have made his life a complete misery.

Tall and skinny, with long, black hair and olive skin, which contrasted deliciously with his blue eyes, it was lust at first sight. At a time when 'unkempt' was trendy, his immaculate stone washed flares, hugging his neat butt and worn with a crisp, white shirt, looked totally enticing to me.

I became 'friends' with a girl he knew and wheedled my way into his social circle, he didn't stand a chance! By January, goodness I must have been patient, he was exactly where I wanted him to be.

There is little to compare to the intensity of those early relationships but universities beckoned and distance and distractions separated us.

A good number of years later, when in Sainsbury's, in a completely different part of the country, I bumped into him while shopping with my then partner. I have never had such a strong physical reaction on re-meeting someone. I should imagine it was a full blown 'Victorian swoon'. I had to lean against the shelves of baked beans to prevent myself fainting. By coincidence he told me he was working in the same town as me. Often, in my lunch hour I would walk along the high street thinking 'today could be the day...' It never was.

Arthur was not a popular name at that time. Apparently his dad went to register his birth, via the pub, and forgot the name that had been agreed, so gave his own, that being the only name he could come up with at the time!

He always signed himself ½ I thought that so cool.


Oh and that big letter A? I bought some old shop sign letters to spell out my name and hung them up one Christmas on a large mirror over the fireplace. I intended to take them down, but my neighbours suggested at my age it would be a good idea to keep them there to remind me, or others of my name!
It seems to be working!