Larger Than Life

I drove back from Wickham Market after Sammy dropped me at my car in a white-out - not snow but a heavy, lethal frost. I took it carefully, especially rounding sharp bends, and was concentrating so hard that when I came across a field of startled deer I couldn't immediately identify what I was seeing. It was a large herd, probably the same one that has visited my own fields, and they were spread out across the darkness, every head turned towards me as they decided whether to stay or run. I wanted to point the headlights at them, to stare and enjoy the spectacle, but I didn't want to scare them off. After that the last mile of my journey became like a cute Disney film as hares, rabbits and owls all appeared against the snow white backdrop of fields and trees, hesitated when they saw me and then retreated. In my drive the tiny splinter of a moon offered no light, and I put the car away in pitch darkness, a black so dense I could almost feel it. But the stars were out, and in such a clear frosty sky they were spectacular.

The evening had been funny, and not just in a Ha Ha way. First we met a blocked carriageway on the way to Ipswich, endless red rear lights streaming ahead to show the extent of the blockage, police lights flashing way in front. We cursed, imagining the delicious meal we might have to miss, but then we were off, and we chose a Chinese restaurant right opposite the theatre. But when we came out the theatre was in darkness, the doors locked. Luckily someone else turned up and texted a friend to find out where the gig was, so we followed her to the Corn Exchange. Don't ask. On the way we found a man collapsed on the pavement, two young girls already trying to rouse him. We stopped to help, and were just about to call for an ambulance when he staggered to his feet, burped loudly and staggered off with us. He was nissed as a pewt, but on such a freezing night I wouldn't have fancied his chances surviving on the street. I was impressed by the girls who cared enough to stop. Seated in our complimentary seats we then waited an hour while a medical emergency delayed the start of the show. Why the paramedics, and a doctor who happened to be in the audience, didn't move the casualty outside is a mystery, so they tended to her in the auditorium while everyone hung around. Finally the show started, and then the Ha Ha's became belly laughs as we entered the crazy world of Katherine Ryan. She was worth the wait.