the brilliantly leaping gazelle

I know this is going to be a bit sexist and judgmental, but I am hugely judgmental and frequently withering in my appraisal of other people – well if they will befoul my eyes – so can I just observe that the ratio of good-looking men has demised markedly. I’m not exactly an Adonis myself- but then neither am I a John Merrick lookalike- but at least I make an effort. Some of the men here though, what with their curious facial furniture look like strategically shaved monkeys. If I wanted to better acquaint myself with the local hospitals A&E, I might ask if their knuckles hurt from being dragged along the floor. And as for what they wear, or rather, what they are not wearing, how much of this from decorum can be blamed on the weather, or where exactly do individuals bear some responsibility for baring nearly all is a moot point. But to me – and most right thinking people -men going topless and wearing flip-flops, whilst fine and appropriate on a beach, isn’t street attire. It seems however, that here in Cromer they’ve enthusiastically embraced what seems like anarchic clotheslessness.

And all too frequently, this abandon of propriety goes hand in hand with tattoo’s. Where did this obsession with body disfigurement come from? Most people have difficulty committing to gym membership, so why on earth they imagine they make the sort of commitment a tattoo requires is unfathomable. Things change. Plans Change. Times change. And bodies sag. What was once chiseled and buffed in former years becomes visual proof of the cruelty of ageing. There’s a lot of it in Cromer and yes, it befouls my eyes.