Instant Recall

This morning we sang "All things bright and beautiful" I was immediately taken back to my school days.
It is close to the start of term. The dark wood floor has been polished with non-slip polish during the holidays. The polish is so think that the grain of the wood is becoming obscured. The hall has a high ceiling with large circular lights fixed on long metal tubes, that don't provide quite enough illumination, because the diffusers are almost opaque with age. Between the windows is the "House points" board. Yellow for Castle house (the one I'm in - not mine), few or no points, third of 4, or sometime fourth. There are thick, heavy cast iron radiators, three or four down the side of the hall opposite the doors. At the front the staff are assembled on the stage, which is about as high as my shoulders, and a teacher is playing a piano on the right hand side, in front of the stage. We are sat cross legged on the floor, too many of us so that out legs are cramped against each other. Things are being said at the front, but the squabble for space three quarters of the way back is occupying my attention - its my space they're squabbling over. A teacher says something from behind, and the boys around me stop shuffling about. Moving is difficult, like trying to slide across a block of cling film, but boys can and do slide forwards, backwards, and sideways. Solid old school shoes are useful for defense in some directions, left, right, and to the front, but there's not enough space to get a good kick. "Now we will all stand and sing" "Plonk, plonk, bright and beautiful, plonk, plonk, great and small..." Its over, we sit, the squabbling for space starts again, if you don't shuffle you suffer from cramp, or pins & needles, or both. We are not good enough so we are to stay behind to practice the song. "Plonk, plonk, bright and beautiful, plonk, plonk, great and small..."

Normally my first thought would be "All things dull and ugly" (Eric Idle), but this morning the dull and ugly images come from my own childhood. So there it is life imposing so many bad images on what ought to be such a lovely song. According to Eric, its all Gods fault, but he seems to have missed a very important part of the equation - you and me.