Robert Burns in his 1789 poem To a Mouse commented that “The best laid plans of mice and men, gang aft aglay.” Although I think I prefer Willie Rushton‘s contribution to a “complete that quote” round in BBC Radio 4’s I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue. “The best laid plans of mice and men, seldom coincide.”

However, whether you prefer the Scottish bard or English cartoonist and satirist, there has been a change in my plans for the walk. I had intended to be setting out today, with the family, to walk from Canterbury to the former mining village of Aylesham. However our younger son had an accident over the weekend, which meant an operation and an overnight stay in hospital. He’s home now and remarkably jolly, but several follow-up appointments will delay my departure.

The plan is now to cross to France on Friday of this week and walk to Guînes. I will thus be just one day behind my original schedule. Thank you to those who have offered help and / or prayer. We are feeling hugely grateful that the accident did not have a worse outcome!

So I shall have a little more time to pack and re-pack my bag hoping to shave another kilo off it’s weight. And I’ll also select a little more listening to take with me – perhaps a few episodes of I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue to keep my smiling along the way.

Given the circumstances, it seems appropriate to leave you with a few lines from the round entitled: “Late Arrivals at the Vicars’ Ball.”

• Willie Rushton: “The Collar family, and their son, Doug”
• Graeme Garden: “The Right Honourable Charles Ismay-Shepherd, & his father, the Lord Ismay-Shepherd”
• Barry Cryer: “It’s cabaret time – a parade of knickerless parsons. There are so many of them in a line, they’ll get a queue rate. Luckily we have a rev counter!”
• Barry Cryer: “Here’s Spike Milligan in his Goon persona, representing smooth slip-on Y-fronts – Eccles Easy Elastical”
• Willie Rushton: “Mr & Mrs Nod, and their son, Si”
• Tim Brooke-Taylor: “Be Christian, and try not to laugh at the entrance of J-J-J-Justin Pediment”
• Tim Brooke-Taylor: “A strange couple from the church – a beadle & an abbot – they’ve formed an unholy alliance to produce Beadles Abbot”
• Graeme Garden: “Mr & Mrs Meek, and their saintly son, blessed Arthur Meek”
• Tim Brooke-Taylor: “Jenny Flect, Di O’Cese, and Ann Glicanchurch”
• Graeme Garden: “Mr & Mrs Ashun-of-the-Magi, and their son, Theodore Ashun-of-the-Magi”
• Barry Cryer: “Mr & Mrs Rendeth-Thelesson, and their son, Andy”
• Graeme Garden: “Mr & Mrs Ment, & their newt, Esther Ment”

Source: Wikiquote