I have invented a great new way to keep fit and stay ahead with your favourite hobby.
ItÂ’s called orient-CNPS-ing.
I had heard that cheeky Emma Kennedy was spending half an hour each morning cycling round her local streets looking for number-plate numbers, which explains her prodigious CNPS form.
I have been reluctant to get back into exercising (which is the basic reason for my recent slight weight gain), and I am also quite keen to finish doing CNPS at some point before my 40th birthday. ItÂ’s a young manÂ’s game.
So it struck me, there are thousands of cars parked in the streets around my house. I have occasionally mentally noted one or two of them that are close to the number I need as IÂ’ve walked to the station. What if every morning I went for a jog around the streets near to my home, took a note-book and made a record of where the cars in the next twenty or so numbers I needed were parked. As they probably belonged to someone in the street they were likely to be there if I return at a later date
When I had seen the previous number on a jog, I could check my note-book and then sprint to the recorded address and thus get fit and complete my annoying self-imposed and insane task much earlier.
ItÂ’s amazing what an incentive this was to exercise. Usually when I go running I manage 25 minutes and am ready to stop, but with the promise of 129 being just round the corner I found I carried on going much longer than usual.
Although I haven’t seen many numbers that I immediately need, I have already got good leads on most of the numbers in the 140s (and it’s going to be fun criss-crossing Balham to go and pick them up – presuming I haven’t moved first as I’m only here for another week). I’ve got four 141s!
More importantly I have run for over half an hour.
I feel an exercise video coming on.
And I think itÂ’s ideal, because I think most of the nerds who want to spot number-plates are probably couch potatoes whose skin is rarely exposed to the sun and who to be honest could do with losing a bit of weight.
NB Try not to be too obvious noting down the addresses and numbers. If a member of the Mafia sees you looking at his car and making notes then he might think you are some kind of snitch and send you to sleep with the fishes. No-one wants to have to spend the night in a dark aquarium. Spooky!
15,000 words to go now. I think I can have a couple of days off!
