Black

Ram with a black nose and mouth at Silkstone Common

Black Friday today. I donned my black Hull City manager's coat and my black walking boots along with my fashionable black beanie hat. Incidentally, I had remembered to put on some black Marks and Spencers underpants (Large) and black socks.

It was damned cold out there today but sunny too. When singing "Up on the Roof" yesterday as I worked on our almost flat roof,  I  promised myself another long country ramble today. Silkstone Common was my destination - by train - and in my backpack was a map of the circular walk I had planned.

Track on the edge of High Field Plantation

Last weekend a bloke I know told me that Black Friday was all about celebrating the role that black people have played and continue to play in British society. A noble reason it seemed to me and as I sat on the 10.33 train at Sheffield railway station, a young black man climbed aboard and sat in the seat opposite me. Immediately I grabbed his hand and wished him a "Happy Black Friday".

He looked bemused and I was taken aback when he said, "Let go of my hand man! I should warn you that I am a black belt in karate!"

Well, I could not understand his reaction and of course apologised most profusely.  When I offered him a black liquorice gum, he went to sit somewhere else. Charming!

Across the aisle a fellow passenger was reading a free "Metro" paper and I noticed the headline: "Black Friday Week Begins". More puzzlement for me. How could there be a week of "Black Fridays"? After all there's only one Friday each week. Even so, I thought to myself - a full week of celebrating black heritage and treating our black brothers and sisters extra nicely - that can't be bad!

Monument to the twenty six children

It was a lovely walk in an area I had not visited in quite a while. Returning to Silkstone Common, I paused at the woodland memorial to the twenty six children  who died in the Huskar Pit Disaster of 1838. However, I was back at the railway station in good time for the 15.49 train back to Sheffield.

When I got home in the blackness of nighttime in a black taxi, the missus gave me a black look and asked, "Where the hell have you been? I want my tea!".

I got cracking. We were having black bean stew in black squid ink with a grating of black truffle on top followed by a black chocolate mousse with black cherry sauce. As I was preparing it, I listened to appropriate songs for Black Friday on my music player such as "Black Night" by Deep Purple, "Back to Black" by Amy Winehouse, "Paint It Black" by The Rolling Stones and of course "Black and Proud" by James Brown.

Tonight I shall sink a pint of Guinness. One of that company's past advertising slogans was "Black Is Beautiful but the World Is Often Not". Thank heavens for Black Friday!