Have you got another Flintoff piece in you? Another Beckham piece in you? Another Serena piece in you? It was a running joke in the years I worked as chief sportswriter for The Times. The sports editor, Tim Hallissey, would ring up every time some new act of greatness or folly had been performed by one of those perpetually recurring athletes and ask the eternal question of newspaperkind.
The answer is always yes, and for two reasons. The first of these humdrum enough: having another such piece in you is your job and if you can’t find anything original to say, find something unoriginal. Such are the exigencies of daily newspapers.
The second reason is rather more interesting. When you’re considering genuine greatness in any form whatsoever, even in sport, there’s always something new to say. Greatness is infinite and the greatest performers are more or less infinite in their variety. Even when they repeat themselves they do so in a manner that is inspiring: and which should inspire the writer to find a few more words.
The other night Erling Haaland scored his 24th goal in his last 14 matches. Does the sportswriter despair at finding anything new to say? Or does the very repetition force a piece of startling originality into existence?
Which brings me to kingfishers. Again. Seen from kayak. Again. If you’ve read blogs on this space before, you’ll have come across both kayaks and kingfishers: a blue flash, a blue streak, a blue arrow etc etc.
This one was almost close enough to catch. He flew past me as I paddled: just us colleagues of the river. Every colour was almost pedantically clear: the blue mantle, the salmon-pink breast, the white around the face. It was a murky day but the sun came out just in time to celebrate the bird: a detonation of colour that was almost audible, and had it been so it would bust my eardrums. Kingfishers: great birds: birds of infinite variety.
I’ll be back on the river when this storm is over. No doubt there’ll be plenty of birds to see on the river. Do you think I have another kingfisher piece in me?
Totally! Kingfisher piece, lion piece, elephant, anything … even a cod piece would no doubt be entertaining and make us think !!
Yes!
Great piece Simon, I love a kingfisher sighting, I fish and I kayak and very occasionally the two combine and a kingfisher sighting then is the pinnacle for me!
It’s always the kingfisher blue that gets the headlines though.. I love the underside brown as it contrasts just so beautifully with that turquoise flash!
Of course you have ! And I very much look forward to reading it . You have the knack of writing so that the reader is there watching it with you .
Still miss your sports writing .
Kayaking is such a wonderful way to see wildlife. My 14 year old son is an avid fisherman. I am not. However, I am more than happy to paddle on our local river in New South Wales because I know that we will always see kingfishers which are very similar to the ones I took great delight in seeing in my Cheshire childhood on the River Weaver. Simon, I must confess to having thought of you recently when in India. It was my 7th visit and my 22nd safari at Ranthambhore. We (family of five) enjoyed glorious sightings of both tiger and leopard. I mention it because I have had a lifelong love affair with tigers and you helped to start it with the first book I purchased on the species and written by you – “Tiger.” I’m sure I am but one of hundreds if not thousands who have been inspired by your writing. A significant ‘thank you.’