Awkward "British" moments

I think I experienced a archetypal "British moment" the other day.. 

I was out on my daily lunchtime walk following my normal route which is a loop of about five kilometers. I was plodding along at my usual pace when I noticed a chap on the other side of the road, he didn't notice me. Suddenly in my peripheral view I saw him cross the road and essentially only notice me once he was committed, his pace placed him on my side of the road only inches away from me. Now, this shouldn't be any kind of problem but now we had two blokes walking along a narrow pavement shoulder to shoulder at exactly the same speed, neither one wanting to make eye-contact or invoking the possibility of engaging in conversation, it felt like an outdoor tube-train moment! 

The apparent solution precipitated-out in both our minds simultaneously, walk-faster!

The outcome of these thoughts was comical, we both gradually accelerated, to a bystander it must have looked like the final straight of the Olympic 20 kilometer race-walk. Just before breaking into a jog I think we both finally realised our error, the solution miraculously materialized via a convenient side-road, which I took, breathing a sigh of relief in the process.

It's a funny old game is this "being British"...