As I entered Green Timbers Park in Surrey yesterday, I heard this faint hum that got louder and louder as I walked along the Willow trail. Turns out the hum was coming from this gent doing his exercises with a humming top, up on a knoll overlooking the lake. You could hear the noise all over the centre of the park.

He was nice enough to let me take some photos while he went through his routine. The actual top was red and yellow, and the widest part of the red section had some holes and cavities that caught the wind as it spun. That section narrowed down to a metal section and then widened slightly to the bottom yellow blimp. He kept it spinning by moving two short poles connected with a short line stretched between.

He was good! He twirled, danced and did squats, all while keeping his top twirling and humming. When he tired, he signalled for me to try, but lazy old me declined. It looked interesting though. He told me the name of the thing, but it was in Chinese, and try as I might, I’d forgotten it by the time I was out of the park.

Anybody know what it’s called in English, other than a humming top?

#Mustlearntotakenotes.