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Man's best friend
Went for a three hour walk today to work off some of the extra calories consumed yesterday. At one point the footpath crossed private land bounded by an electrically operated gate. A notice pinned to the gate told walkers to press the red button to open the gate. Another notice warned of the presence of loose dogs. Before I reached the gate I'd selected a big stick from woodland at the side of the drive to the house because I thought it looked like dog territory. I was glad I had. Halfway across the private land I heard loud barking. A huge grey dog bounded up; it was like the hound of the Baskervilles. Fortunately, it was all bark and no bite. Nevertheless, I was relieved to reach the other gate and safety. The stick gave me a wee bit of confidence though probably would have been little use as it was rotten and would have snapped easily.
Thought for today
A river in flood is not the smooth aluminium-coated phenomenon seen on television. It bulges, it spits. It is furious with itself. It gets caught up in whirlpools then extracts itself, it releases itself form tight bends, it rushes banks, greedily clipping soil with its speeding waters. It catches everything in its path.
Lloyd Jones, Mister Pip, 2006
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Starless and bible-black
My brain is like a sponge, metaphorically speaking only I hope. (There are spongiform diseases like BSE.) It is still capable of soaking up information. Mind you, it doesn't always retain it for long. Yesterday I discovered that the above heading, a title of a record album by King Crimson (1974), was a quotation from Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas. I discovered this because Cardiff airport is to be named after someone. Suggestions have been coming in, one of which is Dylan Thomas. A recording of Richard Burton reading the opening lines of Under Milk Wood featured on the radio yesterday. My ears pricked up at the starless and bible-black. Rock music can be educational.
The refreshments after the walk this afternoon were splendid. Thick slices of lemon cake and malt loaf and cups of tea. We sat outside on comfortable chairs under a remote-controlled awning and replaced the calories we had walked off (with interest I expect). It's my turn to provide the food next month so I shall have a job to match the standard.
Thought for today
To be human is to be moral, and you cannot have a day off when it suits.
Lloyd Jones, Mister Pip, 2006
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Some like it hot
My pumpkins and squashes are taking over the veg patch. In fact they are taking over the garden. They have produced loads of leaves. I hope they produce loads of fruit. According to Carol Klein in her book Grow your own veg they like hot weather. What is unpleasant for me is good for them. I watered them this afternoon so I hope that lasts them a week or so. Unless there is a downpour, rain is unlikely to reach their roots as it will bounce off their leaves.
Tomorrow is afternoon walk day; we walk for two hours and then head for someone's house for tea and cake. I look forward to that.
Thought for today
In the tropics night falls quickly. ... If you are not ready with candles and kerosene lamps the quick fall of night is like being put away in a dark cell, from where there is no release until the following dawn.
Lloyd Jones, Mister Pip, 2006
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Man's best friend
I bought a dog today, a metal one, a garden ornament. At the moment it is standing in my sitting room by the fireplace so I can admire it while I watch telly.
Last weekend I visited a friend. In her garden, peeping out between pots, was a metal dog. It had been a present so my friend did not know where it came from. This morning I walked to a garden show about four miles away. I walked to ensure that I spent little; I would have to carry purchases home. On one stand was a metal dog identical to the one that took my fancy last week. It wasn't heavy or expensive, and came in three pieces, easy to assemble, in a manageable box, so I bought it and carted it home across fields and stiles.
Thought for today
The legality of an act is no guarantee of its moral permissibility and vice versa. ... The law often represents the lowest level of acceptable behaviour, and clinicians should surely strive for higher standards than the bare minimum.
Daniel K Sokol, Lecturer in medical ethics and law, St George's, University of London, BMJ 2008;337:22
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Mistaken identity
The creatures that ate my leeks are not leatherjackets but cutworms. The latter have legs; the former do not. The creatures I unearthed run if given half a chance.
One of the instructions for this month on a publication from the RHS is to water and check for pests frequently. I found a large caterpillar on one of the pots of kale in the greenhouse today. The size of it showed that my daily inspections were inadequate. The caterpillar had stripped the leaves from one plant and had started on another. A trail of turds, big turds, gave it away. Gardening is a constant battle against nature.
Ha. I have just solved a little mystery. There was a loud click from downstairs as I sat at my computer typing this. What caused it? I was puzzled. Had something fallen over and broken? Had something electrical packed up? Went downstairs to investigate but could see nothing amiss. There was another loud click. And then the cause dawned on me; I had made marmalade earlier and the clicks were the lids of the jam jars suddenly drawing inwards as the marmalade cooled.
Thought for today
In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments--there are consequences.
R G Ingersoll (1833 - 1899) American lawyer
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Big feet
Went into town today, by train, in search of a larger pair of walking boots. The ones I bought about two months ago are now uncomfortable. They squash my toes. As the back shrinks, the feet enlarge.
My train ticket was £3.80; I paid by cash and gave the chap a ten pound note and 80p in coins to make the maths easier and to lighten my purse. He gave me the tickets, a five pound note and a one pound coin. Have you given me the right change? I asked. He looked slightly flummoxed and got out a calculator to subtract £3.80 from £10.80. His use of the calculator was better than his maths and he gave me another one pound coin attributing his mistake to the coins I had given him. What makes life easy for one person doesn't necessarily do so for another.
Thought for today
It is the nature of gardening that we will always be in for a failure or two. Success in this matter--or what some people refer to as green fingers--is usually nothing more than keeping your eyes open.
Dan Pearson, The Observer, 13 July 2008
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A sign of old age
Shoes that were once loose become tight. I have recently discovered that three pairs of my shoes, all smart shoes, are now too uncomfortable to wear. Should I be invited to a dressy do I shall have a dilemma what to wear on my feet.
Why should feet enlarge in old age? Could relaxation of ligaments be the cause? Or arthritic enlargement of the joints? Plenty of those in the feet. Does the enlargement stop after a few years? I don't wish to end up with feet like flippers.
Thought for today
If you truly feared failure, you'd be very successful.
Barbara Sher, American career counsellor
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