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Summer in autumn
Went for a walk today with another group of ramblers. It was a warm, sunny day and, apart from the colour of the leaves on trees, it could have been summer. The views were spectacular--rolling green fields surrounded by trees with leaves whose colours ranged from green to red, orange and yellow. And no litter in sight.
I have noticed that some walkers are troubled by wind, particularly after lunch; or rather, those behind them are the ones troubled by it. It doesn't do to follow them too closely, especially if they struggle over stiles, because the effort can be too much for their sphincters.
Thought for today
Chimps and other primates groom each other to establish and maintain relationships within the group. As groups became larger, and group relationships became more complicated, there simply wasn't enough time to do all the grooming that was necessary. So a form of shorthand was invented: language. Chimps pick fleas off each other; humans hold conversations.
Alan Barker, Improve Your Communication Skills, 2000
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1.11.07 20:49
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Luxury becomes necessity
I bought another toaster today. The slots of the old one were too small for my thick slices of bread. As I often toast bread straight from the freezer, I had to thaw the slices in the microwave first before I could squash them so they would fit into the toaster. Feasible but fiddly; hence the new toaster. This one burns toast quicker than the one that died.
Thoughts for today
Is an enemy so execrable that though in captivity his wishes and comforts are to be disregarded and even crossed? I think not. It is for the benefit of mankind to mitigate the horrors of war as much as possible.
Thomas Jefferson, 1779
Guantanamo Bay's climate is different than Afghanistan. To be in a eight-by-eight cell in beautiful sunny Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is not inhumane treatment.
Donald Rumsfeld, 23 January 2003
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2.11.07 19:43
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There is no such thing as a free lunch
A few weeks ago I went to a business fair in a nearby hotel. Entry was free and I was curious to see the hotel. It was posh (clean, well decorated) and had tables in corners with free coffee and fruit. I walked round the stands, collected several free pens, and left after lunch. The lunch was free but was in return for my time.
Last week the organiser of the fair rang me to tell me that I was the runner-up in the prize draw. I had won an MP4 player. (First prize was an iPod.) I had forgotten all about the prize draw so the news was a surprise. I was guardedly optimistic (the above heading came to mind) rather than elated at having 'won'. Yesterday the MP4 player arrived and, to my disappointment, it does not work. I think the disk is faulty; just my luck. I shall email the organiser before posting it back to him.
Thought for today
What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expected generally happens.
Disraeli
(Not in my case.)
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3.11.07 21:04
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Stick wars
The residents in the care home where my parents live often lose their walking sticks. Most of them have dementia so they forget where they put them. They then pick up the nearest stick they see and, when challenged, refuse to believe that it belongs to anyone else. One woman took my fathers stick. He noticed and objected saying that it was his. No, it isnt was the reply. He pointed out that it had his name on it. The woman told him that hed put his name on her stick.
Thought for today
Love conquers all things except poverty and toothache.
Mae West (1893 - 1980) American actress
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4.11.07 19:34
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The trials of shopping
Last week I decided that it was time I bought a new gas cooker. The one I have is my mother's old one; it has an eye-level grill and has been repaired several times. Gas came out at random instead of being under the control of the dials. Twice when I used the oven two months ago the gas went out spontaneously so I have been suspicious of it ever since.
Having decided that the cooker should go, I thought that buying a new one would be straightforward. Silly me. I looked on websites and visited Comet last week to look at cookers in the flesh, in the steel, so to speak. They had a large selection of ones with double ovens which looked suitable until I opened the doors and realised that I would have to kneel on the floor to put things in the oven, and have to sit on a low chair to keep an eye on things under the grill. My back and knees aren't as flexible as they used to be. I decided to go for one with an eye-level grill again. However, there are fewer of these on the market. I am back to searching on the internet. Sigh.
Thought for today
It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires great strength to decide on what to do.
Elbert Hubbard
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5.11.07 19:24
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Added value
Had my hair cut this morning. My head feels cooler and more comfortable (and my purse feels lighter). The prices in the salon where I go are higher than those in my previous one. However, as well as a haircut I get entertainment when I go there. Staff and customers chat. I sit and listen; people have such different lives.
One of the staff spotted a large spider on the floor. The woman cutting my hair went to look; she agreed it was big. Perhaps it will go outside, the first one said. Not without encouragement, I thought. Shortly after that I saw the spider (even without my glasses; it was big) as it ran round by the skirting board and headed towards my bag. I drew attention to it and suggested that they remove it as it might frighten the customers. The woman cutting my hair slapped a glass over it and scooped it up with the appointment card on the reception desk, and then chucked it out of the door. When I left I checked to see if it was waiting to rush back in but there were no spiders in sight.
Thought for today
The chief use of slang is to show that you're one of the gang.
[This jingle] summarizes in a few words the essential point about slang--that it identifies a social group which is very conscious of its identity. We usually associate slang with the street, with young people, with the latest fashions. But this is to miss a general point. For we all use slang. We all belong to gangs.
David Crystal, Words Words Words, 2006
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6.11.07 19:38
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A pointless exercise
As I marched back from town this afternoon I noticed a woman (in her late 30s maybe) on a bike waiting at a junction on my left. She looked as if she was intending to join the road I was on. There were no other road users about, apart from me on the pavement, so I began to wonder why she was stationary. Then I spotted the reason. She was waiting for a little lad on a bicycle, her son I presumed, to ride from the pavement on the side road to join the pavement that I was on. He did this without mishap. Good boy, she said in a tone adults use to talk to dogs. Needless to say he wore a cycle helmet, she did not.
The lad continued on the pavement, the woman followed him on the road. She then, without looking behind, stuck out her right arm; she was going to turn into the next junction. The lad had no need to signal because he was on the pavement. However, the woman had no need to signal either. There were no vehicles behind her, and the only oncoming car would pass her before she reached the junction. The road was narrow so she was safer with two hands on her handlebars.
She was mistaken if she thought she set a good example to her son. Allowing him to ride on pavements is a bad idea because pavements round here are narrow. One day he'll meet a car (an SUV, plenty of them round here) reversing out of a drive.
Thought for today
The most important thing about power is to make sure you don't have to use it.
Edwin Land (1909 - 1991) Founder of Polaroid
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8.11.07 19:37
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