Listening to ambient music at the moment, why does Radio 3 find the noisiest classical music out first thing in the morning? Well they all are arguing on Radio 4 about the unfairness of the lockdown - why should the South suffer when the North has the most cases - no answer. For a bit of light relief Nigel Farage has risen up, and when his job as the fawning idiot of Trump is over he is going to come and start a new party - joy of joys.
Last night I attended the All Saints and Souls service at the church, remembering all the people who had died in the village. It was a gentle affair, though religious! But we hung our labels on the white lilies to remember those who are gone. I had just heard yesterday in fact of a very good man, who I had been talking to just a few weeks ago had gone because of cancer. Death is part of life of course, a constant reminder when I look out on the graves in the churchyard, especially the young lad who hung himself and I grieve for his family as I see them tidy his grave, and for his, I think, younger brother, who comes and sits besides the grave and talks to him.
So on to more cheerful things, a British Gas man is supposed to come today to instal a smart meter, will he turn up? After the strong winds of the weekend, it is a mild gentle day but the catch on the heavy drive gates has broken. I left them open but with the animals it is a bit of a worry. My bantams must have been out all day yesterday after finding one of their doors open, but of course would not run away and when I went out in the afternoon, the sound of little running feet behind me demanding food and of course to be let in by their 'proper' door to the run.
I have this big sign over my head, it reads 'food' the little feral cat has the same reaction to me as well, two breakfasts in the morning are demanded, then late lunch, then tea. Lucy, on the other hand, waits for my tea, she obviously thinks I eat better than she does and then only then will she deign to eat her food.
I have been reading a fascinating book, John Marsden - Northanhymbre Saga (The History of the Anglo Saxon Kings of Northumbria). One of the fascinating things about the churches round here, is the A/S fragments of stone caught up in the fabric of the church. And of course the Viking input at a later date, whenever I see the squalid arguments about immigrants coming into the country, I would dearly like to point out our ancestry rests on immigration from Europe, etc.
And, that even further back the ancestry belongs to dark people with blue eyes.
Cheddar Man in the Mesolithic period A reconstruction of this man who lived in the caves round Cheddar, hasn't he got a lovely face?
I like those little apples arranged around the container in your banner picture. We've had a lot like that this year and leave them around the tree for the birds over winter.
ReplyDeleteThat is the work of Jo, the church's bell ringer, she also cuts the holly from this garden for the Xmas show, Lots of candles always burning in the church windows as well.
DeleteHave had a good 'catch up' reading through your October posts. I'd skimmed some of them earlier, but why does it seem awkward lately to leave comments--a rhetorical question, and the answer likely something to do with my rather unsettled thoughts of late. I hadn't read the Autumn poem by EBB--surely we are in the 'autumns' of our life span!
ReplyDelete"It just happened, mistakes have been made on all sides and we have to live in this maelstrom of a storm for the time being."--A good summary of our present condition! It seems all one can do is to keep endlessly adjusting, plodding on, collecting the small joys.
Hi Sharon, glad to see you back and writing your blogs. Today is the day for America and that is all I will say, except we can't make or alter situations that are out in the wider world. Glad you enjoyed the poem, haven't been hunting them out lately. As you and Jennie are 'cat' people, perhaps some lessons on how to tame my feral cat might come in handy please.
DeleteI am doing my best to ignore what's going on...easier said than done! Arilx
ReplyDeleteHello Aril, your sense of humour keeps me sane. We live in interesting times, as long as we live on the sidelines!
DeleteI thought that Cheddar man thing was a really bad sculpture of a 60s Motown artists when I first saw it.
ReplyDeleteYes I am not sure whether they are really truthful representation. I think someone in the village of Cheddar can trace his roots back to prehistory something to think about.
DeleteI like the reconstructions of old remains, and now there are more and more to work with.
ReplyDeleteIt is a very skilled job and rather unnerving the sharp lines of a long dead face but it brings such people nearer to us.
DeleteI loved reading about Cheddar Man - proving human life goes on and on and on whatever.
ReplyDeleteYes, and today's event are but a blimp on the screen. Just found the man who was recognised as being related, through 9000 years to the above.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.independent.co.uk/news/the-family-link-that-reaches-back-300-generations-to-a-cheddar-cave-1271542.html
How did they make the determination that his eyes were blue? That's fascinating to me. I'll have to google 'cheddar man' later. Right now I am off to do my part to remove a 'cheeto man'
ReplyDeleteThey sequenced the gene Debby, with those found in Europe and "Eye pigmentation is determined by a specific gene and a particular variant in the gene," says Thomas. "For skin there are a number of variants." Always an answer on the web! Good luck with your voting, think everyone must be on tenterhooks waiting for the outcome.
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