Showing posts with label Rubbish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rubbish. Show all posts

Monday 22 August 2022

Edinburgh, Autumn and Football

Louise Rayner - John Knox's House, Edinburgh

A quick glance at this picture and you may think the scene has not changed much in all these years.  This picture, painted in the later 19th century, is full of life and depicts what is supposedly a normal day in the life of the great city of Edinburgh.  We see the High Street, or 'Royal Mile,' as it is known as it leads from Edinburgh Castle down to Holyrood House, has always been a bustling place.  The painting portrays the locals, with a few workers of many kinds included.  The better off by now having moved down into the 'New Town' long since, we can tell the small tenement dwellings are occupied by those standing around in the street.  None are ashamed of hanging out the window and participating in the conversation, none are ashamed of washing hanging from the windows, neither activities being seen done today.  
However, this month Edinburgh endures, sorry, welcomes, the Festival.  An orgy of high class entertainment for the paying public.  Alongside this come the 'Fringe,'  this is an orgy of artists seeking fame and fortune, alongside those from previous generations who made it here in the long forgotten past.  This comes with a plague of leaflets no-one reads, mostly scattered about the streets or pinned to any available post, also unread by passers-by
Add to this mix the Dustbin men are on strike for a week!  This means wheelie bins overflow, rubbish piles up, and none gets collected.  The tourists flooding into Edinburgh, while the locals flood out if they can, get the benefit of Brexit Britain in their face, and certainly up their nose.  An excellent idea of the Binmen to make clear what is happening in our country today, low wages, high energy bills, and Brexit failures flood the nation, and the government, in Westminster, has gone on holiday!  As I keep telling the Brexiteers, "You voted for this!"  But they refuse to accept reality.  "This is not the Brexit I voted for!" Is their cry, though there never was any other on the table.  Lies and devious politicians, backed by very rich men abroad has brought the nation to its knees.  And Brexiteers refuse to accept this.  Trains, docks, Royal Mail, and dustmen on strike, and Brexit continues to make problems.  
Boris is on holiday.


400 miles away from all this I sit watching August slowly disappear from us.  Already 22 days in and leaves are falling from the trees.  Possibly this is encouraged by the dry ground, the heat heavy upon us this year, possibly just normal Autumn approaching.  
The sun still shines, though now through much more cloud, and slowly heads towards the west.  Women take their dogs across the quite safe park, enjoying the sun while standing gossiping about their neighbours with others like minded.  The impatient dogs snuffle around the fallen leaves and sun browned grasses always finding something to keep them busy.  
The rush hour now struggles past the door, music of an awful kind emits from one, a ringing phone from another.  Rap, with a capital 'C' passes by at three miles an hour, followed by the airport bus, hydraulic brakes squealing like a crying child.  Every evening the same people, the same slow struggle towards retirement.  Others, often retired, foolishly shop at Sainsburys in time to meet the rush hour.  They have done this for several years, why?  Have they never considered an early morning or late night shop?   I suppose getting up, checking the pills, finding breakfast, walking the dog, and then it is too late for shopping.  In the evening they would not wish to miss the 'Bread & Circuses' provided for them by broadcasters dulling the brain and hindering thought.  
I avoid such TV yet find my mind is dull and thought hindered.  Having exercised, twice early last week, then twice worked in the front to clear the mess I found my self very tired and aching much from Thursday onwards.  Even today, after a trip to Tesco, my body aches.  This, I must say, has nothing to do with the money saving offer on a bottle of 'Jameson's Orange Whiskey'  that was going cheap last week in Tesco.  Irish whiskey does not just possess a wrong spelling of 'whisky,' it is also only 30%, which tempts some to drink more than they ought.  Especially when watching football.  My neighbours now know I was watching football at the weekend.  



Saturday 15 April 2017

Another Boring Day


I noticed these weeds (when does a flower become a weed?) when looking for dropped coins as I walked the streets this afternoon escaping the laptop.  Spring has an abundance of such at the moment, or is it just lazy men refusing to cut the grass I wonder?   Possibly the Monday holiday will see many happy men toiling in the garden.


It is a wonder this planet, the sky changes colour minute by minute, just looking in a different direction and the hue changes, the sea is a vast moving region that delights at all times, unless it is swamping us!  The greenery that flourishes in our wet climate, the verdant hues all around, the world is a marvellous lace yet we make it a litter bin by carelessness or lack of concern.   
This cartoon sums it up.  Vast quantities are floating about the seas killing wildlife and hindering shipping.  Some the result of storms sinking ships and damaging coastal towns, other vast amounts of individual rubbish thrown aside thoughtlessly that now bobs along heading your way.  
The UK is a filthy nation, litter lies around everywhere, occasional attempts at clean ups exist but councils don't help by charging enormous amounts for businesses to dump stuff, locals can do this free but as business has to pay uncaring types dump things in back roads!
Ah well, charging 5p for a plastic bag has lessened the amount floating around nowadays.



Tuesday 6 May 2014

OK, Explain This!



Wandering home from the museum after a very quiet day I passed this in one of the centuries old rights of way.  Today this is merely a path between houses but it has been in use since time immemorial, which means a long time ago.  Plastic bags, crisp packets, tin cans and the like can often be found lying about the streets of this litter mad society, but in this town sights like this are rare, indeed never seen before.  Who and why has someone dumped all these old boots here I wonder?  Did someone rob a bag from a charity shop and get the wrong stuff?  Is it a foot fetishist who has changed his mind?  
While enduring 20 odd years on London such sights were not unusual, indeed round our way they were common before gentrification took hold.  In this wasteland the tipping is usually done in a farmers field well away from homes and usually of trade waste, not second hand footwear.  I must keep a look out for a family with no shoes.  Then I will know the culprit.  What did I do about it did you ask?  Nothing........ 


I found this also, a picture of a Glasgow shop!


Thursday 31 October 2013

No time to post...



Anything sensible....

Today was to be a quiet day.  A late rise, about seven, a bath and it's not even Sunday, a big breakfast, make lentil soup, write things on history and sleep. The bath and soup occurred, but not at the same time, and a call from the museum took away my Saturday morning, but most of the other stuff did not get done.  How come?  


'Private Eye,' did fall through the letterbox and offer me another dose of corrupt MP's, bankers, businessmen, and local Councillors, to cheer me up.  There were some aspects of Cromwell that possibly had an advantage over what is called 'democracy.'


However I did work out all my Christmas needs and began to fill out the Christmas cards already! It may be that I have spent so much time in Tesco that I have been influenced just a bit too much by them!  


The shock of the day came when my sister told me my niece (49) has decided to have a stroke. Naturally this worried me, I thought I may have to spend money travelling north for a moment!  I think however she will be OK.  It appears to be mild, if there is such a thing, and in a few days we will have a better idea of the problem.  Damage does not look to bad and she talks well enough considering.
Tsk!  The things people do to you!  

I had planned such a skillful post for tonight also, now I have forgotten it.  More rubbish to follow tomorrow!



.