As expected we rose to a white landscape this morning. Slow traffic edged its was along the highway, occasional workers coughed and muttered as they slipped their way past. Occasional dogwalkers muttered also while trying to find a clear spot for the dog. Clearly, not all succeeded.
Much against my better judgement I joined the cheery throng, once the schoolkids had passed by. Whether they were off to school or off school I knew not, but I let them go first. By the time I got fed, dressed and had my boots on, the traffic was beginning to flow normally. Clearly the majority had remained indoors and only the workers and the desperate went out. I needed bread...
To get bread I trudged through the snow, being reminded of how hard this could be. A few inches lay there, pathways already clear down the middle of the path, and at the side areas where children had sought to be the first to leave their footprints in the large white expanse in front of them. Who can blame them? Did we all not wish to do that? And some of you still do!
One man, dressed for the front room, hurried across the park, pulled out his phone, took a quick picture, and ran away back from whence had had come somewhat guiltily. The rest of us, warmly wrapped and slow moving, ignored him. Most offered a rueful remark as we passed one another, one woman annoyed at being 'called in' to work when she wanted to take pictures also. How cruel life is. I bet her pictures would be better thought out than mine.
At the far end I snapped a shot from an area dominated by the early, and frozen, dog walkers. I have taken such shots for years yet little changes. To think that once this was a school ground, and before that a rich man's house? Before that it appears to have been a field, an old painting shows this in the 1800s with a cow happily wandering about. All things must change.
I had hoped to see the birds behind the church but clearly they were struggling for food at the moment. None bar an occasional wood pigeon flew by, and they were not stopping. I wondered how they would feed themselves today, though I suspect peoples gardens would be places to find free offerings in this weather. Not much I can do to help these days.
My route took me past the freezing Town Hall and the old water fountain, it no longer works of course, but there are less horses, pigs, sheep, cows and buyers these days. Bottled water appears uppermost today. Council workers were spreading grit around the area, clearing a safe path, and working up a sweat. Sadly, we have no equipment that allows me to do this here, just an old stiff brush which merely spreads the stuff and makes it slippier! I will not tell you how I know this.
The only splash of colour comes from the Post Box. Note the 'Sat' for Saturday tag, indicating nothing was collected that day. I suspect it was not collected today either. Vast quantities of mail fills the Royal Mail offices, little of it finds its way to me however! I am all in support of the striking workers, however, Royal Mail and this grubby government are not willing to do the deal, the failing attempt to turn the people against the strikers has not yet led to a climbdown by government or their men. I note however, the nurse will not strike in Scotland as the government their has found a solution to the problem. Why can the English not do the same? Simple answer, they do not want a solution, they wish to sell off the NHS to their American friends, line their pockets, and care nothing for the people.
Keir Starmer and the 'Tory Two' Party has failed the workers by refusing to back them, calling for an end to strikes, and even claiming it is impossible to pay the NHS staff more. This is no longer the Labour Party, this is a man desperate for the top job and he will say anything to get it. It is time for Starmer to go, he could do nothing when the failing Boris was PM, he failed to remove Liz, and now fails with the latest failing PM, it is time for Keir to leave the show and allow a member of the Labour Party to take over.
