Rush for Raab

I sit here listening to the rumble of the rush hour traffic.  It is Friday, the industrial estates came out ages ago, Sainsburys has drawn the shoppers, and a bus or two is trapped among the rushing traffic.  The rushing traffic moving at a cars length every so often, thus allowing the poor taste in music once again to invade my space.  Single occupier every so often making for home.  Working men in vans full of expensive equipment, white van man, trapped by lack of knowledge of the area (probably Evri again), some cars with families, occasional partners, lots of grocery bags strewn across the seats.

It is almost warm, but not quite, however, the cars are warm, the drivers hot and tired, the kids grumbling, the wife also.  The sun shines in the window, one wishes it open, the rest closed.  Ahead lies the double mini roundabouts with possible work being undertaken there, good luck with that!

I am tempted to gloat from my window while sipping tea and looking smug.  

Some listen to dreadful music, others to various news programmes, so many and none worth listening to.  A variety of radio stations, run by rich men, offer alternative right wing slant to the news.  Few offer objective analysis.  If trapped in such a car at this time what would you listen to?  A CD of appropriate music, Cellos, violins, Jimmy Shand?  I suspect most listen to the same channel each day,  while seeking work and heading home.  Of course 'podcasts' are now becoming popular, many will listen to these, and a variety of podcasts is now available.   I have linked to many and yet never appear to have the time to listen to them.  Football, political, God, History, almost anything can be found, yet I never seem to listen to them.  This is however, the nearest thing to free choice on the airwaves these days.  But I think people will just follow the one that tells them what they wish to hear.

Some may be listening to the discussions regarding that nice Dominic Raab who 'offered' his resignation today.  Accused of 'Bullying' by civil servants in many departments, he has been ousted by Rishi to save Rishi's skin.  Dom did not go quietly.  His resignation letter denied bullying and cast aspersions on the ones to blame in a manner that sounded somewhat bullying.  There is no doubt he will be missed.  His place has been taken by a proper Barrister now, as indeed it ought to be, and a loyalist of Rishi has taken the deputy PM job.  How nice.

Rush Hour Cars, Brexit and Forums.

Now I am all for warm weather. Where I come from it is always good to see it, we saw it so rarely up there.  Down here in this xenophobic nation it is more common, this county is supposed to have the least rainfall of all, so why do they grow all the crops here?  Anyway, when the sun shines we enjoy it and I am happy if the temp reaches 70.F and stays there.  

However, there are drawbacks.  

Today we have rain showers in between sunny spells, this gives all those driving their big open topped cars in those sunny spells the opportunity to bless us with all the pleasure of hearing the loud and indeed bad music they listen to!  Open windows, open top cars, occasional idiot with loud transistor, remember them? either will do, but we have to hear their poor choice of bad noise.  

Add to this the eejit who thinks we need to hear his loud phone calls, business sounds good where he is, and pleasure is abundant for all around, well maybe not for the man in the following white van who clearly has his own opinion on this.

No, I am not jealous.  I have no wish to join the 'rush hour' and sit in a car moving at two miles an hour in a queue so long you cannot see the beginning of it.  I have long lost the need to own a pretentious large expensive vehicle to impress those around me.  Indeed, I have not got the money to do so, and I would not do this, unless the Good Lord does present me with the maroon coloured Landrover I have been asking for these past few years.  

I do however, have a bus pass...

Bah!

It was good to get out of here today to return the empty beer bottles vinegar bottles and mayonnaise jars to the recycling bins.  I have been spending far too much time on Twitter and newspaper forums. The 'Daily Express' one in particular.  The Brexiteer is one with a closed mind, closed so tightly no fact can change it.  One grumbled 10,000 migrants have clambered into this country, I indicated 60,000 EU lorry drivers have been banned by Brexit, can these migrants not drive?  This did not go down well. 

The EU is at fault for everything, but free England, never the UK, has got them beat.  For a start the 'Express' extols our deal with the Far East, countries like Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.  These replace Germany, France and Spain!  For the Brexiteer this is a success?  A deal with Australia has enabled us to make £400,000 a year from exports, the Aussies make £1.5 Billion from the deal!  

This is another Brexit success?  The 'Express' reader, not counting 'Bots' or the '77th Brigade' doing Boris's work, does not like facts, he is blind to anything but Brexit, his life depends on this.

 

 

There is however, worse.

On Twitter I got involved with an American, so you can imagine the lack of knowledge, who boasted he had not been vaccinated even though all his workmates had been.  

Now the media today is full of such people bemoaning not getting vaccinated because they were considered physically strong, believed the lies on social media, and then catching Covid and sadly passing away regretting their foolishness. How sad then to see someone boasting not being vaccinated, made worse by claiming that he was following Christ Jesus and trusting him for health.  Indeed he ought to do this, but Jesus, like the vast majority of Christians, would say 'Get the jab!'  Several US pastors have caught the virus, some have died, all say 'Get the jab!'  We get vaccinated against measles, chickenpox, shingles, polio, smallpox and other things, yet we are supposed to consider this one 'evil?'  Some still believe the pandemic was caused by Pharma companies, some by the 'New world order' and others believe still that Bill Gates has inserted a bug into them to follow them around or tell them what to do.  In the UK most people call that bug 'Google' or 'Facebook.'  

I have been amazed at the opinions found on such forums.  I expect them from closed minded Rangers and Celtic fans, but the depth of belief on strange theories amazes me.  The blindness and unwillingness to listen by the Brexiteer leaves me considering this a 'cult.'  Is there an answer?  

Q. 'Why did the chicken cross the road?'

A. 'To avoid meeting Nicola Sturgeon.'

What Day is it?

 

The bright early morning sun brought me into the world early again this morning.  I rose, washed, weighed myself, and found I was now 16 stone and 6 or so pounds!  I sought breakfast carefully.

By 9 am I was ready for work, the recycling was put out for the men coming on Saturday, I do it today, Friday, as after the Bank Holiday it is collected early Saturday morning.  

Full of beans, too full I think, I checked the cars in the car park, both my downstairs neghbours were in, he possibly from a night shift.  So, I then hoovered the entire shanty at that time, before he fell asleep, and I even did the bits usually missed.   I then cleaned the kitchen, now with a bright shiny sink, one that is usually missed, and by 10:20 I sat down, exhausted.  Changing the bed, as it is a new month, can wait till the afternoon.

I am now ready for the weekend, tidy, organised, prepared.

Then, happy with things I begin replying to my many emails, both of them, and it was then that I discovered it is Thursday!

Innit typical?

 

Not far from me workmen have been doing something, I know not what, at the mini-roundabouts.  This means a backlog of traffic outside my window.  With the road being one way, just up the road in the other direction, and with Sainsburys sitting up that way traffic continues all day.  This means for the third day in a row I am 'entertained' by the 'music' coming from the open windows of each vehicle.  Today, in between white youths playing Black Rap, we have heard very loud 1970's vile music, occasionally noise eminates from the car leaving me wondering if it is the exhaust that is troubled or the occupant? And many things that go 'Tish Boom' repeatedly, it is indeed a delight.

I raided the fridge for less fattening centres and failed to find any.  What I ate tonight finished off what was lying around, I think it may finish off me!  Now, as I settle into the evening routine I notice my left foot is fat!  My weight is slipping down there.  Now I enter a positive weight loss regime, or die...

Chilling in the Chill

You can tell it is almost Spring as the rain falls full of snow, slushy snow.  Today however it relented and saturated the world during the night leaving us a clear sunny day.  It didn't bother to turn up the sun however, 5C at most, and with a northern wind to cut through those daft enough to leave the fireplace.  
As I am daft and was becoming desperate to get out and about in the real world for a change I did this and wandered through the Gardens after they opened this morning to find a pair of Mallards who visited the pool.  The wife was dozing and the man looked half awake, very much the Sunday Morning expression from both of them.  Probably they flew by late yesterday and found the pool and thought it might feed them, a bit doubtful about this but the rivers are close by so they will by now have fed well.  Once they placed fish in this pond and wondered why they had vanished.  I never told anyone that I saw a Heron sitting on the edge of the pond one morning, I think that told the story.  They no longer stock the pond.

   

There has been a lot of work going on in the gardens and chopping down aged, sick or damaged trees is one of the things that has been done.  Here we see two that have been put to some use as seats.  A good idea as they don't like wasting things and the trees have done their bit for over a hundred years.  The kids will certainly like these.

From the delights of green grass, blue flowers, singing birdies and wide open spaces I returned to traffic hold ups right outside my door.  Not for the first time, but thankfully not on the busiest day, they are digging in the road and stopping vehicles outside my door, how nice of them.  During the week when they last did this I enjoyed a variety of appalling music played at enormous decibel levels sufficient to enlighten the men travelling to Mars what music the driver appreciated!  Today was less so but the base is something that requires sorting in some vehicles.  Where is my spade...?

 
For the past few weeks I have been constantly sipping those energy drinks from cheap plastic bottles, mostly Lucozade types, in an effort to keep myself alive.  Yesterday I bought this type for the simple reason it was cheaper, much cheaper. Late last night I saw why, I couldn't open it!  With previous bottles I just ignored the ludicrous 'teat' on the top (I prefer real ones) and twist the thing open.  This I could not do!  I struggled and swore and sweated and gripped harder and said rude words but it would not turn.  I was therefore forced to drink through the 'teat!'  However this meant removing the wee plastic guard on top and this I could not do!  I pressed it, I twisted it I pulled and even used my teeth on it but it would not come off.  Much later, desperately hauling away I got the blasted wee plastic bit to remove itself.  Then came the fight with the 'teat' itself.  That soon opened, and the stuff shot out everywhere, but I got my reward though my day was now over.
Today I picked up a second bottle and it twisted off straight away!
I hate them!

                         

Sounds and Smells

In her comment yesterday Jenny mentioned the sound of her door closing being the same sound the original owners would recognise from over a hundred and something years ago.  This got my little mind considering the sounds and indeed smells that greeted peoples in differing ages.  Jenny lives in the centre of the big city, very different from my surroundings but many similarities would be seen.  The noise of doors is just one, doors being better made then!

The pub pictured above for instance, this has been a hostelry for some time, the first publican I found was noted in 1793 and the building dates from that century.  Outside you note the road sign offering directions, a car is parked, usually several are found here, and the road itself suffers constant traffic, sometimes quite heavy.  The air can fill with fumes, children pass in droves from the nearby school, shoppers swarm daily.  The ambulance station further up offers blue flashing lights and sirens, as do the occasional police vehicles.  Little aroma is offered, unless you stand close to the chip shop or Chinese take away. Nothing is noted of any vegetation, only the farmers compost from distant fields once or twice a year fill the air. This then is the normal traffic of a small but busy market town.
Compare the picture below, dated to the early years of the 20th century. 
In the far left just behind the pram stands the Inn.  No traffic passes, not even a horse!  Carriers left daily from here for local villages or London, each day a different direction.  This was the only means of trading goods until the railways arrived.  Coaches taking passengers at six miles an hour shook them up all the way to distant places, also leaving from the various Inns around the town. The noise was less, the smell of horse and carriage would be notable, as indeed would the carrier himself be!  Gardens close by would offer fragrance from flowers, next door the bicycle makers would give the sound of metalwork and accompanying smells.  Men with shirt sleeves rolled up would finger the watchchains on their waistcoats waiting for their lunch break in the pub. Somewhere dogs would bark and a gardener would ensure the horses leavings would aid their crops in the back garden, in spite of that aroma.  Smoke from chimneys may well rise lazily into the air, the distinct smell not being noticed by nostrils taking it for granted, they would notice it when rain brought it down upon them, leaving soot on the buildings and her washing on the line.  No radios blare, no car horns or engine noise, no army helicopter noisily heading for Colchester, no adolescent deafening himself with lousy music at a hundred decibels, no woman pushing a pram while checking her mobile, though she may well be talking loudly into it!  
The sound of silence at night would be manifest to the modern ear.  Animals in the distance would be heard, the factories working nights would make noise in the distance, a train puffing along would be a sound remaining in the mind for ever to those who heard it.  The depth of the darkness around would shock while it would enable a clear view of the stars above, unless it rained!  Streets lights, gas lit later in the 19th century, would only exist in town and the surroundings would be very black. The main form of transport would be coach, or bike, however by the early 1900's a car may be occasionally seen ruining the atmosphere.  Most would still walk everywhere while trains would be used for longer distance.     

Sometimes looking back the world appears easier back then.  We ignore the rickets, five and a half day working, at least, ten or twelve hour days, washing by hand for a large family, what several children could do to a mother, if she lived that is, poor pay and real class distinction.  We really are better off today, so why are so many having to use 'food banks?'  It would be glib to say we have a Conservative government but that clearly plays a part.  The outfall from the 2008 collapse affects us still and many suffer.  Some of the diseases that endangered the children in the postcard view may well be a danger today!  That aside life is better for the majority now than it was then.  The vast majority are in danger of being fat and all the attendant problems this brings than they are in danger of hunger.  The minority require food banks but I can tell you how close that is to us all.  A disease, redundancy, and a badly managed recession can put anyone in that danger.  For most of us however we will look back on the past and say "It was better back then!"          

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1890

London 1890.  There is not much difference between the traffic then and the traffic now.  People meander across the road in a similar manner today, although there is not quite so much room in between vehicles.  The machines today are of course faster but a horse and cart was just as deadly.  In fact a man who;s name escapes me obtained permission to erect a traffic island in the middle of one road in an effort to make crossing safer.  When it was complete he was so excited he ran across to it and was killed by traffic!  You will note the police still question suspects, buses make up their own rules, and men stand around being important.  Women are to be found there but most will be elsewhere, in the shopping districts!

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