Mid-winter Solstice at last

This is my favourite time of year. It's the point at which we, in the northern hemisphere reach that all important tipping point where the days are now beginning to get longer.

We have reach mid-winter, from here in its all onward to Spring. 

We have survived to this point so we celebrate with a fresh Yule log to see us through to Springtime, eat heartily and use up the meats and perishables  saved from summer, tell tales to each other of past conquests, of tall tales, of ghosts and demons and faery folk.

Have a wonderful festive season everyone. 

Spiders with boots on

Quietly sitting reading, I heard the patter of tiny feet. When I say tiny, we're not talking children, pregnancy or anything remotely connected but to a bloody big house spider scurrying across the new floor. 

Last time I heard a sound like that it was in Spain when a super-sized cockroach lifted itself up and legged it across the floor in front of me 😳

Glad to say, this set of hob nail boots belonged to a friend not foe (house spiders eat flies and other insect intruders).

My visitor however, was caught under a glass and a piece of card was slid between her and the floor.

It's mild, it was dry, so I put her outside. 

Rather not have her marching across the bed when I'm in it thank you very much.

Never dreamt I'd still be here

Blimey, me 70 years old, 😳 still finding it an interestingly difficult number to digest...

I do remember a time back when I was still about 16 years old wondering about the turn of the century.

I had recently come out of a lecture on CFCs, ozone holes and pesticide/herbicide overload in soils.

I was sitting in the Library in Luton Tech contemplating how the world would look at the turn of the century.

I started working dates out; 2003(age:50), 2013(age:60), 2023(age:70)

I started thinking about what state the world would be in and made mental prophesies;

+ petrochemicals would need to be reduced in use

+ pesticides and herbicides would need to be reduced or terminated. 

+ plastic usage needed reduction especially in the home. Too much wrappings ended up being put in the bin.

+ soil could be dead by then having had too much chemical treatment 

+ a very polluted water course....water wars?

+ general public would have to stop using petrol/diesel cars.

Frightening just how close to the actual state of world health I was back then which was around 1969!

Christmas is coming and the tills are getting fat

One place I tend to avoid when we get close to this festive season is a town centre, but especially Maidstone. It becomes an ill mannered, angry,  discordant mass of frantic people willing to part with any amount of money to solve the problem...

Christmas is fractious, long live the Christmas spirit.

Bags upon bags of 'stuff' squeeze their way around shops with mothers dealing with crying children demanding what they feel is theirs.....now.

To add to the exasperation it's raining....hard.

All I do is smile and retreat to Starbucks. Tea is OK, coffee passable but most importantly at the monent anyway, quiet.