TheBanyanTree: There's more twaddle in my philosophy...

[John Bailey]

Saturday April 17, 2004

THERE'S MORE TWADDLE IN MY PHILOSOPHY...

Yesterday we installed a small pump and fountain in the pond, much to the 
delight of the fish, who responded by showing much greater activity, taking 
their food with more enthusiasm and giving us some idea of the fun you can 
have with koi carp. While Graham was fixing the pump they came along to 
nibble at his fingers, to his great joy. Our neighbour on that side was 
pleased, too, saying the sound of the water was relaxing. I sincerely hope 
he'll feel the same way about my windchimes, too, when they are freed from 
the storage box in which they've been confined since we left Somerset. I've 
promised to fit sound dampers on the pipes if they prove to be too loud for 
this location.

Other works have included the fitting of slatted shelves in the heated 
linen cupboard, tripling its storage capacity. One of the secrets of 
successful living in any home is to have adequate storage. We're determined 
to do the job properly here.

The sun shone once more, from dawn til dusk, making my weekend provisioning 
trip a real pleasure. The road into Boston is inclined to be a trifle busy, 
and people generally want to drive faster than I want to go.  That's a 
shame because there's nothing I like more than a gentle drive along country 
roads. When there's time I shall work out alternative routes, over quieter 
roads.

The road through Boston itself is pretty busy with holiday traffic on a 
Saturday morning, people going home at the end of their holiday and their 
replacements coming in the opposite direction. Funnily enough, there's 
almost none of that tiredness induced pent-up anger in evidence. It may be 
that holiday makers from the North and the East Midlands are more tolerant 
than those from more Southerly areas. I think I shall try to avoid Saturday 
shopping expeditions during the season, though. Just as I do my best not to 
take up road space when working people are driving to and from their 
workplaces, it doesn't seem entirely fair to add to the load during holiday 
peak times.

The supermarket is very busy of a Saturday morning, too, though once more 
aggressive behaviour is most noticeable by its absence. This was not the 
case in Wales.

But, most of all, I notice that that vast majority of people here smile. 
When you catch their eye they always smile. When they come out of the shops 
there's often a smile on their faces. And when their faces are in repose 
they still seem closer to smile than scowl. This was not the case in Wales.

Late this evening Graham stilled, and muted the sound on the TV.

"Thought so," he said. "The wind's coming up. Oh, and it's started to rain, 
too."

"Doesn't surprise me."

"How's that, then?"

"My hands and fingers have been complaining today. Seems they're more 
effective as weather scriers here than they were in Wales."

"Twaddle."

"Like as not. There's more twaddle in my philosophy..."

"Ah. There you're right."


--

John Bailey   Lincolnshire, England

journal of a writing man:
<http://www.oldgreypoet.com>