North Wales 1978

I’m with the cows lick and no blazer

I don’t remember this photo being taken

I was perhaps sixteen years old.

Prestatyn High School circa 1978

I don’t recognise that gauche young boy.

This is because my school years were some of my most unhappy ones I ever experienced 

Perhaps you can tell that from the half non smile on my face.

Earlier this week I put a few ghosts to bed. 

I accepted that many of my happiest memories were when I was partnered and married .

The anger masking these ....left behind , just a little

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Sunflower

In the south west of Ireland, overlooking the ocean, there lives a man called David. He is not alone. There is his devoted wife who we shall call Pamela and his two grown-up sons who we will call George and Eric - named after two of Manchester United's greatest players.

David is  a keen gardener and so he spends a lot of time pottering in his polytunnel, listening to songs by his favourite bands - "The Osmonds" and "Westlife" - as he splits plants, repots them or sows seeds. There is always something to do in the polytunnel and a bonus is that gardening gets him well away from his nemesis - the dreaded vacuum cleaner!

Should you wish to visit David's blog, "Northsider" - please go here.

The other day, David remarked upon plants that flower out of season and indeed plants that have been hanging in there since summertime here in The British Isles. In passing, I mentioned a particular plant that we have noticed on our top decking. It sprouted from a pot that contains a little hebe. It is very likely that a bird accidentally dropped a sunflower seed there.

The sunflower germinated and a plant rose up in the early autumn - too late for summer and then a small flower emerged. Not the plate-like flower that usually forms but a stunted yellow flower the size of a child's fist.

David requested photos of said flower so they are here with this blogpost. A sunflower in mid-December?  It may be perfectly normal in Florida or Australia but at this latitude and in this northern clime it is pretty unusual. I guess it helps that we have not had any significant frosts this winter - not yet anyway!

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Clingy

 

It’s easy to anthropomorphise animal behaviour to suit your own mood 

But take a close look at this photo, taken just before getting up this morning 

Dorothy is on the left, Mary to the right.

Both with a part of their body pressed close to mine.

And overlooking everyone is Albert, wide eyed as usual.

Albert never sleeps in my bedroom.

Every morning he would be found in the back bedroom on his own or else sat with Winifred in the kitchen reading chair. 

But since Winnie died he has slept on the window seat, facing us.

Two nights in a row.

Funny what you notice

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Reduction

In my humble opinion, we should all be doing more to save our planet. Global warming is happening right now. We shouldn't leave it all up to governments, major industries and international organisations. There are things we can do ourselves to reduce the world's enormous carbon footprint in order to benefit future generations.

They may not be entirely original but here are eight ideas I want to share:-

1) Switch off lights when you leave rooms. They should not be illuminated unnecessarily. A side benefit is that your energy bill will be slightly reduced each month.

2) Do not waste food. Try to use up leftovers and when grocery shopping think about what you really need before your next visit to the supermarket. 

3) Linked with 2) keep crackers, sliced bread loaves and biscuits (American: cookies) airtight. In this way you will be reducing waste. After all nobody wants to eat soft biscuits or stale bread and these products will last longer if they are airtight.

4) Only replace electric appliances and mobile phones when they stop working and cannot be repaired. You may have spotted a super-duper new flatscreen TV in the electrical store but if your old one is still working fine then just stick with it

5) If you are a parent in a town or city, your child really ought to go to a neighbourhood school - preferably a school that the child can walk to. The ferrying of children to and from schools day after day, mile after mile, year after year in private motor vehicles represents a huge drain on natural resources.

6) Drink more tap water and less fizzy drinks, tea or coffee. Do not buy bottled water.

7) If you are lucky enough to have a garden, patiently and continuously make your own compost  with organic matter and vegetable peelings etc..

8) Try to make your clothes last. Don't be replacing them all the time as you ride the bandwagon of consumable fashion. Maybe buy better quality clothes in the first place.

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Climate change is of course a big, urgent and important subject and we all know why there is a worldwide move towards wind and solar power. Similarly, we are all aware of the reasons for recycling and why the ownership of electric vehicles is on the rise. Even the growth of veganism and vegetarianism may be connected with this conservation movement.

I have suggested eight ways of assisting the reduction of humanity's carbon footprint. Have you got an idea or two you would like to share? Perhaps you would just like to say something else on this  topic...

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