Tuesday, June 30, 2020

A mouth full of teeth.


On our morning walk we pass the small patch of ground by the churchyard. Someone has pastured two small horses there. The horses are of the variety that believe every passing stranger is carrying a sack of carrots . They race over to see us. One puts his chin on the gate and shows his teeth. Sophie leaps back. She will be delighted when these enthusiastic visitors go.  Our morning tour of the village is completed at a super fast pace.


On the village green the lime tree that's always covered in bees has a new sign hanging on it,  1789 - 1989. It is improbable that the lime tree could be that old. Some of the oaks could quite possibly be that age but not a short lived lime. It is also highly improbable that the revolutionary villagers of 1789 having set fire to the castle, executed the owner , dealt with a breakdown in law and order and faced  an Austrian invasion would have prioritized planting commemorative trees on the village green.


Local French peaches in the green grocers. We shall for the next month be a on a high peach diet. First strawberries, then melons, now peaches. The year has its unshakeable cycles.


This morning we go to the bakers that deals in cakes in primary colours.


We sit outside by a table that has been set up against the air conditioning unit. This makes conversation difficult so we skip through the impact of the new Hong Kong security law and the Russian 'bounty' revelations. Sophie has her croissant ends and water quickly. Angus, who finds the coffee scaldingly hot, takes a little longer to finish.


A man in a dark suit texts me this link : https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-could-it-be-burning-out-after-20-of-a-population-is-infected-141584

5 comments:

WFT Nobby said...

The linked article is fascinating, and once again highlights the complexity of the immune system and how little we know of its response to Covid-19. But I dread to think how certain world leaders might interpret the concept of 'immunological dark matter'...
Cheers, Gail.
PS Enjoy those peaches.

Poppy Q said...

Yum. We'll have one of each and lots of your summer fruits. Peaches and nectarines are awesome. Do you have peacharines? A mix of the two that is my fave.

Lisa in France said...

You get me every year with the peach photos, just about the time I am recovering from the wisteria. Here in Japan, we have only white peaches, while what I really love are the yellow ones. I also found the linked article very interesting, but I was shocked by the photo at the top of the article, as I know that corridor all too well - it runs from one side of Shinagawa station to the other, and it really is that crowded (or used to be). There are so many interesting theories about the virus. Although it's a terrible thing to experience, it is an unexpected pleasure to see the scientists at work. Here in Tokyo, people are still, I think, somewhat puzzled about why we've done so well. The masks certainly have a lot to do with it, but there is also a theory that the BCG tuberculosis vaccine (which is routine here) somehow plays a part.

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Angus, just last night on Countryfile at some big private park, there was discussion about an avenue of limes planted three hundred years ago and how they are caring for them... mind you, the looked a little more substantial then this one! YAM xx

Tigger's Mum said...

Angus, thank you for your article link. It reminded me of a study I read a couple of years ago conducted by an avid cyclist, don at some college in Oxford. He and his cycling buddies were septuagenarians or octogenarians and decided to test various aspects of their physiology. Long story short they established that they (and people of their vintage their cycling groups) had the immune systems of people in their 20's (i.e. regular exercise strengthens the immune system to well beyond what could be expected in aging - the T-cell part - apparently). Keep up the dog walking.