Saturday, May 14, 2022

Why bother ?

The temperature due to head into the mid 30's. To cope with the heat Sophie has a trim. She isn't entirely sure that Angus has the professional skills to do a good job. I explain that I have patience. This seems to satisfy her. A  B-A-T-H also waits in store although this may require more patience than Angus can currently muster.

The man who paints the chevrons on the village speed bumps shows up. He refreshes the markings on one side of the lane.  After finishing he sets up bollards so his handiwork is protected and the paint can dry. Fifteen minutes later he  repeats the process on the other side. Sophie stands on her hind legs at the gate and watches in amazement.


The village now moving into its high summer torpor. In a place where nothing ever happens, nothing happens more slowly. The lime tree on the village green isn't yet in bud but it's attracting bees. On our way back from opening up the church we meet the new mayor. He's off to open up the village hall. A new kitchen is to be installed. With the retirement of Madame Bays generation of village ladies the communal kitchen is being brought into the 21st century. Stainless steel counters, dish washers and a microwave oven are among the items being installed.

The sparrows nest in the gutters. The wrens nest in the wisteria. There must be forty of the doughty wee things flitting about. This morning a nest has fallen out of the branches and is lying on the ground by the front door. The nest is lined with the softest and finest of all materials - PONette fur. Nature understands recycling.

On the way back from London the lighting in the airport lounge attracts my attention. Who designs these things ? Is there a factory somewhere churning out globes with faux plastic glass beads ? How big can the market possibly be ? Are they supposed to hint at sophistication ? Human ingenuity once again leaves me speechless. I fear that this 'design feature' will go through life invisible to 99.99% of passengers . It is of the 'why bother ? ' variety.


 

9 comments:

WFT Nobby said...

Love the photo of the nest. The wren could teach us humans something about functional and beautiful design.

Travel said...

Fur, and feathers line the nests of birds and rodents, a reason to always leave fallen feathers alone in the wild. Maybe Sophie should make a seasonal visit to the beauty salon.

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Sophie looks very neat and tidy... The juxtaposition between that gorgeous nest and the airport lighting, which will last a year and then be trashed for further excess, is striking... YAM xx

Coppa's girl said...

Sophie looks quite svelte since her trim.
The nest is beautiful and what a cosy home to bring up babies. Last year there was a tiny nest in the bougainvillea in the courtyard garden, where the mother laid four tiny eggs. In spite of trying to keep the nest intact, in case the mother came back, it's sadly fallen to the floor. It was such an intricate work of art, and a shame to see it collapsed into pieces.
I've come to the reluctant conclusion that I am now too old to care much about modern design trends - the airport lighting being a typical case. Some of the TV programmes about making an ugly house beautiful leave me somewhat horrified, when the finished result looks worse than the original!

Diaday said...

That nest is so sweet. Sophie doesn't shed...she emits magical fibers of love and joy and shares it with the world!

Fay said...

Our bluebird nests are line with cardigan welsh corgi fur——just the right length for their tiny abodes!

Sharon said...

Sophie looks lovely in this picture. Could the airport lighting represent our Solar System? There appear to be ten lights.

rottrover said...

Sophie appears to be rolling her eyes at the very thought of a B-A-T-H and full groom!

Stephanie said...

My goodness, already time for high summer torpor in May? Angus, just a note that your Wednesday post was especially beautifully written.