For the past three years, the lane known as "Between Gates", here at Woodcutts, has been visited by a gentleman on a bicycle, with a large aerosol can of white paint and to ensure that he was seen, wearing a florescent waistcoat. He has carefully sprayed the white paint around all the potentially hazardous faults in the lane's surface. This all being done without even getting off his machine, must surely indicate efficiency on his part. He has then disappeared into the mists of time, to reappear the following year. .
This year, there was a follow up to last year's visit by a second gentleman, however this time the person concerned drove a car, obviously a more senior official. He also wore a florescent jacket, (the traffic along this thoroughfare can be very hectic at times), and he carried an aerosol of white paint. Emerging from his vehicle, he proceeded to not only skillfully and artistically decorate the holes in the lane's surface but also create a much more sophisticated picture, by including numbers and arrows in his works.
The following Saturday a council lorry appeared at approximately 11.00 a.m.; it contained road repair gear in the back and three council workers in the cab. The driver was obviously well versed in the knack of driving on country lanes, proceeding at a snails pace along the road. "Goodness me" we each thought, the lane is to be repaired. Unfortunately this was not to be, having reached the end of the track the lorry was turned and off went the three musketeers, obviously their time was up and their lunches awaited them at their homes. A few days later they reappeared, this time staying for sufficient time to fill at least some of the holes but missing others, but to be fair they did create a wonderful helicopter landing pad, outside the house of the only person here who doesn't even have a car. Was this where corruption was creeping in, this resident is known for her surreptitious offers of cups of tea and coffee and believe it or not (scandalous), glasses of sherry. It is enough to make the Laird of Woodcutts turn in his grave.
However it was no helicopter that arrived yesterday, no, you've guessed it, it was the gent on the bicycle. After he had practised his magical art on the remaining holes, again without dismounting, he asked my wife, Meg or Madge, who happened to be passing, "Where am I?" She told him he was in Woodcutts, to which he seemed delighted. We hope to see him back here as a tourist in the near future.
It should be stated, that we the residents of this suburb of Woodcutts are very grateful that this work has gone ahead, despite government cut backs on other major road works throughout the country. We will all be voting for Lionel Blair at the next election!
Having finished with the main story for this edition I'm off for a coffee, before getting involved in more trivial things, such as potential war in Iraq, flooding in the U.K. and throughout the world, super tanker breaking up and creating a potential major eco-disaster and the constant threat from terrorists.
Well it is back to work but I'm afraid I've got to by-pass the trivia of the last paragraph and tell what has been happening in the countryside around us. Firstly, last Saturday lunch time Meg called me to identify a very, small bird that had found it's way into our back porch. At first I was not at all certain which, but it had to be either a goldcrest or a female firecrest but after consulting books, I was certain we were being visited by a female firecrest. This species is probably our smallest occasional visitor, as the goldcrest is our smallest resident. I was thrown at first, because their was no red 'fire' crest, but the black streak through the eye was present, therefore on finding out that the female did not have the red top knot, I could confidently say we had a visit from a female firecrest. What next are we going to see?
The answer is of course, we don't know. Even so, it is wonderful to be able to live at such a time with the world in a state of flux. Only this morning I saw a red admiral, butterfly on the wing, just think a butterfly on the wing on the 18th of November. A few years ago it would not have been believed, but today anything can happen. Fuchsias, buddleias, pot marigolds, we could go on and on making lists of flowers and shrubs that are flowering now, contrary to what could be expected, based on previous years.
Maybe global warming is taking place because of man's interference in the natural order of things, this does not mean we can't enjoy at least some of the results We obviously can't alter the past, we can influence the future though, so let's begin to think 'sustainability'. Perhaps we could all stop being quite so greedy, forgetting about the so called luxuries of "Our" world and returning to basics. Let's walk instead of riding, eat local produce, grow our own vegetables; go on, dig up the lawn, you will get exercise, fresh vegetables and a great satisfaction of reaping what you sow. What more could you want? It beats jogging any day.
It is time for me to quit while I'm still ahead. God bless you all.