Almost a miracle

 

Yesterday I took my dog for a walk in the vicinity of Colemere which is one of my favourite haunts on warm summer days because if I get hot I can shuck off my bibntucker and have a quick dip.  I was crossing a very marshy area and came across acres of purple orchid, looking from a distance for all the world like a field of mauve lupins they were such large flower spikes.  I've never seen anything like it and stood for ages in astonished wonderment at the unexpected profusion. 

Turning towards the mere I noticed a large blue cloud hovering about 4' from the water and drifting from side to side with the breeze.  My first thought was that maybe it was some effluence given off by that vile blue algae altho the mere isn't known for that.  Once close enough I could see that it was a mass hatching of blue damsel flies.  I've never seen such a beautiful phenonomen before. 

 

I would say it was an afternoon of natural miracles except...........  I'd forgotten to take my camera 

THE Question

A member of an email group to which I belong recently asked a couple of rather difficult questions which, altho sorely tempted to duck, I have attempted to answer below.  I'd be interested to hear anyone else's views on this: 

question :
how do you know what is reliable historically ?
what makes one ancient writing evidence, while another
is not?

Some ancient 'stories' which have commonly been thought of as myth or fable, such as the Illiad for example, are now through archeological research being reassessed as factually accurate in the light of evidentiary findings, specifically at the site of Troy and other locations from the story.  Others once believed to be accurate renderings of real events such as the battle of Jericho, which has been the subject of research undertaken by Israeli archeologists, have been found to be myth at least in part.  Jericho did not exist at the time when Joshua was blowing his horn :O)

 

Some ancient writing we can know to be true because the evidence is there, others we can know to be untrue or allegorical because the events depicted cannot literally have happened.  There are and have been many ugly women for example but none with living snakes for hair who turn those who see them into stone.

 

Yet others we believe or disbelieve because we want them to be true, and we want that enough to make the leap of faith and take what we read as truth.  There are many who believe that Joseph of Arithmea came to the west of England, and some go further and claim that he brought the young Christ with him.  There's no evidence imo and I believe this story to be no more than wishful thinking, altho many would point to certain trees which customarily but unseasonally blossom on specific religious dates and claim they were descended from the tree which grew when Joseph of Arithmea thrust his staff into the ground.

 

Most in the West once, and some now believe that Genesis is a factual rendition of how the world came into being.   Having for many years regularly read the work of Steven Jay Gould and several other paleantological and botanical archeologists I believe that the mass of evidence indicates (I meant to say rather 'proves') that evolution is the true explanation.  However, like Darwin himself stated in his opus (altho it is usually ignored or unknown), evolution does not explain nor attempt to explain how life began - Darwin credited the originary gift of life itself to God, and so do I. 

Gone fishin........

 

Today my cat has been almost driven to distraction by 3 fledgling jackdaws which this morning exited their nest in one of my chimneys.  They've spent much of the day practising their fairly ropey flying techniques in the branches of an old apple tree in the shade of which, when Grace's climbing ropes aren't needed, we have a table and chairs.  Dennis has spent his day sitting on and stalking up and down the table screaming with frustration and keeping a very watchful eye on these muppet birds in hopes that one will be clumsily foolhardy and land close enough to be caught and dispatched.

He had a taster of baby blue tit around dawn and wants more.  

 

I'm glad to say that he's been disappointed and the little jackdaws have transferred to the top of the large oak tree bordering the paddock.  Dennis knows where they are but so far it seems he just can't be arsed to follow.  Well, it is very hot! 

1st rate bug, 2nd rate pic

Some people are perfectionists.  They'll go all out to acquire or perfect a new skill, studying manuals and 'how to' books until the dawn light breaks, and then they'll practise and practise again until they are expert.

I'm not like that.  My life has been spent saying 'oh, that's good enough, it'll do' 

I'm a good enough gardener, good enough cook, good enough fiddle player, good enough at virtually everything - but of course my 'good enoughs' are at a level set by me - for many people my peformance would be what real experts would call a barely passable botch job.

I've always kept a hope in the back of my mind that one wonderful day I'll discover something at which I'm 'naturally' talented, thus achieving an enviable expert status without actually having to put in any graft.  It hasn't happened yet altho if I say so myself, my Margot Leadbetter impersonation does come naturally and has incredible powers of embarrassment if my children are within earshot.

Anyway, all that preamble is by way of an explanation of why you cannot in this photograph see the incredible Italian Skies blue of this Darter dragonfly's body, nor the iridescent shimmer of its diaphanous wings.  I really must read that digicam manual sometime.

 

Bleep is the word

This afternoon I used the Park and Ride service to do some plastic slapping in Shrewsbury.  The P&R buses are equipped with multiway radios which emit a regular bleep thus reassuring those passengers who have doubts that they are indeed in the land of the living, altho they may still believe themselves semi-comatose in an overheated ICU..... bleep......bleep......bleep....

 

My driver today took full advantage of her radio to ask the exact location of each of her colleagues, including those operating P&R from other locations and using other routes.  At one point this interminable trivia was punctuated by an excited interjection from another bus driver who screamed ' Gary's on Wyle Cop, I have eyeball, I have eyeball'

 

I realise that driving such a route all day every day must be extremely tedious but surely this sort of endless drivel doesn't do much to lighten their hearts or occupy their minds.  I blame television, I really do.

Medical trauma

 

A very senior medical man has suggested that consultants should, in cases of very severe and extreme head trauma, be allowed  to give an injection to end life.  This suggestion is eliciting strong opposition from people outraged that medics should actively seek to end life rather than preserve it.  It would appear that this suggestion is doomed to fail and that should such intentional and proactive means to end life be acted out, the medic will be open to a charge of murder.

 

So, should you or your loved ones be involved in a major car accident say, and lose a substantial part of your cranium and brain then the medics treating you will not be allowed to give you an injection to bring your life to a speedy and painfree end. 

 

No, you can rest assured that won't happen.

 

What will happen is that current practice will continue to be applied.  All sustenance and liquids will be withdrawn.  You'll die a perfectly legal lingering and painful death from starvation and dehydration.

Begging letter

I wonder if anyone has any little game exes on their hard drive suitable for tots to practice their mouse skills?  I'd be very grateful for any mosquito splatting games or similar.