THIS AND THAT(Continued)

The Times They Are A-Changing

I was born in November 1936 and started school in 1940. By the time I had been at school for a few weeks I walked to school unaccompanied coming home for dinner each day. The school I suppose was a walk of some half a mile or so. Not much traffic then. There were a couple of people we instinctively avoided an old crone of a woman who was, according to us kids, a witch and a man who lived on his own who none of us trusted.

School finished at 4 o?clock straight home for a meal and then out into the street until dark or eight o?clockish whichever came first. Games were organised but they were organised by ourselves. Games went with the seasons hopscotch, releaso , skipping, cricket, french cricket, rounders, football and so on. Younger mums and dads would sometimes join in or ?turn a rope?. Our only concession to planned entertainment was at 6.45 when the street would miraculously clear; it was time for ?Dick Barton Special Agent? with his faithful companions Jock Anderson and Snowy White. 7.00 saw us all back out again. organised entertainment was, for some of us, Cubs, Brownies, Girls Life Brigade and so on much the same as now except we walked there and back on our own in most cases a distance of one to two miles in the winter in the dark.

Now with my own grand-children at that age school is by bus with the time of leaving home earlier and the time arriving back home later the opportunity to play out is restricted so it tends to be on with the TV or Computer or watch a ?Vid?. On the one hand far more technical than I could have coped with when I was that age but on the other hand far more solitary so the man we all avoided would not have had his card marked because the ?people and self preservation skills? would not have been handed down by the older kids. Why the change? Well that is what times do they change people want more they expect more there is more traffic about and it moves quicker. How do I say this ?ordinary people have cars? so do paedophiles they can move out of the area where the kids are wary of them and be away before a snatched child is missed.

Technically kids today compared with us are marvels but at a price. Parents do not join in with the kids evening games they are not home from work besides the kids are tap, tap, tapping away at the computer or watching the box. In fact some parents are not there to get the evening meal the microwave and chicken ping providing a sprawled on the sofa meal prepared by the child who will never learn how to cook beyond the stick it in the microwave stage. We taught our grand-daughters how to cook and at their now ages of 11 and 15 they are in a minority at their school in that they can cook real food from scratch. The younger one in particular being excellent at making bread (no not with a breadmaker), cakes and pastries and the older one has her own pasta machine and is good at preparing, again from scratch, her favourite Italian foods.

So what has changed well people don?t need more but they do want more. Quality of life has been sacrificed for quantity. More money and ?things? lavished on the kids in place of time, love and affection.

Time does dim the memory and I have tried to avoid sentimentality but the times they are a-changing.

Spring 2004

The weather at last has started to show spring like tendencies and good use was made of it. Plants, seeds, containers and compost were bought. The garden was cleared of fallen branches, twigs and ground covering Ivy. A few cases of wine have just arrived and another week or so should see us able to spend most of our time with lunches and red wine on the riverbank.

Apart from the attempted serious thread I started on another forum (what a thoroughly nasty, vindictive, vicious clique some of them are) it was a very enjoyable, productive and satisfying long weekend. Our container-grown herbs were added to with plantings of Chives, Parsley, Sage and Oregano. Other herb plants ordered and herb seeds were sown into troughs. And this time I remembered to add gravel to all the compost to improve the drainage. A small south facing bed backed by a white wall was prepared ready to house half a dozen cherry tomatoes plants. Visions of French or Italian bread and salads made fresh Basil, home grown tomatoes and cheese and oh yes the Vin Rouge swim into view.

This year we appear to have some help. With one or two apartments changing hands we have several more interested gardeners. We?ve all agreed to contribute three 80 litre bags of compost which should yield 15 bags in all and the muscle power to spread it. 6 lavender plants of various types together with some shade loving plants have already been provided by two of our new gardening fraternity. All in all a very promising start.

Changes too in the kitchen. The stock of home made soups in the freezer have been gradually run down to make way for various ricotta based tarts, courgette, asparagus, spinach and so on. Together with half a dozen of out favourite Tarte au Citron and of course various other fruit tarts.

We have decided that moving to France is not going to happen. In essence we cannot afford a second home so it would have had to be a lock, stock and barrel job and I am afraid moving away from our frequently seen Grand-daughters would, in the final balance, be too much of a wrench. Instead we will continue, as best we can, to live a mixture of Mediterranean and English Country life in the Mill. I just wish the Hags lived closer so we could enjoy sharing liquid lunches and our river with them.

Now just roll on the good weather so that the great outdoors can be enjoyed and the river and its bird life appreciated.

I wrote the above last evening today was cloudy but very mild. A minor plumbing problem needed attention and John our friend and most reliable plumber turned up only ten minutes late and solved the overflowing header tank. It was after he had finished we decided that the weather was warm enough for a glass or two out on the river bank. Perhaps the Mediterranean life style starts here albeit without the sweat and red blistering. Life can be so pleasant why bother with things that only cause agro.

One can only hope that Spring is here and a decent summer will follow..