'A Day in the (competitive) Life ----- '
Transformation in the countryside hereabouts is complete with nature's new coverings - newly minted leaves, as well as the woodland carpet covering of bluebells for instance - nature is just awesome ---- . 'Small' life here on the peaceful, organic eco micro-holding (small smallholding) here in the UK heartlands has speeded up a bit now that April's been and gone. Certainly the second half of April had a cold airstream, with quite a few overnight frosts - the early potatoes, for instance, have had quite a hit - they'll recover, though. Planting and sowing had to some extent to be put on hold, although some of the 'tougher' crops such as broad beans, peas and onions did grow on to some extent - the saving grace was that although the air was cold, there was quite a bit of sun, as witnessed by the useful electric production recorded by the solar unit through April. The new small polytunnel came into its own with both climbing and dwarf french beans planted out in it, only for then slugs and snails to clobber them - it's predicted to be a bad slug/snail year hereabouts. Slug pellets, the expensive organic variety, have to be used here sparingly to avoid crop annihilation, just about the only chemicals used here - ah, apart from a small amount of weedkiller, again judiciously used on the gravel driveway.
'Busy as a bee ---- '
The somewhat delayed season has mean't that micro-holding life has become busy, with no time for mischief, apart from a late-ish ribald sort of a night recently in one of the local social club bars (older guys collectively can be past masters at what might be called 'enlightened sillyness and stupidity' --- ) Take yesterday, for instance- some later broad bean plants (grown for seed production) were put in to finish and square off the broad bean area, followed by the early runner beans being planted out (with an old glass windscreen for protection). The autumn-sown onions had to be hoed to avoid weed build-up and the recently mended (at cheap cost via a local guy handy with machines) rotary mower had to then tackle the overgrown grass half of the small paddock, which it did admirably - tough machines those rotary mowers.
The remainder of the 'small burning wood' needed to be relocated, the area it had been stacked in then to be tidied up, dug over and fenced in anticipation of creating a small wild flower bed - important to think of wildlife - the birds are still being fed here in spite of the copious herbage around the place, which now is really greening up, looks splendiferous, reminding of 'renewal' and a 'new start'. The final job was to put up supporting sticks for a useful-looking early row of peas, the sticks coming from the winter trimmings of a sycamore hedge by the work area of the holding, which in turn then become next winter's kindling wood. There's more sowing and planting to come, plus veg growing 'maintenance' work (mainly hoeing), there's a new roof needing to be put on the conservatory, there's a problem to sort out with putting items on the 'books' page of the website. Phew - better pack this write in now, already starting to feel the pace ----
'Competitivism rules ---- ?'
'Big' life, according to media reports via TV and the papers, seems to still have more than its share of problems - ? Maybe though, 'competitivism' has become an over-large element in modern life -? It can seem, for instance, that nearly every other TV programme has the 'competitive element', with there having to be 'winners', and therefore losers - ? One recent programme even introduced competitivism into the leisure past-time of caravanning, which presumably has the objective of relaxation and 'de-stressing' - ? Cooking and baking programmes seem to have all become competitive, with other programmes intent on using 'implied competitivism', such as the hour-long screening on a terrestrial 'quality' channel of a programme entitled 'The Billionaire's Wardrobe'. Nothing, maybe, too wrong with competitivism 'per se', unless it's made a bit too much of a meal of - ? Preoccupation with wealth and position, with strong associations to competitivism, seems to have become though, these days, almost mandatory - ? Hopefully, there are some, possibly more than a few, who are content to operate on the 'sufficiency' model rather than the 'ever more' route, and get on with the important job of enjoying life - ? (it was reported a short while back, for instance, that the wealthy were not happy/content, ever preoccupied and worried about their position in the 'wealth ranks').
' If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world '
( Tolkien )
Maybe money works better as a 'means', rather than an 'end' - ?
'Competitive culure ---- '
Maybe 'competitivissm' looms so large because western-style cultures tend to be of the 'young-ist' variety - younger people being more likely to be involved in 'making their way' - ? It can be interesting, and illuminating(?), for instance, to use personal life experiences through which to view such modern trends. Golf matches are inherently competitive occasions, and competing, for instance, against younger opponents can sometimes be noticeably more 'up front' competitive, than, say, against older opponents. The latter, obviously having had more time to accumulate life experience, often seem to have the ability to be 'multi-dimensional' and for instance, to be able to combine 'competitiveness' with 'sociability'. Maybe, though, 'sociability' itself has waned in modern limited 'out-for-self' type of 'cut-throat' cultures - ?
'Kipling's two imposters ---- ?'
When playing competitive sport, it's no doubt important to try hard, to try to win, otherwise it would become a 'non-event', but when it's combined with sociability and humour, it can become somehow a more multi-dimensional experience, leading even to the situation where if the match has been 'hard and close' (and therefore enoyable), for instance, the actual outcome can become of less importance. The spectre of 'enforced competitivism' has recently raised its head in the UK, with the current government seemingly intent on restricting the BBC, the nation's public broadcaster, in the favour of commercial broadcasting operations, resulting in much concern that the degree of control government appears to want to exercise, will turn the much valued and admired independent public broadcaster, the BBC, into some sort of state broadcastiong operation. Another potential dint in the side of independence - ?
'Non-competitive ---- '
One of the claims made for the practice of meditation, now apparently fairly widespread in the western world, is that it being a totally personal and individual process, it has no competitive elements, and can be therefore an effective palliative against any rampant competitivism of the age. It's probably not a bad idea to be able to have 'time out', if only to 'de-stress' and 'recharge the batteries' - ? The longer term benefits can then include a general 'systems slow-down', which again maybe not be too bad a thing in modern fast-paced times, leading also perhaps to clearer thinking and better reality grasp - ? For a moment, the thought was entertained that activities here such as veg growing are non-competitive, but that then depends on the individuals involved - there are for instance more than a few in this area who are keen on outdoing others, particularly in the area of the (large) size of the produce they produce - they've got the 'big is better, is best' bug, which seems to be important to their own self-standing - ? Can there, though, be a cost, in going for the 'quantity' approach, in terms of then under focus on 'quality' causing 'quality loss' - in this case in flavour and taste of the produce, for instance. Maybe that works too in general - ? A 'big is best' type culture, focused as it tends to be on 'quantity', then forfeits needed 'quality' - as ever presumably, the need being for 'balance' between the two - ?
Here the emphasis is to grow healthy, 'unforced' tasty produce working with, rather than against, nature (hence the biologically-based organic method of production used), a sight tastier probably than other local veg produce. Ah - oops ---- .
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