'APRIL'S FOOLS _____?'
April has certainly had us fooled here in the UK midlands, where sowing and planting would normally be well under way. It's only now at very nearly mid April that the weather has started to show signs of shedding winter mode and warming up a bit. Some stuff has gone in here on the organic eco micro-holding (small smallholding) in the UK midlands, but has then had to be well covered up. The shallots (for pickling onions) were first in and have actually grown under plastic. Virtually all the onion sets are in, again under covers and roughly a third of the seed potatoes have been planted under more covers, along with a row of planted-out out in the open broad bean plants, approx three weeks later than normal. Ah well, such is life, or should that be such is 'global warmed' life - ?
The grass hereabouts in the adjacent fields looks pretty sick after the prolonged period of frosts - yellowy-brown and darkish. It'll probably hopefully recover pretty quickly but grazing grass for farm animals is presumably going to be in pretty short supply for awhile. The twin-pronged attack on the clover in the fields from both the wood pigeons and the frosts, have decimated it, leaving lots of small bare patches and only a few struggling weakly clover strands. Food for the wild birds is presumably still in short supply, with the offerings on the bird tables, in the bird feeders and on the ground getting plenty of attention. Got to help our feathered friends - amazing even with help that so many have come through such a prolonged cold winter.
Talking of which, the woodburner wood is now nearly all gone, but will probably just about last a couple more weeks, at which point the woodburner will hopefully be then on it's rest period. Over the last two-three months of hard weather, it's reported in the paper that it'll have cost the average household a further two hundred pounds on top of already significant heating bills. Here, it's been a case of sawing up more wood from one of the woodpiles, so luckily the extra on-cost has not been quite so significant. Just the other day the TV reported that the big energy companies had put their prices up again, to the tune that they were now on course to double the profit they make per customer, so useful to have some insulation against such a trend. It seems that quite a few in the UK at least are now of the 'protective freeranger' mindset, maybe feeling the the avid-profit seeking commercial sector is of a predatory bent these days - ? A recent poll of UK adults revealed, for instance, that 25% are considering having their own chickens - presumably the recent horsemeat scandal could have influenced this - and that the proportion growing some of their own grub has also risen - no waiting lists for allotments, for instance, these days.
'Into two ---'
For quite a few April days, the UK papers has been full of the passing away of former UK premier, Margaret Thatcher. The comments relating to her 'reign' are pretty mixed, ranging from her being 'the great leader', to being the insensitive 'cruncher' of so-called 'ordinary people', to being the instigator of a 'greed is good' culture. The main fact that most seem to agree with is that her legacy has been divisive, which would then seem to make it a bit tricky to accord her the 'great' epithet - wouldn't 'great' leadership involve uniting people of differing hues, rather than dividing them, for instance - ? One writer to the press firmly blamed a 'bloody-minded' and recalcitrant working class for not 'seeing the light' and working with 'bosses' to the greater benefit of all. But then, don't those in the power positions have the responsibility to 'lead', and maybe such 'worker blamings' might not help to engender sufficient trust and respect to foster 'mutual benefit' collaborations - ?
Presumably she was probably most 'great' to those she suited, who'd presumably be the people who liked the 'out-for-self', 'no such thing as society' approach - ? The downside legacy of this could be - as was it the UK business guru, Charles Handy who said it? - that Reagan in the US together with Thatcher in the UK may have ushered in an era of over self interest, which catastrophes in the financial sectors might appear to have confirmed. Presumably, too, partisanship can suffer at times from the limitation of restricted 'reality view', which according to commentators, Margaret Thatcher's 'fixed stance' and reported seeming unwillingness to take on board other viewpoints, may have excacerbated. Perhaps it was her perceived superior, hectoring and to some, patronising style that also won her un-admirers - ?
'Which song book----?'
To be fair, perhaps in terms of achieving universal greatness, was she probably on 'a hiding to nothing' - ? The present UK 'two and a half' effective party system means that politicians have to sing from their own party's song book in the first place - and indeed they may be 'in power' with only say, 30-40% of the actual population having voted for them. Maybe it's only times of national crisis that politician's have a chance of 'greatness', as in Churchill's case, with the UK uniting behind him in the second World War to repel a common foe and danger - ? Having said that, although an aristocrat, Churchill did seem to have a 'common touch', shown by the fact that when he showed films in his home private cinema, he'd apparently invite all the estate workers along too. He also declined to be 'enobled' which might also say something about the man and the degree of his 'fellow feeling' - ? Maybe Margaret Thatcher was perhaps more innately divisive, referring for instance, to the working classes as 'the enemy' - surely it would be then just a little difficult to blame them for defending themselves against what they perceived was their own government attacking them - ?
'Is might right----?'
The 'I'm right' approach seems operational today, with for instance, UK ruling party politicians recently 'rubbishing' Church leaders for expressing reservations relating to the poorest sections of society possibily being hit unfairly in the latest round of welfare cuts. It would, though, perhaps be good, wouldn't it, to see politicians taking on board views from other sectors of society, and politely rather than rudely rejecting them, for instance, if they weren't in agreement - a sign of a 'civilised' society - ? One of the general criticisms of modern-style society often heard relates to the levels of 'disrespect' within it, but society is, and people are, bio-diverse (particuarly 'freerangers'?) so if that's the reality, wouldn't respecting the alternative views of others reflect better, say, than any form of 'aggressive defence' - ??
In reality, there are surely many ways of 'being' - ? Someone, say, who lives a reclusive-like existence is perhaps unlikely to win much merit or get any gongs in a modern western-style materialist-based culture, yet who really can say their lives are unproductive -? For instance, some might criticise such a person for being a 'lazy, selfish 'b'', but if, via navel contemplation, meditation and suchlike, that person progresses, say, to an advanced state, to use, say, Buddha as an example, for instance, from which they can then add productively to the world, then in the end they might be more productive than most - ? Maybe there's over focus on short-term gain these days - ? (i.e short-term focus needed, but needs to be balanced with some longer-term focus - ?). Recent research, for instance, reported in the press, suggests that hard-working males working long hours and supplying wives, for instance, with high material levels of living, don't necessarily 'win' in the longer-run due to a lack of 'emotional input and balance'. Money no doubt has its own 'dazzle' factor, and can represent 'achievement' in easy, assimable form, but then, is it too easy, reality in effect being more complex - ?
'Pensioner pain----?'
These are interesting times, pretty tough, though, presumably for perhaps many suffering under astringency measures . It appears now that pensioners are in the firing line in the UK, being perceived as a group that hasn't shared in the pain of austerity. That seems a wee bit hard to swallow, when many will presumably be on relatively low incomes anyway, and of course any interest they may be earning on hard-earned savings has just about halved - ? It's maybe the problem of taking the general view, - they used to say, for instance, 'to generalise is to be an idiot' - ?
Ah well, back now to the sanity-enhancing 'small stuff' practical reality basics. No sign of any returning swallows yet (mid April)- they could be maybe 3-4 days later than normal, still on their amazing - is it 6,000 miles? - journey. The weather has at last turned milder but the countryside hereabouts is still looking mid-winter-ish - no doubt spring will come in though, pretty smartish from now on. And here's hoping the swallows aren't too far behind, nature providing one area of stability in a seemingly fast-changing world seemingly more intent on 'aspirational progress', than, say, 'stopping and smelling the roses along the way' - ? Might even be time to sit back for a bit to to contemplate and 'counter-balance', and at the same time, have a sip or two of beer, perhaps from the brewery who's slogan is : 'Unspoilt by Progress' - ?
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