Most days, I’ll glance at the DP and then take the Patches out for a long walk. He sniffs every blade of grass, and I have a think about the blog. On returning home, I can pretty much write off the top of my head… but occasionally, I need to scribble down my thoughts/ideas/facts to get them in order.
Today is one of those days…and some. I’m struggling to answer the DP in a bite-sized piece. How on this Earth do I tell you why the Industrial Revolution fascinates me the most?
I guess it’s the social history that has interested me for the longest time. How rural cottage industries using animal power, wind, and water as energy sources in 16th century Great Britain was left behind as steam-powered factories took over production.
The Industrial Revolution was not a sudden rupture but an evolution of the availability of land, labour, capital, scale, and control.
What’s something you believe everyone should know.
Manners Maketh Man, the motto of Winchester College stands true today as it ever did.
Something which costs nothing changes everything.
The other day, a tiny tot waved a thank you at me as I stopped the car to let the group she was with cross the road. It warmed my heart and made me think that she was in good hands, to be taught a politeness like that. It’s amazing how many ‘ grown-ups’ in the same situation will ignore you completely.
Ugly table manners don’t go unnoticed when it matters. A simple please or thank you speaks volumes.
Common Courtesy is something everyone could consider…
There must be millions of people who had their childhoods snatched away one way or another and never got to experience being a child. My heart goes out to them.
Many of us maybe think the kids are growing up too fast these days. But ask a little one how old they are, and they’ll hit you with something like ‘ seven and a half’ to let you know they’re on the way to being eight. They really want you to know that.
Then there is the thing of becoming a teenager, sixteen or twenty-one. So, youngsters are all looking forward, they are wanting to grow up, cruising through the years until suddenly big birthdays are not quite as exciting.
This is where you really do want to recognise that you have regained some childlike ( as opposed to childish) qualities. To enjoy having fun, being a bit silly sometimes, loving to laugh, to not taking oneself too seriously, with a light heartedness that is to feel an easy joy.. and yes, to remain curious… To leave the light on…
You have three magic genie wishes, what are you asking for?
A genie, maybe that conjours up an image from a Disney movie. We see Aladdin and his magic lamp? But this tale comes from a living archive of Middle Eastern Folktales.
There are 27 known editions, countless translations, and adaptations crossing centuries. The collection continues to grow.
In 1948 in Syria the first few pages were discovered of a work titled Kitab Hadith Alf Layla ( a book of the tales of a thousand nights). It is said to date back to the 9th century.
The first English edition is from the early 16th century.
A Thousand and One Nights is probably more broadly recognised as Arabian Nights. Aladdin and his lamp don’t appear in early editions. But The Fisherman and the Jini do.
Despite all the variations, the core story remains the same King Sharyar betrayed by his queen vows to marry and execute a new wife every day… until along comes Schehrazade, who begins but doesn’t finish a new story each evening..thus delaying her execution.
Justice, cunning,love, betrayal, and fate. Wisdom, resilience, and the power of storytelling. It’s all there.
A wish for me? That everyone has the life they deserve.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
Walking with Patch at my side is the best! Perhaps I should rephrase that…following behind my beloved companion as he decides exactly which path we will take is the best.
Three times a day, I open that front door stand to one side and let His Nibs through. From this point, he will either stop at the car, turn left or right. And that’s just the way I like it. Leaves me to blog-think-mode and him to be in charge of his own destiny for a while. Win win.
Without Patch, I fear I would not get much exercise at all. Which is a tad worrying. When the time comes, I will clearly need a chat with myself about remaining fit… but I will cross that bridge when I come to it.
In the meantime, we will be out there together every day come rain or shine… and at the moment, autumn in England is spectacular.
Instead, let me turn the attention to Laika, the first living creature to orbit Earth on soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2, on Sunday November 3rd 1957.
Taken from the streets of Moscow and chosen for her small size and temperament, this poor dog, part samoyed or husky/ terrier, was never intended to remain alive.
Laika was given one meal and seven days’ worth of oxygen.
Soviet officials claimed she survived for several days, but decades later, it was revealed she died within hours of stress and overheating….
Once again, it has been good to read lots of the replies to the DP today. Thanks for that, guys!
It’s funny that so many of you to profess to be the master/mistress of preparing hot chocolate or ordering Uber eats. Lol.
With just His Nibs and me under this roof, food is a relaxed affair. No longer do I have that dreaded thought ‘ what’s for dinner’. Dogs thrive on routine, so I serve ( yes, it’s like that) his meals promptly. That just leaves me… so it’s all plain sailing.
Soup made with seasonal produce/fresh vegetables and herbs is relatively inexpensive. So, I go down that road regularly. With delicious bread… Oh, and I make dal quite a lot.
‘Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper’.
This school of thought is attributed to an American nutritionist, biochemist, diet guru and early influencer called Adelle Davis ( 1904-1974). Although the idea had probably been considered before this.
It makes sense to me to fuel up, first thing. I understand that doesn’t suit everyone. But it does give your body the best start. It’s good for blood sugar regulation, metabolic health, your mood, and a whole host of other benefits. It will certainly curb snacking later, which could disrupt insulin levels.
A light lunch and even lighter dinner is excellent for general digestion and aids better sleep. Then, the next day, you’re ready for breakfast and off you go….
Hey, WP. When I first read the DP, I thought I’d write about one event in particular. But during a long walk with Patch, I kept remembering more and more. Staggering, really.
(I have removed the word ‘ major’ from the question)
There are 14 written down so far, and I could keep adding to the list until the cows come home. But best I simply select a few from there…
*********
October 1966. Aberfan, Wales. This is the first major event I can recall. I was only a child, but the shock of the grown-ups around me was palable. The colliery spoils tip crashed down onto a school, killing 116 children and 28 adults. Devastating.
November 1974. Tavern in The Town. Birmingham. England. My go-to. It is widely believed it was the IRA that blew this pub to bits. Taking with it two lads I knew, brothers( Irish) Desi and Eugene R.I.P
December 1980. New York. John Lennon shot and killed outside his home. I was in a nightclub at the time. The DJ released the news.
August/September 1997. Paris, France. The death and funeral of Princess Dianna. Who can forget the two boys walking behind the gun carriage?
September 11th 2001. New York City. The terrorist attack killed 2977 and injured thousands. How vivid those images remain?
December 2004. The Indian Ocean Coastline. Tsunami.Across a dozen countries, the death toll is estimated to be 230.000. I have my own story about this. Maybe another time.
June 2023. The Titan Submersible imploded off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The CEO, Stockton Rush it is said was above listening to the experts. He took 4 other souls with him that day.
Wildfires, floods, and landslides. Hurricane Katrina, Hungerford, Live Aid. Horizon Oil Spill, Terry Waite released. ( his book ‘ Taken on Trust’, is a captivating read. Sorry) Nelson Mandela’s release. The passing of The Queen. William and Katherine marriage, Arab Spring. Hillsborough. Grenfill……
IN THE BOOMER PIGEON HOLE? 
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