Saturday 22 February 2014

Communication

Up here in the Yorkshire Dales there are a lot of holiday cottages for hire.   In fact we have several redundant farm buildings which we would convert into cottages if we were younger, but the hard work involved is now too much for us. (we should have done it many years ago but of course until Foot and Mouth disease put us out of milking, the buildings were not redundant).

Many of these holiday cottages take well-behaved dogs and, being a dog-lover I find it interesting to see the huge variety of dogs who appear up here in the school holiday periods.  

I try to speak to them all - and their owners.   In all the years I have been doing this I have never yet been rejected.   I find pet-owners are only too pleased to chat about their dogs and the said dogs are only to pleased to be made a fuss of.  We have some lovely breeds and some really interesting cross-breeds (Bedlington terrier and Lurcher springs instantly to mind).  They tend to congregate in our little town on damp days when walking in the countryside is not always an option.

This morning has been the monthly Farmers' Market in our little town.   It was a really good one this morning and although there were not all that many stalls they were all good quality stuff - various meats, baking, home-made ginger wines, cheese, walking sticks, garden plants etc.  I bought two Scotch eggs from a lovely,
chatty man.   I looked at his stuffed pork roll, which looked so appetising but which was far too much for the two of us this week-end.   When I suggested to friend, W, who was with me, that really this looked so good but that I needed someone to help us to eat it, the man on the stall suggested he come to dinner tonight at 7pm!   And we all had a laugh.

Then W and I went into a local cafe for a cappucino (in fact we had two!).   A young couple arrived at the next table.   The girl had a diet coke, the young man had a coffee piled high with cream and a large (very) slice of cream and chocolate layer cake. We smiled in their direction and remarked that there really is no justice in the world - we are all watching our weight, he was eating as though he was starving, and would not gain an ounce.   We were all agreed.

The point I am making in all this is that contact with others, communication, a pleasant attitude goes a long way to alleviate the feeling of loneliness which some people have.   Obviously if you can't get out of the house it is a very different matter, but once out and about then my attitude is that very rarely do people react unfavourably it you speak to them.   In other words - chatting makes the world go round a lot more merrily.

11 comments:

Heather said...

Indeed it does Pat. I often speak to strangers in shops or cafes, and mostly get a friendly reply. However, I do think people in the north are more friendly - we lived in Cheshire for nine years over 40 years ago and I didn't want to move south again. What a shame you didn't convert your barns for holiday lets - I could have booked one!

shadypinesqltr said...

Pat, I arrived here yesterday from the US to visit my sisters in Pembrokeshire. The train I ended up on was full of very merry Frenchmen on their way to Cardiff for the big Rugby match last night. There was nowhere to sit so I hung onto the luggage rack and stood until Bristol. It was very entertaining watching the men singing and laughing and trying to remember my rusty French. I said as much to the young girl standing next to me. However, she didn't think so apparently and buried her nose back into the World Wide Web. Then the young man on the other side commented that maybe I shouldn't try to translate the words to their songs! The need for communication is different for everyone I suppose.

Gwil W said...

shadypinesqltr reminds me of journeying through Switzerland from Zürich to Geneva on the train. The first half of the journey was deadly serious. Serious German-speaking bowed in the Zürcher Zeitung and other broadsheets. Talk of finance and industry and issues like too many immigrants. At Bern the Swiss Germans got off and the Swiss French got on and began chatting and Bonjouring and people on the train suddenly breathed out and loosened their ties and relaxed. Even the guard became jolly, switching easily from German to French and joking with several of the new passengers. Bottles of wine were opened and passed round. It was the same on the way back in reverse.

Joanne Noragon said...

and buried her nose back into the World Wide Web

I took the grandchildren to an art show today that also featured a delicious lunch, served at very large round tables. A woman on her own, about my age (old!) took a seat next to my 12 year old granddaughter. "How's the soup?" she asked my granddaughter. "Very good; I hope you're having some." And so my three chatted merrily on with her until her lunch was served ("Yes, this is very good.") and so on until we left. I wondered if the newcomer noticed there were no electronic dodads betweeen herself and three engaging teenagers.

Podo said...

Excellent point, and something most of us need to work on. Take care -

MorningAJ said...

I have a tendency to chat to people. I can't help it. Inherited the trait from my Dad.

Frugal in Derbyshire said...

My youngest daughter and I were in sainsburys today looking at the "cooking" bacon. As we turned around with three super lots a woman and her daughter were looking sort of sideways at the CB. "Good value isn't it?" said YD The woman looked embarrassed that she was being spoken to by strangers, and about cheap bacon no less! So YD talked valiantly on (I know the look ... you ARE going to speak to me, whether you like it or not!)and eventually the woman thawed, though her teenage daughter still looked embarrassed! As we left the woman was looking at the bacon and her daughter was saying "I don't think so!" I do hope her mum she stood up to her, But I'm not convinced she did.
Regarding your keeping cows. Were you directly affected by Foot and Mouth?
Gill

angryparsnip said...

I talk to everyone and ask questions.
Have had some great conversations !

cheers, parsnip

Cro Magnon said...

About a hundred walkers suddenly appeared on the footpath behind our house yesterday. Lots of nice people, lots of nice dogs, and quite a surprise; normally I see no-one!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Let's continue to communicate!!

Crafty Green Poet said...

Edinburgh is often considered to be an unfriendly city (and I'm not the most extrovert person in the world) but I find myself chatting to people quite a lot, specially when I'm walking along the Water of Leith. Then of course, as you've said, I often get chatting to people after making a fuss of their dogs....