Political turmoil reigns supreme. Stabbings continue to make the news but are now becoming the usual thing and therefore less newsworthy and more likely to be at the end of the bulletin than at the beginning. Riots continue in Paris but have now become so 'ordinary' a happening that they only become a news item when there is nothing more 'exciting' to report. At present the cyclone and its aftermath are still in the news but gradually slipping down the scale. For a short while the Viking cruise liner breaking down off the Norwegian coast made a headline - and viewing the pictures on the news at teatime will have put plenty off cruising for a time, so there will be cruise holidays at a reduced price to fill the vacancies. Tomorrow the news will be different - there will be new and 'more important' news stories to bombard us with - and so it goes on.
Sometimes I wish I was back in the days when the news took weeks to get from Ghent to Aix (or was it the other way round?) so that by the time it arrived the whole situation was over and done with.
Meantime Spring progresses in spite of the cold Northerly wind here today. The daffodils are beginning to fade. Most lawns have had their first mow. Blossom trees are coming into flower.
Greenhouses with a bit of heat are filling up with trays of seedlings anticipating the Summer. Easter eggs are being bought and hidden away out of sight of tiny fingers. Everything goes on as it always has done, just as though everything is right with the world.
The year's at the Spring
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hill-side's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in his Heaven-
All's right with the world! (Robert Browning)
If only.
About Me
- The Weaver of Grass
- I am a widow for the second time - first marrriage 39 years, second marriage 23 years - both very happy. My second marriage was to a farmer and when he died the farm was sold. I now live in the nearby small town on the edge of Wensleydale in The Yorkshire Dales. My beloved Border Terrier died a couple of years ago - I still miss her but as I am 90 and need carers I shalln't get another I have one son,who lives nearby with his wife, three grandchildren, one step grandchild, two great grandchildren and two step great grandchildren..Life is good.
nothing wrong with a bit of snow.
Do you like my new bed?
Whatever you are - come out!
Do you like my new hairdo?
My Blog List
Well, are we going for a walk or what?
Come out rabbits! We know you're in there!
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My latest photograph.
Look how I've grown!
Best buddies
20 comments:
Not often I'm first to leave a comment. You must have been posting late. I love your take on things, Pat, You put everything in perspective. I like the Browning poem too!
I'm sorry to hear stabbings are becoming more common there. It is unfortunately the same here in the US only with shootings rather than stabbings. Isn't it sad when such things become daily happenings. It is difficult to listen to the news too often and probably not healthy. I like to be aware of what is going on in the world but still limit how often I watch or read the news. Enjoyed the poem.
I've never known the country feel so awful
I read that this weekend marks the 19th of protests in Paris. I would have thought something like that unimaginable & yet there it is.
I have stopped listening to the news on the radio, it makes for a much calmer life. Nothing that is reported can, in any way, be helped by my participation so my conscience is clear too.
i wish the news reports would just finish the story... follow thru... let us know what happens.. They like to report the 'flash bang' but they never tell the rest of the story...
Spring has arrived here in North West Arkansas... the ServiceBerry trees are blooming they are always the first.. and now the Forsythia just gets prettier every day.. Soon the RedBuds will begin blooming.. Daffodils are everywhere.. such a cheery yellow.. I need to put my yard to rights ... dragging my feet as we are painting downstairs... and with working too i haven't been able to manage much more.. Hugs! deb
I've just been writing the exact same as your first two paras. Now I needn't bother; you've said it all.
Hi Weave, haven't been able to post here for far too long, but I've been reading.
The weather, in particular is crazy. The northern hemisphere is barely into spring yet here in Brisbane we are supposedly in autumn and the temperatures have been mo hot - 34 degrees for the last two days! Air conditioning stays on! Bring on the cooler weather, I say,
As for the cyclones Cyclone Trevor has only just settled down here, but at least Cyclone Veronica is weakening off the coast of Western Australia. Whew.
A lot of the happenings that you document have probably always gone on in some form or other. It's just that nowadays the media bombards us with such news from several directions all the time and it's difficult to avoid seeing/hearing it. I can recall the 1950's when gangs of teddy boys roamed the streets, often carrying flick-knives, knuckle dusters and bicycle chains for fighting with.
As has been said many times before, why bother to have the television on, especially at breakfast. I would not have it invading my life first thing in the morning.
The BBC is having trouble as well, needs to cut back on spending, perhaps all those well paid upfront people will have to get their salaries cut and be made to really understand the news. What makes me proud of the human race, were all those people on the 'Viking' ship, sitting placidly there with life jackets on as water slurped around their feet and furniture flying around everywhere..
Perhaps we need to be similar;)
Oh Thelma - you made me laugh - I had thought just the same - added to which I am a very poor sailor so I would have completely ruined the image because I would have been sick as well!
Good point Derek and Rachel you have a point. You have told me this before and I really need to take it to heart - I would have a much better start to my day if i ignored it - and after all I can't do anything about it can I? I shall try to do as you say and let you know how I get on.
Thanks everyone.
The news is certainly depressing and the more so as we are unable to do anything about it all. I have stopped listening to it as it only makes me angry. I know I am an ostrich with my head in the sand but I prefer to enjoy the message of the poem you quoted and carry on doing my best not the make the world any worse.
I try to listen to old recordings of 'Down Your Way' as much as possible. It reminds me of an England which I seem to remember as a child, but probably didn't exist.
All so sad but true. I too no longer listen to the news or watch it on TV as I get so frustrated and angry although I do read through the news stories online so that I can "switch off" the ones that are likely to get me worked up.
As you said, my frustration stems from knowing that it is all so wrong but we are impotent and can do nothing about it.
I shall now go and sit outside to enjoy the garden waking up to spring to calm me down.
I think you should put it out of your mind completely and not report back to us about how you get on. It gives it some significance if you are thinking about it. Just get into a new routine of not watching and it will soon become habit.
The signs of spring are here in New England too: snow banks are melting, "mud season" has begun with its rutted muddy potholed roads, and the maple sap is running, meaning temps have consistently been above freezing point during the day (and also still below freezing at night). We won't have blooming forsythia for a month, or daffodils for two months, but it still feels like spring to us.
Thank you for visiting my blog Pat. I am waiting for inspiration to return before I make another book, but do intend to do so. My creativity has abandoned me temporarily but I live in hope of it returning.
If only the news were just that - the news without the endless commenting as though we aren't capable of understanding for ourselves. I, too, am drawn to watching the evening news even knowing how harmful and mostly untruthful the reporting is. I know I'd be much better off without it.
I can't remember how I first came across this, "The Children's Fire" by Tim 'Mac' Macartney, here: https://vimeo.com/20278227 It clearly shows how wrong our world has become.
Spring is dragging its feet here, cold and gloomy today. The sunshine and flowers will be all that more welcome - soon, I hope.
Ruth, thank you for posting the link to "The Children's Fire". I will share it for I believe others should hear it.
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