So what have we done wrong?

When a child misbehaves badly one form of punishment would be to deprive that child of a treasured possession or privilege.
Here, in the village, we are to have our Post Office taken away from us.
As a resident of only a decade I feel qualified to view the village and its residents from an outsider's point-of-view.
When the village church desperately required restoration, the villagers raised the funds and oversaw the restoration. When the village expressed its desire for a village sign the villagers raised the funds and oversaw the making and erecting of a top-quality village sign.
When there is bereavment we all give our support and when there is illness we are all there to help in whichever way possible.
We cannot be held accountable for Post Office Ltd's apparent lack of business acumen.
Our village Post Office is a treasured and integral paty of our rural way-of-life, to have it taken away from us makes me feel that we have done something terribly wrong but cannot, for the life of me, think of what that could possibly be.

Conkers v Bonkers!

Being of an impatient nature, when stuck with someone who is rabbiting-on and getting nowhere, I have for years developed the extremely bad habit of carving -up the flesh around my thumbnails using the index fingernail as a tool. This self-mutilation deters me from telling anyone to 'get on with it' or indeed screaming with frustration as some poor soul whines and whinges.

My impatience is directly inherited from my father who, when listening to someone, would rattle the coins in his pocket or drum the fingers of both hands on the arms of his chair (at least the latter was quieter!)

This Autumn has brought my cure. I have never resisted gathering conkers, - to open-up that green spiky case and extract its gloriously coloured fruit, individually designed and polished by its soft surroundings, - pure magic.

Groups of chestnuts are now strategically placed throughout the house, 'phone in one hand and a couple of conkers in the other, it doesn't seem to matter so much that I'm listening to a robot giving me instructions to press 1 to pay my account, press 2 to place an order....................

Whilst the supermarket cashier talks about absolutely nothing to the customer in front of me, there I stand, conkers in each pocket, pressing them against the palms of my hands, - no stress!

On the tree chestnuts are whacked as sticks are thrown to detach them, if they fall naturally onto a road they get runover and crushed and when collected as weapons for a championship they suffer the indignity of being skewered and threaded onto string, wielded against an opponent until one is smashed and capitulates, - but if they are gathered up by an impatient old lady they will spend their future being fondled and nurtured!

Spotted in the garden!

Just when we thought that the new fat-balls were failing to attract avian attention, I noticed the end of quite a large tail coming from behind and showing its underside. A little more came into view, - bright red, - then its owner obligingly moved to the front of the feeding station providing us with a priviledged view of a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a 1st for us in the garden.

The Blue Flower

A quarter of a century ago I was a bookdealer, ~ secondhand and antiquarian. I could not resist keeping some of my stock and one such book is "The Blue Flower" by Henry van Dyke (1852-1933) published in 1902.

I kept this First Edition for its beautiful cover, its delicate illustrations and its gilt-topped handcut pages, ~ a work of art.

For twenty-five years it sat unread until time permitted me to put that to rights. Fascinating, mystical short stories. However, when I came to turn page 203 it was uncut, ~ so it was not twenty-five but one hundred and five years that its words had waited to be read.

In the literary world the Blue Flower (Blaue Blume) was the symbol of Romanticism, ~ van Dyke followed in the footsteps of Novalis (Georg Friederich Frihen von Hardenberg 1772-1801) who, with Ludwig Tiech found the Romantic Movement. (Ludwig Tiech's sister Sophie married August Ferdinand BERNHARDI)

To strive for the infinite and unreachable is to be 'always looking for the Blue Flower'.

Opportunity Knocks!

"Every child should be given an equal opportunity"
Given? That would appear to be a little naive, ~ offered perhaps and if not used to great advantage it could then be abrogated.
Schoolchildren do not share equal attitudes, ~ some attend school with the desire to learn whilst others are there simply to 'mess about'.

PROFILE - Teannie Pirie

Born Christina, daughter of Catherine and John Pirie of Tweeddale Farm, Keithall, Aberdeenshire, on the 19th April 1871. Pictured here when a young teacher at Rathen School in the North East of Scotland c1897.

I think that she is simply beautiful, but then I guess I would, - she was my wonderful grandmother.

A Sign of the Times

The tombstone is dated 1845 and is

in memory of Elizabeth

her name written in fine copperplate

but shortened to Elizth

to save space and leave more room for

"wife of"

followed by the husband's name

carved in deep CAPITAL LETTERS.

Such a tiny instance encapsulating

a huge piece of social history.