Category: Nature

Too silly

Yes, I know I’ve already had one turn today but some things just have to be said. What’s wrong with this sign in Hamley’s toy store?

It is ‘guilty of gender-apartheid’, allegedly.  Which means you can’t identify a toy as suitable for or likely to appeal to a boy or a girl! So Hamleys, bless their unisex cotton socks, have changed their signs (oh, sorry ‘signage’, woo-oo) to categorise toys by type only.

Personally I’d be happy if they’d changed them to say ‘ boys and junior dykes’ and ‘girls and latent poofters’. How about you?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/8952627/Toy-signs-changed-after-Hamleys-accused-of-sexism.html

Darkest December

Today should be cancelled. Hurricane-force wind, driving rain and no light to speak of. Even the birds are hiding under our eaves. Except this little fella – whose portrait I have borrowed from you-know-where. He’s a nuthatch who enjoys a lone foray into the yard where our bird-table stands. And he just eats.

Maybe he’s got the right idea.

Yawning

A Beeb story (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16052112) suggests contagious yawning has its origins in animal or at least caveman behaviour – most likely to occur amongst family or friends, as some kind of ‘heads up’ signal.

All I know is that it was outlawed by my parents outside our own four walls (rude, they said) and by school teachers, who perhaps interpreted it as a sign of tiredness (go to bed earlier) or boredom (I’ll bore you, lad; just wait and see). Funny how what was probably a way for the tired body to wake up the brain with a fix of blood became a social phenomenon worthy of comment among our mentors!

Weather be nice

The light this morning when I got up was soft, burning through a light mist and so beautiful on the Autumnal landscape. After a lazy start we went for a walk in woodlands and parklands near by.

light though trees on seeds and stalks left standing, smothered in fine cobwebs Continue reading “Weather be nice”

Water drop jewels

Just outside the window a neglected planter stands with euphorbia weed, thin leaflets of crocosmia and a small self seeded Aquilegia – all fresh growth as if it is Spring, not Autumn. It has been raining, then there was a brief splash of sunshine and each water droplet became a mirrored bead on the Aquilegia. Underneath the leaf a tiny tear drop.

Continue reading “Water drop jewels”