On one of the news programmes yesterday evening they were talking about drought and water shortages again. It seems that when trees are planted they need watering for the first few years until they are properly established. Now experts are finding they need watering for a longer period. I thought one of the motives for planting trees was that they soak up excess water and so help to prevent flooding. Climate change is turning things upside down.
The papers show pictures of dried up parks in London. Experts say we need to change our idea of what parks should be like - less green grass and more plants with are not so thirsty. Around here our grass is still pretty green but I am told by people who walked closer them than I have that the reservoirs are low, despite the rain we have had had overnight on a number of occasions recently. But I’m noticing trees with fading leaves, in some cases already in lovely autumn colours.
Even the tiny holly bush that planted itself in one of my plant-pots is now growing red leaves!
At least our local river, the Tame, is still flowing. In Italy the Po is having problems. Recently the water level got so low that a bomb from the Second World War was uncovered. A controlled explosion had to take place.
However, despite such problems it is very pleasing to have a blue sky and to be able to ride my bicycle to the market without having to negotiate mud puddles on the bridle paths.
Some statistics we saw yesterday told us that 40+% of workers don’t pay tax because they don’t earn enough. So tax cuts will make no difference to them at all. It also means they earn less that £12,570 per tax year. So if the cost of electricity goes up to £4,000 per year, they will have less than £8,570 to pay rent, travel, food, etc. it’s time the candidates for Prime Minister started addressing other problems than how much tax they can cut.
For those who have money to spare, you could always attend auctions to buy memorabilia of pop stars such as the Beatles. “The auctions are always hugely popular,” said Stephen Bailey, manager of the Beatles Shop in Mathew Street, which organises the auctions. “There is so much interest. Even ticket stubs are going through the roof these days. If you find a little ticket stub for a Beatles concert you went to, you’re looking at at least £200.”
Bailey has had people coming in to offer Beatles bits for sale for decades. Sometimes they even come with fake Cavern club bricks. Genuine Cavern club bricks were sold for £5 apiece, raising funds for the Strawberry Field Children’s Home.
“The guy had all the paperwork for it. He worked on replacing all John Lennon’s plumbing at Tittenhurst Park [Lennon’s home in Berkshire].
“He kept it as a flowerpot in his back garden for years. We said it was going to sell for either £1,000 or £10,000. It sold for £10,000 eventually.”
Amazing! I can understand saving the ticket stubs of concerts that you have actually been to. For a while our Granddaughter Number One used to save all her ticket stubs, whether from live concerts or cinema visits, likewise her train tickets and bus tickets for non routine journeys - to and from school didn’t count. They can make quite a nice display. But the idea of paying £200 for the ticket stubs from a concert someone else attended seems a little crazy. Similarly, getting the autograph of someone you admire on a specific occasion can be something special but paying over the odds for an old autographed photo doesn’t have the same emotional pull. I feel the same about autographed copies of books; if you stand in line and talk to the author as s/he signs your book it’s one thing but paying over the odds for a copy pre-signed isn’t at all personal.
In the past people used to pay for religious relics, saints’ finger bones and bits of the ‘true cross’! Nowadays people buy cultural icons in much the same way.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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