Friday activities and thoughts.

In contrast to yesterday, which was bright and crisp and frosty, today has been damp and foggy, less cold but less pleasant to be out and about in.

I was invited to join my daughter and Granddaughter Number Two for brunch at a cafe not far from here. Granddaughter Number Two returns to university tomorrow. She’s a great sentimentalist and so, despite having spent most of yesterday at our house, she wanted to make a ceremony out of seeing us before she heads cor the wilds of York!

In the café an electrician doing some work for them and a disgruntled customer trying help someone manoeuvre their way out of the rather restricted carpark almost came to blows! Drama on a Friday morning. Surely a simple apology and the offer to move the electrician’s van would have sufficed.

We scuttled upstairs to get away from a possible fracas. The venue used to be what they called a Visitors’ Centre before it became a cafe. The upper floor used to be full of stuffed animals (fox, squirrel, badger, owls other such animals and birds that you might see around here. I’d not been upstairs sin e it became a café. The upper floor is now a large echoey area with tables and comfortable chairs but no interesting exhibits. A group of people had a couple of dogs with them. I’m not a big fan of dogs in places when people eat but these were generally quiet and well behaved … until other dog-lovers arrived with s adog, whereupon mayhem broke out. He new arrivals retreated back downstairs with their dog! 

And that was pretty much Friday morning dealt with! 

 

We made good use of some of the time by checking diary dates, making notes in various diaries and notebooks.,we have not lost the skill,of writing, despite the dire prognostications of some experts. Here is a link to series of letters in repose to a recent article about ha dwriting disappearing. I particularly like his one: 

 “If children generally are not learning cursive handwriting, the question arises: how will the scholars of the future be able to read and interpret the handwritten documents of the past?

That this is already a problem was demonstrated recently when my husband received a plea from an American scholar specialising in the works and life of George Eliot. She wanted retired teachers to transcribe some of the author’s letters, as her students were unable to read cursive writing.
Marie Paterson”

They’ve recovered 67 bodies from the plane and helicopter crosh in Washington. The crash is still being investigated by experts but Mr Trump has already decided what caused it:

“The Blackhawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot. It was far above the 200 foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???

It must be good to be so knowledgeable!

Finally, here’s a link to pictures of Marianne Faithfull who has just died. Another icon of our youth gone.

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!