It’s raining … again! I think we’ve had enough for a while now. The powers that be were rather concerned about the low levels of the local reservoirs but I can’t help feeling that the last week or two must have gone some way towards restoring normality. Not only is it raining but it’s cold. One of my nodding acquaintances commented this morning (I ran before the latest lot of rain began) that her dog is still wearing its winter coat - sensible dog!
I saw a video clip, probably on Facebook, of people, masses of them, queueing up for the opening of a new branch or JD Sports in the Trafford Centre, advertised as the “largest store in the world”. I just checked online to see of I had the right sportswear vendor and found this:
“The Trafford Centre has issued a statement after a crowd surged forward into a new JD Sports store during its official opening.
More than 1,000 people had gathered outside the enormous store to watch it being opened by Usain Bolt and YouTubers Beta Squad.
The atmosphere reached massive excitement as attendees raced up and down a track outside the store, while fans screamed ecstatically.”
I suppose quite a lot of the people were there to see Usain Bolt. Otherwise, are there really so many people who have nothing better to do on a Sunday than queue outside a sports shop to buy sports gear that some of them won’t actually use for sport? Maybe there’s a secret belief that wearing sports gear is as good as exercising.
In parts of the world where summer is guaranteed, places like Spain, it is quite usual to see groups of older ladies (and gentlemen and mothers with children) sitting out in the street having a chat. We used to be amused by the elderly gentlemen who played cards on a board balanced on top of a hedge in the gardens of the Castro in Vigo. Now it seems that the town of Santa Fe in Andalucia has put out a reminder that the pavements are a public right of way and request that people take their chairs back inside in the late evening so as not to disturb the neighbours with their noisy get-togethers. Surely this request was aimed at younger people, not at solidly respectable matriarchs. Unfortunately they used a photo of those solidly respectable matriarchs to accompany their request. Maybe the current cohort of solidly respectable matriarchs are growing old disgracefully and disturbing the peace.
It may be a tradition to take your own chairs out into the street in Spain, but in fact most places there have public benches around squares and at intervals along main streets, surely intended for folk to sit and pass the time of day.
Incidentally, when we were having our warm and sunny spring around here, I noticed a regular group of older gentlemen sitting on benches in a sun-trap corner of the village near the church gardens. With the right weather, we too can do outdoor socialising. There’s nobody sitting there today!
Amongst all the doom and gloom stuff that is published and broadcast nowadays I came across this about the University of Birmingham:
“Did you know that a generous philanthropic gift to the University has sparked decades of inspiring conversations about what it means to be happy?
The annual Baggs Happiness Lecture on campus has welcomed household names such as Sir David Attenborough, Sir Trevor McDonald, Bernardine Evaristo, and Benjamin Zephaniah who have all given their thoughts on the topic. Last year’s guest speaker was beloved British writer Michael Rosen.
The series was made possible through alumnus Thomas Baggs who, when he died in 1973, bequeathed money to the University to provide for an annual public lecture on the theme of ‘Happiness'.
Some of our Baggs Happiness Lectures are available to view online. Take a look at some of the most recent events and discover more of the famous names who have delivered the series over the years.”
We need more happiness lectures!
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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