Road Safety for Children

Altogether I have seven grandchildren and one of my delights has been to instruct them in modes of conduct. Of late I have been closely involved with three of them who happen to be triplets aged two-and-a-half. It has been my privilege to teach them habits that may remain with them for a lifetime.

Of prime importance is instruction in road safety. As small children walk along pavements adjacent to roads there is a high element of danger, because impulsively they may be tempted to stray onto the road without realizing they could be killed or severely injured. How do you get the message across that they should never walk on the road, except when crossing it through necessity? Firstly, they have to learn the vocabulary of all things relating to roads and pavements before they can properly be shown how to take precautions for their own safety. To that end I have taught them to be watchful for cars, buses, lorries, motorcycles, and cycles. As we walk the pavements together I ask them to tell me what vehicles they can see. It’s like a little game, because they delight in pointing them out, including their colours, and if they are large or small. A lorry is always a ‘big’ lorry, whereas a single-decker bus is a bus, and a double-decker bus is a ‘big’ bus. When it comes to crossing a road, the drill is always the same. Stop! Look! Listen! And I ask them, “Is there anything coming?” After looking right, then left and right again, if it’s safe to cross the road, while continuing to look and listen, we do so. They have learned the correct drill at a Pelican Crossing. Firstly they stand by the kerb while one of them pushes the button to activate the ‘Green Man’; when they see him light up and they hear the high-pitched bleeps they check if it’s safe to cross, and if all is OK they purposefully walk across the road. They know that if the ‘Red Man’ is illuminated they must not cross the road.

They will never be allowed to walk pavements on their own until it is judged safe to do so by their parents who have the ultimate responsibility, but learning road safety at an early age bodes well for them.

All of the above is in line with what is taught by the ‘Green Cross Code’:
• Find a safe place to cross, then stop
• Stand on the pavement near the kerb
• Look all around for traffic and listen
• If traffic is coming, let it pass – look all around again
• When there is no traffic near, walk straight across the road

The Government’s ‘THINK!’ campaign web site states that in 2007 there were on average 37 children under the age of 17 killed or seriously injured on our roads every week! The aim is to half this number by 2010. I sincerely hope this will be the case, and especially hope that the instructions for road safety I have given to my grandchildren will be remembered and practised by them.


The Green Cross Code web site:
http://www.roadsafetyni.gov.uk/index/pedestrians_and_cyclists/green_cross_code.htm
Green Cross Code Video Clips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRUBMBi_lp4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WDUdebqDEs
THINK! Campaign web site:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/think/

Fish and Chips

If you are stuck and you are in a hole at the end of the day because you are tired and you are hungry, what do you do? You look for the nearest takeaway. In these times you can be spoiled for choice. A recent survey of 3,000 adults found that Chinese takeaway foods are the most popular, followed closely by Indian foods. Fish and chips are still high on the list, along with pizzas. Mexican foods are gaining in popularity, while in the cities MacDonald’s, Burger King, Subway and KFC continue to do well. Some of their foods are unhealthier than others because they contain excessive calories and far too much sugar and salt.

Well, this evening after arriving home late and having no evening meal prepared for me because my wife thought I had eaten my main meal for the day at lunchtime, I plumped for takeaway cod and chips with no mushy peas. I can say the meal was very filling, but not up to the usual standard with crisp batter encapsulating the fish; instead it was rather soggy, and the chips were overcooked so they resembled plastic replicas with a similar taste. While at the shop, I noted that the proprietor was not supervising his team, and I assumed he was away unwell or on holiday. I am not grumbling about the quality of the food – simply making an observation, while being grateful for having food to eat. Customers vote with their feet, but I am not yet finished with my local fish and chip shop. However, in my village I have multiple choices of takeaway food outlets: there’s a charcoal grill which offers kebabs, burgers and pizzas; then there are two Chinese takeaways, and a Tandori restaurant that will deliver food free of charge.

Friendship

Yellow Rose of Friendship


Yesterday I spoke of the Friendship Sloop. A prettier vessel is hard to find. In her basic form she is a working boat for Maine fisherman or lobsterman. She is functional and attractive to her owner, who may liken her to a faithful friend. Within any friendship there is a mutual interest, a united common bond. In the case of the Maine fisherman, he looks after his Friendship sloop, and in return she gives him faithful and long-term service.

At the basic level of friendship there’s usually a mutual interest, as each friend supports the other, not just in good times, but through thick and thin. A bond between the two, inclusive of loyalty and trust, is a true distinction of a real and meaningful friendship. Such friendships can be found in work environments where buddies have common interests and common aims. The clubhouse is another great place for finding friends, a place where likeminded hobbyists can share their passions for a multiplicity of activities such as golf, cricket, rugby, photography, amateur dramatics, choral singing, fishing, sailing, etc.. Within a clubhouse or a meeting place, friendships may flourish. Likewise, new, and perhaps lasting friendships can be established in schools, colleges, universities, churches, and mosques. Servicemen and women in the armed forces can make very special bonds of friendships because of having to share operations in highly dangerous situations. Only recently, a soldier in Afghanistan was prepared to give his life for his comrades by throwing himself on a grenade that was about to explode. Fortunately for him he survived the blast and his friends were unscathed.

Friends are very precious. Most people have less genuine friends than they have fingers on one of their hands, and they are blessed if they have more than four friends. Friendships need to be cultivated, worked at and maintained. Rolling stones who are for ever moving have the greatest difficulty in keeping friends, unless they are friends who accompany them. Travellers, fairground workers, circus workers and itinerant workers doing temporary jobs come in this category. Some friends come and go, while others go on for ever. After sixty years I still have two friends who were at school with me and two others whom I met in 1978. With them I share the common interest of sailing, and together we have experienced testing situations at sea. Hence, our friendships are cemented for ever, despite the fact that in these times through infirmity and distance apart, we meet and correspond only occasionally. There are, of course, special family friends who are unlike those beyond the family, because of a deep reciprocal fondness and admiration for each other, as well as unselfish and generous support. These are familial friends who never say no and who unfailingly give of their love.

For the Christian, the greatest of all friends is Jesus. (John 15:14-17)

Friendship Sloop

A prettier sailing boat you will not see. She was not designed by a specific designer, but evolved in the late 1800s to fit the needs of the fishermen and lobstermen of Muscongus Bay on the Maine coast. Friendship Sloops were not identical and they varied in length between 21’ and 50’. Characteristically they had elliptical sterns and clipper bows. Generally, their beam equalled one third of their overall length, excluding the bowsprit, and the height of the mast was the length of the boat plus one half of the draft. Later, some were converted into yachts with increased freeboard and external ballast. The living accommodation was simple, in keeping with the workboat ethos and a few of these beauties are still sailing today.

Cleanliness

A clean boat


My mother used to have a saying, ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’. Somehow it seems to have stuck. I don’t like being unnecessarily dirty, and make it my business to have a strip wash every day, and at least two baths a week. Without being excessive with the use of water, that seems to eliminate body odour and do away with tide marks around the neck, wrists and ankles. Two shampoos a week keeps the hair smelling fresh.

Cleanliness is not just a bodily necessity; cleanliness of the mind, thoughts and actions make for total cleanliness,* but without ones surroundings being clean, body and clothing would soon be tarnished. Likewise bad company (those with dirty thoughts), corrupt the mind and soul. My mother was right to have taught me habitual cleanliness for good hygiene. I have followed her teaching throughout my life, preferring to live in clean surroundings: the house, the car, and the boat. Clean laundered clothing and bedding complete the picture. A block of soap costs little, but I must admit that washing powder costs a great deal more.

Working in a clean kitchen with spotless surfaces, a shiny hob and oven, and a sparkling sink makes cooking that much more enjoyable. It’s a civilized joy to sit at a table while entertaining guests when the food is wholesomely presented on clean crockery, on smart place mats, set upon a freshly ironed tablecloth. There are no cobwebs on the ceiling; there’s no dust on the lampshade, neither are the windowpanes smeared or the window sills caked with dust and the odd dead fly.

*John 13:3-15

The Evolution of Sailing Craft

‘L’Hydroptere’



I’ve been doing a personal study looking into the evolution of sailing craft. The research has been fascinating. If you’ve read the Creation story as portrayed in the Bible and onwards to the time of the Universal Flood, you’ll note there is no mention of any boat until you come to Noah’s ark. Now, the ark was not a sailing vessel, although with her high sides she would have drifted in the wind. Many people doubt the Flood ever took place, and those who do are divided on when it happened. Some say as far ago as 5000 BC, but the authors of Creation Magazine believe it was around 2304 BC.

What fascinates me is the way in which changing technologies have made possible what was impossible for the early offspring of Adam and the offspring of Noah. Because the Bible doesn’t mention boats before the time of Noah, there is no reason to suppose that man didn’t build and use them. The earliest of vessels could have been made with very few tools. In fact, a reed boat large enough for a man to float on could have been bundled and lashed together without tools. Ancient Egyptian paintings and decorated pottery portray sailing reed craft, such as a replica built by Thor Heyerdahl in 1970 in which he sailed across the Atlantic to prove his theory that ancient civilizations could have colonized the Americas from Northern Africa.

The progression of technology through the use of natural materials and synthetic ones is indeed fascinating. We know that a wooden ship of 95 tons was discovered in the tomb of Pharaoh Khufu. This magnificent double-ended craft for use on the River Nile had cedar planking joined by the use of mortise-and-tenon joints which were covered with half-round battens inside and out, all held in together with continuous stitching. In fact this boat could have been dismantled and reassembled elsewhere; such was the sophistication of the design. Procopius tells of Dhows in the 6th century that had planking held together with cross-stitching. They were so well built that they did not require any form of outer covering to keep them watertight.

Later, in approximately 1000 AD, Leif Ericson with his crew, rowed and sailed across the North Atlantic form Norway to Newfoundland in a clinker Viking boat. Such vessels were built with overlapping planks held together with wooden dowels or iron nails and roves. The Iron Age had arrived in Northern Europe. Big advances were made when iron tools such as adzes and saws became available. Hardwoods such as oak and ash were used when building large sailing vessels such as Christopher Columbus’s ‘Santa-Maria’ and Ferdinand Magellan’s ‘Victoria’, which was the first boat to do a complete circumnavigation. By the time of Izambard Kingdom Brunel, large ships were being built from iron plating held together with rivets. In 1837 his ‘The Great Britain’, equipped with sails, but fitted with steam engines, was the first propeller driven vessel to cross the Atlantic. The ‘Cutty Sark’ was uniquely built with wrought iron frames supporting a wooden hull. In more recent times, cold and hot-moulded (plywood) vessels were used during the 2nd World War. Aluminium, fibreglass and Ferro-cement became widely used materials. Foam sandwich, carbon fibre, Kevlar and very strong, but light, high-tech materials profoundly changed the shape of the modern sailing boat. Ellen MacArthur’s ‘B&Q/Castorama’, a large trimaran in which she smashed the world record for a solo circumnavigation, is one such vessel. Without the use of these Aerospace materials it would not have been possible for the hydrofoil trimaran ‘L’Hydroptere’ to gain the world speed record over a distance of one mile. She averaged an astonishing speed of 48.7 knots. ‘Banque Populare’, a 131 ft trimaran, in 2008 sailed 2,880 miles across the Atlantic in 3 days 15 hours at an average speed of 32.94 knots. Sailing vessels of the future will incorporate these new materials and be built with the necessary processes, machinery and equipment. In view of the need for reducing carbon emissions, large cargo ships of the future may well resort to wind energy, but instead of deck mounted sails they will fly enormous kites to harness the power of the wind.

Hastings Beach Boat

Of late there’s been a miniature Hastings beach boat at Hullbridge. She looks sound, but rather tatty. Her upright stem, broad beam, firm bilges and ducktail stern are typical features of this sort of boat that has to be drawn up on a pebbly beach. There’s no harbour at Hastings and the only protection from the water is the high beach. From the photos you’ll notice she has a drop-in rudder that is housed through a slot in the aft deck. Her propeller is forward of the rudder, high enough to be clear of the beach. Sails are not used on the full-size boats today, but this one has a loose-footed standing lugsail bent to a very long yard. This sail would be useful when running and perhaps while reaching, but because of her shallow draught and absence of a keel or centreboard she would not go to windward. I’ve seen the boat underway and I can vouch she has a powerful Yanmar diesel engine that can push her at around 5 knots. Basically she’s more of motorboat than a sailing boat. I think she could be good fun, especially for a person who would like to do a bit of sea fishing.

Pub Signs

The Campaign to Protect Rural England conducted a recent poll to discover the ‘Icon of England’ and surprisingly the number one icon was ‘The pictorial Pub sign’. There must be thousands of them throughout the land, but with pub closures increasing every year, they could become rare. The history of the origin of the pup sign is well known, but for those who are not familiar with it here’s how they came into being. In ancient Italy at the time of the invading Romans (A.D. 43 onwards), wherever wine was sold, vine leaves where hung outside as a sign to let people know. In England the local brew was ale, and on account of there being few vines, because of the unfavourable climate, ‘Tabernae’ would hang small evergreen bushes outside their taverns on long poles or stakes to advertise their ale. Many years later in the 12th century the naming of pubs and inns became common, and as the general populace was illiterate, signs were hung outside premises as a means of identification and to advertise their presence. By 1393 there were official Ale Tasters, and King Richard 11 passed an Act making it compulsory for pubs to display signs for the tasters. Names and signs changed with the times, but they often were associated with local features, for example the Hare and Hounds, the Plough and Sail, the Royal Oak, etc..

One pub sign I know which is truly iconic is, ‘The Bull’. Whenever I see it I am reminded of the golden calf worshipped by the Israelites when they thought Moses had died or abandoned them on the mountain. (Exodus 32:1-5) Icon worship exists today, because unwittingly we set people on pedestals, or place prized possessions foremost in our priorities.

National Service

Yes, I'm there somewhere.


Army Book 111 Page 1
Surname and Initials A Name
Army No. 25171823
Group No. 53.12
Discharge from Whole-Time and Entry upon Part-Time Military Service of a National Service Soldier
Designation of HQ or TA Unit to which the soldier will report
459 LAA Regt. RA/TA
Drill Hall, Tilehurst Rd., Reading, Berkshire.
Date due to report 29th August 57.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
So reads page 1 of the discharge document of a National Service conscript in 1957. Mine was very similar. I served nearly 2 years at a Royal Artillery training camp near Rhyl in North Wales. At the beginning of my service I was posted to Oswestry to a training camp where the first fortnight was absolute hell. The whole exercise was a systematic programme of indoctrination calculated to make new conscripts obedient, so that they would jump to a command without question. Absolute obedience to authority was to become a knee-jerk reaction. Looking back on the experience I can understand why this had to be, but for a conscript who didn’t want to be there, it hurt.

On the front line there was no time for debate or hesitation, neither was there a place for individuality. Hence, everyone was made to obey commands and wear uniforms. Hair was cut short, and no one was allowed to have a beard or a moustache. Marching drill was part of the process of inculcating group obedience, and it was also a means of encouraging corporate identity, coupled with pride of performance.

Individual obedience was achieved by making new conscripts do certain tasks, irrespective of sensible reasons for not doing them; for example, we all had to make the pimpled surface on the toecaps of our boots so smooth and shiny that we could see our faces in them. To do this, we had to use a hot iron to smooth the leather before rubbing boot polish on it. Next, we had to spit on the polish and apply more polish repeatedly, until a thick layer was built up. Finally, it had to be rubbed lightly with a clean duster until the required mirror-like surface was obtained. Uniforms had to be ironed until the creases were as sharp as knife blades. To make trouser creases straight and sharp, small lead weights on lengths of string were placed in the bottoms of the trousers where they hung over the gaiters. Gaiters and belts had to have Blanco rubbed into them to keep them clean and smart. Brass buckles, buttons and badges had to be polished with Brasso. Berets were worn on the head when the soldier was out-of-doors, and they had to be worn straight across the forehead, but the right side of beret had to be pulled over the ear.

Under this regime, depersonalization and unquestioning obedience was achieved within two weeks, after which one was allowed to go home for a weekend, before reporting for duty at a specialized training unit. In my case, I was trained for 3 months to be a wireless operator for the Royal Artillery.

On the whole, I disliked being in the army as a conscript who was essentially a pacifist, but the experience was not totally negative. I learned to stand on my own two feet, and through it I gained independence from my family. I also learned to be responsible for myself and to accept responsibility for those who were placed under my care.

Thank You

Thank you to my followers!



My Blog pseudonym is ‘Mind Drifter’, and those 50 or so regular visitors to these pages know that’s a fair description of what’s on offer. Whatever ‘pops up’ in my mind is what you get! More often than not, a theme for the day is shaped by what I see, hear, do, or experience. Thoughts about what affects me most, either in my mind or in my body, are crystallized, summarized and expressed here for my readers to digest. By using this medium of the Blog I rid myself of trappings that may clog me up and stop me going forward with anticipation and excitement for new experiences, understandings and challenges. By articulating my thoughts, concerns, hopes, fears, longings and beliefs, I feel that I may find sympathetic listeners, even lurkers who may take onboard and perhaps develop my themes. With humility I apologise if some of you believe I’m opinionated and that I do not research my subjects sufficiently before coming to conclusions. I am always open to opposing or differing views backed up with rational, objective explanations, and in certain instances I am happy to go along with subjective viewpoints, because all things are not always measurable, and emotions count.

Expressing my views by means of a Blog is sufficient for me, with or without a readership, but having regular followers enjoying the menu makes it that much more satisfying and worthwhile If there are listeners out there in Cyberspace, then I am not just shouting or whispering to a void or an uncomprehending galaxy of stars, planets and gases. Intelligent friends or aliens make all the difference. So whether you are a friend, an alien or an enemy, thank you for coming back time and again. I love you. (Matthew 5:44)

P.S. Why not chip in with your thoughts too by making an occasional comment?

Drowning Tragedies

This photo of the Quayside by the Ferry Road slipway at Hullbridge gives no indication that within a week, two men have drowned here. The first was 21 year old Michael Cheek while trying to swim across the River and the second was 70 year old George Sargent when his car plunged into the water after travelling down the slipway. Needless to say these deaths have reminded me of the need for vigilance whenever I’m near or on the water. Over the years yachtsmen have drowned in the locality, always when using their dinghies between the shore and their yachts. A little further down the River Crouch at South Fambridge I was once knocked out my dinghy by the wake of a passing motor yacht, and it was with great difficulty that I managed to get back into the dinghy. The ‘driver’ of the motor yacht could not have been aware of my plight, as he continued ‘driving’ at great speed without a glance behind and without a care in the world. To add insult to injury, my outboard engine was lost to the depths, never to be seen again.

These drowning tragedies will remain with me for ever, and if any of the relatives or friends of the deceased read this, I want to express my sympathy to them for their loss.

Painted Lady Butterfly

The Painted Lady butterfly is a beautiful migrant that could possibly be found anywhere in the British Isles during the summer months, and this July of 2009, thousands of them arrived on our shores from Morocco. At the front of my house there’s a large bowl of miniature yellow Chrysanthemums that attract all manner of flying insects, but for me, the most fascinating and mesmerizing of them is a particular Painted Lady butterfly that lacks a mate. She or he appears to have taken up permanent residence on the flowers, and for the last three days this placid, delicate creature has been sipping nectar while patiently waiting for an attractive mate. Hopefully a suitor will appear in time before a hungry predator arrives on the scene, or the wonderfully ornate nymphalid dies of a broken heart.

Obedience

Unquestioning Obedience



Obedience is almost a taboo word today, and yet without countless acts of obedience there would be catastrophic consequences. The simple act of disobeying the rule of the road to drive on the left or the right according to the laws of the land where you live would bring carnage. Imagine the consequences of not obeying the rules of seamanship that separate shipping on the high seas, especially in busy, but confined waterways such as the English Channel. These rules of safe passage are obeyed voluntarily by those in charge of vehicles on the road, and by shipmasters in charge of vessels on the high seas. Commonsense prevails over stubborn wills when it comes to self-preservation or respect for the life of others; not only is it commonsense to obey such rules, but obedience under these circumstances is deemed right and the only acceptable practice.

From the moment we are born we come under those in authority, i.e., our parents who are responsible for our welfare. They subject us to rules for our benefit and for themselves, and this is the pattern from family to the society in which we live and within the world as a whole. In Europe all citizens are subject to local laws and the laws of the country in which they reside. Europe in turn subscribes to the United Nations whose purpose is to promote peaceful cooperation between countries and support law and order throughout the world-wide community; yet, within this pattern of law and order there are always mavericks and disobedient people who will not obey those in authority.

The concept of authority and submission to it does not go down well with self-willed man, particularly in these times of supposed equality and equal worth as defined by the Human Rights Act of 1998. At the heart of the problem of disobedience is self-will, and that can be traced back to Eve in the Garden of Eden when she disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit.* Since then, all of her offspring who survived the world-wide flood through the family of Noah have inherited her trait of self-will, despite the obedience of Noah to God.+

*Genesis 3:6 +Genesis 7:5

Teddy Bear’s Picnic

My Teddy Bears at their Picnic


You’ll never believe it, but I went to a Teddy Bear’s Picnic today. Yes, I know it’s not July 10th when every teddy bear turns itself into a replica, and by magic the real ones go to the woods to meet every other member of the Teddy family. You see, if they weren’t magic they couldn’t fool their owners who love them to bits, pull their ears off, suck their noses, twist their legs and arms and poke their eyes out. By playing this magic on baby Johnny or Sue, their tiny friends Bill and Ben and every little boy or girl who loves them, they can escape to the secret place in the woods where little Teddies are really happy.

All cuddly bears, whether they are stuffed Steiffs with earrings in their ears, or Republican Michtoms from Brooklyn, or posh Stuffington bears - even Winnie the Pooh - All, without exception, know and can sing the Teddy Bear’s Picnic song. Furthermore, none of them are naughty, because only good toy bears: pink, white, black, brown, yellow, green, purple or blue, can join the magic party in the woods. It doesn’t matter if they are rich or poor, posh or lowly, big or small; made of alpaca, felt, mohair, wool or polyester; all good Teddies join the fun and play hide and seek in the woods. Under the trees and out of sight they gather together to chat and eat the most marvellous foods. There are cheesecakes, gingerbreads, chocolate drops; jellies, cream cakes, sugar drop cookies; ice cold fruit drinks, orange juice and squash; banana splits and all manner of gooey foods. After the feast they dance and shout and play wonderful games like leapfrog, roly-poly, statues, musical toadstools, guess who, pig in the middle and tag.

Before they know it they have fallen asleep on the woodland flowers and there is silence as the dark shadows envelope them, but soon they awake to find they are back home again and the magic is complete.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZANKFxrcKU Henry Hall – Teddy Bear’s Picnic Song

• If you go down in the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go down in the woods today
You'd better go in disguise.

For ev'ry bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.

Ev'ry teddy bear who's been good
Is sure of a treat today.
There's lots of marvelous things to eat
And wonderful games to play.

Beneath the trees where nobody sees
They'll hide and seek as long as they please
That's the way the teddy bears have their picnic.

Picnic time for teddy bears
The little teddy bears are having a lovely time today
Watch them, catch them unawares
And see them picnic on their holiday.

See them gaily gad about
They love to play and shout;
They never have any cares;

At six o'clock their mummies and daddies,
Will take them home to bed,
Because they're tired little teddy bears.

If you go down in the woods today
You'd better not go alone.
It's lovely down in the woods today
But safer to stay at home.

For ev'ry bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.

Tree Trimming

Before
After


Pruning, trimming and lopping of trees are similar necessities, but they differ in degree. Lopping is the drastic business of cutting off branches; whereas trimming involves the removal of their extremities, and pruning is more selective, perhaps for shaping a tree, stimulating growth, or providing space and light. Today I took the opportunity of fine weather to trim the tree that grows on my front lawn. September is a good time to do it, because leaves naturally fall from deciduous trees as growth slows down and sap ceases flowing in preparation for the winter months.

I am not an arboriculturist, nor am I a tree surgeon, nor do I have a City and Guilds certificate proving I am a qualified NPTC operative capable of carrying out tree work to British Standard 3998, but I have kept trees under control on my property for more years than I care to remember. As I was engaged in the process of trimming my tree, one of my neighbours asked if I was wearing a harness, and although it was patently obvious I was not, she also asked if I was wearing a safety helmet. I politely replied that I was not wearing either, and concluded she was making casual conversation for the sake of neighbourly friendship, or she was blind, but concerned for my welfare.

For further distraction, when I was at the top of the ladder straining with the secateurs in one hand and a walking stick in the other, which I was using to bring a branch nearer for a surgical nip, my wife leaned out of an upper window and asked if I was enjoying myself. I told her that when I was a kid I used to climb big trees to the highest point I would dare, simply for the buzz and the view. I assured her that standing at the top of the ladder, while the wind swayed the tree, me and the ladder, was almost as much fun now as when I was a risk-taking 12 year old.

Unscathed after two hours of trimming, and flushed with adrenaline, I sat back and admired my handiwork. The exercise of climbing the ladder, raking up and bagging the trimmings and taking the lot to the local recycling dump had brought a glow to my face and gladdened my heart. My wallet was just as full as when I started, and for another year I had avoided paying my local tree surgeon £60.00 to do the job.

Ferro-cement Boat

I noticed this ‘concrete’ boat tucked away in the salting at Hullbridge, and I couldn’t resist taking photos of her. It’s obvious she’s not been sailed for a while. She must date back to the 70s when many Ferro-cement boats were built, mostly by amateurs. The huge radar housing on the doghouse is typical of the time; likewise the outdated, rather large GPS antenna is reminiscent of that era. She has a tabernacle for lowering her mast, but the permanent framework for the cockpit tent would prevent it from being lowered to the horizontal position. The doghouse provides excellent cover for the crew from the sun, wind and rain. I like the useful hand rails along the cabin top, and the side decks make it easy for the crew to reach the foredeck. I think the permanent back runners should be modified to have a quick release mechanisms so that the mainsail can be squared off when the boat is running. Both foresails have to be hanked to their stays - roller reefing would be far more satisfactory. I like the trough at the base of the mast for stowing the halyards. The fore hatch would be useful for ventilating the boat when she’s at anchor, but it is rather too small for the crew to enter or leave the boat. Her owner has slapped grey paint over everything, presumably for protecting the vessel from the elements, but it doesn’t make her look attractive. The general state of the boat leads me to believe she may be for sale. My imagination runs riot when considering what could be done with her, and if I wanted a large project, I would make enquiries at Brandy Hole Yacht Club to find out who owns her.

Time

We all think we know what time is because we refer to it on a daily basis. Without a clock we could not synchronize our comings and goings. For sure, we use watches or clocks to help us start work on time, or we use them for prearranged meetings, and without synchronized timepieces we could not be certain of success. I’m a frequent clock-watcher, forever looking at my wristwatch. I never like to be late for an appointment, and I even regulate the time when get out of bed and when I return by checking my watch. Without a means of accurately knowing local time I would have to refer to ‘nature’s clock’, i.e., the sun, and as the sun rises and sets at different times throughout the year, I could not accurately rely upon it.

In antiquity sundials* were used to tell the time. Even as far back as 5,100 years ago astronomers may have constructed Stonehenge as a precise timepiece recording the time of sunrise on the morning of the summer solstice. The regular periodic motion of the earth and moon in relation to the sun and other planets give a sense of time in terms of seasons, movements of the tides etc. A complete circuit of the sun by the earth takes on average just over 365 days, while each day consists of 24 hours. The number of days the earth takes to revolve around the sun is determined by the laws of the Universe, whereas the unit of time known as an hour is an abstract division of a period of time devised by man; so is the division of the hour into 60 minutes and minutes into 60 seconds. Without the invention of a mechanical timepiece there would be no accurate way of recording periods of time; hence the invention of the hourglass.

The very first mechanical clock was devised by Taqi al-Din at the Istanbul observatory of al-Dan in about 1580 and it was capable of measuring intervals of hours, minutes and seconds, but it wasn’t until the 17th century in Europe that a clock capable of recording intervals of seconds was built in Switzerland. The use of pendulums was the breakthrough needed for accurately measuring seconds. In more recent times the invention of very accurate atomic clocks has facilitated the establishment of an internationally agreed time. The atomic clock can maintain a continuous stable time scale, known as International Atomic Time (TAI), but for civil use, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the preferred system which incorporates ‘leap seconds’ based on actual rotations of the earth in relation to the ‘mean sun’.

Despite knowing how to record intervals of time, we cannot agree how to define time, because much depends on our understanding of it from our viewpoint. Do we interpret time mathematically, philosophically, in terms of astronomical age of the stars and planets or light years etc.? Is time continuous without end, embracing the past, present and future? Do we visualize it as string-like in nature, separate or joined units, spiral or wavelike? Do we comprehend it as a dimension or a spatial volume or a mass? Do we believe it’s a warped variable incapable of being measured?

Well, my internal time clock tells me it’s time to go to bed; my eyelids are drooping and I’m falling asleep. Goodnight!

*2 Kings 20:11 (The sundial of Ahaz, about 680 BC)

From Little Acorns

From small to large is a general growth pattern of living organisms. As with the mustard seed*, so it is with the acorn. Both the mustard tree and the oak tree start their lives as germinated seeds which develop into saplings before becoming mature trees capable of reproducing themselves. In truth, the mustard tree is more like a shrub that grows to a height of about 2 metres, but both arboreal follow the same principle of growth, i.e., with age, they increase in size. Like other trees, they support and provide shelter for many species, but the gigantic oak surpasses most in this respect.

An oak tree can live up to 200 years, and exceptionally for 1,000 years, by which time its trunk may be 45 feet thick near the base. Being monoecious it produces male catkins that each contains several million pollen grains for dispersal by the wind for fertilizing thousands of inconspicuous female flowers via their receptive stigma. These fertilized flowers are transformed into acorns which ripen in the autumn ready for a new cycle of life to begin. A visiting Jay or Magpie could carry one such acorn a mile or more before burying it where the conditions may be right for germination.

The longevity and size of an oak tree provides a secure habitat for hundreds of organism and insects and therefore it has an important role within the immediate ecosystem. Many species rely on oak trees for their survival; one such creature is a wasp (Biorhiza pallida) that interacts with the tree to produce a gall in the form of an oak apple. Spangle galls are also induced on catkins and the undersides of leaves by asexual wasps, while communities of parasitic and predatory insects thrive on the tree. Moth larvae and caterpillars feed on the leaves and the Oak Bark Beetle burrows in the wood. Nut Weevils lay their eggs in the acorns and the larvae pupate when the acorns fall to the ground. Spiders take advantage of the supporting framework of leaves and twigs by spinning their webs between them, while other camouflaged arachnids wait hidden in bark crevices. In turn, birds such as the Chaffinch, Tree Creeper and the Wood Warbler feed on the insects.

Unfortunately, oak trees are not protected unless they are subject to a preservation order by a local Planning Department, but if an order is infringed the offender may be required to pay a penalty of up to £50,000 per tree or even time in jail. By right oak trees belong to the landowner who may do what they like with them.

Anon: “Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.”

*Matthew 13:31

http://www.menofthetrees.org.au/docs/index.htm

http://internationaltreesociety.blogspot.com/

Paradise Found

Jane Austin: “To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment.”

Amos Bronson Alcott: “Who loves a garden still his Eden keeps, Perennial pleasures plants, and wholesome harvest reaps.”

Germaine Greer: “A garden is the best alternative therapy.”

Benjamin Disraeli: “How fair is a garden amid toils and passions of existence.”

Dorothy Frances Gurney: “The kiss of the sun for pardon, The song of the birds for mirth, One is nearer God’s heart in a garden Than anywhere else on earth.”

Thomas Jefferson: “Those who labour in the earth are the chosen people of God.”

Hanna Rion: “The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses.”

Abram L. Urban: “In my garden there is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams. The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful.”

F. Frankfort Moore: “I think that if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden at the cool of the day.”

John Ruskin: “There is material enough in a single flower for the ornament of a score of cathedrals.”

Francis Bacon: “Gardening is the purest of human pleasures.”

George Bernard Shaw: “The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for Him there.”

Anon: “Gardening adds years to your life and life to your years.”

Anon: “Cares melt when you kneel in your garden.”

Holy Spirit: “And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden: and there He put the man whom He had formed.” (Genesis 2:8)

‘Just Right’ for Sailing

For the greatest enjoyment, things have to be ‘just right’ and yesterday all the factors fell into place to bring about a pleasurable experience. Good weather, good company, teamwork, a common purpose and unique circumstances combined to make a fulfilling few hours afloat for me and my crew.

High water at Burnham-on-Crouch was for 1823, which meant low water would be at 1213; accordingly we planned to arrive at our Rice and Cole mooring by 0940 for sailing at 1000. The idea was to take the last of the ebb towards Maplin Sand while tacking to seaward for as long as we could before the wind and tide would swish us back to Burnham. Unusually for this year, an area of high pressure was slap over the British Isles causing the wind to blow from the North Sea straight into the entrance of the River Crouch, and with the tide ebbing against the wind there was a fair old chop.

All went to plan. To begin with, as we left the mooring under power, there was a good Force 3 from just North of East. As soon as we were clear of the moorings we made sail and turned off the Honda outboard. In anything above force 2, ‘Ladybird’ always sails better with both sails reefed; therefore I put in several turns on the main and rolled the Genoa to resemble a working jib. Despite the rough water, we made excellent progress to windward. We hadn’t seen so many yachts out and about as there were on Saturday morning. All of them were bigger and more powerful than our tiny Seawych cruiser, and needless to say, we were overhauled by a few of them. When in close proximity to other yachts we waved to their crews, and apart from one rather large yacht, we were greeted by enthusiastic reciprocal gestures. Everyone was having a great time in the sunshine and invigorating wind.

By eleven fifteen it was time for Mars Bars and coffee and with three of us aboard we took turns at helming. For me it was doubly pleasurable, because I could see that what my crew had learnt over the summer was being put into practice. I could leave the boat to them and feel quite confident we would not run aground or crash into another boat. They could trim the sails, luff or release the mainsheet in stronger gusts, tack and gybe; they could even heave the boat to. I could be confident they would be able to pick up our mooring or set the anchor.

Between 1230 and 1300 we took turns at the helm while others ate lunch and guzzled soft drinks. As I expected, the wind increased to almost a Force 5 and slightly backed. This was due to the sun warming the landmass to the West causing the convection of air from above the cooler sea to the East, but because the tide was flooding the water did not get any rougher. A further reduction of sail was necessary, and despite our efforts at gaining ground to windward, we were gradually moving stern first towards Burnham. Our options were to stick at it, anchor, or explore the entrance of the River Roach. We chose the latter, and in a short time we found ourselves hurtling past the Branklet Spit buoy into the River Roach, but prudence made me test sail the boat in the opposite direction to ascertain if we could make over the flooding tide and as I suspected ‘Ladybird’ was on the wind, just edging forwards.

Back in the Crouch, wind and tide overcame us, leaving us with the option of anchoring or returning to our mooring for a cup of tea. Needless to say we chose tea. The brand new Honda 2.3 started at the first pull, so that we could head into the wind and take in sail. My crew faultlessly picked up the mooring, and while the youngest brewed tea the others made the boat ready for being left at her mooring. Wanting to enjoy the moment, we took our time before rowing the dinghy to the Rice and Cole pontoon.

All in all, things had turned out ‘just right’ because circumstances had come together for all of us to have a time of pleasurable companionship afloat.