Hello and Welcome Fellow Ramblers: Spring!

Weather

Weather-wise we’ve had a mixed bag over the last week or so. The end of February brought mild days with the sun excelling itself. I spotted the first primrose of the year, on the 28^th February, nestled at the bottom of the hedge bank opposite the church at the end of the lane. A real promise of spring.

Snow

On the 4^th March after the month had ‘come in like a lamb’ we awoke to a snow. Big floppy flakes flobbled down to make quite a covering. The surrounding hills were topped with a pristine white icing. It disappeared as quickly as it came. The right sort of snow to have! Since then we have enjoyed a mixture of sunshine, frosty mornings and dull, grey, damp days.

Spring

The daffodils are coming out a treat and the birds are providing a wakeup call to gladden the heart. And, officially, Spring begins on the 20^th of this month! Hooray!!

Water Shortage

Parts of the country are experiencing a worrying time at the moment due to the lack of rainfall over the last months, even years! Reservoirs which should be full at this time of year are worryingly low. A ban on the use of hosepipes in some areas will soon be a reality, and there is talk of piping water from areas of plenty to places of drought. Meanwhile, the water authorities have numerous ‘leaks’ wasting millions of litres of precious Adam’s Ale! A few years ago most of the local ‘bore holes’ were condemned by the water authorities, who were intent on taking over the world of water, for a huge fee! All the sweet local water was replaced by fluoride, yukky flavoured liquid, from which a decent cup of tea has yet to be made!

When I Was Young (many years ago!!)

When I was young our water came from a local reservoir situated at the top the bank just outside the village in a farmer’s field! It tasted like nectar from the water gods, which of course it was! Then the village had to convert to Severn Trent water, a generic liquid which provided a strange waft of weirdness when sipping a cup of Typhoo! Same with the milk! There was nothing like fetching a can of fresh milk delivered straight from the cow as nature intended! Dad always worked on the local farms and fresh daily milk was often part of his ‘wage’! We supped this delicious creamy liquid for years and came to no harm, in fact probably benefitted from its naturalness! Then it all changed, milk had to be pasteurised! Now milk comes in a plastic container, has a strange ‘blue’ look about it and is devoid of all its cream, which languishes in little expensive pots all of its own! Farm milk arrived home visibly divided into layers of milk and cream!

Teeth on a ‘Plate’

Well, that’s my gripe for today. Plus I’ve been to the dentist this week and that looks like being a pricey business too! Years ago they just whipped out all your teeth at one swoop and gave you a set of non-decaying gnashers on a ‘plate’!! Good Idea?

Thanks for your time!

The Bumpkin Rambler xx