|
So I was getting into my car and this bloke says to me: "Can you give me a lift?" I said: "Sure; you look great, the world's your oyster, go for it." Tommy Cooper Success is doing what you plan to do whatever the results. John Watson |
Walking in Petts Wood and The Hawkswood Estate Page 14Sunday 13th June 2004 Brambles and Nettles
For the last fortnight, I have been getting up at about 5.30 a.m and getting into the woods soon after 6 a.m. This avoids the hot June sun and gets the walk over early. But I do miss my 11 a.m. friends. This morning had its compensations, however. A beautiful young lady came cycling up behind me and gave me a dazzling smile as I stood back to let her pass. What more could one wish for? A beautiful day, beautiful woods and a beautiful young woman? This last week has been fairly fraught. A couple of days ago, I trod on a dog's piece of chewing gum i.e. a small log hidden in the undergrowth. I nearly broke my left ankle and found myself embracing the thorny hedge on my left. Perhaps the wood is getting its own back on me as I have been practising my sword play with a walking stick by swiping at nettles and brambles. These have shot up over the last couple of weeks. Perhaps they too enjoy their lives and do not like being destroyed? Saturday 26th June 2004 Peacocks do fly Two dogs passed me today as I headed towards Tong's farm, the home of the local peacocks. The smaller dog seemed to be the leader. No dog owner was with them. They headed up towards Tong's farm. I wondered whether they might harrass the peacocks at the farm. I was a few hundred yards behind them. As I approached the farm from the brook below the farm I saw the amazing sight of one of the peacocks flying from the farm buildings on the right of the path that passes through the farm to the buildings on the left. It flew about 50 yards Its train flew out behind him as he flew at the height of an average sized tree. As he flew, he cried out "Oh..Oh..Oh..Oh..Oh..Oh". I wondered if he had been startled by the dogs. Perhaps not. There was no sign of them as I walked through the farm on the footpath. The peacocks do not seem at all frightened of humans as they wander free around the farm area. A few days ago, one of the two peacocks was sitting on the fence just a few yards to my left as I went through the gate by the farm. He did not move. His train reached the floor and his colour was amazing. The peacocks love to be high up on mounds or fences like rulers of the world. The peahens seem happy to potter about on the lower parts of the farm although they do like to go on one of the barn roofs. What lesson is there in this flying event? People like peacocks can amaze us by doing things we did not imagine they could do. We could even amaze ourselves by doing things we did not think we could do. We, too, can fly. Sunday 27th June 2004 Read the map As on April 6th I was asked the way today. A jogger, who had just been reading a map on a stand near Coopers school, wanted to know the quickest way to the main road and asking another human seemed much quicker than reading through a map especially one that was covered in graffiti! However, reading the whole map does give the whole picture and is more reliable than human beings. It is amazing how few people actually read maps and manuals. They prefer to ask someone. This does have huge advantages. The human being answers your specific question whereas it may take ages to find the answer in a manual or map. But if you take the trouble to read the map or manual, you gradually become independent. It may take longer but you can sort things out yourself which is helpful when no other human being is available. There were several joggers in the woods today. I last jogged about a week ago when I was caught out by some heavy showers and jogged for about a mile mainly to keep warm and avoid catching a cold or 'flu. The thought of discomfort or pain is a great motivator. Monday June 28th 2004 Peahen on roof Things were very quiet as I approached Tong's farm from below. Suddenly I heard a peacock's cry and so kept a look out for one or two peacocks or peahens as I passed through the farm. Sure enough one of them was on the roof facing south in the direction of the brook and the railway. The parakeets are now back in the tree above Tong's farm. They were absent for a while a month or so ago. It's great to seem them back. This month has been a good one for animal and bird life. I met Brer Rabbit by Soldier's field not so long ago and Monsieur Reynard on the Bridle path not far from Coopers school. Today, there was a young foal and a white horse in the field opposite the school When I got home I had a bit of a power day. I did some weightlifting for a few minutes. Did some gardening for about an hour, cleaned a drain and wrote a birthday card. Took my sister to work. Worked more on my book - Awesome Acronyms which explains the concept of the power day; checked some emails and wrote this. I did not get to bed till midnight last night and was up at 5 working on my book. I think I'll lie down and sleep for a while if the cat lets me! Tuesday June 29th 2004 Confirmation that peacocks fly Today I met a friend by Soldier's field who described his stay at an inn called The Spread Eagle in Andover, Hampshire. He was woken in the morning by strange sounds and was astounded by the sight of a peacock in his bedroom. The bedroom was on the second floor so the peacock must have flown in looking for food. After a good look around the peacock flew out of the window and disappeared. Apparently guests at the hotel had been feeding them out of their windows. Nothing attracts like a good meal. I also came across five energetic parakeets who seemed to enjoying flying around. One landed on top of a telegraph pole just above my head. I tried to imitate the sounds he was making but after a few minutes we both got bored and moved on! Wednesday June 30th Do cats go for walks? I headed for Tong's farm today hoping to see Mr. Peacock or Mrs Peahen. No luck. But just above Tong's farm I met a cat walking down the hill. It had a collar and was not a wild cat but I have never seen it before in this area. Maybe it was out for a walk. Maybe cats don't go for walks because we don't expect them to. We know they like short walks in the house and garden and even the immediate neighbourhood. But perhaps they would like a good long walk just as dogs do? Expectations can fit us into a mold or prison from which we have difficulty escaping. Look at how long it took women to escape from the role of house wife. Thursday July 1st 2004 When not to spit Half the year is over. Christmas coming up! Few people were around in the woods today except for 2 pairs of joggers. One of them hawked and spat as he passed me near Coopers School. I assumed that the young woman jogging in front of him must be his wife or he would have been more discreet. Fortunately there was not a strong wind blowing and I was well clear of him. He and his companion were running on the footpath. I was walking on the bridle path. His companion smiled at me but he was too busy spitting. I don't think he meant to be rude but he needs to pick his spitting moments more carefully! He could have held his spit for a couple of seconds longer and no one would have noticed. I did see him a few weeks after this incident and again he spat but we also had a pleasant chat about the weather. Perhaps he comes from the punk rocker generation when spitting was applauded and modeled by people like Johnny Rotten who still spits on TV given half a chance! Let's think of more attractive topics. The peacocks were totally quiet this morning. Maybe they have been strangled by sleepless farmers. One parakeet, I think, was trying to make up for this silence all on his own. Sunday 4th July 2004 Small obstacles Few people were about this morning. I passed by Flushers pond hoping that the recent wind and rain might have cleared some of the green gunge from the pool. No such hope. The green gunge looked solid like a billiard table top. I thought I might try to clear some of it away but my path to my usual draining spot was blocked by some fallen branches. This was enough to put me off my plan. I was easily diverted. Even small obstacles can have that effect not only on me but the majority of the human race. Monday 5th July 2004 Mrs Peahen faces North Today was sunny and the peacocks were calling out. As I walked through Tong's farm I noticed Mrs Peahen sitting on the barn roof facing the opposite way to the railway which she was facing a few days ago. Birds and animals must get bored with the same view. It is great that humans have so many opportunities to find a new view point in the physical world and in the mental/spiritual world of books. Thursday 8th July 2004 Energy moves obstacles Mrs. Peahen was still facing south or half south this morning and the parakeets were flying around their tree with great energy. Speaking of energy, I summoned up enough to clear the branches which prevented my access to Flushers pond last Sunday. After a recent storm the water was high enough to allow some of the gunge to flow out of the pool. There is enough current to pull a can and a bottle eventually to where I can grab them. Friday 9th July 2004 Heretical views Not many people are about in the woods at 6.30 a.m. Today I saw two women joggers and a young man who remarked 'Summer is over'. 'Did it ever arrive?' I replied hypocritically. I am in fact delighted that summer has been more like winter recently as I much prefer cold and stormy weather. However, this view is heresy in Britain. I was astonished to see the peacocks mixing with the cows in the field below Tong's farm. A small wooden enclosure seems to have been built for them in the field. They retreated into the enclosure as I approached. Sunday 11th July Poetry in motion Yesterday, I could hear the peacocks crying out a mile before I reached their home and a mile after i had passed through their home. Today, there wasn't a peep out of them. So I was surprised to see a peacock and two pea hens on the barn roof. Mr Peacock and Mrs Peahen were facing towards the railway and the second peahen was facing Mr Peacock. Why do I spend so much time on the peacocks? Because they are creatures of beauty, mystery and romance. They can inspire the poets amongst us. Mr Keating in the film 'Dead Poets' Society' sums it up: "We don’t read and write poetry because it is cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion ..poetry beauty romance love These are what we stay alive for". Monday 12th July 2004 Four ways of contacting others Hardly anyone was in the woods today. But I caught a glimpse of a man in a white shirt through the leaves of the trees. I recognised him at once by the shirt and the way he was walking i.e. fast and upright. I read recently that humans make contact with others in only 4 main ways. The way they look What they do What they say How they say it. That narrows it down a bit and makes it easier to control Friday 16th July 2004 Beauty and crap Today was another humid, muggy day in the woods except by Soldiers Field and Coopers School where a nice breeze is usually blowing. On my way out of the woods I saw a beautiful lady clutching a plastic bag. I realised that she had dutifully scooped up her dog's crap and put it in the bag. Later I reflected, as one does, that much of human life is a mixture of beauty and crap. My sister, Gillian, has just read this and commented: "I expect she is one of the few who take the trouble to do this. But, on the other hand, it still has to go somewhere!" I explained to my sister that it was necessary to do this to avoid people treading in the dog muck She commented: "People should look where they are going!" She herself has avoided treading in dog's mess by keeping a good look out. She did admit, however, that people should not have to look at the ground all the time. Throughout her entire life, she cannot remember having trodden in dog's mess. I, on the other hand, have frequently done so. She suggests that you keep an eye on the ground without too much emphasis on this. In other words don't become obsessed by avoiding such mess. Such a relaxed alertness can keep you out of trouble in other areas of life too! This topic has clearly intrigued my sister as she keeps coming up with further thoughts like "The poor cats and dogs have to go somewhere" and " No one thinks of how they might feel if they trod in the mess!" Monday 19th July 2004 Opportunity missed This morning I considered taking my digital camera with me to photograph the peacocks and peahens but the day seemed murky and I doubted whether they would be out and about. How wrong I was. No less than four were on the roof of the barn - two peahens and two peacocks. All were facing south towards the railway. They would have made a great photo. Just up the road I met the same friend who had had a peacock fly into his hotel room. He had just returned from Derby. The local butcher had three fields on which his cows grazed. When he sold a piece of meat, he knew exactly which cow it had come from. "This is Daisy", he would say! He is only open three days a week. No wonder! My friend loved the countryside in Derby and would like to move up there. But his family live down here in Kent and he prefers to put his family before the scenery. The gunge is still on Flushers pond. However, yesterday I saw a duck and six ducklings swimming through the gunge quite happily. One little duckling was adventurous enough to explore on his own. Sunday July 25th 2004 Opportunity seized Yesterday I put new batteries in to my digital camera; put the camera into a plastic bag and headed off into the woods determined to take a picture of the peacocks. Unfortunately the new batteries were duds and none of the pictures came out. Today, however, I put in new batteries that I bought yesterday and the good news is that they worked. However, the bad news is that the light was poor and my photo of one peahen on the roof is not a good one. I'll put it up here anyway and hope to get a better one soon. You can just make out that it actually is a peahen. My sister commented that she liked the brickwork!
Saturday July 31st 2004 More peacocks Boosted by my earlier success in capturing one peahen on camera, I have been carrying the camera with me nearly every day. Yesterday, I hit the jackpot with about four peahens and two peacocks on the barn roof. The two peacocks were practically invisible because they were lying on the roof and preening themselves with their heads buried in their feathers. I hung around a while to see if they would make themselves more obvious but in the end had to make do with some good shots of the peahens. On my way to the peacocks I came across what seemed to be a little blue budgerigar on the road. He let me get very close but as he was very small, the photo is none too clear. There were some parakeets further up the road by their usual tree and I used the camera again.
|
||
