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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 17
Friday 1st October 2004 The deteriorations of age I went into the woods at noon today and saw very few people. One jogger had a greyhound on a lead as he jogged along. The greyhound was struggling to keep up with him - the deteriorations of age affect us all. Tuesday 5th October 2004 Keeping Going? I felt very tired going through the woods this morning. This may have seemed obvious to passerbys. One man who I met by Flushers Pond (still gunge filled) asked "Keeping going?" I was just. Anyone who is still alive is keeping going - putting one step in front of another. When I reached the gargoyle in the oak tree I met a Canadian. I pointed out the gargoyle and the grizzly bear to him. He recognised the grizzly at once (authenticating my interpretation of the tree shape) as grizzlies come near his home in Canada looking for food. He took a photo of the grizzly but not of the fox like gargoyle in the oak tree. Strangely enough he had seen a fox minutes before in the heather plots which are nearby. He used to live in Petts Wood but had not been back for 40 years. He was delighted that the woods are still in existence and are protected by the National Trust. He mentioned that Canada Geese are a big nuisance in Canada as it very difficult to clear up their faeces as they stick to the ground. I mentioned that we now have plenty of Canada geese over here. Most of them congregate in the grounds of Coopers School probably to seize the remains of any food lying about after the school breaks. Wednesday 6th October 2004 In memory of Rosie Sadly, Rosie, a black Scottish terrier was run over and killed today in the kind of accident no one could have anticipated. Her owner was devastated and so were many of those who had met up with Rosie over the last five or six years. She was killed instantly by the front wheel of the vehicle even though it was travelling very slowly. For some reason, she decided to jump forward just as the vehicle came near her. No one including the driver could have done anything to save the situation. The driver, too, was devastated. Small animals like dogs and cats can leave a huge gap in people's lives when they go. Reg, kindly bought a bereavement card which many people signed on Thursday. Friday 8th October 2004 Avoid impulse buying I went into the woods much later than usual today. The blackberries began in mid-August and ended by mid-September. The sweet chestnut trees then started dropping their sweet chestnuts on the floor to the delight of the squirrels and those who love roast chestnuts. When I reached the bridge across the Kyd Brook below Tong's farm I walked past a group of boys from Coopers' school on their way home. One of them was considering jumping into the brook from the bridge. Being a natural entrepreneur, he was offering to do this somewhat risky jump for the price of £1 from each member of his audience. The thought crossed my mind for a nano second that I would offer to do the jump instead. But I am no longer 15 years old and the possiblity of breaking my ankle in the jump was very real. There is no level surface in the brook to land on. I was definitely not ready to risk breaking an ankle for the sake of a few quid. I walked on silently and have no idea whether the boy jumped or not. Probably not. His audience did not seem too keen to part with £1. Experts on debt insist that a key way of staying out of debt is to avoid unnecessary expense. Avoid impulse buying and you are well on the way to financial freedom. Come to think of it, avoid impulse eating and you are well on the way to a healthy lifestyle. Saturday 9th October 2004 Not everyone shares your obsessions The weather has started to be cold at last. I introduced another walker to the gargoyle in the oak tree. He was quite impressed by the gargoyle but not the grizzly bear. He started saying "Some people have nothing better to do...." and then realised this might be a little rude and changed his words to refer to the drawings which have dotted lines which you then join up to create a picture.Perhaps he felt that looking for gargoyles and creating pictures from dots etc was only for people with nothing better to do. It is important to realise that not every one shares your obsessions! Tuesday October 12th 2004 It may be easier than you think The map near Coopers School has been vandalised with markers or spray paint for the last few days. I, like most other walkers, had walked past thinking that it would take ages to clear the marks off. However, today I decided to try using a dead leaf to try to scrape a little of the graffiti off the glass case that covered the map. To my amazement the graffiti came off very easily like the indelible ink used in the Afghanistan voting system. Using a second leaf as well I cleared the entire map area of graffiti though the explanatory text was still illegible. Most of us have been too easily put off what appeared difficult. If we had only tried to solve the problems we might have found they were not that hard to deal with. Wednesday October 13th 2004 A second step often follows the first The rest of the graffiti had been cleared off the covered map board by some noble soul today. There was a leaf left on the glass cover. If someone takes the first step, someone else might take the second step. Bryan came jogging along near Coopers School and asked me if had been singing a version of I am H-A-P-P-Y. As it happens, I had but not aloud! He came up with a 3rd line which he believed was part of the original Sunday School rhyme. I was more suspicious. It sounded like a possible mickey take to me. See what you think. I am H A P P Y Thursday October 14th 2004 Hunger inspires success It rained heavily last night and the water level in Flushers pond had risen high enough to allow some of the gunge to escape at the bottom end of the pool. A few days ago a lady told me that her rottweiler had put his paw on to the gunge thinking it was grass. He was surprised to see his paw sink through the 'grass'! There are plenty of sweet chestnuts decorating the floor of the woods. I tried to open the prickly cocoon that surrounded one chestnut with my bare hands. I did not repeat the experience. The squirrels must have a clever method for opening these cocoons. I expect hunger has driven them to find a way. Some of the cocoons, of course, burst open when they hit the ground. I met Reg and Bill near the underpass by the railway that surrounds much of the wood. Reg proudly mentioned how a neighbour had complimented him on the beautiful yellow flowers in his garden. He couldn't remember the name of the flowers so I unfairly suggested the name 'Dandelions'. It was time for me to move on swiftly before he set his dog, Poppie, on to me! Sunday 17th October 2004 Give up hate and smile more often The water was still high in Flushers Pond today. This allowed me to drain a tiny amount of gunge off the pond. I haven't seen a heron in Flushers Pond this year but I heard a great story which mentioned a heron today on BBC1. Several British P.O.W's have been visiting Japan recently under the auspices of an organistion promoting reconciliation. Many of these P.O.W's still hate the Japanese. One of them stayed at a Japanese home on his visit. His hostess suggested that he and his wife go with her daughter to the river to feed the fish. The last thing he wanted to do was go and feed the fish but his wife said "We are going to feed the fish." So he went! On the way to the river, he felt a little hand slip into his. He was so moved by the trust of the little Japanese girl that he felt all the hate of the last 50 years drain away. He commented: "I can no longer hate these people." When they reached the river they saw a heron standing in the water. The weather was dank and grey today but there were still quite a few walkers in the woods. Some of them had great smiles when they greeted me. A friendly cheerful smile can make any one look twice as attractive as usual. I met quite a large group of the regulars at the oracle of the oak tree (or oracle of Delphi) if you prefer. We discussed a varied list of topics as usual. One question that arose was about how the Black Watch got their name. I've just looked the answer up at their website. The Black Watch was begun in 1725 after the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 by raising a regiment of Scottish soldiers who were loyal to the Union with England. Their tartan was dark and this gave the word 'Black' to the title of the regiment. The word 'Watch' came from the original job of the regiment which was to watch over the behaviour of the Highland Clans who were likely to fight each other or break the laws against carrying weapons. I heard yesterday on TV that the priestesses at the
Oracle of Delphi would inhale smoke similar to cannabis smoke before
they started speaking whatever then entered their minds. I am sure
that our conversations at the oracle of the Oak Tree are not influenced
by cannabis. Monday 18th October 2004 Today was sunny and bright so I took the camera. I was glad I did as the peacocks were making a rare appearance at Tong's farm. They were actually outside in the field with the sheep having a picnic. They were too far away for a good picture but I will upload what I did manage to get. I started my walk by photographing the chestnut pods that had fallen near the warden's house. I then filmed a scotch pine of the type that may have provided masts for the sailing ships of the days when the woods were owned by the Petts shipbuilder family. The light in Petts Wood on a sunny day makes great photographs. I found a fine and mysterious subject in the slope and bushes leading up to Coopers School from Flushers pond. The bushes formed a kind of tunnel. Later on my walk today I came across another photographer. I asked him what he was filming. It was the light in the trees near the railway and the new bridge. I told him that the peacocks were out and about at Tong's farm and he went off to look for them. Tuesday 19th October 2004 Thinking is your best defence Sod's law was in full operation again today. I didn't take the camera and one of the peacocks walked within inches of me at Tong's farm. That would have been the best photo ever. However, I did have an interesting conversation with A to make up for it. A is an artist who has painted quite a few pictures of scenes in Petts Wood. She was once painting the wishing well in a garden at Tong's farm. The peacocks started walking round her. Their owner reassured her that they were competely harmless. They were just curious. A was once attacked in the woods by a man near the water tunnel under the railway by The Kyd Brook. She felt suspicious when he walked past her. As she approached the tunnel he came out of the water and grabbed her from the rear. She sank downwards to break his hold. Amazingly she had the presence of mind to say that her husband was nearby. The man asked: "Where? I can't see him." "Over there". she said and started calling his hame loudly. The man ran off. The incident proves the importance of keeping calm enough when you are attacked to allow yourself to think. In stressful situations humans usually experience an adrenaline dump as extra energy flows into their system. Blood tends to flow from the brain to the body. Most people lose the power to think clearly but A did just the right thing. Her brain worked very effectively. She did not have to use force. Many squirrels were running about today stocking up with chestnuts for Christmas. Squirrels are mentioned in the following great poem which I have just re-read in Martin Avis' ezine: What is this life if, full of care, No time to see when woods we pass, No time to turn at Beauty's glance, A poor life this if, full of care, WH Davies Monday 25th October 2004 Life is energy Today I came across a little mouse or vole dead in the pathway. I moved it to the side of the path and buried it under some leaves and earth in a very shallow grave. As I was covering it up, its head moved and I thought for a moment it was still alive. It wasn't. Its head must have hit a bump. It reminded me that movement, action and energy are the key signs of life. Without energy, our movement or action will be half-hearted and we will achieve little. It is important to keep up our energy by eating the right food and exercising. Our life like the little mouse's is limited and we need maximum energy to make the most of it. Tuesday 26th October 2004 Watch over your kids This week is half term week so I passed about seven or eight groups of youngsters in the woods today . Only one group were unaccompanied by their parent or parents. This probably reflects the state concern in the country today. Twenty or thirty years ago, children could play in the streets and walk in the woods without their parents worrying about what was happening to them. Nowadays they are too concerned to let them out of their sight and with good reason. At one point on today's walk I met up with one of the volunteers. He told me that the hobbies had returned to Africa along with the swallows and swifts. The parakeets, however, would still be with us living in holes in the trees over the winter. Wednesday 27th October 2004 Tiny obstacles can hold us up. Few families were out today in the woods. I was pleased to see some clear patches of water in Flushers pond. The water was high enough for me to release some gunge at the far end of the pond. Just one leaf can block the passage of water just as one tiny obstacle can put us off achieving any goal. Friday 29th October 2004 The law of accumulation The water is still clearer in Flushers wood. I released more gunge. The accumulation of tiny human efforts combined with the forces of the Universe (wind and rain in this case) eventually produces results. We just need patience to wait for the results; just as the farmer sows the seed and waits patiently until the crops show through. Yesterday I saw a squirrel climbing a tree with a sweet chestnut in its mouth. Sunday 31st October 2004 People to compare yourself with The woods were fairly crowded today. I noticed that nearly every walker was overtaking me. I fell into step with the ones who passed me and realised that they were not taking longer paces than me. They were simply walking faster. I stepped up my pace and finished the walk earlier. Having people to compare myself with and to compete with had helped considerably. Tuesday 2nd Nov 2004 Exaggeration I was fairly late into the woods today. I passed one group of school children from Coopers School on their way home. I overheard one girl announce to her friends: "I'm not joking. I thought, like, she was going to kill me." Probably she was exaggerating but many of us are guilty of exaggerating in order to impress others and even ourselves. We exaggerate our efforts to ourselves. How can we avoid exaggeration? Make notes. Write down what we actually do and how long we spend doing it. Just this one little habit could change our lives. Tuesday 16th November 2004 Only take a few drops next time! On Friday Nov 5th I tried to pick up Lizzie, the cat, to move her away from my car wheels in case I ran over her on my way to the woods. She moved forward just as I was about to grab her. I stupidly reached after her and did a giant dive on to the paving bricks. Instead of staying to see if I was OK she rushed off to the back of the house and into the front bedroom on the first floor. Here, she sat on the window sill looking down at me from a safe distance. Fortunately I did not break anything but have been in some pain especially in the rib area for the last ten days or so. I cut my walks down to half the distance until yesterday and today. I told the cat story to Bill who I met today. His parting words to me typically were "Only take a few drops next time." He was suggesting I had drunk too much before falling over. In a way he was right. I had not in fact drunk anything but I was behaving as stupidly as drunk people often do. Never rush to pick up an unwilling cat. They can move a lot faster than you! Home
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