Musings

I sometimes wonder why I start things without really thinking them through. Take my Scenic Saturday series for example. I'm not yet half way through and already I'm starting to get just a little bored with it. I will finish it though, especially as some of the more scenic parts of the country are still to come. And there are times when I take on jobs that turn out to be something other than I expect. The Lions district web site is one such. I have been happy enough to design the new site but to keep it up to date and relevant does require the cooperation of the specialist District Officers - and they seem distinctly apathetic when it comes to keeping me advised of developments. Then they complain that the page about their special subject is out of date or incorrect. There are times when you just can't win.



Our English counties do have - or have had - some rather odd names for their subdivisions. Yorkshire is perhaps the best known of these. The county was at one time divided into ridings - north, south, east and west. All now gone, as are the rapes into which Sussex was once divided. These were names after various towns and villages such as Bramber. I wonder what other names were once used in other counties?



What is it with this fad for carrying around a bottle of water? It seems as if anybody who is leaving the house for half an hour or more has to carry water. It's not as if they were starting to hike across the Sahara so why do they think they are likely to die of thirst when walking the dog round the park or going shopping on the High Street? It does seem to be women rather than men who are subject to this fad. Could it be that women are more inclined to pick up on strange new diets like the banana diet - or drinking water every five minutes?



The snow and ice has mostly gone from round here although the main paths in Stanmer Woods were still very slippery on Tuesday afternoon when I was last there. They are probably clear as well now but I think I will leave the woods alone for the time being. What was a nice firm footing with frozen ground is now a sea of mud. mud which Fern manages to pick up all too easily. We have to leave it to dry before attempting to brush it out of her very fine, silky fur - a long job - by which time half of it is in our carpets. The joys of dog ownership!