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Friday 27 June 2008

75

I haven't written much this week as I've had the most appalling headache, although I'm aware that I should be taking note of it. Wednesday was the worst - there was a point when mere gentle movement set off the great clanging pain that is my head. Today it is still what I would call 'high' but I haven't taken any painkillers, so it is much better than Wednesday when I was and the pain was worse than it is now.

Trying to think of this week, but failing miserably. What would I like to remember when I am 75 and looking through my blog (strange thought - hello, 75 year old me - if the world hasn't ended or the Internet turned rogue)?. There's a sweet baby blue tit which is hungrily at the peanut feeder frequently. He is still yellow in the face with a slate grey cap which has yet to become blue. Also a young robin which is also sweet, now with a faint tinge of orange on its chest but with a permanently perplexed air. Have done some bits of gardening and planting out, and started making lists for when we go on holiday.

I've also been thinking about how unpedestrian friendly life is...especially in light of experiences last week, trying to cross busy roads and struggling to keep on the verge until we reach the path. Frequently I wonder about the future of the car in general. When will anyone ever want to give up the little bubbles they drive around in? When will the petrol companies stop sitting on the patents for alternative cars? And even if we ended up with electric cars, would it still be a good thing for our lives to be so ruled by them there is no room for people on foot at all? If there was a guilt-free, 'environmentally friendly' way to drive, would it get rid of all complaints? Or would we simply have to build so many roads that there was no green left? Will there be a public transport system that is actually preferable to individual cars? Is it feasible to have privately owned vehicles indefinitely? Will the big aeroplanes become unfeasible and become legend?

I'd be interested, 75 year old me, to hear your observations on the matter.

Tuesday: 5/10, medium high
Wednesday: 4/10, super high
Thursday: 4/10, high
Friday: 4/10, medium high

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've probably got a different perspective, living across the pond, where we have a lot more space and thus (unfortunately) rely more on vehicular transportation for day-to-day business than you might... I think that some form of automobile is here to stay. Whether or not alternative fuels become a workable, affordable reality in our lifetime, I don't know, but I sincerely hope so. I wish we lived in an area where we could walk to most of the places we needed or wanted to be, but that sort of pedestrian-friendly environment is really only feasible in certain big cities, at least over here. Suburbia is too spread out for walking to anything other than (maybe) some schools, if you live close enough to one.

Lucy Mills said...

Yes, I agree. We do have less space and a vast population (relatively speaking - amazing what you can cram onto an island!) but I have to say we are also very reliant on vehicular transport, which is what I was pondering about last week, being without it. Unless, like you say, you are in a big city (where actually it is more sensible to use feet and public transport) it becomes very difficult to do things without a car. I'd like to see better and more reliable public transport in suburban and rural areas, but of course, it all costs money! It's a vicious circle; the less we use public transport the less likely it will improve, and the less it seems to improve the less we use it. Hmm, am going off track a little (the metaphor is unintentional!) We have built our lives around vehicles, basically, so our communities (and commutes) are much larger (and longer) and ill equipped to deal without them.

Anonymous said...

For what it's worth, I recently read that, thanks to the upswing in gas prices, people are relying more on public transportation to get to work now over here, at least nearer the big cities. I calculated that, if one of us was working in D.C., it would be much cheaper to take the bus to the Metro station, and then take the Metro into D.C., then it would be to drive to the Metro station and park (cost of gas, tolls, and parking fees), or to drive every day to and from D.C. Of course, the farther you are away from the city, the longer the commute time, and public transportation costs are likely to go up, too, thanks to the rise in fuel prices. But at least it's a small step in the right direction.

"The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people."- Richard Foster