Through new eyes

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It seems like time for a spring clean. I know that it is not spring yet but sometimes when I go outside, I can tell that we are turning a corner. It is light at about seven thirty in the mornings now and yesterday I heard a thrush singing from the topmost branch of our conifer again. I had forgotten how loud it sounds. And it was there again at six at night, this time calling into the darkness.

So, there was no excuse for me. It was time to spring clean my car. It has not been used as much in these last few years and I have not taken notice of what I had collected inside. There were lots of things I thought I needed. I had a whole box full. I brought them indoors to sort. Amongst the bric-a-brac were items showing how the world has changed in a few years.

In the bulging side pocket bent over with age there was a road atlas. It is a several years old and no use at all now as I use my phone sat nav and I am told it updates every four minutes. There was a folded waterproof – one of those you use in an emergency when there is a sudden shower, I wore these in the height of the pandemic. I remember going in this voluminous garment when I went to the hospital for my first COVID jab to protect myself from the dreaded virus. I even put the hood up and pulled the drawstrings against germs.

Inside the glove compartment there was a spare set of my glasses, but I have had my eye lenses replaced recently and when I tried these old spectacles on the world was not one I recognised.

Have you noticed in the news on our phones you can press to find out how the strikes will affect you today? There is even a graph charting where and when our services will not be there. Should I plan my journeys around these so that I will not be in danger?

And another thing in danger seems to be our supply of eggs. Our supermarket delivery offers us all types of unusual eggs to replace the local eggs I ordered. This time our substitutes are Maran eggs. We have a speckled hen which laid eggs all through the pandemic so that we never had to buy any, but now she is old and of no use in that department anymore. She keeps us company though and follows me to the car when I am going out. She is there waiting on the drive when I return.

(Taken from my column in the Shropshire Star)

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