It’s a White-out Countrywide.
And because we have such poor facilities to deal with snow in this country the whole thing closes down with just a few flakes. Laughable really. This is the worst/best snow we’ve had for years. It brings out the carnival spirit in folk, like an unexpected bank holiday. A couple of days off work or school, gives families an opportunity to play together- snow balls, sledging, building snowmen.
UK plc
Unless of course you view the country as a machine and a day when the mechanism is switched off is a day in decline. To be sure it’s a day lost to business and money making.
Winter Carnival
Down at the local slopes it’s an icy Rio. People of all ages are shooting down the hill on anything they can find. The last time it happened, ten years ago, I remember some had even donned fancy dress. There was a topless guy wearing only a white apron, silver tray in hand, giving out shots of sambuca. Happy days.
And Yet
There’s a down side to everything. The homeless suffer- screw sleeping rough in this. As do the elderly, the vulnerable and sick. But is this not a time for neighbours to help neighbours? For communities to come together? For people to actually talk to each other?
Flux
Keats, the Romantic poet, had a term for it. Negative Capability. It’s the ability to contemplate the world without the desire to try and reconcile contradictory aspects or fit it into closed and rational systems. There’s good, bad and every shade of grey, in everything and it’s a wise man or woman who navigates the path with that in mind and keeps an open perspective. All is in flux, including flux itself. And you can’t fuck with flux!
Up Disruption
For me anything that disrupts the routine is challenging in a positive way. Once in a while that is- for in the paradox that is life routine is how we get things done.
Adversity in a few flakes of snow- bring it on.
Too right. For me snow = joy.
Despite getting stranded in London today - the whole of east Kent completely cut off to rail transportation.
To your point about viewing the UK as a machine. Again, I agree. This whole productivity ethos is bullshit.
When the UK had a three-day work week back in 1973 (I think it was) economists feared UK 'productivity' would suffer by as much as 60%.
What actually happened? Productivity dropped by a mere 6%. Turns out less work is more. Here's to the 15-hour work week!
Google it.
:)
Wise words- the Scandinavians have it right. What do they propose? A shorter working week and a standard pay out for all
They do. Yeah, the 15-hour work week is an old idea that business/ capital have cleverly concealed from us for years. A Universal Basic Income for all, less work, more time to think, meet and talk to people and generally have the time and space to live whatever one's flavour of 'the good life' happens to be.
More time to think- sounds dangerous
:)