Survival

Walking along the canals it is good to see all the weeds coming up through the stones. It sometimes amazes me to see how confidently plants will always grow back, using every opportunity, every tiny bit of open soil within cracks in the concrete or between rocks and stones. It is encouraging to know that we cannot control all of this. We try to create nature to compensate for all the stone and concrete we put down everywhere, but nature itself does a much better job, turning up unexpectedly and surprising us time and time again. In this country we try to control and plan everything. We make up our little pigeon holes, houses there, industrial sites there, nature there, and very few places are just left to themselves. When you fly over this country you will always know where you are. The country of straight lines, all neat and tidy.

Today I also saw about ten Swifts flying high above the Skinny Bridge. I watched them for a bit. They are about to head south again for the winter, which is a shame. I love to hear the sound of Swifts in town or at home outside my window. They are only here for about 100 days a year though, and to me they are the sound of summer.