Musings

Life is .... well, I was about to say "quiet at the moment", but in fact it's quite busy, mainly with unremarkable events such as both choirs starting up - the one of which I'm chair having had a party and  a committee meeting, both involving a certain amount of organisation on my part - and a visit to the optician for a check - that sort of thing. We've been on various minor walks, including to the Botanics, where I said hello to my favourite tree. 

I wonder if I dare try growing some of these nice big asters aka Michaelmas daisies? I have the little ones in the garden, having foolishly accepted some bits of it from somewhere, and I spend quite a lot of my life rooting them out. Must ask our gardening expert friend if the big, jolly ones are less invasive. 

The Botanics meadow planting is nearly over, but is still quite pretty. 

I was interested in this notice, which tells us that Fat Hen - which is growing prolifically in their meadow beds - came to Britain from central Asia about 10,000 years ago and arrived in Scotland 6,000 years ago. It was used as chicken feed, and "we did not plant it here". But it planted itself!

Why am I writing all this? 

And why, I wonder do people on Instagram post videos of themselves crying? It's a strange phenomenon - the ones I see (I don't seek them out) are young women, weeping about genuinely sad happenings such as their husbands leaving them/dying or their children having terrible diseases. I can entirely see why they're so sad, and want sympathy. Sympathy is very nice, when one is sad. But I can't see why they film their tears, complete with nose-blowing. I suppose it's just an extension of the way people on the media talk about their "mental health", when as far as one can see they just mean that life's a bit difficult and stressful and they're fed up. Some people do have mental health problems, of course, and that's awful. But I wish we could keep the term for those who are seriously unwell with them, rather than the stressed and a bit unhappy. 

Getting old and grumpy? Me? Surely not.