Have decided as am now on my 116 ‘post’ I ought to start using titles.
Today while walking the field headland at the top of ‘Ferriby cliff’ was walking beside many poppies, now in flower. The picture above (not taken at the same spot) shows poppies in flower, as is the scentless mayweed, false oat grass and plantain with the spear thistle coming into bud.
With the current years being the centenary of the Great War the symbolism of the poppy has been significant.
With being born in the late 1940s I am one of the first generation of the 20th century to not experience multi-national war and the resultant conscription and deprivation. My parents experienced two (see Sidney Walter Clarke in Publications) and I respect the restraints expected of me as a child which reflected their experiences. They would consider many people’s lifestyles today wildly extravagant, although envy played no part in their character.
So we have been lucky – but why have we been lucky? Is it that man’s nature has improved or is it a result of more overt initiatives, The United Nations, the European Union or the nuclear deterrent? Well, the League of Nations didn’t work and neither did the ruling families of Europe being from the same blood-stock. Today there are still enough nuclear weapons lying-wait to destroy the planet and more nation states have/will have them.
Maybe I/we just got lucky.