Saturday, August 08, 2009

After the rain, needles and thread.

1. It's warm, and it's been raining. The wet world is full of slippery wonders and unusual sights. The ground steams; slugs wave their horns; grass seeds look sorry for themselves.

2. A new packet of needles. I think about the bone and wooden needles used in the Stone Age, and how hard it must have been to make them; and how easy it is for me to buy a packet -- and how cheap they are. That makes me think of Adam Smith's essay about division of labour; which reminds me how much can be achieved by co-operation.

3. Katie has turned up a cross-stitch kit that she doesn't have time for. It is scented, apparently -- what wonderous times we live in.

Eggshell, turkey oak and grateful.

1. Smacking a hardboiled egg to break the shell. 2. Pale green leaves on the huge oak tree at the corner of The Grove. 3. There is nothing q...