Autumn

According to the Met Office it is officially autumn.

At the moment it still feels like summer with blue skies and warmth still.

However, nights are drawing in, most swifts have flown south and there is dew on the grass in the mornings. Soon the leaves will start to turn. Before you know it, it will be Christmas!

Norwich

At the weekend, we visited Norwich by train. Norwich is a lovely city. It is one of the places am sure I could live in and be happy. It is close to north Norfolk, it has a great Norman cathedral, some fine old streets and houses, second hand bookshops, a market and lots more. Altogether, it is a great place. The collage of Norwich was created by my wife.

Getting Worse?

Perhaps it is me becoming more of a grumpy old man, but in many ways things seem to be going backwards. In our village our only bank has closed. About a year ago our local building society branch in the village closed. Years ago you could ring your local bank manager. Now you are just an anonymous number in an Indian call centre! I tried to contact a train company but was connected to an Indian call centre who really did not have a clue. In fact they were totally useless. Many shops have closed.

Some things are better, but I think that god "profit" is gradually making life harder for us all.

Somehow we have lost that personal touch. I am sure this is a worldwide issue and not just here in the UK. Slowly but surely, life is getting harder, when it should be getting easier.

Llangollen Aqueduct

This is an amazing piece of architecture designed by Thomas Telford centuries ago to take a canal high across a valley. Although there is a narrow path on one side the other side has a sheer drop! 

We were taken here today by our wedding "best man". That was 47 years ago! He lives on the Wirral near Liverpool. I was too giddy to walk across.

Swifts

About this time of year, swifts start to fly south. For a few months they are part of the British summer. They sleep and feed on the wing. The screaming swifts are a common summer sound.

Then you realise they are not here. I am sure we'll see more still, but they are moving south. By September most will have gone.

Funny how I treasure the day when the first swift of the year is seen. To me, it is a sign that life goes on. This year we seem to have had fewer swallows and house martins. Luckily here swift numbers have held up. Several people have erected swift nest boxes.

See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/swift/

Car Insurance

Well, I  have been with my current car insurer for ages. Most years I have to ring up to tell them it is too much and get a better quote. This morning I did this again and they dropped a very little. So I told them to let their policy lapse and I'd look around. I have got the same cover for very much less, even allowing for introductory offers.

Now, wouldn't you think they would want to keep a loyal customer who has never made a claim? No, they have lost me now, probably for ever. Crass stupidity!! Their loss - not being able to see this.

In my view, the insurance industry is mad. Surely, they should give loyal, good customers a good deal to prevent them going elsewhere. Instead I get an idiot in a call-centre who couldn't care a jot. As I said, their loss, not mine. They deserve to lose all my business in future years, and they probably will now.

SETI

SETI = Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence

We have probably been searching of extra-terrestrial life now for about 50 years. Years ago, the famous Drake equation predicted the chances of finding intelligent life as quite high. All these years later we have still not found any signs! No sign of any extra-terrestrial life, let alone intelligent life.

Perhaps we are truly alone in the universe? Perhaps we are looking in the wrong way?

Should we succeed, it could be transformative. However, I am beginning to have my doubts.

Years ago I recall reading "We are not alone" by Carl Sagan. Perhaps we are alone?

Personally, I think we should keep looking, but I am quite surprised that we have found nothing at all.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_for_extraterrestrial_intelligenc