This is the last petunia to flower. To be honest, I was surprised and I think it is the nicest one in pink. I guess there are about 6 different flowers. basically either red or pink.
These are the runner beans. As you can see, I have plenty of beans on. They are fairly early so I am pleased especially after the hail did a certain amount of damage.
Now to other matters. I was listening to the radio on Saturday and there was a piece about the riots in Toxteth Liverpool in I think 1986. The man was saying that most people would never have visited a Police Station before then. Now things are totally different.
It bought back to my mind that in about 1995 I had cause to visit the Police Station in Skegness.
Not that I had done anything wrong. Anyway I was ushered into a sort of waiting room. Later I found out it was an interview room. I was left on my own, I guess for about 15 minutes or so. I started to look round and noticed that things were fixed securely. I was fascinated and wondered why. When eventually someone came to see me I bought to their attention that things were secured to either the floor or the table. The explanation I was given was that it had t5o be done because a lot of those arrested, would either try to get something like an ash tray or a chair and attack the Policeman in the room. He told me that things were different in my day. They certainly were, we were afraid of the Police. If they caught us doing something not good, they would either clip you round the ear or tell you they was going to tell your parents. That was the worst because if that happened, we would get a thrashing.
Anyway the Sargent told me that they would soon be getting CCTV so that all could be recorded, I thought this is rural Skegness, what would it be like in a big city?
I should have really realised because in I guess 1992, I was summoned to the H.M. Inspector of Taxes in Louth. Together with my Accountant, off we went to Louth. It was an eye opener. We had to go through a metal grill upstairs. The first question I asked was what was going on. This is Lincolnshire. I was reminded that there was a Louth in Ireland. I realised how innocent I was.
The last time I had this sort of treatment was fairly recent. I think in 2006 0r 7. I had cause to go top the Small Claims in Skegness Court. Upon entering I was asked to take my watch off. Take anything that was metal off and take all my loose change out of my pockets and leave them on a table. I then went through a sort of metal detecting screen to see if I had a weapon or anything metal. I thought what was the world coming to? Such is life. More soon.
The petunia is beautiful but looks so lonely. It reminds me of a silly song my Mother used to sing: "I'm a lonely little petunia in an onion patch, and all I do is cry all day!"
ReplyDeleteSad but true that irrational fear has led us to accept such draconian security measures. Time was, here in the US, one could walk into any Government building or transportation terminal and roam around unchallenged. I can recall going into the US Treasury building next to the White House, walk upstairs to the 2nd floor, make copies of documents in a copy center room, and proceed to the office where I had business - and no one paid any attention to me. I can also recall being in line to tour the White House when the guards would occasionally ask a woman to open her purse, but appear to completely ignore the men. That was back in the early 70's.
If someone back then had told me that one day I would have to take off my shoes and empty my pockets at an airport, or go through metal detectors in Government buildings I would have thought them completely mad.
But then again - half the thrashings were dished out by the police and often, because I saw it happening more than once, on people they were trying to get to retaliate back at them so that they could be arrested ' for assaulting a police officer'!
ReplyDeleteMostly, back then, they were unaccountable b''stards.
I'm, frankly, happy and relieved that times have changed!