MUSINGS AND MEMORIES

1. Musings. I was taking my postprandial nap today (in this case after lunch) when there was a rap at the door. My fierce guard dog barked her head off, so I went to the door to fend off any local zombies.

The door knocker turned out to be a worker for “the Honeywell Co.” who have been sub-contracted to install new “Smart Meters” on behalf of the Florida Power and Light Company.

It was good that the worker alerted me to the change for, as he explained, I would be without electricity for a few minutes.

Good P.R. from Honeywell and FPL.

But of course I am sure that the FBI is now spying on me via the new meter (tongue in cheek).

2. Odd memories (1). When brother Martyn was here he mentioned that the “Bristol Corporation” (the civic provider of services in Bristol U.K. in the days before Maggie Thatcher screwed things up) used to provide Bristol  residents with hessian sacks in which to recycle newspapers.

I had scarcely remembered this, but just as Martyn mentioned the sacks I could smell them.

Smells are a good source of memory.

3. Odd memories (2). The other day I recalled that Magistrates and Justices of the Peace in the U.K. are sometimes referred to as “The Beak” (e.g.. “He/She was up before the Beak”.)

Why did this memory come back to me after so many years?

And why “The Beak”?:  Is this a teasing reference to the “big noses” of Magistrates/J.P.’s  ---  in the sense that they are sticking their noses into our affairs?


4. Lousy memory.

As I walked out this morning I encountered another regular walker. Her name is Dorothy.

I asked her about some local snow-birds saying “are Don and Victoria back?”

Dorothy smiled, and without missing a beat responded with “yes. Bob and Virginia are back”.

Sweet!  Dorothy knew that when I said “Don and Victoria” I was in fact referring to “Bob and Virginia”.