Nitty Gritty - or just left plain icy
Everyone I speak to remembers the winter of 1976. Everyone of course who is old enough to remember the seventies that is. I remember it. This evening for instance, whilst scything through my front garden, digging my frustrated way through 5cm of snow, I was remembering what 'real snow' was like.
How about 4 feet or so, within a sheltered back garden. Deep crisp and even above my head aged 7 years old. Bloody marvellous it was; real snow. Winter 1986 was another 'real' Winter too. My little car buried itself in a drift which no amount of effort with a spade would get it out of.
So what is all the moaning about in Winter 2010? What the heck is everyone on about when they say the country has ground to a halt? Why? Whats the difference between then and now?
In this digital age, where we order everything over the web, and then moan about having to wait in for it to be delivered, why does it matter that we can't get to the shops?
Why do we care when the roads aren't gritted, when we cannot afford the cost of fuel to go anywhere anyhow?
If anyone ran out of bread in the 1970s (as was the norm during the bread strikes) then they baked their own. Or lived on biscuits. And tinned spam.
Everone used to buy their Xmas presents over November and December, because they knew the shops would run out of everything if they waited until the last week before the big day.
No-one expects Xmas cards to be delivered on a Sunday, especially when there is a foot of snow on the ground, and the Royal Mail lorries can't get up Wilbury Hill.
Why on earth are we expecting the British Service Industry to collectively break it own neck in trying to serve our every unreasonable whim, when in fact we can't even be bothered to clear the pavement outside our own houses?
Who are we trying to fool exactly?
How about 4 feet or so, within a sheltered back garden. Deep crisp and even above my head aged 7 years old. Bloody marvellous it was; real snow. Winter 1986 was another 'real' Winter too. My little car buried itself in a drift which no amount of effort with a spade would get it out of.
So what is all the moaning about in Winter 2010? What the heck is everyone on about when they say the country has ground to a halt? Why? Whats the difference between then and now?
In this digital age, where we order everything over the web, and then moan about having to wait in for it to be delivered, why does it matter that we can't get to the shops?
Why do we care when the roads aren't gritted, when we cannot afford the cost of fuel to go anywhere anyhow?
If anyone ran out of bread in the 1970s (as was the norm during the bread strikes) then they baked their own. Or lived on biscuits. And tinned spam.
Everone used to buy their Xmas presents over November and December, because they knew the shops would run out of everything if they waited until the last week before the big day.
No-one expects Xmas cards to be delivered on a Sunday, especially when there is a foot of snow on the ground, and the Royal Mail lorries can't get up Wilbury Hill.
Why on earth are we expecting the British Service Industry to collectively break it own neck in trying to serve our every unreasonable whim, when in fact we can't even be bothered to clear the pavement outside our own houses?
Who are we trying to fool exactly?
posted by therussian | 12/18/2010 10:48:00 PM
|
0 comments
