The days when things were less complicated.

The days when every field was surrounded by a hedgerow and trees.
The days when the roadside ditches were deep and clear from overgrowth.
The days when drinks came in glass bottles that were returned to receive the deposit.
The days when milk was delivered to the door by a milkman driving an electric cart, and the empty glass milk bottles were collected.
The days when children walked the two or three miles home from school.
The days when children entertained themselves by cycling for miles at the weekends.
The days when fish and chips came wrapped in old newspapers.
The days when you chose your sweets from a big glass jar, and they were weighed, and put in a paper bag.
The days when your summer holiday was at an English seaside resort.
The days when you carried an old Penny coin in your pocket, so you could use a roadside phone in the case of an emergency.
The days when life wasn't all about gadgets.
The days when life was simpler.

Those days should be now, in Clever Bird's humble opinion. Not all progress is good, and sometimes it's just too fast! Yes Baggy is getting old. She's 60 now, not that old really, and yet in many ways, the world is almost unrecognisable from her own childhood. Clever Bird believes it might be time for a rethink!

Last Friday, Baggy had to drive number one furry over to Sudbury and then to Colchester, to visit two dental specialists. Furry Mama and Pepper Pooch wandered around the first smallish town, while poor Calum had horrible things done to his teeth. Then they all headed over to the much larger town of Colchester. Hormonal Hannah started to stress as they hit the traffic of the town, and quickly got quite gridlocked, even though it was only lunchtime. They managed to park and walk to where they needed to be, but the pooch was becoming more and more stressed, by the traffic, the noise, the fumes, the sirens and the people. 

Cal was early for his appointment (by over an hour) and suggested that perhaps Baggy wait in the pub opposite.

'Urrrm, nope! That's not happening! I'm not going into a pub on my own.'
'Okay, I'll call you when I'm out.'

Furry Mama and Pepper headed back up the steep hill to a place that they'd passed on the way to the Orthodontist. It was a little oasis of calm amidst the chaos, where they could sit in a pretty garden and have a bit of lunch while they waited for Calum. Baggy resisted the sausage rolls and cakes, and had a healthy salad, while Pepper laid down and started to relax. Suddenly, shouting and swearing invaded the quiet, from the other side of the wall surrounding the garden. Pepper shot up, ears pricked on full alert. Baggy's hackles went up. The garden was no longer tranquil.

Fortunately Calum arrived shortly after, and they headed into the town so that he could look for a new cap. As they walked, and the streets got busier, Furry Mama watched Pepper becoming anxious. Indeed, it wasn't long before his tail was firmly tucked up onto his stomach and his ears were down. Psychic Ploppo wasn't surprised - she's always been able to sense an atmosphere from two hundred paces - and there was an overwhelming feeling of unidentified threat in the air.

'Cal, the pooch is freaking out,' said Furry Mama, while Freda Fretter resisted being honest and saying that so was Ploppo, 'so do you think we could be quick?'
'Of course. We can go if you like.'
'No, it's okay. But please don't be long.'

As Furry Mama waited with Pepper outside the department store, she tried to reassure the pooch, who was by now shaking like the proverbial leaf. But Psychic Ploppo had cold shivers of dread running up her spine, which wasn't helping. Baggy tried to distract her, by watching the police car that was parked opposite where they were waiting, it's flashing blue lights lighting up the surrounding street. Then sirens sounded, and the policeman started to look up the street, as two ambulances rushed towards him. He hopped back in his car, and drove forward to let the ambulances enter the side street, that Clever Bird finally realised he had been blocking, as he reversed back into position. 

'Where the heck is your dad pooch?'
'Dunno mum, but reely wishes he woz wiv us.'
'Ah, here he is Pepper. Looks like he found a cap.'

Baggy and Pepper couldn't get back to Billy Bob Jalopy campervan fast enough! 

'I reckon I've been Holtonised,' said Baggy to Calum, referring to the sleepy little village that they live in. 'I hate being in big towns or cities now.'

It was such a relief to be home once again, away from the chaos, and the threat! And away from people wearing masks! Yes really! Baggy was shocked to pass people wearing masks, as currently the coronavirus isn't making its presence felt in the area. But then she realised that the girls wearing the masks were both of Asian background, (although they were clearly British as they chatted away to each other with beautiful BBC English accents), and Freda worried that they were wearing the masks, not because they were afraid of catching the virus, but rather because they were afraid of being accused of spreading it. 

The days when the news was on one of two television channels, or on the radio, or in the newspaper.
The days when the news wasn't constantly scaremongering.
The days when people looked out for, and helped each other in a crisis.

Those days need to be now...


Note to readers: For the avoidance of any doubt, every character in this blog is Baggy! No Baggy was harmed in its writing, although some of them get pretty confused!