Hell and Heaven
Grandad July 4th, 2009
For the life of me, I cannot understand peoples’ fascination with cities.
Cities are noisy, dirty, smelly places. They are hard on the senses and on the feet. They are full of unnecessary noise, traffic and worst of all, people.
The bigger the city, the worse it is. People sing the praises of London and New York, and state that it is their life’s ambition to go there. My idea of hell would be to spend eternity in New York.
I love the tranquillity of the mountains. They are ever changing and easy on the eye and the foot. The only sounds are the call of the skylark and the distant bark of a deer. A day in the mountains relaxes the mind and the senses and fills the lungs with fresh air.
Of course, I do occasionally have to make some purchases, and that requires a trip to the shops.
I was down in the village yesterday. I called in to the greengrocer and had to tie Sandy outside. This caused a bit of consternation as a little girl couldn’t leave the shop as there was a huge fierce dog outside. I had to reassure her that Sandy is a big pussy, unless of course she hears a non-Irish accent.
After that, I had to call into the butcher’s. They don’t have anywhere to tie a dog outside, so the butcher held Sandy outside while I rummaged the shelves. We then did our transaction on the doorstep and had a bit of a chat.
It was a lovely day so I called in for a coffee. They know Sandy well there and she is always welcome. I have my particular taste in coffee, which they also know. It is known in the shop as a ‘Grandad’, of course.
As I sat there in the sunshine, supping my coffee and puffing on the pipe, people passed by on the pavement. Some just greeted me, and some stopped for a chat. It was very pleasant.
There was some traffic , of course. The odd car or tractor trundled past but there were no sirens or car horns. It was a tranquil village going about its daily business.
I tried to imagine myself sitting at a pavement café in London or New York.
I banished the thought immediately.
It was much too unpleasant.
You can keep your cities, thanks.
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