Our local bird reserve is not what it was ..... as I've mentioned before. When we want to be nasty about it we use our code-name " Grumbling Stumps ." Over the years, it's lost or almost lost several of its keynote birds, even though it tried to pretend it hadn't until it became glaringly obvious that it had. The more people come to it, the fewer birds there are. But the sales are no doubt enormous ! Ker-ching !!! Eventually it's going to finish up as a children's playground/conference centre with a couple of duck ponds round the back. Come to think of it, why not turn it into yet another cack University to add to all the others. On my previous blog ... the one that mysteriously vanished ... I compared the evolution of bird reserves to motorway services ..... within the "motorway services universe " there is a "Hierarchy of Crapness" which affords us a gloomy view of how things are going to go ... I think the term " race to the bottom" is the economist's way of putting it. So ... we should really start with a good one ... a service station that is actually probably better than many a real one ... this is Annandale Services So there's one right at the top of the tree .... the "evolutionary tree" you understand .. and here's another ... Tebay Services .... this has had some good birds ... ...but .... before long, these places sink down the evolutionary slippery slope ... mainly because they want more people and more money. Who would have thought it ? Here's Norton Canes ... now there's a made-up management-type name for you ...and you can see there's a little tiny pool there ... maybe two, I can't quite remember now ... so that's their " green agenda" ticked. Sorted. But that's pretty brilliant when you compare them with really cretinous dumps ... I know this one well because my parents ... and for a little while, me ... used to live nearby .. it's Forton Services. It did used to have a rookery though ... I don't know if it's still there. But their big missed opportunity was that ace viewing tower ... except that it isn't. It's been closed for decades . What a surprise.... all is concrete ..... and the "restaurant" has been the proud recipient of the worst motorway food award ... now that takes some doing. But at least that one is surrounded by fields ... and trees. There's many a one that is totally devoid of anything at all....this is Bridgewater ! Dire or what ..so far I've only included ones that I been to and know about ... but seeing that photograph I just had to use it ! I've not put it right at the bottom of my list because it might ... just might ... be good round the back! Butt I very much doubt it.... Now here's one I've been to a few times ... Charnock Richard. This to me epitomises the direction that Grumbling Stumps could be going in.. a giant car park with a giant crappy overcrowded "outlet" attached.. Finally, one I've only been to a few times, but has always looked totally crappy. Yes, it's Watford Gap ... it's had a song written about it, and a musical has been written about it too. Could this represent the final fate of Grumbling Stumps ? I fear so. But let's hope I'm wrong ... who knows ? "They" might eventually realise that more is not neccesarily better. That more people mean more disturbance, That sometimes quiet, peaceful places should be kept that way. And maybe they'll read my "rules of management" .. And see that actually, more managers means more crap ideas. And that all the extra money is being swallowed up by them. Enough of this dystopian stuff ... let's have a listen to the Roy Harper song "Watford Gap" ... and you can have a watch of the "musical" too. If you think you're hard enough. OK ...here's the musical ...
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AuthorThat's the author up there ... I was young and sprightly then. Archives
October 2022
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