The Big One (26-5)

Monday the 9th of October 2012

Doncaster

I was minded that the poet John Keats  best summed up the autumnal season of the year with the first line of his poem: To Autumn. "A season of mists and mellow fruitfulness." This morning we awoke to mists along the canal. 

Looking through the window, shapes and edges are now blurred for as far as the eye can see. The only way to know that we are in the centre of Doncaster, is the traffic noise on the nearby bridge as people make their way to work this Monday morning.

Keats died in Rome whilst on his travels in Europe. At the time of his death he was aged just 25. He told his friend Joseph Severn that he didn't want his name on his tombstone, but merely this line: "Here lies one whose name was writ in water." Severn was true to his promise that he gave his friend. The grave headstone only commemorates Keats anonymously as a poet.

It reads: This grave contains all that was mortal of a young English poet who on his death bed in the bitterness of his heart at the malicious power of his enemies desired these words be engraved on his tombstone. "Here lies one whose name was writ in water."

In a way it also minded me of the latest wheeze of CART. It displays their thinking in their new charm offensive. As CART set out to establish once again long lost connections, through poetry on lock gates. Connections with those who "live and pay" on the canal.  I can see it now, every time a boat travels through a lock. Everyone will be uplifted and inspired to ignore the leaks and the broken paddles. Inspired to dip their hands even deeper into their pockets. Maybe to pay for some memorable limericks to be painted on bridge holes.

A waterways manager from Milton Keynes,

Ran a business way beyond his means, 

He awoke with a start in the night,

with a fart and a fright,

and blamed it on the beans!

However, there are a number of headstones and last words that have made their way into folklore. Starting with humorous ones like Spike Milligans "I told you I was ill" or Salvador Dali's "I do not believe in my death." Even the apocryphal attributed to King George V "Bugger Bognor." Through to the poignant ones like Captain Oates "I am just going outside and may be some time." I wonder what will be on the metaphoric headstone of CART! Maybe something like the one for Cecil Rhodes "So little done, so much to do."

I have created a poll that will run between now and the 1st of January 2013. It's not very scientific. Its a simple question "Will CART Succeed". You have three choices Yes, Unsure and No. Now you can vote if you wish for one of the three choices. If you change your mind or CART does something to make you change your mind. ( before the poll closing date) You can come back and change your vote. (I wish we could do that for all politicians) You will find the poll option on the right hand side just below the members pictures.

Daily Total
Miles: 0.0
Locks: 0
Swing / Lift Bridges: 0
Tunnels: 0
Pump Outs: 0
Engine Hours: 0.0


Accumulated Totals
Miles: 1144.8
Locks: 827
Swing / Lift Bridges: 152
Tunnels. 22
Pump Outs: 13
Engine Hours: 2403.7


Later...