woof

We met up with some old friends for lunch.
S and I have known each other for so long, it was lovely to see her again, always puts me in mind of Vonnegut's novel where extra terrestrials saw each other as sort of long holograms of their whole lives, the past and the present were all present.
S and D have been married nearly as long as I have known them, the 4years at the start when we were all single seem less and less present, a shared.......myth almost.
When I was in turmoil they gave me sanctuary while I lurched forward to these greener pastures.
I was at the wedding and funeral of their sorely missed youngest.
We are linked.
Our chat over lunch tended to focus hilariously on our individual decrepitudes, but the fact that we managed to stagger off for an hour and a half walk with Hattie the dog was encouraging, and D plans to cross to the Continent and take part in a cycling race across the Alps in the summer, so there is hope..................
We arrived at the meeting place via the SatNav, occasionally the nice purring voiced lady would instruct us to take a sharp left or whatever in a somewhat surprising way, which we worked out was because the roads had changed since she was given her script. It is sensible to always have the map book open too, so you don't end up in Timbuktu.
However as we sat in the pub car park, suffused with the glow of success, we noticed the SatNav was pronouncing Bow Wow on it's screen.
Maybe the machine was having some form of breakdown - however on taking Hattie up the Lane for her constitutional, we discovered it was the name of the lane.

roaming with the romans

Went to a Roman Villa today, mostly fourth century remains, tho they lived there for 3 centuries before going home. The mosaic floors were very lively with figures cavorting around and geometric designs for the more formal rooms. this spring is reminiscent of the wells near here, tho this one has a longer history.
It still had a wall round it which made it seem cosy and accessible, the info showed us [in the usual mediocre sketch they provide] how it would have looked as a shrine to a water deity. There were the usual hypocausts , and these posher under floor heating pillars which suggested the family were pretty rich, and comfortable at one time.

An elderly visitor asked the guide if the invading Vandals had destroyed the areas of mosaic that were missing by lighting fires as they squatted in the abandoned buildings. No they eroded over the centuries you ignoramus

My hackles rose, usual vision of the world being destroyed by uncivilised yobs [teddy boys, hoodies whatever].

No you nervous nelly, the Saxons [not the Vandals] didn't live in the valleys at all, because by the time the Romans finally left their law and order had broken down [the vandals were sacking Rome not cold wet here]and the Saxons [including those Romans who had married in, and stayed behind] had to build defendable homesteads on high ground.

Is it inevitable that as one gets older one gets more fearful of the young. I've a strong core of paranoia but I hope it never settles on fear of change.

Perhaps feeling "got at" is inevitable staying here in Middle England, "Private" notices everywhere and even their gates look as if they would like to gnaw my bones, but this spring was fun.