Winter seems to have gone on for ever this year. This afternoon I went for a walk down the lane along by the old mill.
The grass is bleached and brittle. But on one patch of ground where the stones are piled up in mounds, here and there a peppering of coltsfoot have spread out and flowered against the odds.
And on the bank alongside the road, clumps of primroses and the tiny white flowers of wild strawberry in bloom, defiant against the weather.
And then, tossed amongst it was an empty plastic water bottle and sweet wrappers.
And this ......
And this.
I felt so ANGRY with the person(s) who'd dropped it all. Now I just feel sad.
At this time of year - or any other time - those of us who spend time outdoors, looking and searching, automatically see the same things. So, yes, of course, we write similarly.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry about the litter lout. Did you clean up after him/her?
Hadn't got any rubber gloves with me, but I do go on litter picking expeditions and this one is pending - just let me catch the culprits :(
DeleteI want to smack folks who litter. My 80 year old neighbor walks 2.5 miles every day in our neighborhood and picks up litter. Thank you Molly for all your visits to my blog, Olive
ReplyDeleteLove reading your blog and well done to your neighbour too, but it's really not on is it.
DeleteSo frustrating to see garbage in amongst natures beauty.
ReplyDeleteSo agree, Delores.
DeleteWhen they are the surviving generation and must shuffle through their mess because lifting a foot would result in the collapse of trash into the empty space, they still won't understand.
ReplyDeleteAnd then it's too late ....
DeleteHere's hoping as they age (assuming they are young and thoughtless!!) they will begin to realise the consequences of their actions.......
ReplyDeleteI guess all we can do is set the example and teach children/grandchildren about looking after our surroundings, but dumping a bag load of collected rubbish on litterers own turf would certainly make you feel better sometimes......oh, did I really say that?
Claire :}
It would definitely - but it would probably harden the guilty to dropping more.
DeleteOn our walks around the park with Sophie we collect rubbish - last time three supermarket bags full. It makes me wild that people are capable of carrying their junkfood to the park but then just drop the bags, wrappers and bottles.
ReplyDeleteSue the pictures of the walks you've put up on your blog site are beautiful. It makes me cross that people can trash them without a second thought.
DeleteOh, that makes me mad! I've noticed recently that someone near here has tossed a bag of rubbish out from a car. You've prompted me to go and tidy up for them. I shall probably be swearing under my breath, but I'll do it (reluctantly).
ReplyDeleteCro, the trouble is - the more we tidy up, the more they do it - don't really know what the answer is.
DeleteIt is the same here, on the Edge of Nowhere. Most annoying. It seems that every day I have to fill my bin with other people's rubbish; just wait until the day I catch them scattering it along the lane.
ReplyDeleteI know it makes me grrrrr as well
DeletePS I love your header photograph. x
ReplyDeleteAt this time of year we see debris scattered among the woods that border our property. Most of it comes from people's garbage cans that they set out twice a week to be picked up in the mornings. The winds are pretty strong around here and some people don't pack their cans well and the gusts blow paper and plastic trash up the street to my yard. We can't see it in the summer because of all the foliage, but right now, we spend our weekends cleaning up all the mess.
ReplyDeleteLast week we had some cold winter weather, this week we have summer. We missed spring.
Our weather is a bit better today - feel a bit happier now.
DeleteAnother gatherer of other people's litter here, and it makes me very cross to have to do this. I'm glad you're seeing signs of spring peeping out even though the grass still hasn't started to grow again. I found a primula in bloom in the garden yesterday and felt ridiculously pleased. :-)
ReplyDeleteI noticed some delphinium shoots just starting to poke through the ground - it's such a lift. The weather is on the up today so I think Spring is definitely winning.
DeleteI gather litter too, but only close to my home. When I see it I have to go get my disposable gloves and a plastic bag, I'm certainly not picking stuff up with my bare hands.
ReplyDeleteI bet those litterers would complain loud and long if anyone dumped rubbish in their yards.
Too true.
DeleteVenturing out into the front garden to admire the blooms that at last are appearing I noticed two crisp bags that had been thrown over the wall. Thankfully it doesn't happen often, but any rubbish that has obviously been dumped is annoying and makes one sad that some people do it without thinking what they're doing to the environment.
ReplyDeleteI hate it when they do that. Your photos are lovely.
DeleteI am your newest member...I found you through Pear Tree Log. Lovely header photo. Litter must be a world-wide problem!
ReplyDeleteHello Meggie. Thank you for visiting my site - will nip over to yours.
DeleteWhat a beautiful part of the world -- it reminds me of where my husband lived some of the happiest years of his life near Clodock and Longtown in Herefordshire near the Welsh border. Litterbugs are indeed everywhere -- they all need a good thumping...
ReplyDeleteThat photo was taken on Maundy Thursday in Westbury, Shropshire. We had a Maundy Thursday supper on at the church. Agree on the thumping :)
DeleteSome people are just thoughtless, and that's just about the only reason for littering...
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Minneapolis,
Pearl
FOREVER and this WINTER are entangled and acting as one.....and i've about had enough !
ReplyDeletethanks for stopping by !!
I'll never understand why people litter like that. It's rather sad isn't it? On a happier note, I love the clumps of primroses!!
ReplyDeleteWhoa, what an awesome header photo Molly!!! I love it. Yeah, winter has been hanging on here too. We've been clobbered for days with thunderstorms and 5 inches of rain. Lots of flooding but so far my basement has stayed dry and I'm thankful for that. Even with all that rain the grass is not greening up - it's too cold. Northern parts of the state had half a foot of snow. Glad that missed me. I love the little spots of color that you've managed to find in your world. The litter we can all do without but it seems to be as much a fact of human nature as is flowers and Mother Nature. Happy weekend to you Molly.
ReplyDeleteIt's laziness and, no, I can't stand it either. Why do people do it? Too bad there aren't more people like you who appreciate nature.
ReplyDelete