William Blake (1757-1827), A Squatted Devil with Young Horns, ca. 1810.
Driving at speed in your insulated box Feeling the pressure of time, your obsession with clocks Now who are these people who get in your way? It’s those lyrca-clad pedalers out for the day.
Why do they wobble so, in and out? What are they pointing at, and why do they shout? They should stay in the gutter, where they belong The road is for you, the fast, the strong.
Let’s get even closer, let’s watch them run Much less than one metre is much more fun Press hard on that horn and watch them start Then laugh out loud, as their group falls apart.Continue reading →
I’m the bridge of two rivers
The Severn and Wye
I’m seen from a distance
My two towers in the sky.
I’m the bridge of two countries
England and Wales
Offering a gateway
To many new trails.
I’m the bridge of two pathways
For feet and pedaled wheel
Most know only of one
From England right they peel.
Old Severn Bridge, cycle and walkway
I’m the bridge with two views
Not enjoyed from the M48
But you who can stop
Please do contemplate.
Animated panorama from the Old Severn Bridge viewed down the estuary towards the new Severn Crossing, Severn Beach, and Avonmouth.
A moment of reflection on the old Severn Crossing viewed up the estuary towards Berkeley. The decommissioned Oldbury Nuclear Power Station is visible in the distance.
I’m the bridge of bygone fission
Easily visible as you ride
Oldbury Nuclear Station
Lying just beneath one side.
Oldbury Nuclear Power Station (decommissioned 2012)
I’m the bridge of destinations
For pedalers to explore
Chepstow as a first stop
Right through Wales’ door.
I’m the bridge to border country
Wales and England you can weave
A glorious descent of Wye Valley
Comes before Brockweir heave.
Descending the Wye Valley on the A466 towards Tintern.
Tintern Abbey
Brockweir Bridge crossing from Wales to England near Tintern
Brockweir Village Shop & Cafe at about a third of the way up a steep long hill
Old Wye Bridge, Chepstow Attribution: Andy Dolman [CC-BY-SA 2.0]I’m the bridge of many moods
I can be sunny, calm and serene
But given my position
My fogs and winds are mean.
I’m the bridge with two gates
One in England, one in Wales
Don’t get trapped on the ‘wrong’ side
Because they can be shut in gales.
Old Severn Crossing automatic gate
I’m the bridge with listed status
Whose cables were feeling pain
So now my younger sibling
Relieves me of some strain.
I’m the bridge of two bridges
The Severn and the Wye
But most think we’re one
So invisible is our tie.
An animated panorama viewed from the Old Severn Bridge up the estuary towards the decommissioned Oldbury nuclear power station.
Advert for Waverley Electric Car in Saturday Evening Post 1910 Click to view larger image
I want to buy an electric car
But that won’t get me very far
Need Nissan Leaf for commutes
And Tesla Model S for longer routes
So such purchases make no sense
For going green at great expense;
Needs fast recharging stations
Easily found throughout the nations
And battery technology to mature
So in going further you can be sure
At destination you will always arrive
And not dependent on how you drive;
But vested interests are at work
In the background they do lurk
Much investment in fossil fuel
Oils the wheels of existing rule;
Remember, electric cars are not new
When you take the longer view
Combustion engines they came later
But energy stored was much greater
For that fuel in the tank
Is such a simple energy bank
Taking single minutes to restore
No plug in wait, no kids to bore;
But fossil fuel is bad news
So cleaner energy we must choose
An electric car does make sense
But governments sit on the fence
Nudging is now past its sell by date
Time for push, before it’s too late.
