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Friday 26th 55F, overcast with a threat of rain later. With Denmark rapidly becoming a desert we really need every drop! Meanwhile, our hero walked to the lanes in warm, sunshine. The birds are going bonkers and scattering everywhere I go. Denmark is enjoying a record high pollen count. Probably thanks to the constantly dry weather.
In celebration of Head Gardener's Day, here is something completely different: A moveable feast, it recognises the diligence and patience as they tend their seeds and bulbs and bring forth such colour to our lives.
A Danish social researcher has come up with an novel way to explain Jante's Law. [The rigid Scandinavian social rules requiring avoidance of anything leading to the slightest increase in self confidence through the attainment of even the most minor, personal success.] Think Cambodian Communism, writ in grey concrete and you won't too be far wrong.
It seems only the 10% with unusual forenames left Denmark in the Great Escape to North America in the late 19th to early 20th century. She explains this as a clear sign of individualism. Brighter parents would have more imagination and name their children appropriately. Leading to brighter offspring with more open minds than the average Dane. Those left behind would be the staid, rule makers and followers. Timeless Keepers of The Village Mentality until hell freezes over. Rather than breakers of moulds and rockers of their immobile, social inheritance.
The Vikings who went to Greenland survived unchanged for hundreds of years. Until it suddenly turned much colder. In the meantime they had become completely rigid in their social rules and behaviours. So they simply lay down to die when the crops failed.
Even the grass failed and their habit of constantly expanding their herds was found severely wanting. Nothing has really changed, in this respect, 500 years later. Except that the climate is warming dangerously and unexpectedly this time.
More of the same will just not do. Last year they had to set up an emergency system to share fodder with farmers devoid of any other means of feeding their livestock! Which put them even further in debt in an already debt riddled pastime. The parallels with survival peasant farming on the rocky edge of Greenland are too awful to ignore.
Even the grass failed and their habit of constantly expanding their herds was found severely wanting. Nothing has really changed, in this respect, 500 years later. Except that the climate is warming dangerously and unexpectedly this time.More of the same will just not do. Last year they had to set up an emergency system to share fodder with farmers devoid of any other means of feeding their livestock! Which put them even further in debt in an already debt riddled pastime. The parallels with survival peasant farming on the rocky edge of Greenland are too awful to ignore.
Cold-hearted Jante the Sociopath bit them all on their collective bums. Simply because they could not adapt to change. The native Greenlanders had devised suitable survival clothing and housing and lived on by hunting and fishing. While the Viking, peasant farmers stuck to their fixed fashions and home building styles. So they starved and then froze to death.
There is a wonderful irony that Lego bricks were invented in Denmark. Everything fits together with almost invisible seams. With only colour as a variation on a theme. Though certainly not the uniform colour of their own skin.
The point being that nobody sticks out and only the colour of the trade uniform separates them from the whole. Even when they retire the working classes still cling to their distinctive and easily recognisable, colour-coded, trade overalls. No doubt they are laid to rest in them. So they can carry on the Jante tradition in the afterlife. 👷
A later morning ride to a more distant village. The Guinness Monopoly Book of Utterly Pointless Records has disallowed an attempt at the Danish Land Speed Record by a silver-grey estate car on my 60kph/40mph route. The driver was not wearing the correct colour socks to establish an official new record despite easily exceeding 100mph.
Later, I was following a car towing a trailer with a ride-on, garden tractor on board. I stood up to climb uphill when the tractor suddenly rolled out of the trailer and landed right in front of my wheel! Fortunately it did not run back downhill.
Traditional Danish Folk Art. Perhaps representative of a V-Twin motorcycle? The accompanying figure is suggestive of something best left to your own imagination. This is a surprisingly tame example of the type.
Two loading ramps had also slid out of the trailer along with the tractor. So I threw one of them across the road behind the tractor's rear wheels, just in case. Despite the huge bang the very elderly driver had kept going for a couple of hundreds yards before he finally stopped. He muttered something unintelligible at me as I rode past him as he walked back.
Thank goodness I wasn't wearing an action cam! Or could have spent the rest of my life in a detention centre on an island. Under constant threat of deportation for serious crimes against [Danish] humanity's absolute right to privacy to carry out all and any criminal acts undisturbed.
After that it started raining rather seriously. Which served me right for wishing I had been wearing an action camera to become a viral sensation overnight. By the time I reached home there was nothing for it but to stand and drip in the bathroom. While I threw everything I was wearing into the bath to drain off enough to go in the laundry. 15 miles and going well. Am I having fun yet? At least the drought has been delayed for a while and the pigs can breathe a deep sigh of relief. There have now been several hours of rumbling thunder.
There is a wonderful irony that Lego bricks were invented in Denmark. Everything fits together with almost invisible seams. With only colour as a variation on a theme. Though certainly not the uniform colour of their own skin.
The point being that nobody sticks out and only the colour of the trade uniform separates them from the whole. Even when they retire the working classes still cling to their distinctive and easily recognisable, colour-coded, trade overalls. No doubt they are laid to rest in them. So they can carry on the Jante tradition in the afterlife. 👷
A later morning ride to a more distant village. The Guinness Monopoly Book of Utterly Pointless Records has disallowed an attempt at the Danish Land Speed Record by a silver-grey estate car on my 60kph/40mph route. The driver was not wearing the correct colour socks to establish an official new record despite easily exceeding 100mph.
Later, I was following a car towing a trailer with a ride-on, garden tractor on board. I stood up to climb uphill when the tractor suddenly rolled out of the trailer and landed right in front of my wheel! Fortunately it did not run back downhill.
Traditional Danish Folk Art. Perhaps representative of a V-Twin motorcycle? The accompanying figure is suggestive of something best left to your own imagination. This is a surprisingly tame example of the type.
These sculptures are a popular, Danish, fertility symbol and usually raised to celebrate a round figure birthday. Often dumped in the middle of the night when the lucky recipient is innocently sleeping.
Being welded together, these constructions are often so heavy and bulky that they cannot easily be removed. Usually leading to an extended period of bemused embarrassment. Before a scrap metal lorry with a crane can call to rid the neighbourhood of the tasteless eyesore.
Being welded together, these constructions are often so heavy and bulky that they cannot easily be removed. Usually leading to an extended period of bemused embarrassment. Before a scrap metal lorry with a crane can call to rid the neighbourhood of the tasteless eyesore.
Two loading ramps had also slid out of the trailer along with the tractor. So I threw one of them across the road behind the tractor's rear wheels, just in case. Despite the huge bang the very elderly driver had kept going for a couple of hundreds yards before he finally stopped. He muttered something unintelligible at me as I rode past him as he walked back.
Thank goodness I wasn't wearing an action cam! Or could have spent the rest of my life in a detention centre on an island. Under constant threat of deportation for serious crimes against [Danish] humanity's absolute right to privacy to carry out all and any criminal acts undisturbed.
After that it started raining rather seriously. Which served me right for wishing I had been wearing an action camera to become a viral sensation overnight. By the time I reached home there was nothing for it but to stand and drip in the bathroom. While I threw everything I was wearing into the bath to drain off enough to go in the laundry. 15 miles and going well. Am I having fun yet? At least the drought has been delayed for a while and the pigs can breathe a deep sigh of relief. There have now been several hours of rumbling thunder.
Saturday 27th 52-63[?]F, overcast, steamy and misty after overnight rain. We had some sun but I have no idea which weather forecasting service to blame. Even the clouds couldn't make up their minds which way to go. Two obvious streams crossing each other at 45 degrees! Only in Denmark.
Sunday 28th 49F. Heavy grey overcast with a risk of sunshine. Or rain and no sunshine. Do two opposites in weather forecasting cancel each other out? An 8 mile ride to the shops. It stayed dry but rather cloudy. I am pleased to report that no garden tractors fell into my path today.
Click on any image for an enlargement.
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