Roots

Several weeks ago I back-posted a 1959 Blip, showing myself and two brothers. I mentioned I was going to try and track them down after some 40 years of no contact- Well it worked and I now have email addresses for both and it will hopefully rekindle the friendship.

Angie threw me out this morning, quite rightly as she had borne the full brunt of my lack of activity the last few days. I did feel a bit better but still the neck was painful. Driving out on to the main road was a horrible moment, the time taken to look left and right agonisingly long, especially on a road where the slowest don’t do much less than 100km/h.

But didn’t venture far so as not to have to repeat the gymnastics and managed a good walk with the dogs. Although cloudy, it was relatively mild and a few joggers and Nordic walkers to say good morning to. By afternoon it was wet, windy and very cold, the official apparent, wind chill factor temperature -1°C at 4:00pm.

Spent much of the walk thinking about the two brothers. The elder Ian, who I had contacted as he appears from time to time in public places connected with his 30 years at the World Bank, had replied and said he had just spoken to his brother John who is now a Prof. at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. I Googled John and saw that after his medical studies and initial paediatrics work, had ventured down a path which has put him on the public stage. Google even threw up a YouTube video of him making a speech. Won’t make him a YouTube star or millionaire (he would hate that) but I did give him a “Like” – the first from the few hundred views!

I feel exceptionally privileged to know these two and to have had some common roots. On reflection I shouldn’t in the least be surprised that they both went the way of public service. Their parents had been very socially aware and this was passed on to their boys and the school playground - both the moderate, find a solution, peace-making types. That's not to say soft, in fact it takes more guts to moderate than simply throw a punch. Now, in what one could almost think as diametrically opposed corners, I am sure they are amongst those who truly try and have succeeded to make the world a better place.

Ian is now retired from the World Bank but still involved in helping developing countries and I suspect John will continue for a while longer to help reduce worldwide suffering.

In these Brexit days with shouts of stopping International Aid, these guys are at the sharp end of the consequences. Like Boris & Co they won’t personally suffer financial hardship when they have to pay a few thousand pounds more for a new BMW or VW but, unlike Boris, they will see at first hand the human costs of cuts in research and aid.

I look forward to getting in to contact.

Today’s Blip reflects the above a bit - the environmental impact of global warming which goes far beyond these two uprooted spruce trees. As I mentioned the other day the spruce’s days are numbered. Here one can see how incredibly shallow the root system is – no tap root and these perhaps 40 or 50 year old trees barely have roots a metre deep but stand 70 feet high with all the weight at the top one third.