2011 Streak Day 269 (Thur 29 Sept): Blood in the park

2011 Streak Day 269 (Thur 29 Sept): Bike 23.35 miles Time 1hr 37 min Weather - Hot, like summertime

A beautiful warm autumn day and a enjoyable cycle ride but I did not take any photos until I got home.

The picture of bedding plants is there to represent planting in Gadebridge Park (I say represent because after getting back I was too lazy to go again, so took this in the back garden). The reason for this is the park has featured many times on the blog this year but unfortunately it has been the site of violence. The headline in the paper was "Police cordon off bloodstained park scene." By the standard of other parts of the country this  was pretty tame stuff but nevertheless this is not good - it is where I go.

I know it can all feed into a perception that the world is becoming more violent but is this really the case? Stephen Pinker has recently written an book (The better angels of our nature) arguing that violence has declined (his TED lecture on this subject can  be found here).

I am qualified to comment about it, except that on a personal level I have never felt  threatened walking around town. On all my excursions I sense that on the whole life here is pretty peaceable. Hertfordshire seems a decent place to live.

The strange thing is that for a number of years crime statistics have shown violent crime declining but the public perception (especially driven by newspaper headlines) is that things are getting worse. 

It is interested how we don't trust official statistics.

2011 Streak Day 239 (Sunday Aug 28th): Gathering in the Park

2011 Streak Day 239 (Sunday Aug 28^th): Walk - 2 miles, Time 45min,  Weather - grey

A bank holiday weekend in the park and there has been all sorts of activity. The fair is still there, there had some sort of fun day, which was being packed away when I arrived and kids were gathered at the skate park. I like this sense of people gathering.

Wandering around, not feeling like doing much, I enjoyed watching others being active.

2011 Streak Day 200/365: Feeble

2011 Streak Day 200/365: Walk - 2 miles, Time - 40min, Weather - wet at first then just overcast

Wooh! The 200^th day and what do I do to mark this milestone? Yes you are right - probably the weakest day of exercise of the whole lot. A mere 2 miles out and round the park.

I don't even have a decent excuse except for feeling weary. A bad case of CBA and the desire to get away with the very minimum. My only object was to keep the Streak ticking over, otherwise I would have done nothing.

Today's picture is of the walled garden in the park. It is actually inside the ruins of what once was a large house, hence the rather strange doorway. Every year it is planted in this colourful way and it is often used by visitors to the old peoples day centre, next door.

All very nice and exactly the sort of thing you would think everybody would want in their municipal park, except that is not true. Apparently vandals have at times made a mess of the planting causing the gates to be locked  at certain times and cctv a camera to be installed.

It is a sad day when you have to protect park flowers