2011 Streak Day 205/365 (July 24): The Naming of Parts

2011 Streak Day 205/365 (July 24): Run - 3.21 miles, Time 28min 40sec, Weather - nondescript

Another stock run in the park and another chance to vent my irritation at the way the need to erect signs is becoming a compulsive disorder. It reminds me of the WWII poem by Henry Reed

To-day we have naming of parts. Yesterday,

We had daily cleaning. And to-morrow morning,

We shall have what to do after firing. But to-day,

To-day we have naming of parts. Japonica

Glistens like coral in all of the neighbouring gardens,

          And to-day we have naming of parts.

As you can see from the photo This is a very dull sign that probably has its roots in the highways department. Perhaps it might look better stuck into tarmac or paving, against a wall: I don’t know. What I do know is that stuck in the grass inside the park, it is a mess. Not only that the information is unnecessary.

Gadebridge Park is very pleasant and although it is a decent size it is not vast - it is a town park. From any point its full extent can be scanned and all the facilities can be seen. It holds no secrets; there are no hidden corners or woodland pathways. You can see it all before you.

So why do we have to be told the obvious? And why now? Has it been that for years and years our enjoyment has been diminished by not knowing where we were? 

Perhaps I just got out of bed on the wrong side and felt grumpy but as I passed the second of these signs I just felt irritated by the lack of sensibility shown by those who planted them

2011 Streak 89/365: Old telegraph poles

2011 Streak 89/365: Cycling - 16.5 miles, Time - 1hr 11min, Weather - rain

I have explained before why I like telegraph poles. and this picture makes me feel even more nostalgic. It is a small graveyard - their time has passed and they have been discarded.

It is really a bit odd as they are in the corner of a field and haven't been properly disposed of. Presumable the farmer let them stay there but I cannot quite understand what the deal is. But there again I have no idea what usually happens to dead telegraph poles. 

Perhaps the farmer actually wants them as building material and I can imagine them being useful in all sorts of ways. But I don't know and am speculating with nothing to go on.

For the purpose of this blog and its occasional obsessions with warning signs, the picture shows an interesting evolution. The older sign was just a written warning. Although it is in red (the danger colour), it is not visually arresting. The, now standard, yellow triangle with a symbol and a few words is much more arresting and a much better design. The wording has also changed, "Danger of Death" is far starker and punchier than "Danger to Life" though the meaning is identical.

What it actually shows is the way the world organised and improved by standards. Committees produce agreed symbols for safety signs and guidance for usage so they are familiar and readily understood. When we see them we mostly take them for granted and don't think that the shape, colour and information on each sign has been hammered out in many committees and is the result of long hours of work.  But this picture shows the effect of that work and its value.

It might just look like a pile of poles but it is more than that. It is a teeny tiny fragment of industrial history.