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A late night thought about concrete

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The news in England over the last few days has had a lot of concrete in it. And accusations. The problem seems to be around the possibility of concrete failing, particularly in schools of a certain age, built with a type of concrete known as RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete).

Since all the chat I’ve been looking at concrete with deep suspicion, and no knowledge at all to back me up. However, I am a little more confident when it comes to words, and I’m wondering if it is time for certain expressions to be levered out of our daily use in the same way as RAAC.

The word concrete, like the building material, has got everywhere – in English at least. For instance, there is “set in concrete” and “concrete decision”, and in pyschology terms such as “concrete thinking” and “concrete emotion”. Have these also become a bit wobbly? Do we avoid them? Or should we just put on our hard hats, and muddle on through our concrete jungle?

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023

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A little heatwave and a little bird

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Here in England, the seasons should be changing, heat giving way to damp autumn. This year, in the south of the country, the normal weather track to Christmas has been diverted via a September heatwave. Lovely if you like the sun, but a little confusing even for us.

I wonder how it feels to the house martins? I imagine that by now their mud nests under the eaves are unusually hot and crowded, and possibly a little crumbly. Will this sudden heat muddle their timings? Delay their departures? Is it the heat or the hours of sunlight that tells them when to leave? Do the young birds know the route they will take? How far must they travel?

It is almost impossible to imagine that these small birds, bombing across our September skies, will make it all the way to Africa. And yet they do or, at least, so far they have.

I hope this year will be no different. That they will find all the insects they require to gather their strength for the long journey south, and that they’ll find enough of what they need to bring them all the way back.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023

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One of those days

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Today has been a little hectic. Then it smudged into tonight, and here I am trying to put one word in front of the next. I do not think very many words will end up making it into this blog.

However, there is a little news, and that is that I am trying to put together an audio episode based on a short story, in an attempt to get it competition ready. It might happen, but timings are tight. I’ll keep you posted. Apologies for this ramble in the meanwhile.

Hope the week ahead will be a good one for you.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023