The Internet

I'm drawing my horns in from networking at a shallow level on the internet .

Trying instead to concentrate on relationships that are far richer - those involving day to day, eye to eye contact. Living, here, in a small town - 12,000 - there are so many opportunities for this around me.

I enjoy them perhaps because I'm good at them.

I had a lovely conversation with five year, Billy, who I've just got to know, teasing by watering his back as I carried a watering can past. It was hot! Lucky for me his Mom laughed.

Billy was not happy and couldn't be persuaded of the advatages of being coool if it also meant being wetted by a stranger taking liberties with water.

Later we both pensively watched a cat stretching out, tummy up, below us as we did our five bar gate routine: a lean, a look and a chat.

It got up and strolled off round the corner - out of sight.

He informed me with intensity that "cats don't talk" when I told him that the cat was saying it had had enough lying down and was off to explore.

I countered his argument with "Meeow" "Prrr" and " Hsssss" - he was not impressed.

Lots more encounters like this as I work again in the park 4 till 6 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Children are so easy to talk to and give you great eye contact - unlike adults. Have the latter lost their confidence in relating to other people, I wonder?

I'm having a very rich time with people - a group arrived the other morning for pottery.

There was a right babble, exchanging views as to whether a large dumpy pot should have five or six balls below to hold it up.

It's good to have serious controversial issues to discuss. It ended up with eight I think. The spacing of these was easiest!

I'll be finishing stacking my kiln around this pot this morning together with various people's creations from the weekend.

Then again I enjoy time by myself - exploring playing the piano in a somewhat random fashion - composing as I go. I do more and more of it as I gradually get better. Great to be learning new stuff at 75!

As I've said before - with contacts and activities like this - who needs the internet.

However this view needs examination ; it goes too far ; but assessing what place it does have, needs constant review.

Email and blog are working well for me at present.

Twitter, Facebook and Forums - a bit of a let down until I learn to use them!

What are your thoughts?

You obviously read blogs!