28 November 2024

Blagg

The picture shown above was from my long walk out of Lincoln on Tuesday. I had just passed under the Eastern Bypass Bridge which opened in late 2020. On the horizon you can see Lincoln Cathedral rising above the city. I waited for vehicles to pass over the bridge, hoping for  one interesting shot and I think I got that with the white "Blagg" van - "Blagg" being a plant hire company.

I was also pleased  with this shot that I took after descending from the northern bank of The River Witham. I especially like the shadows of the footbridge and the wooden footpath sign. The path ahead leads into the village of Fiskerton where  many ancient artefacts including The Witham Shield have been found dating back far into the mists of time along with the remains of a wooden causeway from a time when the surrounding land was not drained and rivers were not hemmed in by man made banks.



The Witham Shield dates back to around 400 BC. It is roughly a metre in height and is housed in The British Museum in London. There is a replica in Lincoln Museum. What remains is the shield's bronze facing including fabulous fine metal working on the central boss. The main wooden back to the shield rotted away long ago.

Our ancestors sing to us in many different ways and not just in the form of ruins, burial mounds, stone circles and found objects. They walked the paths that we walk today. Of course there were far less of them in those bygone days. The population of this entire planet in 500BC is estimated to have been around 100 million. In 2024 there are some 8.2 billion human beings here. The difference in just 2500 years is startling.

You could put it this way. There are over 80 people alive today for ever ancient human who was alive in 500BC.

Addendum
Yesterday, the visits counter on this blog passed four million and I am pretty pleased about that. It has taken nineteen years and five months to attract this huge number of views, averaging over 17,000 hits a month. Thanks to all genuine readers who have called by over the months and years...

31 comments:

  1. Yes, the second photo is good. Lincoln Cathedral? Isn't that a rather special cathedral?

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    1. It is a very special cathedral Andrew. Learn all about it in Wikipedia.

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  2. Another good set of photos from your walk in perfect weather.
    While I myself have had no saying in whether I wanted to be born (and thus add to the number of humans on this poor planet), at least I have not contributed to any further increase.
    Congratulations - four million visits is something I doubt I will ever achieve with my blog! (I must admit I have not been looking at any of my blog stats in many months.)

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    1. It's quality not quantity that really counts Meike.

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  3. Congratulations on your amazing amount of visitors! They all have excellent taste!
    I love your line, "our Ancestors sing to us".
    I don't know why but in recent years I have a burning desire to visit Skara Brae. Who knows, maybe my ancestors are calling......

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    1. You should do it Christina. It is an eminently achievable dream.

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  4. The photos with the shadows is very lovely and that shield is too. My country doesn't have such a long history and certainly doesn't have the miles and miles of walking trails. There are some and I should investigate whether any public transport is available to get to them and home again.

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    1. That would be a great adventure Elsie.

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  5. Congratulations on the epic view count YP.
    Now can I have that 50 quid you promised me for visiting your blog 100 times a day?

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    1. The cheque is in the post. I put a first class stamp on the envelope so it should be with you at some point in 2025. Can't say when.

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  6. I'd like to see mine reach 1M.
    My Linconshire great-grandparents walked those fields. Marshland with causeways is quite an image.

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    1. It is hard to imagine a landscape that was wild and natural - not curtailed by human activity.

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  7. Boris Johnson blagged his way during Covid.

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    1. It flashed by but I believe that Johnson was driving that van.

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  8. Yet more interesting photos and facts for us to enjoy - thank you YP. In another 2,500 years what will people make of the "artifacts" we left behind - assuming we haven't laid waste to the planet?
    Congratulations on the view count! I wish I'd known about Jaycee's little "arrangement" with you, I would just have bartered for 25 quid!

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    1. We will b e leaving plenty of plastic - that's for sure plus twisted metal and rotting concrete.

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  9. I enjoy the photos of your adventures, Neil. I would never get to see all of these interesting places otherwise.

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    1. It's good that you come along Ellen. It is like I am giving you a piggyback ride.

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  10. Nice shots, Mr. P. And good for you for having a good walk. And four million visitors! My goodness! I haven't the slightest idea how many visitors I've had. I'm always surprised I have any.

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    1. I had a visits counter right from the start. At first it was like watching paint dry.

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  11. Congrats on your four million views! I had a visits counter when I first started my blog but I eventually got rid of it. I don't need to know! LOL

    Interesting photos and that shield is fascinating. It's like time-travel to see an object that old. I think I have seen it in person at the British Museum.

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    1. I have been keeping a count of "Shadows and Light" blog views over the last ten years and I am happy to announce that you hit a thousand just last week Steve.

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  12. And we keep coming back for great photos and intelligent narrative. Thanks for creating great content that has drawn 3-million plus visitors over the years.

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    1. Yes 3 million plus a million David = 4 million. Thank you sir.

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    2. Sorry, another typo.

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  13. Lovely photos. I think about the people who walked through the woods before me as well. The world is old and must be tired of us sometimes.

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  14. Great photos, as ever. I like the signpost and the strong shadows. We shall leave a ruined planet for our descendants.

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  15. Congratulations on the four million achievement. People who post every day have to work extremely hard. Here's to another 4 million!

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  16. Congratulations on the 4 million. I very rarely even look at my statistics. I just did and was surprised. Not counting my numbers in millions, but still a few more people than I thought must be having a peek now and then...

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  17. An interesting post, as always. Well, almost as always. Happy holiday season to you, Neil. I hope it's a great one for you.

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  18. I like how you slip in as an "addendum" the announcement of the 4 million which so neatly ties in with the picture and the title of your post.

    As for the stats, impressive and a tribute to your consistent effort and the quality of your "content."

    Fame is the spur, eh? At least, "views" are the dopamine.

    I started a blog in 2007 but it is pretty much in abeyance these days. Historically I saw a big fall-off in number of visitors and commentors with the advent of Twitter in about 2013. Stats now lost in the mists of time but it was a very marked effect.

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Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.

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