I am a sociologist and writer from Ireland. I have worked as a social researcher for 30 years and have had a lifelong passion for writing.
My main research interests relate to health care and sense of place.
View all posts by socialbridge
40 thoughts on “Madness”
Beautiful quote and wonderful photography!! Flowers brighten this world!! ❤
Would have been good. Maybe with age comes (sometimes) the wisdom to embrace joy even if to the jaundiced eye that might look like folly. Regards Thom.
I think we would have to be megalomaniacs to believe we are the only intelligent life in a universe so large we can’t even comprehend its size. Also, our “little” Milky Way where our little solar system hides the blue planet, is a long ways from the center of the universe where the Big Bang occurred. That means that there are earth like planets that are literally billions of years older than Earth where life could have evolved. And that means,not only are we not alone, chances are that we are the young ones in the universe where there could easily be civilizations a billion or more years older than ours. Oh, I’m not a believer in UFOs – for any societies that can travel the light years between solar systems to get here would surely be able to avoid being seen. Possibly one or a few may be tech failures that allowed us to see them, but that would be rare unless they wished to be seen.
It is amazing! I know people who replace their plants on a regular basis. This always makes me sad even though I know that Garden Centres have to make a living too… My mother and grandmother took a good care of their flowerbeds.
I am afraid the plants just die after a year or two… Sigh.. When you walk around with your camera, you notice many things. I know a house with a rose bush that is already reaching the roof. People treat their plants differently. I have got a couple of indoor plants from a ditch – people dump their unwanted cacti and other plants. Just couldn’t leave them to die.
I suppose it takes all sorts! But just letting plants die out of neglect seems terrible.
I feel the same. I love older houses – people seem more attached to their plants, and probably have no money to buy them often. They also have the plants that are not ‘fashionable’ anymore 🙂
Me too. The notion of fashionable plants doesn’t grab me at all.
SOCIAL BRIDGE ~ Jean Tubridy connecting with you from Ireland 
Beautiful quote and wonderful photography!! Flowers brighten this world!! ❤
Thanks very much, Reeanna. Flowers are so, so wonderful.
“The earth laughs in flowers.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hi Mitch, I’ve long loved that RWE quote. Thanks for bringing it to light again.
Lovely. . . The quote and photo work together perfectly.
Many thanks, Sheryl.
Awesome quote and flower photo! 🙂
Hi Tom, I always smile when I see that word ‘awesome.’ It’s not used all that much here in Ireland YET!
Thanks Jean. The more mad joy the better. Regards Thom.
Thom, couldn’t agree more. I wondered about the title ‘Joyness.’
Would have been good. Maybe with age comes (sometimes) the wisdom to embrace joy even if to the jaundiced eye that might look like folly. Regards Thom.
I doubt that embracing the beauty of nature could ever be seen as folly, or could it?
Camellias always lok to exotic for our spring weather… glorious things 🙂
I agree, Sue. They seem a bit out of place with snowdrops and daffodils but here in Tramore they tend to bloom way earlier ~ often in November even.
They’ve been flowering here for a while too.
Yes, they come out so early, it’s almost beyond belief. They’re a helluva lot more resilient than they look.
Unless you happen to touch the buds… and they fall off. Odd how something so hardy can be so fragile.
They’re a bit like humans really!
Pretty much 🙂
Yep!
Beautiful Jean. I occasionally ponder how extraterrestrials would perceive us and our world. Puts things in perspective.
Hi Paul, it’s an interesting thought alright. We certainly do enough talking about Men from Mars and the like!
I think we would have to be megalomaniacs to believe we are the only intelligent life in a universe so large we can’t even comprehend its size. Also, our “little” Milky Way where our little solar system hides the blue planet, is a long ways from the center of the universe where the Big Bang occurred. That means that there are earth like planets that are literally billions of years older than Earth where life could have evolved. And that means,not only are we not alone, chances are that we are the young ones in the universe where there could easily be civilizations a billion or more years older than ours. Oh, I’m not a believer in UFOs – for any societies that can travel the light years between solar systems to get here would surely be able to avoid being seen. Possibly one or a few may be tech failures that allowed us to see them, but that would be rare unless they wished to be seen.
I guess there is a tendency for us to be megalomaniacs out of fear more than anything!
🙂
Perfection at its best!
It’s hard to beat nature, Joni!
Many years ago, I used to attend a Buddhist meditation group in Iris Murdoch’s house – a very lovely place near Banbury, Oxfordshire.
Oh Hariod, that sounds magnificent.
I’m a huge admirer of her novels.
Well said! Some of us do not treasure the Earth. Love it!
Thanks Dana. Not treasuring it is something I find so hard to understand.
What a gorgeous camellia!
We’ve had it since Autumn 1991 ~ just after we got married ~ and it’s never failed to produce wonderful blooms.
It is amazing! I know people who replace their plants on a regular basis. This always makes me sad even though I know that Garden Centres have to make a living too… My mother and grandmother took a good care of their flowerbeds.
I can’t imagine ever replacing plants unless they die or something. What do they do with the old ones ~ please don’t tell me that they throw them out?
I am afraid the plants just die after a year or two… Sigh.. When you walk around with your camera, you notice many things. I know a house with a rose bush that is already reaching the roof. People treat their plants differently. I have got a couple of indoor plants from a ditch – people dump their unwanted cacti and other plants. Just couldn’t leave them to die.
I suppose it takes all sorts! But just letting plants die out of neglect seems terrible.
I feel the same. I love older houses – people seem more attached to their plants, and probably have no money to buy them often. They also have the plants that are not ‘fashionable’ anymore 🙂
Me too. The notion of fashionable plants doesn’t grab me at all.
That is one great shot, Jean.