The road to hell is paved with plastic and wrapped tight in cling film
DEPRESSION, the experts tell us, is triggered by events which took place in the past. Anxiety, on the other hand, is associated with the stress of present worries and future fears… ‘What’s the matter, darling?’ sweet Hermione asked gently. ‘I do hate to hear you sighing so.’
The sighs were coming thick and fast as I sat in the corner by the hearth rocking gently and staring into an unseen distance beyond the flames of the fire. The sight of logs burning in great fireplace of the hall at Medders Manor is normally a tonic for morale, providing warmth for the body and balm for the soul.
Not this time, though it was hard to assemble coherent explanation for the disquiet which furrowed my brow. Had I not enjoyed a walk on the bracing sands of Our Beach? Had I not been happy to make my contribution to the welfare of the household by doing the weekly shop? Had I not relished the leisure time which allowed me listen to favourite radio programmes all day? Yes! Yes! Yes! And yet no, no, no, in retrospect a thousand times no.
The walk with The Pooch was a minor classic of its kind as the rain stayed away and we indulged ourselves by going all the way to The Point. We had a joyous hour and a half of sea breezes which filled the lungs with clean air and intoxicated the brain. I strode long strides while the dog scampered hither and yon, his four little legs a constant blur as he rushed to anoint stray chunks of timber washed up at the high tide line or to sniff at stranded starfish.
Strangely, he put no pass on the seal.
At a distance, I assumed the seal was just another piece of discarded jetsam but it gradually came into focus at closer range - mottled grey fur, brown eyes and cute little paddles for feet. Though perfectly formed and no injury was evident, the seal was motionless and clearly dead.
We often spot seals in the water off Our Beach, their heads bobbing on the swell as they monitor human activity on dry land with undisguised curiosity. But the heads are normally all we see of them, so it was interesting to examine an entire specimen from top to toe. It lay still on the sand, positioned parallel to the high water line, offering no obvious clue as to the cause of its demise.
As The Pooch threatened to engage in snarling mortal combat with an approaching Yorkshire terrier, there was no time to linger at the scene. We completed our hike without canine blood being shed and boarded The Jalopy, intent on going home via the supermarket. Along the way, a radio bulletin included a piece about another sea creature cast up on a distant shore. This unfortunate Indonesian sperm whale was making news around the world because it had ingested six kilos of plastic before joining the ranks of the deceased.
The bulletin also featured word that the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continues to rise, while Ireland continues to do practically nothing to combat the problem. Tut, tut, thought I as we pulled into the car park, the Government really needs to get the finger out.
It was only as I unpacked the groceries back at base that the thoughts circling my head came to roost, that the various strands came together, that the sighing started. It dawned that it is not just the Government who have responsibility to help save the planet, save the ozone layer, save the sperm whales. We will all have to alter our lifestyles in ways that we are only beginning to imagine, with reduction of plastic top of the good citizen’s must-do list. And we must start doing it soon.
The only item among the provisions which was not swathed in single-use plastic was the bag of flour bought so that young Persephone can perfect her muffin recipe. The modern supermarket is a sea of plastic. Plastic on the sliced ham for the packed lunches. Plastic pots for yoghurt. Plastic wrapping on bread.
When the Almighty created the banana, he (or could it really be she?) was at the top of his game. So why should any retailer feel an urge to shroud a bunch of bananas in a plastic bag? This is crazy and this has to stop.