ANTS
When I was a kid, there was a huge ants' nest not far from our house. It was often a dare for one of us to run across the nest without getting bitten, then we would stand back and watch the ants run in all directions, aimlessly but panic stricken. Well, I have observed the same ants again ...... in London. Barberscat and Driver have had more than enough of the London tube, but we can still laugh at what we see... ants! Go into the foyer of the station and ants are running everywhere, aimlessly, running into each other, some carrying big items, small items ...... just ants in a panic. Looking for some order,we go to the escalator carrying us down deep into the burrow. For a while on those steps, there is some sort of order, although there are still some ants that need to overtake, often four steps at a time while the less driven ants stand quietly (on the right hand side, or else!!). But once at the bottom of the escalators, all hell breaks loose again. Those quiet ants become great bull ants and tear about into different tunnels, running into each other as they cross, some snarling at each other (but not biting). Occasionally there is a long tunnel which seemingly leads in just one direction, and all is calm .... until one ant discovers he is in the wrong tunnel, and he has to battle against the tide of urgent ants on his way back to the correct tunnel. Then there are the defiant ants that purposefully run down the tunnel that leads in the other direction, because, of course, it is empty. Finally, we arrive at a large cross tunnel where a lot of ants, minding their parcels carefully, sit quietly, awaiting some great event. And it arrives ..... a large worm which gobbles up all the ants, leaving the platform empty to await the next lot of ants heading for ....... where?? As I look at those ants, that is something that always intrigues me ... where is everyone going at such a hellish pace? I have pondered that question all my life, and I guess I'll never know. But it takes up quite a bit of my pondering time just pondering the matter!