Crab Apples

The thermometer says that it is milder today but it doesn't feel any warmer. I have been spending the day making a selection of images for the calendar that I give to family and friends for Christmas. The initial selection is basically completed so it remains to see how well they come together for the next 12 months.
The birds have not eaten, as yet, the crab apples on our malus tree. It is easy to ignore these small fruits and by so doing miss the variation and beauty of colour and odd shapes.
The news is full of the latest horrendous murder of a young child by his father and step mother and seeking to find a simplistic explanation of who is to blame. In my view it is our society and culture, by which I mean that there is a complex inter-relationship of many factors that are wrong and unacceptable in our modern culture. If we are only prepared to fund public services on the basis everyday is sunny and good then we are under-resourced for the realities of life and to provide support for those most in need. To disagree with the political philosophy that claims that 'there is no such things as society', individual responsibility only goes so far and collective responsibility means making sure that those who have responsibility on our behalf and to support us are properly resourced and enabled to do be successful.