Flamingos

A 9:30 appointment at the Luton & Dunstable Hospital this morning for another check on the battery in my Pacemaker. It was last checked 3 months ago in April, when it had an estimated 9 months life left. Today, it had an estimated 9 months life left. No, that's not a typo, it hasn't gone down at all.

They like to change them when there is about 3 months life left, so it's back in 2 months to see how it's going. I wish it would hurry up and run down, travel insurance is out of the question until it is done, 

I would have got a shot of the nice bright shiny new entrance to the hospital, but it was well in shadow, I need to get an afternoon appointment sometime to get that!, instead as I had to stop off in the town centre for some shopping on the way home I give you a flamingo!

Many years ago, when I was still in school, much of the town centre was demolished and the brand new Arndale Centre rose up to replace it. In there were some sculptures of flamingos and a water feature (my geography teacher told us that the water feature was to reduce the need for air conditioning as it provided cooling and humidifying.

The flamingos were gaudy, but also very useful, they were a popular meeting place - you couldn't miss them, and if you had kids you could tell them if they got separated to go and wait at the flamingos. They were removed some years ago.

More recently the path of the River Lea has been opened up again through part of the town centre at the rear of the Arndale Centre (I don't care that it's had a couple of name changes since it was built - it will always be the Arndale!), and some flamingos were put up.

In the background is a mural put up following Covid with victims and heroes of Covid on a map of the River Lea as it passes through the town.