Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Of late...

I've begun to notice an increase in South Manchester of home owners who've furnished the front of their properties with electric gates. Yesterday whilst driving through leafy suburbs I passed more than my fill of gates large and small guarding houses large and small. Gates that slid to the left, gates that slid to the right, gates that slid into the ground and even ridiculous gates that rose either side similar to those found at railway crossings. Some gates were fancy and topped with wrought iron spikes and one or two were developed with panels portraying worthy themes. One theme showed Noah's great ark stuffed with every type of animal though I thought the gun deck a fanciful addition. Another gate featured little orphans fleeing a workhouse fire. The orphan theme reached a bloody climax as the evil owner, whilst forcing the tiny children back through a burning doorway door above which, incidentally, crackled the words, "Children, Best Prices" was himself crushed beneath a falling safe. Filled with ill gotten loot the safe had been pushed from an upper window by his two sons bitter at their exclusion from the family Will. The concluding motif shows the assembled but happy children dancing around the owner's smouldering remains pausing only to stir a pan of port mulling on the heat. Being stuck in a line of slow moving traffic gave me time to appreciate this parable in iron.

Having returned home I googled the costings of your average gate and knowing a little of house prices in the area it was obvious that some gates were more expensive than the home they were designed to protect. It would be cheaper to live in the gate.

5 comments:

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

A gate house, that makes sense. Then you'd need a gate to guard the gate house.

How about snakes in the gate.

I know what YOU wouldn't have.

Cats!

Hayden said...

a bit of darwinian folly. The gate, being expensive, draws more attention to the home, making it seem likely to be filled with wealth of all kinds: thereby making it a beacon for thieves.

Dan Flynn said...

G,

If I had a gate with a house to guard it I certainly would not hire Harry High Hat and his gang of scrawny felines to keep me safe. Oh no. If I could afford some of the gates I've seen in South Manchester I'd buy my own island. Honest, some of these things are so huge they block out the sun. Grrr.

Dan Flynn said...

Hayden,

Some of these gates are so expensive you'd think "Sod the house. I'm nicking the gate."

x

nikkisa889 said...

I found your blog web site on google and check a couple of of your early posts. Proceed to keep up the excellent operate. I just extra up your RSS feed to my MSN Information Reader. In search of ahead to studying extra from you later on!… best online casinos