Life and death at Tally Ho Corner

Yesterday, I found myself at The Arts Depot, at the inaugural meeting of a networking group, fronted by Barnet Together, formed with the aim of improving arts provision in Barnet. The purpose is to help build artistic networks in the Borough, by providing opportunities for groups to network. But that wasn't what this blog was about. As I returned to collect my car from Lodge Lane Car Park, I stopped to look at the rotting hulk that used to be Owen Owen. When I was at Finchley Catholic High School, this was the jewel in the Crown of North Finchley. One of my mates got a job there as a shop assistent when we left school. It seemed like a great career lay ahead of him. Both Burnt Oak and North Finchley had large, prestigious department stores (The Coop were in Burnt Oak). It felt they were proper destinations. Mill Hill and Edgware seemed far less important to me. Sadly, both are gone.  I stopped to take a picture and put a tweet together.

But again, that isn't what I am blogging about. As I turned and carried on, I saw three pigeons in the road, all tucking into a recently disgarded sandwich. As I looked at them, I thought to myself how sad it is that someone had disgarded the sandwich, so casually, encouraging vermin to flourish in the town centre. Why didn't they just put the sandwich in the bin, which was about 2 feet away? As I thought this, the lights changed. A car, clearly seeing the pigeons, floored the accelerator pedal and smashed into one of the pigeons, which squealed. I was horrified. After the car had passed, the pigeon landed on the ground, pecked at a few crumbs of bread, then looked straight at me and shrieked in a horrible, high pitched way, that sounded more like a child. At that it dropped dead. This whole scene took about five seconds. I was deeply disturbed. It seemed that as the pigeon's sou departed its body, for a second, as our gaze met, we were united. I could feel the absolute horror of the pigeon of the fact that it was about to die. I felt that it didn't want to, it still had lots of pigeon stuff to do. I realised that no living thing wants to die. We all hang on to that thin thread of life. As I thought this, another car ran over and comprehensively splattered the pigeon, probably not even seeing the body in the road.

In 1975 Owen Owen Department Store was the Jewel in the crown of North Finchley, so sad to see it today. Old pic courtesy https://t.co/3ocx0tnZiK pic.twitter.com/OvJS6Xf1IL

— Roger Tichborne/Rog T (@Barneteye) January 9, 2023

Prior to this, I'd never really considered the feelings of pigeons, or that they might enjoy living. I drove home feeling rather sad about the whole incident. There was no aspect of what happened that was pleasant. People who discard casually discard litter when there are bins handy, people who deliberately harm animals, the pain and terror of an animal screaming as it takes its last breath. 

January is a cruel month