Sunset sky over sheds

< Previous | Index | Next >

Image 126 – What’s in an image? Sometimes quite a lot, more than meets the eye. I’m posting an image every day or so.

The sun is setting over these old sheds in more than one sense, not only is the sun getting lower in the sky, but the sheds themselves are no longer useful, have been roped off as they’re unsafe, and will fall down completely in the next few years or decades.

There must have been a time when these structures were a handy place to store farm equipment, maintain and repair things, perhaps make tea or eat lunch before starting the afternoon’s jobs. At a guess it might have started as a smaller building, extended over the years as more space was required. It had glazed windows (though some of the glass has fallen out) and must have been weatherproof earlier in its existence. Perhaps it was even painted, though more likely creosoted.

The corrugated iron roof is rusty and most likely lets in the rain. Various fungi and bacteria will be attacking the timber. Assuming nobody dismantles what remains and removes it, what will happen as the years go by?

Everything will return to the earth from which it originally came. Iron will rust and crumble to powdery iron oxides of one kind or another, the corrugated roof, nails and screws holding the timbers together, door and window hinges, they’ll all go the same way. If there are any brass fittings they will last a lot longer, but eventually they’ll end up as oxides of copper and zinc. Glass will last a very long time (many thousands of years) but will be ground down to smaller and smaller sizes with any disturbance. The putty used to hold the window glass in place will also crumble away to clay as the remnants of oil it contains are digested and metabolised by bacteria. And the commonest material used to build the structure will be one of the fastest to decay; all the timber in the framework, walls, floors, doors and window frames will be digested away and crumble to dust as well.

We ourselves will end the same way whether simply buried in the ground after death or turned to ash by cremation. It’s true for all living things, we develop from one cell, become many cells working together, and die through accident or disease or else of old age. Everything on this planet is recycled sooner or later, if not by us, then eventually by nature. Even city buildings, bridges, roads and all of our technologies will go the same way in the end.

We don’t look forward to our inevitable dissolution of course; but the awareness of it, whether we are young or old, should encourage us to do what we can in life to help others, care for the sick, give good advice to those who seek it, and be kind and generous in everything we do.

When: 27th September 2023
Where: Cirencester

See also:

This YouTube video discusses what would happen to our various structures in the most unlikely event that everyone suddenly vanished for no apparent reason:

< Previous | Index | Next >

Useful? Interesting?

If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome!