The Mighty Sparrow added a new piece of musical advice to his repertoire. Disguise your heart. Call it a pump.
I left my pump in San Francisco. If I give my pump to you, will you handle it with care? I still have my copy of the LP though unfortunately, not anything to play it on now.
This is a bit of a sideways introduction to a small paean in praise of that unsung technological triumph of our age - the electric pump. Dont know much about the technology involved, to tell the truth, but they are now so small & quiet, yet so much more powerful.
The effect on our landscape - at least the urban one - has gone little remarked. No water towers now, nor huge water tanks on the top of high rise buildings. No loss of pressure when your downstairs neighbour runs a bath.
Have pumps also contributed to the disappearance of gas holders, or is that just the switch to natural gas?
And what a relief to have just small quiet pumps for the central heating in place of one of those alarming clangy things.
But how scary to think of the consequences if the electricity were to go off & we lost all that pumping power. The decay of European cities in C4 & C5 would be minor in comparison.
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