Sunday Moon

Another of what the media calls 'supermoon' hung over us last night.  The blether about large size and various shades of colour but it just looked the same as normal to me.  Some call this a 'snow moon' as it usually snows when it appears, possibly because this happens in winter and often it snows at that time.  Maybe the media 'workies' do not realise this?  As it happens we cannot see the moon tonight as rain clouds hide it and way up north those cold clouds will in fact be dropping snow over Scotland.  Flooding there today, snow tomorrow and I am glad I am not out there in it.  Still it will be gone in 48 hours and during that time the media will fill space with grumbles about hindered railways and airports and poor struggling commuters.  Including themselves I suspect though much of what appears in print can be offered from home these days.

Maybe it's because it's the weekend or maybe the storm is keeping him in but it appears to me that Boris is being very quiet.  Having been shouted at by Trump and told to remember who is boss he may be sulking.  It may be he and Dominic his other boss are working on a dastardly plan to change the world and not letting anyone know about it.  
Boris is not a worker, he likes others to do his thinking so Dominic can get away with much.  However he may be pushing it too much at the moment.  Banning journalists from the lobby briefing, let alone moving it to No 10 was not a bright idea.  While editors will still support him resentment will arise and words will begin to appear.  
I wonder how long it will take for something to emerge that brings them down...?

Hermes the Moon

I find all this very strange.  They call this the 'Harvest Moon' but for the life of me I have been unable to see any harvesting of any kind going on up there.  I have searched NASA but not even the Chinese have managed to sow seeds as far as I can tell let alone harvest anything.  Can you harvest Green cheese I wonder?  If you could the French would be up there like a flash. 
The name 'Harvest Moon' has been around for four hundred years or more,  the name being recorded in the 1700's suggests that is was widely used for a long time before that.  The brightness of the light, seen under a cloudless sky enabled harvesters to reap the crops late into the night.  They must have rejoiced at such long hours!  Indeed looking out at around three this morning the darkness was rent by the moonlight and it was clearly possible to manage many jobs sufficiently if need be.  Criminals must remain indoors at such times as identification would be enhanced by the moonlight, and stealthy approaches or leaving of a burglary might be difficult if you can be seen.
Early man, attempting sleep on the roof in ancient Sumer must have wondered about the moon and all those other lights flashing across the sky.  Little wonder they invented astrology, though in their day it did not involve a 'Tall dark man calling on Tuesday' of course.  These Magi calculated and understood so much about the sky above recording phenomena of all kinds and their records are still studied today.  The man on the Nippur omnibus must have wondered also when he had time to sleep what was going on above his head.  Ancient peoples however bright they may have been were somewhat rough and indeed cruel towards one another, recalling God calling for the flood because "The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."  Slavery, forced work and brutal treatment was common in those days and it is no surprise a flood took them away.  Christian influence has made many things better, even if it did lead to a 'liberal' society gone mad.  It is almost impossible these days to find any place far enough from the light to see the sky as it is.  After midnight most street lights are switched of here to save money and occasionally this gives opportunity, but only if the sky is clear.
All over the country people are desperately attempting to take photos of the moon.  Many are turning out as small blobs of white light, like some of mine, others are well posed and tastefully arranged suitable for framing and sending to newspapers for a moments glory.  I have enough glory so I don't bother.  

'Hermes' strikes again!  Or at least doesn't strike at all.
You recall I had one packet delivered, or not as the case may be.  An email to company brought response, packet delivered next day (Hooray) and a few days later a duplicate, from customer services, followed.  Contact made, promise of collection of duplicate was also made and Hermes awaited.
I still await.
Today I discovered many others in the town also awaiting Hermes.  Packets not delivered, packets delivered but not to the house they ought to have been delivered to, phone calls to numbers that tell you to contact seller, emails not returned, calls not helpful.  
One lady now claims the Hermes man is 'under investigation.'  
Does this mean the police or the company?  This is unclear.  Naturally the women all consider the police are involved.
I am not so sure.  Incompetence, poor pay, zero hours, long hours, foreigners straight of the back of a forty ton lorry, unable to read maps, read English, without licence, insurance or knowledge is more likely than anything else.  Whatever the company will not be paying large sums, has large overheads and poor management of too much work.  All adding up and if one man decides to help himself it will be difficult to sort things out.  The police may have better things to do.
So I await developments.
The town awaits eagerly, packets aplenty lie somewhere, possibly in Essex, possibly in a van struggling through the dark looking for a town he has never heard off while checking the map to find out where he is.  
This could go on for a while yet...

Up on the Roof

Having spent an energy filled day weeding the front and attempting to clear up the mess left behind by neighbours who have left leaving their remnants behind, packed mostly in plastic bags yet spilled across the waste space, I had little energy to do anything else last night.  Add to this a little item I eventually finished for the museum re the armistice, it has taken three months, and what brain cells I have left were not functioning either.  For reason hard to comprehend the TV people failed to feature any football leaving me with no respite from my aches thus forcing me to climb upon the roof and howl at the moon.
This indeed made me feel a lot better but did not do much for the old lass in the bungalow next door who switched off all the lights and locked all the windows and doors loudly.  It must have been loud as the noise from all the dogs in the neighbourhood barking at the same time create what some call ' noise nuisance.'
I must confess I was a little stiff once again this morning when I had to attend to all the visitors by myself, my associate having flown off to Corfu for yet another holiday.  I realise that having retired and having some money to burn it is right for them to make the most of the years they have left, in her condition we do not know how many, but my couple of days in Bournemouth look weak in comparison to their world travels.  Not that there is any jealousy in any way, no siree!   
I might seek that moon again tonight.

I wonder if this bird understand the situation in the nation?  Sitting there in the sun in the late evening, resting from the labours of attending to her mate, stuffing her face and er, that's it, she now sits there high above the world allowing the fading sun to warm her before bedtime.  Do these birds not know we have an inept government?  Do they not realise we have no opposition?  Do they not realise the state of the nation?  They will find out soon enough for within a year most of the population will be eating the worms and grubs they are living off when Brexit comes in and the economy collapses.
Oh dear, I am back off onto the roof...

Gardens in the Morning

Early this morning I took myself over to the gardens before the mums arrived with their kids.  It was quiet, the top gate was blocked off so almost no-one was there, jolly good I say.  

 
The idea was twofold, to loosen my aches from yesterday and to play with the manual settings on the camera. The bones creak still and the camera produced a great many failed shots!  At least one creature stirred in the gardens this white cat that yelled along after me, I am not sure whether it was lost or hungry, I suspect both.

The cat and I wandered slowly among the trees, he meowing not me, until we separated near the grass part.  Being not long after nine I expected more people but in times past I have arrived early and in the quiet found many birds and creatures going about their business, maybe the early morning heat was putting wildlife off.

   
The barking high above me announced this wee man who was upset about something.  I had noticed one other squirrel running about and maybe this is he possibly upset because all others have gone to ground.  His bark, there is no other word for the noise emanating from him, his bark could be heard everywhere, very loud for such a wee creature.  I did speak to him but he just turned his back on me.

   
Then the disappointed seagulls hovered around.  Disappointed because there was little in the way of foodstuffs to fight over, normally early on there is something left lying about.  How do birds cope with the heat, let alone other weather situations?  It seems to me they appear at the hanging feeders less in high temperatures possibly because other food is more readily available, possibly it is just too hot?  I know not why?  Gulls fly in to feed on farmland and return in the evening to the estuary to sleep on the sea, rather them than me.  There were only a handful of them around today also.

I almost got this purple thing right.  Few flowers around except those planted by the garden staff, mostly green stuff at the moment, except for the grass which is like hay.

This wreath lay at the memorial today but I am unsure who it represents.  At first I thought it was referring to the Korean War, also called the Forgotten War as few wanted to know about it at the time and few know about it know.  Between 1950 and 1953 the Korean peninsula was the scene of the first UN operation, many nations participated but the UK sent a relatively small number of troops (led by Australians) so soon after the second world war, several thousand died mind.  On the other hand it reads '16 Med' which could refer to the RAMC in which '16 Med' serve today with the 16th Airborne Division.  I do with people would make things clear for my little mind.

 
What is this all about?  This took several attempts with manual setting before I got one that I could actually see that is what this is about!  What is it?  I have no idea...

Moonshine

I am told that this 'super moon' is having all sorts of effects on people.  Now I am as willing as the next man to hang about on the rooftops howling but it appears to me that in no way have I been affected by this large white ball in the sky.  Note the colour, white, not red, making photography very difficult especially when leaning out of the wee window unable to get a proper shot.
I personally notice no change in my demeanour because of the moon, and there is little requirement for you to offer sarcasm at this point.  The last few days have seen me extremely tired after overdoing the rushing around last week and little has been done beyond what was required, though I did manage to sleep a lot.

In between rain showers I wasted time listening to the news informing us Theresa May is "Not a quitter," though she forgot to add "I am not a Prime Minister either," for some reason.  Several members among the backbenchers have been admitting that Brexit is a disaster, and one minister  has also been told off for admitting this.  Thankfully the whole idea is beginning to fall apart.  While being annoyed by daft rules from the EU and the manner in which they run the organisation it is unlikely the UK could survive separate from the EU, only the 'elite' would benefit, their money being
lodged in banks abroad.  I note that the man at the top of Legatum (?) the organisation that demands the UK leave the EU has himself obtained an EU passport through Malta, a device many rich folks are making use of.  Now what does this tell us that the media is not revealing?  The leak of a government document that reveals the UK would suffer grievously has been denounced by the cabinet with all the assurance of government ministers lying in their teeth.  
All this because a few public schoolboys wanted to be Prime Minister.

Sundown Again

A gentleman said to me "You are the type who brightens a room," then tapping me on my beer belly added," simply by walking away from the window!"  A similar experience today after the rain that has fallen for the last 24 hours and continued this morning gave way in the afternoon to bright skies and an attractive sundown.  
So attractive was this I left behind the heater and ventured out into the freezing cold.  Crossing the park offered the usual collection of Christmas holiday types, kids with new motorised vehicles, scooters, bikes, girls in bright outfits, and adolescent males in tight groups pouting at passers-by as they huddle around their new iphones.  Most of then texting the male standing next to them I suggest.  Grumpy people also pass by, these are the workers, they have no holiday and have been up since six in the morning and resent not having time off like so many others appear to have.  Occasional dog walkers, well wrapped up freeze as they pass while the dog wags its tail as it happily explores exciting smells all the while not realising the weather is cold no matter how often the owner mentions this.  
Then there is the council smokers.  In spite of the weather a couple of women, dressed for indoor activities, stand smoking and shivering against the wall.  A third, wrapped in large coat, smokes rather too obviously as she wanders across the damp grass ruining her shoes as well as her lungs.  Why are people allowed to have 'smoke breaks?'  If I suggested having 'Standing in the park just looking' breaks would they be acceptable?  How can people take ten to fifteen minutes out of their day several times a day to smoke when others cannot do this just to stand and stare?  And why do people smoke these days anyway?  We have known for sixty years that it kills you, few now accept it as normal behaviour, yet people from many walks of life insist on participating in this ugly habit.  They have never seen the fear on the face of a man being investigated for sickness obviously.  This is not a nice sight.
Many men still smoke as this is what 'rough men' do.  It is part of 'looking hard' and many men participate because that is what their mates do.  Usually they are not the brightest or just feel that, like swearing, it has to be done to keep in with the boys around you.  Women often smoke thereby giving them something to do with their hands, hiding behind a cigarette, while others smoke funny cigarettes and claim it gets them through their day, they never blame that for their mistakes however.  One of the best laws in recent times was banning smoking indoors, it cleaned up so many environments and saved many lives.

High above us and almost unnoticed the moon keeps watch.  
In spite of Brexit and other follies, riots in Iran, bombs in Kabul, and a decent but not great footballer being transferred for £75 million the moon just waxes and wanes as normal, going about its business with little concern for such small things.  The business of raising and lowering the sea levels is business enough for the moon, that and watching lovers stare blindly at it while thinking of words to rhyme is enough for any moon.
When a lad we read in the 'Eagle' and other magazines how we would live on the moon, so far, in spite of preparing to reach Mars, we have not done so.  It appears cheaper to spend three years travelling to Mars, UFO's permitting, rather than establishing one of those glass domed centres that would transform the moon into valuable living space.  The dreams of the early 1950s have never been accomplished in my view.  The moon was reached, more from national pride rather than human ambition, but in so many ways the future that looked so bright has turned out to be very dull.  Human nature keeps getting in the way or possibly it was reality that got in the way?

Work!

I shuffled into work half asleep this morning.  An air of quietness permeated the building, the kids are all back in school!  Add to this the girls were out 'ten-pin-bowling' last night there were a few hangovers draped over desks this morning.  I assisted by adding my cheery personality and was immediately shown the door and the way to Tesco for milk, an operation even I could manage.
Wrong!
I found the milk, checking for the furthest off date, and headed for the self service checkout.  I put the item through and it all stopped.  I stopped, the machine stopped, I did it again and stopped with the machine not even bothering to start.  Then as I realised the price was showing I placed the bottle to my right as you do.  It was at this point the young lass came to my aid, indicating the bottle ought to have gone to my left, not the right where an old basket was left and "You can't get the staff" was muttered under her breath.  I paid my money, eventually as the brute asked several questions about bags and cards first before my change arrived and I headed for the door, the lass pointing me in the right direction in the fashion women have when dealing with men.

Naturally with the kids being away I expected a quiet day of gossip with Peggy, however she was unavailable today and instead of sitting sipping tea and meeting a few visitors I was kicked out once again!  Laura sent me out to take photos for a project she is working on.  Naturally I could not refuse her, she would break both my legs if I did, so off I jolly well went, uncomplaining, unfed, and without any tea. 

A trail around town for kids has been prepared to reveal to them the things they see everyday as they pass by.  Or something like this.  Pictures, descriptions, all written in language kids understand will enable them to know their history better, or at least this is the intention.  So I had to take appropriate pics here and there.

How come when wandering through the town daily I never meet anyone?  Today while on a project I met several off the better classes!  This thankfully hindered my work and allowed me to rest for no good reason.  This Lane was once a road which has lain here for many, many years I sometimes wonder how many and was home to many works of various kinds.  Now it houses a fancy shopping centre, that's progress.  

The kids will know the church dates back at least 800 years, possibly much more and the fountain with the gay looking chap playing with fish was built to improve the area, the slums that once stood here being demolished in the 30's.   You will notice there is no water in the fountain, too many have been putting washing up liquid in the water where the detergent has damaged the pipes.  Now they complain it does not work but as soon as it does some berk will once again have it flowing with bubbles.

Something schools ought to consider is the 'Cage' or 'Lock up' once all villages in the area had one, many still stand happily, this was where folks, usually drunk, were locked up for the night in one of the two six foot cells therein.  Once the police station was built they lost some of their usefulness.  The much changed road on which this stands contained several public houses of dubious reputation, we know they were dubious as three had nicknames, 'Little Hell,' 'Big Hell,' and 'Perdition!'
It was better in the old days...

If they make it this far the kids will find on one side of the street 'Courtaulds' final mill.  The firm had been in the town and in many towns round about for over two hundred years.  Factories abounded and offices were found all over the world.  Sadly during the period after the war all this died away and the company was sold and resold to various businesses and this mill closed in the early 90's.  
What cannot be seen now is the number of houses that once stood in front of the Mill along the wall on the left.  There were several there until improvements were made for the motor car.  It is almost difficult to believe that houses would be there but pictures exist and somewhat downtrodden they looked.

  
Right opposite the very busy road lies the Silk Weaving Mill, two large white wooden buildings with sheets of window all the way along.  Once 'Warners Mill' was engaged on making robes and decorations for royal coronations and now it has also died away, foreign competition, from whom we stole the silk worms in the past many years ago, claimed back their dominance of the industry.  This building houses both offices and flats, the other offices and the 'Warner Textile Archive,' part of the museum and useful for women interested in courses on all sort of wool, silk, thread and such like hobbies.  Many courses take part here through out the year. 

Then it was off home to fiddle with the pictures and by the grace of God I worked out how to do this properly for once.  Then I sent the boss the pics by email and limped back to work.  Here I found myself totally out of routine as I had been out an hour and a half and (still without tea) returned to the usual confusion.  
However an attractive young lady came in and immediately caught my attention, my tea was forgotten especially as she came in to check on one or two of the Christmas items (that's Christmas!) and by the time she had left she had parted with almost £42, I say almost as she got a penny change. Soon after she sent her friend in who also paid £20 for one of the events.  I took more money in ten minutes than some days I take in a week!  
The problem came when she asked if she could pin up a notice, we let folks do this, and I took this and looked for a space.  The notice concerns a book reading group that meets in a pub once a month, hmmm...  However I looked for 'Blu Tack'  to attach the notice to the only space left on the wall and not one blob of the stuff either blu or White could be found in the drawer, and I raked the entire drawer.  Mentioning this to the boss she looked in said drawer and produced the entire packet of 'Blu Tack' that sat their in front of me.
They sent me home after that...

A Hard Day's Work in the Heat!

Wearing nothing but a pair of aged shorts and tying a notice reading "Please give water or beer" round my neck I made my way to the museum.
I was sent home!
Venturing forth dressed in a manner considered more worthy by my snooty superiors I returned not caring to mention the large fan blowing a gale in their office while no such apparatus was made available to me.  Referring to the shop as the 'Gobi Desert' brought no relief in spite of the doors being wide open until Peggy my hard working colleague (she reads this!) arrived.  As we downed our first gallon of tea/coffee/water and fanned ourselves with handy brochures that lie about we awaited the hordes of people barging through the door.
None came.
So I wandered off to chat up discuss important issues with the curator as she made enough coffee for herself to fill a MacDonalds outlet for a day.  I know she needs to keep awake but really!
Work arrived and my friend was ordered out into the searing heat (I had to mind the shop you see) to deliver posters and leaflets of the upcoming exhibition to shops that would display them for us.  I handled the crowds that came when she had gone.  
Both young ladies who arrived were very competent and pleasant, most are when I chat to them.
On returning it was found more leaflets required delivering, naturally I offered but was refused permission to do so by her indoors.  Poor Peggy had to once more bear the heat of the day though I noticed she managed to take her time and do her shopping while delivering. 
I therefore was left alone to deal with a bus load that came on a visit elsewhere in town and dozens of old women lassies arrived to wander throught the exhibition.  Each offered a £5 note for a £3 entrance with no consideration to our lack of £1 coins!!!!  Not that I am one to complain but wimmen...!

It is difficult at 4a.m. to get a decent pic of the moon when looking through a wndow at a tight angle....
Tomorrow is the Longest Day of the year and from then on the nights close in, innit it a horrible thought!  Half way through the year already.  Christmas adverts will start appearing soon!

However it remains like Aussieland here, I'm off to stand beside the fridge....

Flowers, Football and Fullish Moon

The wee 'I sell anything' shop next door ought to have been doing a roaring trade with his flowers today.  Blazing sun, record temperatures, and near naked sweltering peoples passing by all day.  he may have been better selling cold drinks mind you.
Nothing I like better than blue sky and hot sun.  However as a few weeks ago the thing appeared and I spent a mere 30 minutes burning myself I find my skin has not yet recovered properly.  The sun is far hotter than I thought!  These few days it has been even hotter and most of the time I have avoided it.  Those lying about the park will have problems in days to come.
The main problem is we are not used to it.  Therefore when the sun comes we jump into it and we burn.  In hot societies they avoid the heat of the day and work in the cool times.  This nation is not bright enough for that.  
It is however becoming nearer the norm tomorrow and rain and hail have fallen not far north of here and of course Scotland lies under a cloud again.

What is it about clouds that fascinates me?  Later this afternoon these chaps arrived bubbling up high overhead.  I think it is the sheer size of them, nothing but accumulated moisture I suppose but stretching for thousands of feet up into the air and on occasion reaching for hundreds or thousands of miles into the distance.  I am not one who sees a cloud shaped like the Bank of England then rushes to send a picture to the 'Daily Mail,' in fact I would rather just enjoy watching them pass by.  On my last flight from Edinburgh many years ago the cloud covered quite a large chunk of the voyage and at times there were strange shapes cutting through the cloud for no obvious reason.  This in my little head was fascinating to watch.
I think I may need help....

 

I did sit for ten minutes when some cloud was above us earlier and wondered about those who choose to kick a ball while the majority slumber.  I understood them of course but what went through my mind was the thought in their heads 'I could have made it!'  All the while they of course know they could not but the dream does not die, not even at my age (27).

 

The best effort of this camera cannot improve on this picture of the moon.  The moon needs to come closer but refuses.  I took this the other night when it was somewhat cooler and I was desperate to take a picture of anything different.  This being a small town not much changes and photo opportunities are rare.  The bright weather offers sum but when you have seen everything before the desire is to be further afield.  In fact it would have been good to be in London where Mo manages to get shots like this!  Not possible for me at the moment as I have been clearing out rubbish.  It is incredible what lies in drawers untouched for decades.  Some things date back to the days when I moved here and others are so old they are almost worth sending to the museum.
The recycled folks will be pleased with me on Friday when they collect the stuff however! 

I'm Sitting on the Roof

This is my view.  I'm sitting on the roof howling at the moon.
I had to struggle to get up here, the clamber up through the trap door into the attic space was not easy without a ladder.  Once there I discovered there was no window so I had to  work my way into the loft of my neighbour and clamber through the loose tiles he does not know about, well he does now.  From there I made my way carefully, very carefully, to the gable end and forced myself up slowly hanging on the newly pointed chimney stack.  It's a bit less pointed now by the way.
So here at last I sit, howling at the moon.
The less well educated amongst you may wonder what the need for such adventure may be, the knowledgeable will understand. 
I'm old.
Today I became 64 years of age.
That's old.
As I sit on the roof my life flashes past me, well it used to flash now it dawdles and takes ages, a bit like me walking down the road.  All those years of promise, well " I promise to pay the bearer £1 or £5 or £10," as it were.  All have come to nothing.  One nameless woman on FB referred to me heartlessly as Granddad!  Another asked if the firemen had put out the fire caused by candles!!!
Woe, woe and thrice woe.
It could drive me to drink but I canny reach the 'Old Peculiar' in the fridge from here.

Woe! Woe! Woe!

Several Thoughts

Several things crossed my mind today.  One was the incredible level of stupidity that I can show.  On visiting Sainsburys expensive supermarket yesterday I noted one or two regular items much reduced. This I thought cannot be missed so today I returned for them the intention being to use the 'reward' savings to pay for them.  Rewards that used to be worth a penny and are now worth a halfpenny to aid the greedy supermarkets profits.  I decided to get one or two other things with milk being urgently required.   Not only did I forget the milk, one of the other things I noted on special but I also managed to pay for them before I realised I wished to make use of the rewards, which would have covered most of the cost!  
I went elsewhere for the milk later.

I noticed a story that irked me somewhat this morning.  A young lass was killed by a speeding driver high on drugs.  This happens often and the usual result is a dead person, male or female, young or old, and a devastated family and hurt friends.  The usual result is a six or seven year sentence, with early release usually half way through, and a return to the free world.  Commit a financial crime you will be giving a longer sentence! It irks me that the death of an individual means so little today.  One senior judge a while ago claimed murder should result in no more than a ten year sentence!  The NHS has killed seven million children in abortions, old folks are left to die in many hospitals, care homes with overworked badly paid staff failing to do the job, human life appears to be worthless today.  Will the new government of whatever sort make any difference?  No!

The election desperation from the Conservatives is revealed with a return to Thatcherism stupidity.  How do you help the housing shortage?  You allow people in Council   Housing Association homes!  What a stupid idea and this is supposedly aimed at getting working class votes.  Another of the 'toffs 'treating the lower orders as second class serfs!  Sell off the houses and there will be plenty for everyone - at least there will be after those buying them get chucked out for failing to find the cash to pay the mortgage.  
I canny bring myself to comment on the blatant racism that they offer in suggesting Scots MP's would be barred from voting on tax deals in England even if they affect Scotland.  More pandering to racists.

 .

Ruminating

The Blogosphere has been choc-a-block with comments on the late Neil Armstrong.  No point in repeating what has gone before but it was indeed a moment to remember that first step onto the Moon!  In fact while ruminating on this I drifted off into many memories of the time, including the trip before Armstrong's.  On that occasion the capsule went close to the moon, and watching on our B & W TV It appeared to me that they were just skipping the surface of Earth's satellite.  It was a fascinating close up of the surface of the moon, almost like being there, we were so close.  The memory stays with me and by the time the actual Moon landing was to begin I, like the rest of the world, was agog!  

In many ways it is difficult to comprehend the emotions of the time.  Here was man, American or Soviet it mattered not, about to leap into space and stand on the Moon!  This was indeed as important as those famous explorers of times past, and on this occasion almost the whole world would be able to see it happen.  To place a man on that globe hanging above us, sometimes a thin crescent, sometimes huge and bright, all to often hidden behind cloud, was an amazing experience.  Having been brought up during the 50's, fed on a diet of 'Dan Dare,' and guesswork regarding space exploration, reading about rockets that would soon speed through space taking us to the far corners of the galaxy was eye opening, and here we were actually doing it! Fantastic!

The night before they launched the BBC broadcast a special programme from the launch site.  This ended with the camera slowly passing in front off the waiting rocket, this was lit by searchlights in the dark night, as the theme from '2001 Space Odyssey' (Zarathustra) played.  It was an emotional moment.  I was, as they say, 'thrilled,' indeed excited.  Later my mother and I sat up late into the night watching the actual landing.  Here was a historic moment indeed.  One of the few real historic events in mankind's existence, and I (along with billions elsewhere) was there.   

I had just turned 18, that year my father had died from cancer, and Jesus decided to inform me of his existence.  Altogether a funny old year looking back.  My dad was born in 1908, five years after man had conquered flight.  In his time he saw the development of wireless, television, a depression and a major war.  He also saw the new world in 1945, better housing and an NHS without which his illness would have been unbearable.  He died when we stood on the Moon, how far had we come?   Human nature has never changed and 

while we conquer space we still cannot conquer famine, crime, ourselves.

By 1972 when the last man (who was he?) walked on the moon it had become old hat.  Space travel rarely excited any more.  The Voyager craft and their kind sailing to the edge of the Galaxy excite some interest but rarely does space mean much to us today.  The recent Mars landing and the pictures returned have been worth while but far short of the adventure of reaching the moon.

A local scare has seen the police, sharpshooters and all, Zoo keepers, and helicopters aplenty scouring parts of Essex for a Lion!  There are thought to be several large black cats, possibly Puma's that have once been kept illegally as pets and now released into the wild, roaming in various places.  How true these stories are is debatable.  However a large 'yellow' creature was seen, captured on film, and one man heard a 'roar,' and so a police chase was set off.

Nothing was found, and the chase called off as it was 'just a large domestic animal.' says the coppers.  Hmmm I hope they are right, or a few dogs will get one big fright the next time they chase a cat.

  

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Sunday Night

Sunday night entertainment was spent crawling through the ever darkening streets attempting to find a spot where I could picture the sunset and feature the large crescent moon.  By the time I found a spot it was quite dark and the moon itself looks awfully small in this pic, but it is there!  Wonderful sky tonight, the colours are hard to beat as the sun sinks below the distant horizon (there must be hundreds of them there, one goes down there every night!).  In spite of the beauty of the skies above I noticed that few appeared to notice.  How we miss so much by looking no further than our nose!  

Star

The football world was upset today by the news of Gary Speeds death. He was found hanged at home early this morning. Police state that no suspicious circumstances were involved. Forty two year old Speed was manager of the Welsh football team and had a good reputation within football.  Only yesterday he had appeared on a TV football programme and had spoken to one or two of his friends and appeared outwardly to be happy enough.  Both TV and radio have been filled with stunned friends and colleagues sharing their shock at his death.

The reason for his suicide is not yet known but several articles end with reference to the Samaritans and stress the importance of 'talking to someone' if a man has problems.  This is a wise precaution as many men feel despair at their various situations yet will not talk about it to anyone.  Some feel weak if they talk, others embarrassed.  The Samaritans, as well as doctors and other agencies have seen it all before and are well able to offer a non judgmental listening ear, and able to direct individuals to the help they require.  No man needs to suffer in silence!  

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Brilliant Site!

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Saracen Personnel Carrier

I have found another brilliant site! This one is aimed at those men, and it will always be men, who spend their time collecting model cars. Now my poverty, and I will not mention it as I don't want you bursting into tears while I sit here starving, as I was saying, my poverty will not allow me to purchase such things, if indeed I wanted to. However many do and I found this site brilliant when I discovered vehicles I once owned or can remember others having. In fact most models here come after my time of playing with such things, you can tell my era. the cars with no plastic windows, seats or movable doors, simply metal cars on wheels, that is my era! However this site is worth pondering, the cars evoke memories, and for some of you the police cars will be more relevant than they are for the rest of us! 

The Saracen pictures is a 'Matchbox' model. I had a similar vehicle but made by 'Dinky,' or possibly 'Corgi,' I cannot mind which, marvellous stuff from the days when playing games in which thousands of Germans and Japs were wiped from the face of the earth. Political Correctness has removed the kids fun by stopping them playing with guns ("This encourages violence") or doing anything physical, ("This encourages Competition and that leads to exclusion and we don't want that do we?") and we soon find boys playing with dolls and girls with boats! No wonder kids are confused today! Funnily enough this is the generation of well bred children who gather outside folks homes and harass them to death! However middle class liberals know best. I bet they have 'Baby on board' signs in their cars! 

But I digress, the cars on show here sell in a shop near me. One of those shops run by a family of miserable, grumbling numpties. The Gran followed me around the first time I went in there as if I were a 'Hoodie' or something. I used to deliver to the daughter, a girning old biddy who last laughed when she got her money back pressing 'Button 'B.' The young son now runs the shop, smugly grinning at one and all and boasting of his wealth. With prices like the ones in the window I am not surprised he can be smug! This is a shame as there is obviously a sale for such items, as well as the many aircraft and other things on offer, such a shame as they could treble their sales by learning how to smile.

Diecast Toy Cars is the place to look to evoke memories and just enjoy life for a while!   

I wondered why I had to shave twice a day. I was confused as to why I was sitting on the roof howling at the moon, and I was pondering the need to roam the streets furtively creeping around the seedier parts of town. It was as I howled last night I realised that it was a full moon, and possibly had been for a few days. I should have known there was a reason I had taken that chainsaw and sorted out the crowds annoying me by living within a hundred feet of me. Tsk! The full moon has an effect right enough. 
OK you've had your fun, open this cell door now. Hello!  Hello?

Heart of Midlothian  0 v 2  Motherwell 

As has to be expected the defence was much stronger than during the week, we only lost two goals this time. The hard hitting forward line din't hit anything, and I am wondering what is the point of it all. A normal Saturday for the fan of the Heart of Midlothian! 

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