The Opening

Saturday saw the new exhibition open, 'Postcards & Porcelain' from the district.   A large crowd attended the wine bar opening and an appreciative crowd listened to the fitful speeches with appropriate delight.  The idea is simple, John's collection of postcards cover the area and need exhibited.  This meets the need of many who like to see how the area has change, or not as the case may be.  Sadly few cards were posted or indeed developed during the 50's & 60's, those that were are usually rude ones, and the fashion died somewhat.  The postcards still sells but not as it once did, lack of interest, the internet and laziness take their toll.
When I moved away I was told Mum wants to hear how you are so send a postcard.  Mum wishes to know everything but you wish to write nothing so a postcard is ideal.  My sister used to send me one when she & mum and the kid went somewhere, usually a local or funny card with 'We were here today' scrawled on the back.  I received one featuring a picture of the Andromeda Galaxy one day with that written on the back, I think myself they had been in a museum!

 
Porcelain was used in similar fashion and to a small degree still is, however a wee bit more tatty than before.  There was an amazing assortment of items from teapots to thimbles, tanks and milk jugs available at one time.  There are no people on display but in times past a figure was developed and whoever was making news at the time that figure had his face upon it, even if it looked nothing like him!  Politicians, sportsmen, musicians all were featured often on identical wee men.

  
I arrived home in time for the football results, not that there were many being the international break, and proceeded to watch Scotland draw with Lithuania in a manner similar to other occasions I have witnessed.  I could have warned of this result before the game but did not see the need, proper Scots were surely already aware of the result before it happened.

So I have returned to my investigations of the dead found in Bocking End Churchyard.  Very interesting to see how one can start with a trade, such as joiner, and become a 'Master Builder,' none of those around today, and die in one of he big houses round the corner, it may of course be on eh built himself!  He left little money but a few years later his son certainly did which tells us something but I wonder what.  The man shown was happily minister of the Congregational church but appears to have died suddenly in a hospital in far of Wimbledon, I wonder why?  Such questions are as yet unanswered but do intrigue.

What a Day!

The plan was simple, I rise early, around six, breakfast, then find something to take away the taste, do the jogging, push ups and physical exercises, then sit down and write up my dead soldiers.  Dead simple and only one or two small matters otherwise to deal with.  Then as I was fighting my way over Teke Tepe in Gallipoli the news came through of  the changes at the Heart of Midlothian. Now I am in agreement that changes were required, reality must come in but shocked as they say constantly in the media, shocked by the mess made today by the new man Craig Levein.  The more I investigate, the more I listen to those in the know, some even do know, the more worried I become.  It looks bad from here.  The new club required changes and a great push forward, this appears to be more of a cost cutting exercise than anything.  Some glaring spaces can be seen, who will be goalkeeper?  Where are the mature player desperately required? Why is Levein not making clear his part?  How much is he paid in the austerity regime?  Many questions and I do not think the much praised Ann Budge understands the job she is taking on. She certainly does not understand the fans. 

I between bursting into tears over the mess at Tynecastle I managed to finish my report on Serjeant Ambrose, make soup with which to poison myself, and eat badly.  However listening to the reports on the news, reading fawning fans forums, reading despairing fans forums, and wandering the streets attempting to photograph the wonderful display of mixed clouds that passed by today meant that I was unable to start on the next man.  Back to the museum tomorrow, so no writing there as I will be busy with visitors, hopefully!  Ho hum!

Sheila at 'A Postcard a Day' has been kind enough to fix my Google problem. Informing me it happens to be just another Google 'improvement.'  Bah!  Why must these computer geeks change things all the time, improving what need not be improved?  The BBC have done this, Facebook do it, Google also, and Twitter.  Just because it is free, apart from the FBI knowing where I shop and my shirt size, that does not mean it has to be changed unexpectedly and badly, as this has been!  Bah!  At least Sheila's site changes not and is well worth your perusal!  


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The Days of Long Ago/

In the days of long ago my sister got married, I know this because I was there and the poor husband has been whining about it ever since.  We took the novel step of recording the wedding ceremony, however you cannot hear his voice saying "I do," and he has attempted on many occasions since to claim the marriage was illegal.  The back of her hand has ensured him that it was legal. They moved out of Edinburgh to a small village where numbers of new houses were being built.  This was for the incoming employees 0f the new built 'British Leyland,' factory nearby.  Here they built Tractors and Lorries, and my brother-in-law had got himself a job as a storeman there.  I think it is important to mention that as the word 'village' brings with it a connotation of a close 'community,' that much misused word, small cosy houses, and a gentler pace of life I must point out that here in the depths of West LOthian life was not like that! That is because this was 'Glasgow overspill territory!'  Many came trundling from the west to work in the factory, where several thousand were employed at one time,  and the newly built houses, with all mod cons, and 'American styling,' or so they said, were within fifteen years or so mostly pulled down because of the cretins who inhabited them.  Decent enough houses in themselves but they were filled with people who ruined them.  Why is this?  Many house designs of the post was period were a result of too much Le Corbousier  (you spell it!) influence, sometimes well thought out, often hacked about to keep costs down, and rarely 'human enough' for people to live in.  Maybe it was the type of people who inhabited them, a subject for another post maybe.   My sister still happily lives there, having long ago moved from that particular part of the village, and has survived in spite of the occasional murder.  

When she moved in, that was in 1962/3 time, we noticed postcards for sale in the small shops that then stood in the main street.  All of them had been printed in the 1920's or 30's!   Naturally we laughed, bought them, sent them, and forgot them.  Had we kept them some postcard fanatic might have paid a lot of money for them.  But I doubt it!  I came across them again on a  site a while ago and sadly have lost the link.  It may be the town site itself, note the word town!  Maybe it is now.  This one shown features a Gala Day procession from 1913.  In those days it was common for towns and villages to have a Gala Day, and this practice still persists although in slightly more modern form.  In fact where I live we also have such an event, but usually I am clever enough to miss it!  In the Days of Long Ago parades through the streets were common.  Such days brought all the town groups out in their Sunday best to walk the length of the main street and have a picnic and games in the local park.  Miners with their banners, Church groups, Scouts and Guides, businesses and leisure organisations would happily parade in the sunshine   Fun for all the family, even drunk uncle Joe!  Apart from the Gala Day, usually called 'Miners Gala Days' in Scotland with regard to the one time shale and coal mines that once abounded, there are none who parade today bar the 'Loyal Orange Order,' and an occasional Irish opponent.  These are not fun days to look out for however.   Around this time of year many will participate, probably on the back of a truck, and the smaller 'communities' (that horrible word) will gather for a bit of a laugh for the kids sake.  Uncle Joe will be found in the 'Red Lion' however.......

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Cold Weather

I do complain about this cold weather, and rightly so! I feel that my rightful place is amongst the sunshine that is scattered so freely towards the centre of the planet but appears so fleetingly in my life. Tonight, the cheery weather folk tell us, snow will make its way from Scotland and the north of England and cover us in deep layers of the white stuff! The 'Daily Mail,' in the usual calm manner, has a headline 'Met Office Forecasts 18 Inches of Snow!' I doubt we will receive 18 inches, two or three would be bad enough, and I suspect the temperature will fall to below zero.
However this is nothing really. In a few days this will end, with flurries on and off until Spring actually arrives. However today Beijing, the Chinese capital, recorded a temperature of minus 60 at one point! In many places it was so cold the heating would not work! I also came across Christians in prison in North Korea, a place on a similar latitude to Beijing, who are imprisoned for their faith, in jails without heating I would imagine. Thousands locked away, many suffering like their fellow citizens from malnutrition, in temperatures lower than many of us could withstand! So while it may be depressing, and cold weather is, and while it may be dark and dismal, at least we are a lot better off than many.  

A Postcard a Day

I stole this picture!  It comes from one of those intriguing sites that at first look somewhat dull but actually contain some excellent items. This site gives us a postcard each day and some, like the one shown are very interesting indeed. This picture shows the original post box, an idea of Anthony Trollope the author and Post Office employee. Situated at Barnes Cross, Holwell, near Sherbourne in Dorset the box was first used in the 1850's and even old Mike cannot remember that far back, I think. The uniform shown dates from that time and is reminiscent of some of the gear worn during the 1970's, although not by me! I recommend this site as there are some excellent postcard shown there. The photography is often marvellous and the subjects, ancient and modern, often intrigue. Some time ago I passed through London Bridge Station on a Saturday and there were numerous stalls selling postcards.I was surprised at just how many, and indeed how much! There are numerous other postcards sites also, but I think this is one worth a look!   A Postcard a Day.