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...
I wandered around the gardens this afternoon attempting to lose the stiffness caused by my intense exercise session this morning. At least ten minutes is intense enough for me! Having got there my memory failed me as I forgot the kids were out and about with mum making use of the gardens to fill in the time.
With most of the flowers now fading away and a few new ones appearing it showed the garden staff were thinking about what was being planted and making a good effort to provide variety and colour all the time.
As I wandered and took a picture here, a picture there, knowing when I got home I could either attempt to improve them or delete them as required I also considered appropriate words to go with them. On realisation that the sun was beginning to hide itself once again I took a wander round the town, stopped off at Tesco and trudged my way home.
It was while watching the first half of the Sunderland v Derby game that I realised that all the fine words I came up with earlier had been forgotten. I had also forgotten to attempt to post them as stuffing my fat face took priority. Now, with the score standing at 1-1, I am straining to finish this before the game restarts, and have failed. Had I written this earlier it would have made some sense, or so I say anyway.
I came across this squirrel one day in Kensington Gardens. The poor thing appeared to be suffering from a cold and as I had a packet of 'Lockets' those honey throat sweets as I had recently had similar I offered one to the greedy creature. he took it happily and sat chomping away, and breathing better, on this branch. I left another at the foot of the tree for him as I suspected he would require more. I was surprised that he accepted the sweet as they are not in fact very sweet and are very strong, I thought too strong for him. I was wrong. The beast appeared happier and so was I.
'Ally Pally' a city set on a hill and seen for miles around. A white elephant writ large. I don't think this has ever been of much use to the world. Alexandra Palace was opened in 1873 (rebuilt after a fire in 1875) as a counterpoint to the 'Crystal Palace' now resident in south London. The main aim was an entertainment centre but I am not sure it was a success. In 1936 the BBC TV made use of it as a TV studio, awfully well spoken announcers in evening dress and limited programming and even limited audiences. It was possible for the TV folks to walk round the town and shake hands with all the viewers if they wished.
The war, this occurred in 1939 look it up, put an end to TV transmissions but the Ally Pally was used by the BBC for a while after the war for both Radio & TV, the aerial towering above is still in use, but when the BBC found other studios the Palace was handed over to a multitude of wide ranging organisations and is still in use for pleasure purposes today. I would go but I canny be nothered climbing the hill.
I took this poor snap from a friends top floor flat which looked over the wide expanse of London. The sights at night must be terrific and the fireworks displays are best seen from up here. It is a shame the flat was expensive to run and a bit pokey and she moved to a more sensible rented accommodation. How the rich live!
One night in the London Favela I got bored and attempted to burn the place down by making use of candles to save electricity, it did not work. The place did not burn, no insurance was handed out and I saved no money.
Sometimes I wish I had kept hold of that old Leica. However it was a bit awkward to use and 1938 cameras do not do digital. Just think how recently we made use of those wee canisters of film. It appears like another world where the old fashioned process of developing and printing took so much time and effort while now we can in minutes rather than wait a week or so we can decide we have taken rubbish pictures! One great step for mankind.
Time to hit the road, something I often did when cycling...
Standing outside the museum door yesterday attempting to drag people in off the street I was surprised to discover the sunshine and even more surprised to discover just how hot it was! The temperature reached 23% and that is 73% in English! As we were so quiet, well I was the other one was talking a great deal, I escaped several times to feel heat upon me that did not come from some sort of radiator.
Today, having only important things to do, I cast them aside and at almost half past ten wandered over to the public gardens and sat there exposing my nipples to the hot sunshine for half an hour. As you can expect several young ladies came my way, what...? Oh! Well have it your own way then.
This is the first time I have done that for a short eternity, indeed I almost took my shirt off completely but as it happens in my life clouds began to cover the sun. The temperature rises and soon afterwards in this country thunderstorms appear, yesterday masses elsewhere but none so far over me. Such a change for us to enjoy this and hopefully it will last a while.
I did have an interesting query yesterday about the Savills and after leaving the museum trekked all the way over the road into the Congregational church graveyard to look for a dead woman. She was not there. This little tomb collected many of the family together but appeared full by 1885. My woman died in 1915 and far from here so I knew it would be a wasted trip but one has to look hasn't one? Somewhat crumbling now and overgrown as at this time of year graveyards are untended to allow the beasties to live off the grasses and flowers that abound the structure also looks as if it will fall apart one day. This was once a well to do family, farmers, soldiers and even one who became captain of the HMS 'Hampshire' during WW1. He it was we were researching, or at least his wife who died before him. He himself went down in the ship in 1916 when it struck a mine during a storm. I was left wondering what the various bodies here would think about their tomb? Would they not expect someone from the family to care? Indeed if any remain in this area are they concerned with their forefathers? So many graves over a hundred years old and I wonder if anyone knows or cares who these people are? Would you visit graves of the long lost relatives?
The museum has a little garden. Four square brick blocks inhabited by a variety of flowers all tended by a volunteer from the Organic Garden world. She is very careful about what goes into her plants and each year produces some fantastic results. So successful she raised funds by selling young plants a few weeks ago to eager gardeners instructing them on the organic manner of tending them.
One day I will train these guys to stand still while I take their picture. One day....
I now sit here, skin somewhat burning, as my delicate white flab is not used to sunshine. If I remember correctly the last time I was sunning myself it was 1984 but I could be wrong, I often am. I wonder if this big yellow thing will hang around for a while?
Having had a few days when nobody wished my presence (the first day started about 50 years ago) I have managed to catch up on half of the things that required doing about an eon ago. So as the sun decided to shine even though this allowed the chilly air to freeze everything and some things that ought not to be freezed I wandered abroad through the gardens. The thing about the cold weather is that while the plants have few flowers the cold keeps the mums and kids well away. Only two could be seen in the play area, two too many for me, and I wandered freely among the greenery breathing almost fresh air and enjoying the sun.
A passing stranger offered me a smile, the type of smile women like her offer when fearing you are a rapist, and I only just stopped myself shouting "BOO!" I had an encounter with a neurotic teacher on Tuesday and I am rarely in a mood for other neurotic females. I blame the 'Daily Mail.' Any man walking alone is clearly a rapist/murderer/paedo/ like that man on the TV and needs to be watched as they have read about such things. The only other who approached me was this timid squirrel and I had nothing to offer him. However as another possibly older squirrel came hurtling down the oak tree and began to chase him from what was clearly his patch this was an irrelevance. I actually put aside some nuts for the beasts and of course go out without them. Tsk!
As a few birthdays are coming up I decided to shop around the charity shops. With Christmas past I was hoping folks would have dumped their old stuff in and give me a chance to get a new jacket, shoes and birthday gifts. How disappointing that was today. Nothing worth paying for except one book that they were asking far too much for. It's a charity shop not a bookshop I wanted to say to the woman.
I noticed some things however such as a dozen or so DVDs of English football. I noted these were not new and it struck me one lad has found himself a wife at last and his favourite videos and DVDs are being dumped. It may be of course that she has dumped him and his goods are following or she might have tidied up in that female fashion with no comprehension of what has value and what has not. I expect the 'Jane Austen' sets are still in their place at her house.
There are six charity shops in town, two of them attempting to be 'High Class' shops with quality shopfronts, decent adverts and higher prices than required. Most of the staff are of course volunteers but such shops while making money appear to have the wrong attitude for charity shops in my view. This is made worse when the bigger the charity the more is spent of staffing costs and it appears to me some require urgent and radical rethinking of their policies. The other shops are less pretentious and a wee bit cheaper in my view and I like that. While one works hard at making second hand stuff look almost new the other makes sure stuff is decent and puts it on show. What more is required? One or two of these shops have been going for years, since before I came here 20 years ago almost, and the 'Cancer' shop has taken over a million pound in its time. A recent refurb has made it look good and sadly they now stock less books, mores the pity. I sometimes wonder about the history of the objects on sale. Who wore that jacket? Why was that gift rejected? Did the owner of the university books make a success out of their study? I'm very taken with the 'Sue Ryder' shop as they sell furniture and have loads of everyday items usually with that one thing you have been looking for. Naturally they did not have what I was looking for today.
Ah well, next week maybe.
I saw this man early today after I dropped off a letter complaining about the new block they wish to build next door. He was sitting glaring at me, his friend hiding under the tree, and appeared less than keen to see me. I suppose at that time of the day it is usually mums and kids on their way to school, or returned from there ans that is why he is feared. The minute I moved he was off.
Next door lies an old hut. It was built as a memorial to an individual of some repute after the war and now it appear sit has asbestos within and must come down. A developer has offered a three story building with four flats, car parking space on ground floor, windows that looks into other peoples windows just to line his pockets and I and others do not like it. This governments approach favours such men, and we have a similar council so I do not hold out much hope here. I wrote and complained and a very slight adjustment has been offered, so I complain again but something tells me, from listening to others, that this will go through anyway even if totally wrong.
In spite of not eating properly, feeling rough, and unloved I returned to fill an empty space in the museum this afternoon where I dealt with hundreds of attractive young mums asking about the kids stuff over the next few weeks. The mums are somewhat miffed that there are seven weeks of holidays ahead, the kids are delighted. I booked one or two in for dozens of things, the kids often not getting a choice, and the mums looking to the cafe where they can hide from them for a while.
All good fun and the events begin next week. I am glad I only do one day, well two at the moment.
Thirty kids at one go, many mums also, thankfully I just welcome them in, check the list and dump them on the others. I m completely washed out, too tired to watch the first of the football. Tsk!
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Tired and weary as I am I have nothing to say. This will be a sad loss to the world but I believe the world will continue nonetheless. However I may feel that this would be something of a pity.... Albert is a squirrel that forced me to feed him the other day, his gun is just behind the bushy tail.
Every week I begin by attempting to get fit. By the end of the week I feel good and within days I am overcome by weariness and the 'bug' feeling. This lasts for days and then I am ready to start again, but always starting from the beginning I find. To that end I walked out in the cold sunshine this morning, and after sleeping that off, I went out again this afternoon. It was almost like Spring! The sun shone, the sky was blue and people almost smiled as they passed. Wandering along the old railway I noticed this squirrel happily sitting, or was he posing, on top of this cut down tree just off the line. he appeared to be doing nothing but questioning the meaning of life, or maybe wondering where All the branches had gone more like. Poor lad, it was probably one of his favourite hang outs and now it's gone! There has been a lot of work on the vegetation on the line in recent days, and though this tree is in a private garden the squirrels must be wondering about their hide outs. How lovely to walk in the sunshine, to even see a few flying insects, and hear the birds in the trees. A robin and a thrush sang for me as I passed by. Mind you, if I could speak thrush I may be disillusioned by what he was actually saying about me of course! A good afternoon! However I am knackered now. How come I am so unfit? 
This is the river from which the town gets its name. Now from our window in Edinburgh I can look over the Firth of Forth, and the sight of that majestic Firth speaks to me of what a river is like. In fact the young ladies on Scottish Diary have some excellent pictures of the Firth of Forth on their Flicker widget. Well worth a look! However, when I consider what I was brought up with and look into this dirty brown stream I find it hard to call this a 'river.' This is no more than a wee burn to me, and when you look you see it has actually overflowed and flooded the land all around, well a wee bit anyway. Further along the reeds and flooded area would make a great place for kids to play. I suspect neurotic mum's and social service staff would object. When we drove around on Monday we passed many fields on the borders with Suffolk which were flooded, some over a wide area. The rain has not been excessive but the water floods down through the fields, leaving a dirty brown river full of chemicals and farmers waste I suspect. Kevin, my instructor, kept suggesting they dig barriers to control the flood as it happens every year. However I don't believe water is that keen to be controlled. Far too many houses are built round here on flood plains, in one area the houses have a form of 'stilts' 20 foot high under the foundations just to keep them above the possible flood! How daft is that? The drive was in fog and sunshine, what horrible conditions! So bad that even the drivers round here behaved well! I have booked the theory test fr the 10th and then, if I pass, I will book the actual driving test.I am on my knees now!
