It's Spring Again!

Bah!

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He He He!

The day was taken up with football.  The Edinburgh derby saw Hibernian struggle once again against a Heart of Midlothian side, a side so full of young players it was almost the Under 20's!  The Hearts played the better of what football was on offer yet failed to get the ball past the lucky Hibs goalie.  Lee Griffiths, as clear a product of Leith that you will ever come across, did manage to put the ball past Jamie MacDonald in the Hearts goal.  It gives me tears as I tell you the Russian linesman at the side did not notice the ball had crossed the line, by a yard!  Not for nothing do Scottish officials find themselves sponsored by 'Specsavers!'  I am myself not in favour of 'goalline technology' as the game has managed fine, bar the English cheating in '66, without it until now.  Better placed courageous officials are all that is required.  Still, looking at the reactions of the Hibernian faithful I must say, it's a giggle, innit? 

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Busy Day

I did spend two hours with the museum this morning.  Discovered that a school is sending the kids in to discover the town's history and am now working on a handout for them.  This is difficult as some areas we are very poor on, Tudors and Medieval for a start.  The Victorian times we do well.  
After this I spent an enjoyable time watching Wigan hammer Everton,  later enjoyed thoroughly Ross County defeating Celtic and then returned to searching for Victorian school buildings still in use as schools.  I have about eight different items to play around with, I wonder if I can do this? Don't know, but it's fun!

 
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Busy Indoors

Having been given my instructions by Deadly Deke at the museum I found great encouragement to research as the rain laden mist sits upon the town throughout the day.  Foolishly I ventured out in search of information during a dry spell, returning home as it ended, upon me!  

The present idea was to collect info regarding the towns buildings, many dating back to the 1400's, the old railway line, and other details of interest.  I have begun to sort out what little I have discovered and now have plenty to keep me from wearying, if I can work out what to do that is!

An interesting item appeared this morning in the 'Daily Mail.'  After Hague's warning yesterday re chemical weapons a story appears in the Conservatives favourite paper telling of children burned by chemical weapons!  The commentators to a man cried 'WMD!'  The nation is cynical to say the least re this governments words on Syria.  This item has now been replaced by one showing  drawings from children in Syria.  Not surprisingly these are dominated by the war.
This war is a complicated one, our part is not as clear as we are being told.

  
This delicate ironwork stands above a shop in the High Street.  Not sure if it would stop an individual falling out of the window but I suspect it has been there for many years.  I am not sure what the letters are, 'H,' certainly and 'W,' but not to clear if that is an '&,' or an 'S,' also.  My eyes are wearying with looking at such as this today.  When the rain goes off, about Thursday I may go out.  Hold on!  I am at the museum tomorrow!  Oh dear, where's the wellies?  

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William Hague and Syria

WMD 2 is now underway.
Yesterday Her Majesties noble Foreign Secretary William Vague Hague informed the House that owing to the 'Humanitarian Situation' regarding Syria, action had to be taken urgently to stop the suffering caused by the Assad regime. The regime which we are being constantly told 'is crumbling and about to fall!'  The regime appears to be still there and still strong.  However Assad and his opponents, and certainly the mass of the population, are sick of the fighting and destruction which has now reached a stalemate.  It appears both may be willing to make some sort of peace agreement, and the west cannot allow this.  Franklin Lamb makes some cogent points, points rarely heard in our media!

This may well be the reason John Kerry, Hague's new imperialist friend from the US, raced to meet European leaders last week.  If the powers that be wish to attack Iran through Syria the last thing they wish to see is a floundering of the rebels attacking might.  The use by William Hague of the 'humanitarian' reasons makes good copy for the propaganda offered to the media.  Interestingly only the 'Online Daily Mail' mentioned the story, and that low down the page (and then most commentators objected strongly to our involvement) The 'Telegraph' appeared to ignore it but the 'Guardian' always supports humanitarian aid so was glad about that at least.  Chemical weapons may be used says Hague, but no evidence of this is offered.  Indeed the last time chemical weapons were mentioned cries of 'WMD' were heard in the land and the claim was dropped.  Syria does indeed possess this material, no evidence can be found of any threat to use it however, none whatsoever.  The suitable aid we are giving to help end the killing includes 'non lethal equipment,' such as armoured vehicles, body armour, and equipment to test for chemical weapons.  That will aid an end to the fighting!  In slight acceptance of the murderous behaviour of the 'good guys' who we support, 'Human Rights training' is being given to their killers.  This I remind you is the middle east where killing each other in the cruelest possible manner has been a local sport for millenia!

No aid is mentioned for refugees as this has already been given, and will continue as before.  No-one can complain about that, however the refugees are not the reason for the intervention, that is Iran!  The claim that Iran is supporting Syria may well be correct, the Saudis being the paymaster for the Wahabee and other Islamist fighting groups (Bin Laden was of course a Wahabee) is not mentioned.  Several Gulf States, supplied by the UK, US and other European nations with expensive weapons, are also aiding the rebels out of fear of Iran, rarely do we hear about that also, I wonder why?  

In short daft Dave is acting as 'Tony Blair 2' and encouraging an escalation of fighting in the region for the sake of his friends in Washington.  Obama does not wish to be involved and sensibly he wants out of Afghanistan in a hurry.  Dave however appears keen to be seen as a 'warrior PM' as he believes this wins him votes!  Has he learned nothing from Iraq?  Anything that Blair did that worked was forgotten once he embarked on Bush's folly.  The reasons for that war are still unclear, apart from Israels fear of Saddam and the great quantities of oil!  Iran, being Persian and not Arab, and claiming to be a proud nation that goes all the way back to Cyrus the Great, offer a threat to the region, especially when soon they will possess a nuclear weapon.  The nations to whom we sell huge quantities of aircraft, guns, crowd control material, tear gas, etc, treat their people as badly as Syria and Iran have done.   Both Iran and Syria often treated their people better!  Women were free to learn and develop in both nations, only recently has this been limited, but not stopped, in Iran.  

With the UK reducing the armed forces to its lowest level ever, some 82,000 men I believe, austerity hitting everyone, bar the cabinet and their friends, and the nation objecting strongly to our participation in Afghanistan there can be no doubt this government has decided to involve us in military action in Syria!  The reasons given are feeble, the truth kept hidden.  There can be however no doubt that using Syria to unsettle Iran is the reason behind the thousand of refugees.  The governing forces can sleep easy at night however, those in tents in the Jordanian desert and the bodies lying in the streets are Arabs, not local voters! 

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Tuesday Titter

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6:30am Bike Ride

What a wonderful sight to see, blue sky and sunshine early in the morning!  The fact that my fingers froze so I could hardly hold the camera is of secondary concern.  The freezing mist dwelt in the folds of the hills as the sun sprung up.  The colour was a deep red but sadly my pictures cannot show just how red it was.  A bright scarlet ball rising above the trees and slowly evaporating the mists.  Being early few were about, and that is an advantage.  One or two walking dogs, who care nothing about the weather it appears, one or two grudgingly heading for work.  This early often allows folks to mutter "Morning" as they pass, although there is always a woman, with a big dog, who looks away, nose in the air, as you pass.  Does she know me....?

It is so good to be out on the bike again.  My bones are creaking like an aged barn in a gale but  being out in a part of the country does you good.  The birds flit through the trees, pairing up and preparing the nests for the soon to be new arrivals, rabbits dodge the bike, but not the farmer in the distance with his gun I noticed, and another sign Spring is close, fields are blocked of to stop gypsies arriving.  Breathe deeply the fresh morning air, change your mind when it freezes the throat, cough all the way back down the track.  Back by half past seven for fried egg sandwich  breakfast and slowly stiffening muscles.  I use the term 'muscles' in the widest possible term here.

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Old Hooses

It is regrettable that these two houses stand on the corner of a main road, and one just up from the traffic lights at that.  This means constant traffic, some heavy, for most of the day.  This is not how it was when they were constructed sometime in the 1600's.  These fine houses must contain some stories considering how many folk have passed through those doors during that time.  Some amongst them have altered the windows in the late 1700s or early 1800's, I suspect previous windows were considerably smaller.  The majority would no doubt have been employed in some kind of agricultural work, the towns importance as a market town still gives us a market twice a week, although cattle and pigs no longer walk up the High Street.  Many however were involved in trade, manufacturing or the like.  Shops did good business, pubs abounded, lawyers ensured they got paid and a variety of churches were in operation.  I would have thought that at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries the owner would have been some sort of merchant, and keen to show of his wealth.  Certainly the windows were installed then and some think the front was renovated also. The gable dormers were added to the roof in the 19th century to enhance the building in keeping with the 'Flanders' like influence found elsewhere in the town.  I wonder what his prices were like?   Certainly behind the house on the left of the picture stands a long weatherboard outbuilding used at one time for trade.  Now it appears to have been turned into some sort of lodging.

The Sky TV aerials appear to be of a later vintage than the rest of the building, possibly 20th century according to the stour on them!  The aerials also indicate just how many flats these once proud homes now contain.

  

A very Georgian like door, possibly dating from the origin of the house or maybe added during the alterations.  The glass looks what you might expect from a Victorian door.  I have been wrong before of course, as someone is always willing to remind me.

I do like a nice letterbox but this one has been blocked by a nameplate!  A minute letterbox has been inserted above this, Tsk!  Not quite sure of the name, although there were a couple of Fitches elsewhere in the town in the 19th century.   

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Surfing USA?

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Life is Cheap

It was a car accident that got me thinking.  The driver's Mercedes had been doing 56 Miles per hour in a 30 mph area when he ran into a Nissan coming the other way, a closing speed of about 85 mph when they collided.  The man and woman in the front of the Nissan died, the two children in the rear survived, although hurt.  In court a clearly remorseful young man was sent to prison for 16 months.
Near Edinburgh a few days a go a court tried a young woman.  Whilst drinking she heard her boy on the phone to another lass.  She went to the kitchen, took a knife and stabbed him in the chest and he died.  Remorseful somewhat the jury decided she was guilty not of murder but of manslaughter and she was jailed for ten years.
I could go on.  A driver high on drink or drugs crashes his Mercedes into another killing the driver.  he runs away, a serious crime in the UK.  He is given six years imprisonment.  A car knocks a cyclist of his bike whence the rider dies, the driver is merely banned from driving for several months.
Daily we read such stories in the media, usually emphasised by the tabloids.  Life it appears is cheap in this country, death means little.  I understand that a judge is limited in his sentencing by the law under which the individual is charged, manslaughter is often preferred by the prosecution as there is more chance of a guilty plea, dangerous driving is harder to prove than reckless and so on.  The end result is that life means little in a court and I wonder if the legal people really care?

A family loses a breadwinner, a mother struggling on benefits to provide for her child sees the man who caused her husbands death running around a football field earning several thousand a week, dancing when he scores, and she has not enough to pay the gas bill.  A child wonders what life would be like with a parent, another what life would be like with a child.  Both suffer from bad drivers or a moments anger.  The man who got 16 months may be released on 'good behaviour' in 8 months, meaning a life is worth four months imprisonment.  This man will always feel his guilt, but even so.  Given six years and returned to football's wealth and glory in three years appears to insult a widow.  Too many walk the streets knowing they have killed.  Many carry the weight for ever, but does society react correctly to such incidents?

'In wrath remember mercy,' and courts must do this, however they must also remember the victim, I doubt they do.  Sentencing appears based on the over crowded prisons, caring for criminals, restoring them to society rather than caring for victims or punishment.  Punishment you see has been removed from the legal system.  Punishment has been outlawed by the liberal approach.  Children are not slapped lovingly when doing wrong, so they do it again.  Anyone who demands a child behaves is seen as a criminal today, and this is a clear turning of black into white!

British society appear callous today.  During the twentieth century we endured a war that cost 750,000 men and as many more during the following twenty years.  A flu pandemic took almost as many again and a second was saw less die here but fifty million or so worldwide.  Yet the attitude of the people was less violent than today.  War hardens people.  P.G. Wodhouse found his type of book less popular after the war, thrillers were what was wanted. Laurel & Hardy found their humour less attractive than Abbott & Castello, the faster moving action packed book and act touched something in the people.  Men who returned from war wanted action and sports of all kind found higher attendances at that time than any since.  However criminals existed but the level of violence was considerably less than today.

This country has suffered under a liberal outpouring, as I think often occurs when wealth and peace dominate.  The need for basic homes and health has been satisfied so we allow ourselves liberalism in other things to fill the day and please our senses.  Humanity suffers.  In our hospitals the old are pushed aside and left to die by order of the doctors!  Unbelievable a few years ago, not so now.  Maybe 'degree level' nurses find washing patients beneath them I wonder?  It would not have happened in the hospitals I worked in.  We have, since 1967, murdered seven million babies under the 'woman's right' to abortion. 

No woman has the right to kill her child, no woman!  

Half of those of course would be female, maybe that doesn't matter? Child has a 'hair lip,' bump it off.  Baby interfering with your career, kill it!  Widespread availability of contraception does not justify a holocaust of children.  Women suffer we are told, although they were not the one thrown into an incinerator.  Of course they suffer, and of course we understand , we also know this is wrong and so do the women.

But society cares little, until something like this happens to them. Then there will be no-one to care, just desolation.




I have just read that a couple who battered a property developer to death have received a life sentence for the murder.  She has a 25 year minimum, he 18 years.  Surely this is the minimum in such a situation.  Both will be in their fifties when released, and very different people I suspect. 
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Muddle

Today the Heart of Midlothian parted company with another manager.  I find this one rather sad.  John McGlynn was a decent Heart of Midlothian man who cared for the club and did his best in difficult times.  His common complaint that he had lost several major players through transfer and injury was indeed correct.  Many of the young players he was encouraged to play had been through his hands in times past when he was a youth coach.  Instead of seeing them reach the heights he instead sees a bleak future as one of the unemployed.  For myself I always considered John more as a coach than a manager, an assistant manager rather than the man in the media spotlight.  The pressure of managing a club of the size of the Heart of Midlothian is great, as indeed is the fans expectation.  Both told on him as the season continued.  His tactical knowledge was less than that required and it is clear no Heart of Midlothian side ought to be playing one up front, especially at home.  The Heart of Midlothian must always make attack the policy, as full bloodied as possible and according to the resources available.  Sadly for John his ideas fell flat and the feeble effort against St Mirren on Tuesday night spelt the end for this decent man.  Those who take over have a difficult job to do however the change will actually encourage some players and hope of success still beats.  We have a cup final to look forward to, and I expect us to win it!

  

Today also saw the publishing of Lord Nimmo-Smith's report into Rangers use or misuse of what are called 'EBT's' in paying their players.  For some these are legal, for other a tax dodge, regarding the Scottish Football Association (SFA) these must be declared to them before they begin.  Whether legal or not was not the question, the question was did Rangers under David Murray hide such payments and gain advantage.

The report decides no advantage was gained, but these were hidden and fines a club that has gone into liquidation the sum of £25,000 that cannot ever be recovered.  In short a whitewash of the SFA favourites!  Once again Rangers under Murray have moved the goalposts and got off with it!  Once again the Scottish establishment have come down on the side of their team!  How anyone can believe that giving hidden payments, therefore encouraging the buying of better players, does not lead to gaining advantage is hard to understand!  Of course they had an advantage, of course the titles and cups are tarnished, of course the fine is inadequate!  

Muddle?  No, deliberate moving of goalposts to aid the team that matters.  I am left wondering what political pressure (read that phrase any way you like) has been exerted and where?  If only I supported Celtic, I could see conspiracy and back room dealings being done here among the rich and famous.  However I will not do that.  Scottish football however has been stabbed in the back once again! 

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A Walk in the Sunshine

Wigan

The bright and almost warm sunshine this afternoon reminded me of my time as a postman walking the streets in summer, on a bike!  Always the bets way to walk the streets.  At that time the daft new rules had been brought in, the Union rolling over and submitting to the bosses in their usual manner, rules that changed this pleasant but hard job into a hard and unpleasant routine for many.
Delivering early in the sun is great.  The cats all greet you, imagining you will open the door and feed them, instead you speak to them, post the mail and turn away.  The cats then possess an expression that would make Maggie Thatcher tremble!  At some times of the year the bushes in the gardens would be covered in what looks like thin white silk.  This turns out to be spiders webs about a foot or so across, often a dozen or more on a bush.  The morning dew added a glint in the sun to these, although difficult to photograph properly I find.  The dew on lavender plants heightening the fragrance as you brush past the stalks leaning over the pathways.  Lavender is a common plant in this area, the long purple rows can be seen on many farms. The scent wafted around as I passed but the cats did not appear to care.

In those days I often met with mothers taking the brats to school.  On on occasion I rang the bell just as mum was yelling "Get down here this minute! I said NOW! not tomorrow!"  She opened the bell somewhat sheepishly realising I must have overheard.  "Don't worry lass," Says I, "Every other house down the road is doing exactly the same."  Indeed they were.  The house where a child, or children, trotted cheerfully and quickly off to school does not exist.  Some parents believe others have an easy time with their kids, they are wrong!  All children are brats!  As I returned from a house further along the family were now acting out 'happiness and obedience' in the same style all the other mums dragging their brood to primary school were.   Kids often look out for the postman.  On occasions wee George will be straining to see the postman, meaning the regular man will hesitate before moving on so as to wave to the boy.  This will continue for several days and suddenly stop.  Wee George has lost interest and possibly has another to wave to.   

Postmen of course do not deliver to you.  Postmen deliver to an address.  No 24 is what matters, not Mrs Smith.  Postmen sign the Secrets Act because the mail belongs to 'Her Majesty the English Queen,' although she never makes any attempt to deliver it herself.  So much for sex equality!  What is delivered is none of the postie's business, he just carries the stuff, and if he discovers what is being sent, from whom and to whom, he cannot pass on such information to anyone, even the police.  Any legitimate authority must go through the proper channels if required.  Naturally it is not difficult to guess what many people (called 'customers today') are receiving  however few will really care.  Nosiness has its limits, especially when there are several more sacks of mail to get through.  It is customary for postmen to act natural with 'customers' in spite of the sex machines, interesting pills, and other legal implements that show through badly packaged mail.  

People are strange.  Most I met around here were sensible enough, boringly normal for the most part, but occasionally something will arise.  One postman in Chelmsford was apparently met by a naked women (age not known) as he desired a signature for an item.  He was later informed by a policeman friend that he could have been done as a 'peeping tom' for that!  I doubt he would have been.  I might have waited until she signed and suggested "You'd better put some clothes on lass, they will think he wants you for your money!"
The nearest I got was a young lass in her underwear who possibly expected the parcel van driver. She certainly was disappointed to see me.  I managed not to suggest that a diet would help her love life.  But only just.  

Ah memories.  Memories are of course better than the pain in the knees, the weight of the mail, the unfortunate management, the rain, the hail, the snow and on occasion the sunshine.  One year some folks were claiming it was too hot!  Stupid men!  These were the ones who sit in a little van going around the villages.  In between stops for coffee from friendly farmers daughters and one or two wives, something we 'townies' never got, the sun shining through the windscreen must have made life difficult for them on their 300 drops.  I had 500 at least!!!  Bah!  Well it is a good job I was never one to complain, as there were reasons to.  Being a postman, on the good days, was once a very enjoyable job, and I had hoped to continue this until I retired.  Maybe of course the knee has saved me many troubles as I do not think I would enjoy the confused and overworked life such men endure today.  Yes I know what you are saying, women are postmen also.  However in those uniforms it was difficult to tell!

Old-Pictures

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Cats

On the first day of creation: God created The Cat.

On the second day: God created man to serve the cat.

On the third: God created all the animals of the earth to serve as potential food for the cat.

On the fourth day: God created honest toil so that man could labour for the good of the cat.

On the fifth: God created the sparkle ball so that the cat might or might not play with it.

On the sixth day: God created veterinary science to keep the cat healthy and the man broke.

On the seventh day: God tried to rest...........but he had to scoop the litter box .....

Discussing exam: 
"Jones, unlike Green, who had had 'had', had had 'had had.'
 'Had had' had had the approval of the examiners."

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Giggle

Jim asked his friend, Tony, whether he had bought his wife 

anything for Valentine's Day.

'Yes,' came the answer from Tony who was a bit of a chauvinist,

 'I've bought her a belt and a bag.'

'That's nice of you,' Jim added,

 'I hope she'll appreciate them.'

Tony smiled as he replied,

 'So do I, and hopefully the vacuum cleaner will work better now.'

My wife just called me.

She said, "Three of the girls in the office have just received

 some flowers for Valentines Day, they are absolutely gorgeous."

I said, "That's probably why they've received flowers."

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It Seems to me

Daily Telegraph

This man, Oscar Pistorius, shot his girlfriend either deliberately or accidentally.  He is famous for being a disabled athlete who apparently has won things.  Can I just let it be known I do not care?  There is in my view nothing, bar some very poor police work and absurd journalism, in this story that relates to the UK so why do we have it thrust upon us as the main story in every news bulletin and paper?  Do we lack murderers and dubious athletes ourselves we need to care about other peoples?  I know not whether he is guilty or not, I know it is not newsworthy, so why is it so important to the media?  Having been given bail he may stay out of the news for a while, until it begins again during the court case.

Guardian

When the present Pope decided to resign rather than die on office it created a media outcry.  A man considered irrelevant by so many gets an awful lot of publicity for anything he says.  Now it transpires he had read a report indicating a 'gay' fraternity being exposed in the Vatican, that says the 'La Repubblica' paper is why he is going.  I believe them, the pope is an 'intellectual' as opposed to a leader, a manager, which is what the pope role is about.  he was given the job because the other cardinals did not want another John Paul II, a man who refused to die in office for many years.  I believe them also as it is no secret that many homosexuals, as well as paedophiles have found their way into the Roman church organisation (although I am not able to give evidence bar reporting stories thereof) .  Such tales have been around in RC circles for many years, names never mentioned, and any organisation that wrongly insists on celibacy is open to corruption if control is poor.  The size and complexity of the RCs organisation makes such control difficult, especially when the Vatican itself is full of problems.  A return to the bible is required from the next pope, a removal of homosexual groups and a handing over to the police of all paedos is an urgent step he must take, an end to celibacy is also overdue, that in itself with free many problems. When he reads this report, if it exists, he has many hard choices to make.  

Braintree & Witham Times

      

Car drivers are always whining about petrol prices.  There is hardly a day when the poor hard done by drivers grumble and complain about their struggle to pay for fuel.  I noticed while sitting on the bus the other day the prices, £135.9 for Unleaded, and £147.9 for diesel, that's at a litre a time.  Smaller cars will have a tank of what?  Around 45 litres perhaps?  That means you might pay £40 - 50 when you fill up.  However as I look around I find people driving big cars, and those who drive smaller appear to use them a lot.  Now I am on a tight budget, which is why I bought 30 butchersd sausages for £10 yesterday, cheap around here, but so many people appear to find enough to fill the hosue with all mod cons, drive cars, have holidays, drink in pubs, attend football matches and yet say "It's all right for you!"  Where does their money come from in these austerity days?  How do folks manage to live so well?  I would hate to tell them to buy a smaller car, eat better and less, don't buy what you don't need, and get a life.  There again, I might.


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MORE SHOPPING WOES!

So you don't like me shopping? BAH!  I went anyway!

It was rubbish! 
The Oxfam shop exists here, it remains overpriced and did not have what I want!  Waterstone's here had more floor space and more books I didn't want, but found two I can suffer.  Almost no bookshops left in this country, even the second hand ones are mostly charitable types now.  Amazon has much to answer for!

Still I got 'Annals' by Tacitus (or Takitus if you prefer) plus 'Britain BC' by Francis Pryor.  Also having passed two folks with flu I expect to get that also, Flu hates me with a passion.  I'm convinced virii and germs recognise me wherever I am.  There are ancient canals in boring  Chelmsford, the bridge is dated 1787, the one below I mean, as that is the year the canal opened, and runs over the River Can which leads tothe Basin.  The green one is considerably later and not so attractive.  From Chelmsford basin, now a nice walk in the sunshine, the boats would make their way to the Heybridge Basin near Maldon.  Horse drawn barges, very romantic but commercially slow, carried 25 tons of grain, flour and whatever to the coast, bricks, coal, timber etc were brought back.  The horse were used until the 60's even!  The commercial side ended in 1972,unusually the rail links did not compete with this canal and that is the reason for its survival.  

I attempted to take pics of the fabulous wee houses I passed but the bus moved too fast and only this one in a village survives.  T last time I was in Great Leighs, about 15 years ago I cycled around the back roads visiting the tomb of the Reverend Clark, he of 'Echoes of the War' fame. Then it was a small place, with lots ofinteresting wee houses and people watching through the net curtains as I passed.  Today it has swollen enormously owing to housing development.  You get a glimpse of such housing development in this picture here.  I know what I prefer.  Other villages have kept the developer at bay and houses from several hundred years ago deserve a visit in the summer.  If I'm free that day!

I hurried up the road to get the quarter past bus, which naturally did not arrive.  The highly sophisticated timetable has been well presented, it just forgot to add the bus might not arrive!  The first time I visited London I was somewhat taken aback to see the timetables on the stops informing us the buses arrived 'every fifteen minutes, but it then told us the times may not be adhered to!  That would never have done for Edinburgh!  

As I headed for the bus in a rush I passed this place.  Typical of many pubs in the London area and looking very neat today.  In stead of standing freezing in the bus station (why do they build them in such a way as to invite cold winds?)  I should have been in here. The bus arrived at twenty to the hour!  Bah!  

Still awake.....?  

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Old Doorway

In the middle of Colchester centre stands this Saxon tower, built around 1020 AD they say.  This is the oldest known church in the town, and as the Saxon's tended to build in wood, abundant in the area while stone is not, this may well replace a previous structure.  Actually, outside the new police station lies the traces of a building thought by some to be the first Christian church in the island, possibly built in the first 300 years of the millennium.   There is an abundance of Roman tiles in the doorway and the walls of the tower, which shows how entrenched the Romans were here.   The doorway is not encouraging fat people (oops, sorry, grammar nazi's insist on 'obese.') to enter is it?  

  
The narrow street meant I could not get a better picture from there but sufficient to show the height.  I can imagine their shaky scaffolding as the tower grew!  Amongst the graves in the plot squashed around the tower lies one William Gilberd, whom you will recognise as the physician to Queen Elizabeth I.  He also discovered 'electro-magnetism' whatever that is.  Also entombed lies one John Wilbye, whom you will recall was famous for writing madrigals. (A note to the less enlightened, madrigals were songs, not magazines)  I stuck my head through the side door into what once was a church to find a dingy hall filled with tables all askew.  The hall now serves youth and sometimes is used as a music venue.  While useful to many this appears to me to be a sad end for such a building.  

All around us lie things we never see because they have always been there.  I suspect folks walking up East Hill never glance at this one time watering place.  We take clean water for granted, except when the bill comes in, but until the middle of the 19th century it was not always so.  Water was often polluted, if available, and beer was safer to drink.  Many houses built near the end of the century still shared a common water pump.  This one was erected in 1864 'In Memorium,' but it does not say of whom!  I can imagine bare footed children crowding around each time they passed for a free drink.  Quite what the lower niche was for I know not. Did they wash their feet there perhaps.  

I noticed this in the walls of the priory but am undecided as to the purpose.  A window perhaps? Too high of the ground for anything else.  In RC tradition a light is kept burning, possibly this was connected to that, possibly not.  You can see the haphazard stonework.  Anything lying around was used.

 Yet another memorial to the war dead stands in the priory grounds.  To which members of the town I did not look to see however I was once again struck by the use of the phrase 'The Glorious Dead.'  How the people at home wanted to believe the losses had been worthwhile.   The effect of the losses remains in our character to this day.  

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St Botolph's Priory

After the Roman retreat from southern Britain the Anglo Saxons came to dominate the area, forcing the remaining locals to move to Wales, how cruel can you be?  Occupation of Colchester had continued and the Saxon's built a Minster there.  Once William the Conqueror (a name he preferred to his previous title, 'William the Bastard') was in control an abbey was begin shortly after the Norman's began to build the castle on the ruins of the Roman Basilica.   The Priory did not do well.  Monks arrived and left in short order, possibly because the bishop was not too generous towards them.  This was to be the story of the following years.  While Bury St Edmunds developed with the body of the saint in residence Colchester had no relics, no books being written and no great men to bring in the crowds or the wealth.  Many efforts were made over the years to produce a satisfactory life but this place never became wealthy.

 Colchester itself appears to do little but exist around the five hundred years of the priories existence, although they did receive a  charter from the king and around 1300 AD contained a population of possibly 4000, although the taxation roll only names 390!  Conservative politicians fiddling tax even then?  Occasionally a King would visit, the castle would be endangered by a siege from the Danes or French, an occasional plague and of course the Peasants revolt passed through in 1381.  'Long live John Ball!'  

In 1403 the then Abbot, one Geoffrey, became embroiled in a plot to bring Richard II to the throne.  Not surprisingly this never occurred and in spite of being given clemency he once more got involved in treasonable acts.  He died in prison of a disease of the throat.  These men were very influential in their day, related to Kings and Queens, often of the royal line themselves, and on the odd occasion a Christian might make it near the top.  Politics was too important to let that happen.  However by 1539 the then man in charge, one John Beche, disagreed with Henry VIII to the extent that he lost his head over it on December the 1st  that year.  And a Merry Christmas to you mate!  Since that time the building has fallen into disrepair.  Built from materials at hand, no building stone in this county, Roman remains were used alongside anything lying around.  An impressive building arose, the walls once covered by plaster which has since fallen away to reveal the flints beneath.  

Now standing somewhat desolate the council have ensured the ruin will not collapse any further and the place forms a hideaway for the derelicts of the town.  Three such were minding their own business as I wandered about yesterday, heedless of the fool with the camera or the many others who followed the path from one of the town's stations into the heart of the place.  A somewhat sad story.  A towering building that never saw fame, was a disappointment to many who spent time there, and now stands forlorn, almost hidden from view.   The stonework, mostly Roman I say, around the door shows some extent of the hope that someone once had for the place.

Priory story    

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The Big City, in Comparison....

Early this morning, clutching my FREE Bus Pass, I wandered down to the bus station go shopping in the big town.  I had the choice of two towns to visit and against my better judgement I went into Camoludunum.  There I planned to visit Waterstones, a second hand bookshop, a Christian bookshop, a shop selling almost every odd thing you need but don't have, and acquire a couple of T-shirts to replace dying stock.

From the off there were problems.  For a start the driver did not want to let me on.  
"Is that your dad's pass?" He asked brusquely.  
Tempting as it was to agree with him the woman behind me, whom I once delivered mail to, intervened.
"Nah! He's a miserable old git right enough!" She said somewhat too eagerly.
As I climbed the stairs I mused on how willingly the driver accepted her opinion! Bah!

Ah, upstairs on a bus!  An unusual experience these days for me.  Useful for looking into passing gardens and people's windows, seeing life hidden from normal view and giving a new outlook on the world.  Few others joined us, half term means kids are out and about but few joined us today I'm glad to say.  Two grans brought two primary school kids to the front seats and almost immediately a chinky bloke sat alongside them.  Seconds later the male child was sitting on his knee as a joke, and I noticed the grans holding their handbags cudgel fashion.  When I next looked one gran was quietly sitting behind him.  Subtle.  He was no danger, the man was just socially unaware, as he would soon be made aware if the women misunderstood.

Passing through a village I noticed once again the quaintness of the ancient houses, the narrowness of the road compared to the size of a double decker bus, and recalled that while this place looked interesting the people were, somewhat insular!  English you see, they are not egalitarian like what we are.  During the plague this village blocked the road with barriers to stop the plague getting in!  I must go back there, when the sun shines, and have a browse at the prices in the shop windows.  Sadly the day remained overcast until I was heading home again, and wee villages require sunshine.  The quaint houses compared badly to the shopping centre some miles further on, in particular the new 'Sainsburys' that surprised me by its size!  It was as big as a football stadium!  On the other side stood a 'Boots' with a 'Drive Thru Prescription' service!  Now excuse me but who uses that?  Do you phone up and order the bottle of 'embarrassing stuff' and drive in the side door so no-one can see you?  Typically it is spelt badly, must be Yank inspired.

As we neared town I cleaned my glasses for the third time.  Vision had been quite misty up till then.  It was as I cleaned I realised it was the sleep in my eye, not the film on the glass!  In the town stood a field, several trees, planted a few years ago, stood knee deep in long grass.  Behind them stood goalposts, just the one set, surrounded by a deep layer of brown mud.  No accompanying set of goals were to be seen.  This reminded me of the difference between the British Isles attitude to the beautiful game, and Johnny foreigners approach.  The proper approach is the one we took when young.  A couple of jumpers were deposited as goals, I would take my usual place as goalkeeper, and the rest would spend time crossing the ball in or playing a kind of defence v attack format with one goal only.  However in places like Spain and Italy, where the sun shine most of the year, young men get a ball, meet in a park and do not set up goals.  Instead they pass the ball, dribble, experiment on fancy ball control, and the like.  Technique is all, while getting on with the game was our idea!  The result is the better control of foreign players, and their goalies constant struggle while dealing with crosses.  The British drive is missing although in the south high temperatures mitigate against that.  The cold means we need to run about quick!  A simple thing those posts, but they speak loudly about our game.

I alighted the bus as we entered the centre, a mistake I was to discover later.  Heading straight for 'Waterson's'  I clutched tightly my Book Token given to me at Christmas by a sensible, intelligent young lady, and began to search for something worthwhile, educational, cheap, historical and to suit my exquisite taste, I failed!  They had a few good books right enough but none suited today.  The only decent bookshop in town and I could find nothing!  Shock!  However disappointed as I was I continued on to the Christian bookshop down the road and failed to find it.  It had turned into a shop full of junk furniture and was closed!  Two down, but   was I downhearted?  Yes!  I wandered through the centre, much more interesting than boring Chelmsford I must say.  Lots of interesting shops that appeal to women, and few closed or turned into charity shops, those were found in the lesser streets.  I wandered about this interesting town centre, still showing evidence of Roman organisation in these street patterns, disappointed by the charity shops books also, much better choice than here in this town but not what I wanted.  There used to be an 'Oxfam' bookshop in town, but that was no longer to be seen either.  The odd bits shop I dreamed off I then discovered had closed down!   I began to realise why the temptation to visit boring Chelmsford was so strong!  I was not meant to be here.  Off I trotted downhill to the secondhand bookshop.   I became somewhat worried when I espied an 'Under Offer' sign on the side of the building.  I then noted the 'Books at £1' sign and the closed door and shut gate! The place was closed!  It appeared to me that the M&S T-Shirts I was intending to buy might not be a good idea.  If I found the store I might close it down by attempting to shop!   However, in amongst a lot of poofy a variety of merchandise I found the boring T-shirts I required.  If these fit they might not shrink this time.

One place I did find was the Priory, a ruin  that stands in the middle of town, and was erected around 1100.  That's not eleven in the morning, I mean the year 1100.  An interesting ruin which I must read up on and I will mention this later as my dinner is burning as I write.  Nothing new there either. 

The journey home began badly.  The bus station was not there!  Someone had closed it down and moved it elsewhere.  I should not have got off where I did.  Eventually a nice man told me where to go, as opposed to less nice men who have told me where to go willingly in times past.  Once at the new station I boarded after a short wait, again accompanied by the socially unaware chink who chose to sit behind the adolescent brat in the front seat even though the bus was empty. Brats mother ignored his placing his feet on the window ledge, something my folks would have never allowed, and her desire to phone a friend and allow us all to enjoy her loud conversation gave cause for concern.  The concern being I had forgotten my chainsaw!  However I sat happily as the sun shone brightly in the window, indicating the soon return of Spring, hooray!  Being upstairs I noticed all those small items, names, carvings, (I canny mind the word) found between windows on Victorian homes, and there were many.  Some were painted, some not, many were intricate and while copied from a pattern book were worth a look.  So were the 80 or so Mercedes Benz parked awaiting customers during these austerity days.  However I suspect that austerity or not they will not be there long.  As the bus began the journey home I also noticed the Oxfam bookshop.  I had walked past the new, larger shop twice.     

I will have to visit boring Chelmsford now, bah!


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