Just a random thought no 21

Poem by Henry Twells, inscribed on clock in Chester Cathedral. Recited to me after lunch today, during a conversation about the passage of time, prompted by my comment that time seems to pass more quickly as one gets older.

Just a random thought no. 20

It's well over a twelvemonth since I last posted! Frankly, if I was ever in the habit, I've fallen out of it... But - I've been busy with other things. Inventory work is taking up my time, so is a day (or more) a week volunteering at the CLC Bookshop in Birmingham, (and a couple of days at the Wolverhampton store in August) and I am now in the twilight zone between benefit and tax credits. Not enough hours to come off the former, and certainly far too few to claim the latter, although the pickings for inventories are getting rather richer than they were, if only because Tom Button, who got me into the work, has gone off to Norway to be a youth pastor. Singleness has been much on my mind. I dread ending up like someone at church who passed away this summer at the age of 75, rather dependent on the goodwill of others, and on social services. But the chances of finding Miss (or even the widowed or divorced Mrs) Right diminish with the passing days, and I have given myself too many false alarms to continue looking seriously. On the other hand, every time I see a naughty child, I thank God that I am a childless bachelor. Still, at least I can see at a distance without glasses for the first time in 50 years, after successful bilateral cataract surgery. Right eye done on the 10th September, left 29th October, and the difference is staggering. I must now see my optician for a pressure test, and a scrip for reading glasses: I am hoping to avoid varifocals in favour of half-moons, if I can get away with a single prescription. So I am gratefully binning the profile photos with glasses!

Just a random thought no. 19.

Well, the Diamond Jubilee celebrations are behind us. HM must have been reminded of her Coronation by the deluge that engulfed many of us, particularly on the Sunday. I'm glad we in Westbury Road did not try to organise a street party, but equally glad to have gone to the one in Wadhurst Road, where I used to live, where a good time was had in the rain! Monday saw me in London, at the Jubilee Concert and the picnic in Buckingham Palace gardens, where I was fortunate enough to see, and photograph, the Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie . The Concert was enjoyable, even if over-long and consisting too much of music not to my taste. Some of the projections onto the facade of Buckingham Palace were stunning , as also some of the lighting effects . The rest of the week saw much rain, and frustration for me as I tried with our consultant, Stephen Williams, to canvass support for the Community Consultation: llnk at . We admitted defeat on two evenings, but had a reasonable trawl on Saturday morning. It remains to be seen whether the responses and conclusions drawn therefrom bear fruit...

Just a random thought no.18

A lot has happened since "Just a random thought no.17", such as Christmas, Epiphany, Lent and Easter. I had an unfortunate rear-end accident on the last Friday (27th) in January, and as a result, have not worked since. It has to be said that I have lost the wish to drive as a consequence of the collision. I have filled my time in busying myself in the affairs of the Neighbourhood Forum, of which I am now Chairman, Deer's Leap Wood, where I have spent many hours taking photographs of the dredging of the pond, before, during and after, and I have, with the assistance of Martin Graham of uturn, initiated a Street Association for Westbury Road. I held the initial meeting in my house, attended a garden party over the road last Saturday, and a business meeting upcoming this coming Sunday, at a third address in the street. Over 10% of households have so far been represented, and I hope that from the acorn will grow a mighty oak. The spur for me was acting as verger for a funeral, and discovering that the deceased not only lived on the street, but only two doors away, and I had not knowingly clapped eyes on her, still less spoken to her, in the six years I have been here. We do so often close and lock our doors at night and turn on the telly or whatever, and retreat into our shell. Street associations aim to reverse the trend, and to offer mutual support for elderly, disabled and infirm neighbours, not to mention a baby-sitting service and the like for parents, among social and housekeeping activities. I have spent a recent afternoon learning how to set up a website, and that has resulted in my creating one for the Street Association. Whether that will lead anywhere, in the sense of making money for myself by making sites for others, remains to be seen. Oh, and by the way, I have been on Facebook for some time, as most of you will know, but I am now to be found on Twitter, (against which I held out for a long time, as I did not see the point of it), @KenBladon1957.

Just a random thought no.17.

So Aston Manor Museum has held its last event. We all hoped it would not come to this point, but I fear it was inevitable given both the intransigence of the council, and the ostrich-like behaviour of the museum's trustees. As a Birmingham resident, I understand that the council needs to realise assets to balance its budget, and is obliged to seek the best price for those assets, but the museum did not help its own cause by not seeing sooner that it might be asked to find more money for rent. Surely a trading company should have been set up years ago to get profits for the guarantee company to spend on the museum. That that appears never to have been explored reflects ill on the trustees, with one of whom I have to deal over 2847. Not, I'm afraid, a good omen.

Just a random thought no.16.

Three months have gone by since I last put finger to keyboard. You may recall that I had been laid up with a broken leg: that is all now resolved. Work has been slack: not surprising, as GB plc is on holiday at this time of year, and the new registrations now start on September 1. Next week will be busy, I'm sure, but for the moment I am wondering how to make ends meet. Since my last post, I have been to several weddings at church, and taken photos at them all. I can now call myself semi-professional as a photographer, as I have been paid for some taken at one of them. I'm still taking photos for the pure pleasure of it, including a batch taken in Leamington on a Flickrmeet a week last Sunday: it ended up here .

I also went for a stroll round Solihull yesterday (Monday 22 August), and went into St Alphege's Church, I think for the first time in my life. The digital photos are likewise already on Flickr, but are not particularly of general interest, as they are all of buses. The views of the town I took on a recently-, and cheaply-, acquired Minolta Vectis S1 APS SLR. I've taken five films on it so far, and considering the film stock used has been several years out of date, the four films processed so far have given more than satisfactory results. A sample can be found here ">.
Also in use at the moment, as well as the Canon DSLR and compact is a Praktica BMS for which I bought (for a tenner) a brand-new boxed Vivitar 28-70 zoom lens: I'm currently running a b+w film through that, the first images having been taken on one of the vicar's summer evening canal walks earlier in the month. Amongst all this my nephew, Andrew, has taken a first in Natural Sciences from Cambridge, and my niece, Charlotte, has taken straight As at 'A' level, and is embarking on a gap year before reading medicine. She applied for a place to start this September, but was unsuccessful.

Whether I continue with the vehicle delivery must remain a moot point. I should like to make my living behind the lens. We shall see.

Just a random thought no.15.

It's a heck of a long time since I last posted. I have been busy for much of that time, delivering cars and other light vehicles hither and yon. I've been working as a trade plate driver for a concern based on the old SU Carburettors site in Erdington. However, for the past five weeks I've been off, thanks to a negligent taxi driver in Worcester, who felled me whilst reversing, cracking the greater trochanter of my right femur, necessitating a surgical reduction. I'm well on the mend now, and rather champing at the bit to get back to work, because, although it does not pay a king's ransom, I quite enjoy the job, particularly when I have to get back, or from one job to another, by train. I've collected some routes I never thought I'd get to ride, even if on one or two the weather precluded much of a view. Lincoln to Peterborough was one such, and Grimsby to Sheffield another, of which that was true. My most regular ride, however, is LM from Euston to New Street. The Siemens Desiro sets used have a nice turn of speed, and are surprisingly comfortable for 3+2 seated stock. Mind you, they can be very full indeed. A week or two, and I hope I shall be back to it.