Standing on the edge

I used to play a game on holiday in Maine New England where I had one foot in the sea and one on the sand, I called it 'standing on the edge of America'. Like the great wall of China I was standing on a point that could be seen from space. I think I got the expression from a sci fi book about standing on the edge of the universe. Well the caption stuck and I have used it many times. Now I use it in the metaphoric sense. 'Standing on the edge of the rest of my life' Many people like my brother in laws anonymous knew what they wanted to do when they are 18. For me it is at 54. I wish it had come earlier but there you go some of us take longer to work out where we are going than others. I should be thankful to have reached this age in sound enough mind to make such decisions. Many do not, Debby, my dear. Life can be a rocky road and you don't always choose the directions but I am thankful that I have been blessed with the chance to see my road and stand on the edge of my future. (I hope someone converts my blog into a book one day, it will hopefully make perfect (non) sense)

Vagueness and ambiguity.

There was a programme on TV the other night that indicated that the English language including archaic, technical and proper nouns contains well over 2 million words. My view is that that is why Roget was able to create a thesaurus. If there was only one word to describe each state then the thesaurus would have been small and useless. Hence the title of this missive, it is my possibly mistaken belief that there are probably many words that describe a state of ''un-clearness''. A means to hide or make fuzzy what one's true meaning is. I expect a whole half hour of ''University Challenge'' could be devoted to the subject, crosswords could be made up of any and all derivations. A book could be written. Why ? because often in there very nature these items themselves could be ambivalent, uncaring, lofty. Isn't the red herring in the whodunnit mystery only there to mislead. We glorify our lives in the ability or need to deceive or at least lead astray. To hide the truth, often from ourselves, what a momentous occasion is it then when the shades are dropped and the truth is spoken clearly. Tolkeins stories are full of shades, the barrow wights, the bridge of Khazad Dum but it is the light afterwards that shines in our day and gives us hope. Shakespeares Henry V shone more brightly as king after a youth spent in the shadow of Falstaff. He shone like the sun after a rainstorm. And what is my point, dear reader, that we all need a ray of hope and a way out of the gloom to put us back on the road to purpose and conviction. Such is the ambiguity of life .....and the gamble.

Jan 18th 2013
Dear reader, I read this today and realise a) how low I was when I wrote this and b) how far I have come. In another life I would delete this but I want to leave it stand for what it is. The musings of a mind that was not entirely at peace with itself.

Guy Fawkes

Spare a thought the jolly old elf Guy Fawkes. Ooops sorry, the elf is Santa Claus, Guy Fawkes is the stuffed effigy thrown atop a bonfire every November 5th in England to be burned and celebrated with an explosion of fireworks. Who was this unlucky 'guy', he was part of a plot by roman catholics to blow up the protestant parliament buildings and was luckily discovered just in time. Or unluckily depending on your point of view. Guy's actual demise was somewhat worse than being burned on a pyre, if that can be imagined, but his infamy has made it possible for his name to live while many other prominent men of his time are forgotten. Guy is now seen as more of a lovable rogue like Til Eulenspiegel than a particularly dastardly character that he was viewed as at the time. Penny for the Guy anyone ?

Amazon.com

Amazon

Is it just me or has the modern world become addicted to Amazon. I know there are many other sites but none has captured the collective imagination like this 'store' has done. Even if you don't buy much, which admittedly I don't, it is the ultimate in window shopping. Egad ! one could sit at southernmost Tasmania and order a CD from the UK and give or take a few days, be happily listening to it a week later. I always think there will be a place for the high street shop. The joy of touching your purchase before you buy it, the immediacy of the transaction, after all as we have seen, radio, TV and the internet have not put the good old newspaper out of business. But there is something fundamentally addictive about Amazon. And swipe me, if Amazon hasn't got it, then there will be someone out there offering the product in the Amazon Marketplace, often deep discounted. Like having Wal-Mart and Saks Fifth Avenue in the same building. Now there is a scary thought !

January 18th update

Well its come true. With the fall of Comet, Jessops, Blockbuster and now HMV its seems like all the bricks and mortar music stores are collapsing and Amazon reigns supreme. There is also the issue of CD's sold in supermarkets. But truly the world is changing and we must either get on board or change and become niche market players. The shops that seem to survive on the high street now are those providing coffee and tea. Maybe a coffee shop in all HMV stores would have been the answer. People now need a reason to shop the high street beyond just product, at least that's how it seems to me. Still the demise of HMV in particular seems sad to me. Pity they could not have adapted. This story is not finished.

Woverhampton Wanderers

My hometown ( or home city ) now has a winning football (soccer) team. They are now six wins in a row and seem on a good run. Heck I don't even like the game but it's nice to be on the winning side for a change. I was in the Wolves shop the other day looking for christmas presents. I noted a book on Derek Duggan, he was the captain when I last lived in the city ( it was a town back then ). I flitted through the pages as one does and noted that he died of a heart attack a few hours after being down the pub with some buddies. Derek was a great guy, very active in the community and loved his town and team. He was also a good player from what I recall. I did not note his age at time of passing because I was cognisant of the shop assistants possibly expecting me to buy the book. But a tribute to him by me does not seem misplaced. Good one Doog !!

Credit Crunch

How ridiculous that the world runs along until we find that the Achilles heal is nothing more innocuous than mortgage backed securities. Who would think it. Wars, disease, famine, nuclear threats, AIDS, all these things come and go and people in general carry on living. Now I do not make light of any of these scourges of the modern world. But a mortgage backed security bubble and the world goes to hell and a hand basket. It seems quite frankly, ridiculous. I am quite familiar with the product and remember their early appearance in the late eighties. But then they were bundles of good quality mortgages to help people buy a house who had a good chance of paying it back. What a great idea. So how did it go so horribly wrong. Bundling mortgages with good track records with mortgages giving people 125% of the value of the property. I suppose no one saw the insanity of this and how it has entangled every other person who wants to buy a house in the 'normal' fashion. South sea bubble all over again. What was it they said.... 'Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it' Sigh....I'll retire to bedlam.

Update Jan 18th 2013. So nearly five years on and still the mayhem continues. Libor rates fixed, loan insurance scandalized, some of my best loved institutions brought almost to their knees by falling on their own swords. Can it get any worse? I hope that there is finally some hope that maybe the rot may finally be checked. After all what is left to ruin? As the saying goes, when you hit rock bottom the only way is up. I sincerely hope this is the case. 

* The photo is the beautiful Barclays Bank in Dolgellau Wales. I chose this photo from my collection for its clarity only. 

Aberdyfi - Aberdovey

Well I just have to talk about Aberdyfi because I have gone on about it so much and most people don't even know it exists let alone pronounce the name. It sounds like Aberdovey which is the Englishgenerations ion of the village. It used to be a fishing port but now relies mainly on tourism. About 40 years ago planning permission allowed holiday bungalows to be built behind the village following a small valley. There must be 50 of them and one of them was astutely purchased by my father. I spent my summer holidays here from 1967 and worked here all summer during my college years 1972-75 using the bungalow as a base. I made many friends and it was work all day and party all night including many bonfires amongst the sand dunes. The food in those days consisted of crisps in the pub or fish and chips. Today the coffee houses have expanded to serve the public's changing needs and all the pubs also serve soft and hot drinks as well as traditional ales. What I have noticed is that while 40 years ago the village almost rolled up the sidewalk (pavement) from September to July, now there is a lot more activity and here in late October there is plenty of hussle and bussle. The area again seems to be thriving, I think partly due to the sea air and mild climate but I wonder if climate change is a contributary factor. Aberdyfi is at a higher latitude than Winnipeg yet there is rarely a frost or any snow and the grass is green all year with many plants like gorse and winter jasmine that flower throughout the winter. Food for thought.

Update August 1st 2014, the bungalow purchased by my father is about to be sold after 44 years, in many ways a sad time yet it is no longer much used and it is time for it provide holidays to a new generation. 

X Factor

             Copyright Anatoliy024

At the insistence of my daughter I have been told to update my blog more often. With due deference I will oblige. However I may have to change the name of my blog to something more all encompassing since this entry has nothing to do with travel !!
I am utterly hooked on X factor. I feel like I am at the equivalent of alcoholics anonymous but there is no help for it. I love the show. I watched a few episodes last year and was appalled but I now realise that what hooks you is seeing the finalists rise from nothing to boot camp to the final 24 and then the final 12. Now each week one act goes so by the time the winner is chosen near Christmas you have seen that act 15 times and it becomes personal. I won't tell you who I am rooting for this time but there are several acts that I will be sad to see leave. On a happier note, even the act that lost last week ( the first of 12 to go ) have a management company who have booked them, sight unseen, for performances at clubs at £150 per minute. So if they are careful they should be able to amass a tidy sum. 'Careful' means pay yourself first. Save for the future as well as enjoy the present, a mantra that has served me well and I can see all the groans from people to whom I have passed on this advice in the past.

*Thanks to Anatoliy for the terrific photo at Wikimedia Creative Commons

Oversight

I am remiss in that I have not included Stourport in the list of local towns. Stourport is located where the Stour flows into the Severn but more importantly where the Staffordshire-Worcestershire canal joins the River Severn through a series of locks. Stourport is another well preserved Georgian 18th century towns that grew with the success of the canal network. The whole area is being restored or renovated and is a great place to shop. The one way traffic system reduces the number of cars in the town yet allows for good business so the town is thriving on any given day. So if all else fails, it is a close place to get to and have a cup of tea. As with other local towns I will only mention again if there is something special to relate.

October 2008

The month started with a second visit to London but this time we managed to visit the city seeing all the usual suspects such as Big Ben, Buckingham palace, Trafalgar Square, Canada House, etc etc. The aim was to put our daughter, Heather, on to the Eurostar as she was bound on a journey to Turin and her new job. I got to see the fully refurbished St Pancras station which was saved from demolition much to the credit of St John Betjman, a poet laureate and train enthusiast. Our friends Terry and Zarina came to stay and we visited Ironbridge, famous for it's (ahem!) Iron Bridge but just as important it was where the industrial revolution began. We had lunch at the White Hart which apparently was where the workers on building the bridge, came in for a pint at lunchtime. Close to Worcester is where the composer Sir Edward Elgar was born. The cottage is preserved and we were able to visit there along with the very informative modern museum dedicated to his works and artifacts of which there are many. His mother apparently was keen on photography so there are many family photos.

Catching up May - Sep 2008

Well it has been one rollercoaster of six months since we landed in the UK on May 1st 2008. Besides getting the house ready and seeing friends and family we have managed to pack in an extraordinary number of visits to places of interest. Now the nights draw in yet our schedule continues unabated. Maybe in darkest December all things will stop but as long as there is light, there is exploration. Catching up over six months requires a little effort since the memory fades quickly so in point form here goes:

1 May was spent visiting the local area specifically the town of Bewdley which lies on the River Severn and is three miles walking distance. It is a Georgian town and full of interesting 18th century buildings. There is also a station on the preserved Severn Valley Railway (SVR) that works a steam train route from Bridgenorth to Kidderminster. There is also a fine museum with tea room and souvenir shop. Bewdley is also home to an award winning fish and chip shop called Merchants and we can atest to these absolutely superb chips with many days spent next to the river enjoying the food. It has become our local hangout on days when we don't want to travel being our destination on any walk through the Wyre Forest.

2 June we started with a visit to Malvern set aside the Malvern hills, a feature that lies along a major fault line in the UK and the rocks that make up the hills are very old. We visited Malvern Priory that dates back to the Normans and is very large for a church. On June 10th we visited Kidderminster Station to see the arrival of Prince Charles and Camilla. They were travelling to Bridgenorth behind steam engine King Edward I to celebrate the rebirth of the line after the floods of 2007. We aso visited another local town, Bridgnorth, that is the other end of the SVR. It too is an historic town replete with ruined castle blown up by Cromwell in the 1642-49 Civil War. A lot of these towns are local to our area (eastern Shropshire and northern Worcestershire) and so in the future will only be referred to if there is a visit of significance. Included is Church Stretton lieing between two hills, Caer Caradoc and the Longmyndd both following the same fault line as the Malvern Hills. This town is very picturesque with many 17th and 18th century buildings. Two more places of interest that we visited in June and make up the local area are Worcester and Hereford. The City of Worcester which has a grand Cathedral and contains the tomb of King John and Prince Arthur (Henry VIII elder brother who died young at Ludlow Castle) and the City of Hereford that also has a grand cathedral albeit built of sandstone and looking the worse for wear these days. June also saw our first major excursion to London staying at a cousin's in Woodford Green 162 miles from home. The occasion was the 97th birthday of a great aunt and to see many relatives but on the way back we managed to stop at St Albans, a busy town but famous for the tomb of St Cuthbert martyred by the Romans. The Roman town was called Verulameum from which the River Ver derives it's name. We only had time to see the abbey so the ruined roman remains awaits a future visit. Much of the stone in the abbey was 'stolen' from the roman villas.

3 July. We went on holiday to Aberdyfi. This is where my family's cottage lies and we spent a lot of time looking at the views of the Welsh coast and visiting many of th local towns such as Dolgellau, Tywyn and Machynlleth. Aberdyfi was an important fishing village in the past and was equipped with jetty and railway line to rush the fish to market. It has now become a picturesque tourist town. Four miles up the coast lies Tywyn on a broad swath of flat land and is a bustling thriving town. It is also home to the oldest narrow gauge railway in the country, the Ta-y-Llyn railway. If anyone wants to know how to pronounce Ll the sound is similar to the English word 'Antler' where air is expelled between the cheeks and the molar teeth. Due to numerous visits I will again only refer to Aberdyfi if something interesting takes place. Otherwise it is simply a place to relax, drink tea and paddle in the sea.

4 August. Exploration starts in ernest with a visit to Gloucester. The city is about 40 miles away and therefore outside the local vicinity. It has a superb cathedral and contains the tomb of another King Edward II who was the first Prince of Wales and murdered around 1327. The gate where the bishop received the body still stands. There is also a beautiful Victorian post box on the cathedral grounds still in use and wonderfully inscribed with her signature. Just outside the cathedral grounds is a small shop on which Beatrix Potter based her book 'The Tailor of Gloucester' upon. The shop was preserved due to the connection and the shop can be seen in the book. We also made a visit to another local town, that of Ludlow, famous for its castle and the Ludlow Shakespeare Festival held every June. We made a second long distance excursion to Cardiff to see more relatives but also to visit the docklands which are renovated and used as the settings and studios for the Dr Who adventures. Cardiff is the capital of Wales and has undergone heavy restoration in recent years. The main street, Queen Street, is fully pedestrianised and great for shoppers and people watchers alike. I must confess to beeing a bit of a celecrity junky and the local news presenter visited Kidderminster to open a shop. Suzanne Virdee posed for a photo with me. Finally we made an excursion to Bath and saw the roman baths and the royal crescent, world famous I am told, oldest house in Bath (1482) and Bath Abbey. We managed to dodge the rain showers and saw much of the town. On the way home we stopped at Laycock, an original surviving medievil village where nothing has been knocked down, the village is so well preserved that it is used in many historical films and TV dramas including Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.

5 September. I haven't mentioned that there was considrable rain in July and August whereas in September the sun came out. So the shortening days were offset by the better weather. This was the month of the Tour of Britain cycle race and we watched the cyclists flash by at Bewdley. The highlight of our second trip to Aberdyfi was to see Mama Mia at the Tywyn theatre and I must say it wasn't half bad. We spent quite a long time there since I was painting the outside of the house plus we made a visit to Harlech with its massive castle for Chris's birthday. Tea rooms and beach walks were the order of the day.