400th post

 Yes that number does just happen to be quite true on this blog as we have indeed reached the 400th post.

The blog apparently started in 2008 which seems a good many years ago being based around photography into which we moved into other areas over the years just a couple of years after being on Friends Reunited when I was looking for a digital replacement for a note pad that in an increasingly internet based world I could post a link to.

Friends Reunited after being messed about came to an end and with it my involvement with any kind of social media as a site that dealt with connections from school and college worked better for me for having spaces to talk about those times.

That was it until I came to Tumblr in April of 2018 where I found people who were into past boyhoods and even as I did as reticent as I was about posting all over the place about it, actually feeling and acting more as that very much schoolboy like figure.

There were a couple of other places like asb.net and the short trousers for schoolboys Misterpoll poll where I talked a fair bit about it before venturing forth with a one of kind forum I set up just for good natured past and present schoolboy chat and reminiences with nothing that is seen as adult content on them.

As issues upon issues abounded on Tumblr, the Misterpoll poll with topics had its own one off problems and people got despersed, we took off, even meeting up.

I found over covid I could just be little boy me and even be accepted for it in the community, others found their ways of doing this which in turn inspired others to give it a go.

From that small acorn in 2008 a grew little tree grew where people could just be their little selves.

Memories

Well this week we're one off the "big one" being typed on Thursday with temperatures around 4.5 degrees c with some wind chill having been out in my short trousers and dufflecoat this morning to the local store.

Just being out like that bring back so much the memories of being out to play or if like this morning going to school which needless to say I actually past mine enroute as the sounds, smells and sights bring it all back.

One thing that also brings back memories are books and while this blog is less an article on a book or series never mind that of any other material item you'd care to mention, this kind of book does bring back memories as not only would of borrowed it but building a music library was a part of my boyhood experiences.

Doing something like that involved doing some research into composers I did enjoy so you'd borrow recording or listen to them on the radio, and then look at books such as that for a good recording at a price I could afford.

Being a boy and not really able do many odd jobs for money given my disabilities meant more reliance of your pocket money, learn to spot the bargains.

To get a copy of such a book isn't just useful from the point of view of rebuilding a bit of the collection where because of only fairly small scale issue of new classical records you may need to look at older used copies but actually reminds you of when you got some of the others.

Some of the skills I learned while doing that stood me in good stead in world of adult work.

A penny for the guy

There's a few things going on here such as sorting bits of the old record collection out but that does rather take me back to the period where just a week or so before we'd be doing other things.

I can't speak for anyone else but in this district we always made a guy up from bits of wood, straw and old clothes and go calling "Penny for the guy?" although in that era we'd be hoping for rather more than literally a penny given the crazy inflation we lived through back then.

You'd get all sorts of reactions from "what are those meddling kids up to?" to those who appreciated the effort we put into it and would gives us money rather than threatening to call the police on us, not that later on we realized we were doing nothing illegal.

You still see some about but between concerns about stranger danger and changing times it's nothing compared to how it was when I were a lad.

Saving the Ticket Office

This week we return to the big train set that runs the length of the Country having been along it last week.

As you might recall there was a call to shut the ticket offices, the places as the name suggests you buy tickets from on railway station concourse from the overwhelming majority of stations mainly to save money.

Part of the arguement was only around twelve percent or a tadge above that of all tickets sold are from ticket offices.

Many of us as children recall lining up with our parents as they'd buy their tickets on the day trips and that we went on at a counter like this one pictured below.

Back then, that was pretty much it and obviously a bit older as I went to college as smaller stations had the staff reduced or eliminated, you encountered the new fangled ticket machine installed.

In the more recent era we've seen they ability to book tickets online which initially was still on paper tickets which I'd have to say is a boon to me personally and the E-Ticket which is sent to your smartphone  and can be read by ticket barriers and conductors both of which have proved quite popular.

There was a short three week consultation which was extended which showed widespread opposition to the plans.

Part of reason was some people simply cannot use or access ticket machines or smartphone delivered E-tickets because of visual disabilities, issues with dexterity while others pointed out often the cheapest fares just were not on the ticket machines.

The proposals would of made independent travel impossible for some and more costly for others.

The other issue is it isn't unknown for a train to be cancelled or running late which may mean you require assistance in finding an alternative route or reworking any connections which ticket office staff knowing their way around these things can help with.

That's something with my disabilities I do need.

A connected matter is you feel more secure when there are staff about able to intervene if incidents break out as while it doesn't fit that strong independent disabled person idea that is projected we are more at risk from assaults and abuse from others and this applies to other groups too.

It seems going by Wednesday's announcement this won't be going ahead anytime soon although  I expect some changes like merging ticket office duties with passenger assistance and some attention being paid to the positioning and ticketing options available from machines.

Sometimes we do need people rather more than machines.