This life and family

After last week's return with a fall that resulted in a much bruised lower arm and hand we have caught up on the blogs and seeing I really try to avoid writing too much about objects here I thought we'd go to something more fundermental.

Inspiration of sorts was down to an internet access issue where I was staying where it was said "We'll see the BT Engineer as they may not be familiar with the rest of you and what if they said something to either locals or the place owner?"

Needless to say after two attempts they still didn't come but anyway I digress.

This thing has on and off being going on with me personally since the late nineteen seventies in different ways from resuming with a more casual "play wear" look as I fought and ditched jeans to getting more olive hiking shorts for wearing when out hiking or visiting places with my parents.

As the decades moved on I found more around the sorts of short trousers and the kind of look I looked toward for more everyday life beyond work that intensified just before and especially through the Covid era to the point from getting up then that was how I was dressed, more like a school age if not school aged boy.

It's often said of smokers that being so familiar with smoke and its smell, you get blind to how it appears to others with in your jackets and coats and by around 2021 I was so used to me being more a boy and for that matter my folks were, you'd think nothing with it.

As with many families, we have people come over Christmas and for that matter we'd go visit them so when it was an Aunt phoned to say she and my older Cousin would be visiting I thought nothing of it beyond generally enjoying their company especially when I was a teen with them.

Well they came and it wasn't long before my Cousin noticed I was in short trousers and long socks  - wearing a shirt and tie has always been the norm for me when visting family socially from the earliest days - and my cousin just asked why as it had been a good number of years since we'd seen each other.

Well, I hadn't anticipated that so I though it was better to stay in the middle lane and simple say I much prefer to as they feel more comfortable on me rather than going down the lines of just why that was.

Mentally being sat next to her was not unlike that picture: Only one of us really was more the grown up and that's better for me.

Returning notes

We are back and in time as I hurt my left hand and side of my face in an accident, blogs will be updated in some semblence of order as I also catch up on post such as bank statements as well as comics that came in that period.

The area where I stayed had a lot of countryside around it although also had a lot of very narrow roads, practically farm tracks with a hint of tarmac tover undulating hills that on arrival had us wondering if we'd done in the suspension system of the car!

It was great to just get out and away from all the politics, endless updates on various sites and that and just play games, go for walks and have fun as little boy me.

This was one of several areas where the Snowdrops were out in force, next to the farmers fields and in the hills you could see in the afternoon the cattle moving across  which was a fascinating sight to observe.

bb

Paused edition

 

By the time most of you see this, I will be onboard a Transport For Wales train going across the Marches for a few days break which with the state of the world at the moment isn't a bad idea.

Fortunately a few injuries I sustained a couple of weeks ago are recovering well as cancelling wasn't something I was looking forward to doing as a break from things is definately needed and it's years since I was anywhere near where we're staying.

Forum will be looked after well until my return but next week's post will probably be delayed by a couple of days.

Toodle pip!

1971

It is another month and after all the frustrations of the last few weeks everything on the upgraded BT service is now working, like we can get phone call which only goes to remind you of the extent to which we rely on these things and expect them.

At the weekend the Chart Rundown for this last week in February 1971 as playing and I did find myself drifting back as The Pushbike Song and My Sweet Lord played out.

Back then we did have a phone, it was on what was called a "Party Line", you shared a line as the network was only just expanding and that was one way of getting people on which given the nature of Dad's job was a must.

That was to change in a couple of months as we made the first of two moves into area with newer interstructure and your phone had its own line.

Back then I was in the last year of Infants before transferring to Juniors which was co-sited although those who read the other blog will know how we fitted everything in given the small totally unsuited building was something else.

We even sat in the road protesting until they gave us a new building! Radical,eh?

Back then it was cowboys and indians play with cap guns when not looking at the cattle in nearby farm yards, playing with miniture figures and collecting cigarette cards about various people and places from grandad.

Nan got me The Beezer and Topper although I also read The Beano but on wet playdays we read comics from the school stock cupboard so you saw some you never had like Cor.

I read most of Enid Blyton's Mr Twiddle series, laughing under the bedclothes at night at his madcap adventures and misunderstandings.

It was the year I first bought my own records one of which was James Taylor's version of You've Got A Friend and I had T Rex records bought me and in any event my older brother would play me his.

Television was very much Playschool, Blue Peter and anything by Oliver Postgate and co although we catch How! when my folks backs were turned on ATV.