550 posts and a March

It's been rather a damp week getting a bit soaked Wednesday after removing some excess water from around the drain which came with Sunday and Monday's massive downpour, not that it compares with what we've seen in Tibet and Nepal was and is tragic.

Then and somewhat unexpectedly an anniversary crept up and that some five hundred and fifty posts ago, this blog started entirely from scratch althose the base of was and still retains a photographic element because me photographs are a link to the past.

The most unassuming picture of a street that might today produce a meh response in time carries forward a record of what it was like at the time such as changes in shop fronts, alterations to houses, road layouts and so on. Even street furniture such as bins do change.

This blog tends to look at pasts and the present day as sadly some of things we are going through such as world political tensions, discrimination against groups be they connected to religion, gender and the like for me at least have some parallels with how things were with baseless tales against whole groups spread just as much in the playground in those post "Rivers of blood" days as much as we heard the grown ups around us doing the same.

People are individuals no matter what groups, heritages and so on we have and are not personally responsible for what others who may share any with us and we all should be prepared to call out wrong doing that's to make it plain what's not acceptable.

We personally aren't to blame for what others do.

This is also a week most children either start or return school with all the concerns that can bring, a change of routine, new teachers and pupils, perhaps making your own way into town.

Around here free school buses have been removed rather later in the day - after parents set out their school preferences! - so many of hours face having to walk just under three miles each way along very busy and poorly lit roads in all weathers unless parents can take them by car.

Rather late in the day a bus company has offered to put a bus on with a charge of some £22.50 per child per week or £800 per child per school year which I know a good number simply cannot afford .

It's not as if you have many options: all high schools are within three to five miles away as in the sixties and seventies education authorities rather than building smaller secondary schools serving clear areas went for larger numbers (over 1,200 "numbers on roll") , and big class sizes instead.

Then regular buses are very limited on the estate requiring a walk of a mile to pick one up.

We all know of instances where children are taken any where by car where they could walk themselves - the average Primary aged child could walk a half mile or less - but is bundled in the car which just adds to congestion but there are limits.