The 2020 Review

I usually write something of a reflective piece on this blog but as this year has been rather messed up whatever the pluses (and there's been a few) and the many minus's it will be of necessity different that what I might of expected to have written.

Covid was our wicked enemy preventing planned meets from happening, limiting even regular travel, dominating conversation and virtually every news program from dawn to dusk and between programs public health information.

All necessary for sure but difficult to escape from swamping us to the point many people found coping a struggle because it was pulling them down more than helping them get by in the circumstances.

For me, I just found solace in this adult but little boy world, yes noting anything I needed to do like following rules but otherwise taking my lead from actual boys to which in so many respects I have that much more in common with.

When mentally you are - and it's less of a choice and more of permanent reality - pretty much a boy the only way to cope is by sticking within your own world and so as the weeks passed by I was going full immersion into that world.

I went out as much as we were allowed and in the first months it was just once a day and just explored and even played imaginary games in the countryside as the playground was shut for a big period but I could make my very own playground when I act out the games we played running, crawling across gravel and grass leaving any passing adults to get on with their own thing.

Many person out saw me as that boy, being treated very much as one, being referred to as "Sonny".

I read comics and got subscription's set to ensure that regardless of what was going on with getting to the newsagents and even if they had a delivery, I'd have mine landing through the letter box the way it did when I was ten.

I had at least something to look forward to that was new and different as much as I watched tv shows like Jamie Johnson, Crackerjack that was restored to the schedules and of course Blue Peter that had gained two new presenters  taking the the complement back up to four.

If an animated film was showing on tv, I made a point of watching it.

Not that surprisingly as I became more and more immersed deeply into this world some outward signs changed so from just before this craziness started when I did get away for boys week of activity while I did dress rather more as school boy in the Lake District, hiking, going trainspotting and riding steam trains I started to feel more full on little.

The Forum became busier as many from our MisterPoll group joined it and ASB returned too on an invite only basis both showing the need of many of us to go back in our differing ways to that life.

It was the point in which I had decide that not just moving as I had done more the previous year to more 'classic' jumpers and turn over socks that from now on my shorts were not only what I'd be wearing nearly all the time but were going to be taken way up to where they were when I was that junior boy of ten allowing for growth.

I just feel so much better seeing my reflection as that boy as much as it only adds to the way in which I feel back in the mindset of him going about my everyday life feeling carefree, yes with some responsibilities but only those I could carry-that of boy of that age.

Losing that thinly papered over adult sense whose cracks not only had caused me major problems in the past but got in the way of just being in reality who I am was the biggest gain arising from the pandemic for me.

I was just me and my community looked after me as such.

I don't talk about my family much on this blog, I don't particularly need to but this year every member accepted the adult boy me. They know how I present.

I was with my parents over Christmas dressed in school uniform with those much shorter grey school shorts on, free to be me and I even had an unexpected present that was for once not rooted in adult interest.

They'd bought me some lego. Not a grown up book, a dvd, a gift voucher but an actual boys present presented to my as that - a gift I discovered on my chair when I'm there upon it.

This year has been challenging, as here in North Staffordshire we are in Tier 4 until at least another month or so according to our Public Health person as of yesterday but one where actually dropping right back to pure boyhood fun and interests has not just been good for coping with the same but for feeling so comfortable in my own skin as that eternal boy. 

Looking into the New Year, as we all hope the vaccination programme gets under way with two vaccines now approved while it may be Spring at least until things can get to something more normal so that like many of you I can be with others having fun together, I'm a in better place to cope with whatever we may have to deal with for the foreseeable future.

Play

It's been a warm week so I've been outdoors a lot exploring, playing and I do have my own swing actually and thinking a bit about this side of life.

The thing was back when I was originally young for one thing there were not disabled friendly playgrounds with activities for all and most involved rather more agility and often spinning at speed which if you suffer from motion sickness even at modest speeds isn't much good.

It wasn't that I didn't like thrill of speed, it just made me ill.

There wasn't then much exploratory play such was tunnels you could worm your way through or what is called "soft play".

The other thing was surfaces then were hard either concrete slabs or tarmac which as I found out and am still living with consequences of can cause series long term injuries as much as we accept however unpleasant it is a grazed knee doesn't last forever and we have to take risks in life.

The weekend was joyful for the happy squeals of children playing in the park, dashing about on their bikes in groups playing and having fun together.

That's a big part of what Childhood is about either as that child or enjoying a more child-like life as a legal adult.

What it's all really about

Sometimes it possible to lose track in looking at the outer signs of this life such as the discussion around uniform, the length of shorts, what actually makes you a LB/ASB to what it is that we do.

Sometimes a preoccupation with all the fine points around that leads to ignore one thing, namely that all of the is the decoration of the vehicle though which we live, that we have urges to play, explore and learn about things when not taking in a tv show or comic.

After all, were we so preoccupied with all of that as eight or ten year olds that they'd of got in way having a childhood or perhaps more poignantly a boyhood?

This could be seen as here from the top as just a few pieces of Lego I put together a few weeks back as I like playing with lego and I have no need to justify it to myself  by making anything big or important or wrapping it up in adult language.

When you look at it from side with the upper bit on it reveals itself as a tunnel structure that you might imagine an adventure taking place in, an adventure that includes you.

That's the thing. It is what we DO that actually defines us as did when we were that age, rather than having an extensive set of uniforms or other attire because it only matters if we actually let that eternal boy out doing the sorts of things that we instinctively like getting satisfaction from. Not a tick box of items we have.

Put them on because they are in part the props that take us back to that time AND have that time playing in them or as I was this weekend in my footie strip just letting the excitable ten year old out jumping up and down in his footie strip watching the F.A. Cup where Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 eating choco like I did with my Nan as we watched it in the past together.

That's what it's about.

Being out for the Summer

There would to me of been no point starting this blog at all if it had just been a place to put other peoples pictures and maybe the odd thought cos part of the reason this blog existed was a photography blog that got incorporated into this during the long gap between Friends Reunited being messed up and finding ASB.org that has a new replacement spot now and Tumblr.

Equally there would be no life if it were just about buying and one hopes wearing uniform because I live this life and everything that is in it such as age regression aspects like plushies and play, uniform and play clothes together with hobbies and interests all wrap around each other.

I wear my uniform outside my house and do things in it such as explore, practising skills aligned to Scouting enjoying myself but more importantly developing as a person in that life through learning to handle experiences.

I from time to time take pictures that ties directly to the interest in photography I allude to earlier when talking about what had lead to this blog being formed although their are other blogs that specialize in certain areas.

Part of that stems from events at Tumblr and Wordpress both owned by the same company and so the family of blogs makes up for their loss and the continuing issues on Tumblr around what you can post.

Being out isn't just about being out of doors although to be truthful, it's been a godsend during this Covid-19 emergency it's also that Covid meant I had to be prepared to be seen out as many people from furloughed workers to boys whose schools were shut were now likely to encounter me.

I have become 'out', not a shut in behind the keyboard LB/ASB but one who is seen, who speaks to and is spoke to in his toned down uniform from talking with workers in the field, navigating social distancing on the curb, sometimes having to let other pass me to encountering boys (and girls) at play.

All of that makes this blog like the others so different from what you might see at other places.

The ASB in LB

As we are in another month there was one topic I did feel like talking about  this week on here as given it is 2020 you can forget about using Tumblr to even try it.

Some of us are LB but don't just wear short tails or "activewear" even if we may from time to time but instead return more to our schooldays often in eras where you didn't have home clothes  only the previous and worn version of your school ones.

The relationship between LB and ASB is one of the least talked about things in this life and I can remember one person at a certain place more or less imply ASB was just role playing being a schoolboy for the whole scene between ASB and disappointed teacher who is about to leave their mark of disapproval upon them.

It would be wrong to say a person could not and does not feel that is what they actually want and see being ASB as being.

Thing is, for some of us it does start with being LB, that's to say we are looking at things from a adult-but more child-like way being, letting out more of that child through play, reading, arts and crafts and so on.

Rather like the bio-boy, "school" starts from that point because we love to learn, to socialize, we like the structures to point that yes we may be prepared to accept the sanctions on our behaviour from our youth and we do love to wear uniform that takes us well out of our adult settings and roles.

Although people get rather hung up on words mentally at least we're in the mindset of that boy, the one you might of thought you left behind and so our actions flow from that in real time.

They and I are not looking for a Scripted reenactment of a scene because we want what will come from it but accept in our era when we cross lines perhaps like then without realizing until too late, the sanctions that are there to help us learn from it and to generally keep good order.

For us ASB is like going back in time to being that boy all over again and we like it that way.

More Uniform and stuff pt.2

This week while eventful on certain other respects we are looking at a few staples of LB/ASB life mainly attire.

Photo credit: Albert Prendergast
If you are LB/ASB then there is a possibility you may of encountered Albert Prendergast's store either on Ebay or from his own website which may be easier if you need additional touches to an item making.

I recently bought these Worsted wool white lined shorts which as supplied come in wide variety of waist sizes and can be taken up before dispatch if the supplied regular size inside leg, 9 inches, is longer than you prefer.

These are British, fully lined with an elastic back which is something with curvature of the spine I appreciate and a zip fly which is easier for some of us who struggle with buttons.

I would say while not cheap, they are very high quality, no so-so stitching and the like so you do get what you pay for, looking the part.

Photo credit: Albert Pendergast
Sometimes I sound like a one LB band because with the exception, just, of the M&S ribbed socks trying to find decent ones in actual child sizes cos I have small feet can be hard going as most long ones are "unisex" grey or black plain ones with lycra and none are classic turn over tops.

Luckily Mr Prendergast had some in that would fit perfect by Magic Fit that look very smart fitting perfectly.

Finally while still intact my blue pajamas from a few years ago were beginning to show a few signs of wear.

I'm of the school of thought that a pair for a LB/ASB should be of a fairly plain, simple sort being just for sleeping in just like some of us had in first childhood.

These are about as plain as it gets, certainly nothing fancy as in logo's or motif's just a simple functional pair with a button fly should I need to get up at night to go somewhere.

That concludes this mini look at new LB/ALB attire at chez Chris.

Roy of the Rovers: The Best of the 70's - The Tiger Years pt.1

This week has been in many respects a turbulent one although I generally don't do politics on this blog those who know me understand my thoughts around certain matters but as that goes I'm going back to the present.

Seasoned followers of this blog will know soccer (aka Association Football) is a big thing with me being what we played on the streets, during break times and for boys games at school.

Face it, if back then you didn't do soccer then your options for socializing with other boys were going to be diminished so we all did including disabled me who learned his lessons on getting along with picking himself up from and standing up for himself on the pitch.

We followed teams following the results on Saturday's and talked about them Monday's at school that means for me soccer reopening next weekend is a biggie so I'll be watching in my footie strip, jumping up and down.

The other thing was footie was in our comics of which a big one was Tiger cos it had Roy of the Rovers who has been rebooted for today's boys (and girls) in fiction and comic strip form.

Rebellion who have the rights to the Tiger era Roy of the Rovers have had a series of annual like compilations starting with the 1950's and getting into the 60's  that took whole stories that run across issues compiled.

This week we reach the 1970's kicking off with stories I remember as a boy back then in Junior School reading first time from June 16th through October 6th 1973, August 3rd through December 28 1974 and January 4th through June 21st 1975.

These are straight reproductions of the cartoon strips as published with little digital beaching so you will see some signs of a light brown cast from the paper and the colour where used  such as the front cover of that weeks issue as all colour comics were not a thing when I was reading them is muted.

It comes with an introduction from Barrie Tomlinson who joined the team behind Roy of the Rovers at that time as a sub editor talking about how they developed the stories such as it was during this era Roy became a Player-Manager which was a move mirrored in the real life game then.

The compilation is very well put together being well bound and so makes a lovely modern replacement for those comics we had back then.

Recommended for any schoolboy of that era.

The Dandy Summer Special 2020

While travelling in to the city centre remains off due to hotspots of a certain virus and most of the shops being shut, time continues on.

It is that time of year some of us look forward, the recreation of a ritual we observed as boys religiously and don't tell me rituals don't play a part on LB life as I haven't met one that didn't try to recreate a few.

The Dandy Summer Special is special for different reasons than we had as boys in that it is the only print edition of the comic we get since closure in December 2012  where as for most of us before then it was the bigger more colourful edition that had quizzes and the like counterpart to the weekly edition.

The Summer Special is aimed more at those of us who remember it as it was rather than being more like its stablemate The Beano very much in the present and so for most of the current period we've been treated to reprints from the older Summer Specials, albeit those we loved to revisit. 

This years is a bit different in that the compilers have gone to pick a selection over a set of twenty years starting from 1940's making their way through 1960's, 1980's and the 2000's in chronological order.

This means we start to see such legends as Keyhole Kate, Korky the cat, Desperate Dan and Corporal Clott which was discontinued in the comic July 25, 1970 plus Owen Goal from the 80's as they emerged which compared with the Beano makes for a more retro, regressive, reliving the past feel when you read it as inevitably you recall those days.

For that feeling I would say the Dandy Summer Special is better.

What is great about this years is we have some newly drawn strips of Postman Prat originally drawn by Lew Stringer from October 30, 2010 by the man himself that survived the misstep that was DandyXtreme in 2007 to October 2010 when they tried to add Viz style "attitude" to push sales in a fortnightly form plus new Winker Watson for 2020.

The new strips are funny, not departing from the world those characters come from but showing where they would of been in a regular comic so Winker Watson remains in Greytowers in the third form but he can use a computer and printer while being the Blazer and Shorts clad boy whose wanglers we loved in much the same way the modern prep school mixes modern technology and the old (and true) ways.

Do yourself a favour and get a copy!

Awards and inspiration edition

This weeks theme is awards and inspiration which is something that helps keep ourselves motivated through these difficult times.

Hot off the press and due to be launched yesterday (Thursday) is Mwaka Mudenda aged twenty-five Blue Peter presenter number 39 in that inspiration children's magazine shows Sixty-one and bit years history.

Found in the BBC's sports department, she makes her debut from home like the current duo Lindsey and Richie with her first challenge which will be a first in these changed times, restoring the presenter numbers back to three which to was prior to the 2010's.

As I still love watching the show, not least for being LB, for many years I'm looking forward to that.

This leads us to the following:

One inspiration by common consent has been Captain Tom Moore now aged 100, a WW2 veteran who raised over Thirty-three million pounds by doing 100 laps before he reached that centenary for the NHS.

Some indication of his impact is he inspired young children, some with disabilities to raise funds too and others overseas and also for his calming philosophical approach  to dealing with the Covid-19 crisis.

Recently he was the recipient of a Blue Peter Gold Badge award put forward by Georgia and Benji, his grand children seen pictured and presented due to current restrictions remotely by presenter Lindsey Russell who described him as "a beacon of light".

Street artist "Banksy", an anonymous character whose art just appears on walls was also in the news this last week. 

He left if that was the right word a peace of work in Southampton general hospital  saying he hoped it would brighten up the lives of the staff and patients there and after the Covid-19 infection it could be auctioned off with the funds going to NHS charities.

Entitled "Game Changer", it features a boy playing with a basket of superhero dolls, but instead of grabbing Spiderman or Batman, he is playing with the doll of a nurse with a superhero cloak.

Many have been inspired by the dedication of our Nurses and other clinical staff dealing with Covid-19 patients seeing them as real life heroes rather those in our comics, tv or cinema screens.

It is a both a touching act of generosity on his part and also a touching depiction of a boy at play.

There we have it on the as ever looking backwards and going forward LB blog, the inspiring, the inspirational and the enduring source for all we truly need.