Library and the Plot

Arthur Mee Display

The first strange job of the day was to take photographs of the display in the library for my friend Francis. Francis regularly gives guided tours for foreign students, in particular tours of the locality and Nottingham. The main feature of the display concerned Arthur Mee. He is famous for writing newspapers for children and, of course the Arthur Mee Childrens' Encyclopaedia. He is the most celebrated of the Stapleford dignitaries. Nest to the library is the college, known as the Arthur Mee Centre.

This is the permanent Arthur Mee collection held in the library

Potato Planting

After my stint as chaplain in the care centre it was time to start planting the spuds. Despite the rain, the ground was still dry and I was able to dig a trench ready to plant my first earlies. The first picture shows the trench with chick pellets in place ready to plant the tubers.

The second picture shows the tubers in place ready to be covered over and the patient wait until the growth appears.

Days 2 and 3

Margaret Cornish O.B.E.

Margaret was born in 1922; as she is now 89 years old. She was born in Bristol and an only child. She trained to be a teacher in the Anglican college there. This was at a time when she tells us that the only colleges were Anglican, Methodist and Catholic. (I have nor reason to doubt her.) She worked in various school in Bristol and was for a time the Headteacher of a school in the deprived area of the city. At this time she had married a much older man named Bertram. He worked for Imperial Tobacco and was a friend of the a Harvey of Harvey's Bristol Cream fame. Bertie supported Margaret by allowing his secretary to work as a school secretary as these were not available from the local authority. She tells a story of how, at this school, she encouraged groups of fathers to give evenings to school maintenance. She enjoys telling the story that against the convention of the day, she worked alongside the fathers and would even join them for a drink afterwards. This practice of fraternisation was heartily and vocally disapproved of by her colleagues.

Her husband encouraged Margaret to seek a School Inspector's post. This led them to Nottingham and home in Cloud Avenue, Bramcote, around 1958. We gathered this information from two sources. A lady who attends our sequence dance evening told us that Margaret interviewed her when she applied for a teacher post in the city in 1958 when she was 22. She told us that Margaret was known as 'The Hat Lady' because of the flamboyant hats that she wore. The second source is a couple called the Puckys. Margaret has often asked us if we know them. On Sunday 20th we were to meet them.

On Sunday the 20th we held a party for Margaret in the common room of Leicester House where she has had a room for longer than the 13 years that we had known her. 25 friends from church, education and the house turned up for cakes and refreshments. Margaret insisted on making a speech. In her confusion she started by thanking everyone for coming to her retirement party. This was accepted in good humour. A representative of the house spoke and gave Margaret a lovely plant. Mr Pucky spoke. He was very glowing in recalling how Margaret had appointed he and his wife and had helped them throughout their careers. They had both become headteachers. They both kept in regular contact with Margaret. He also spoke about how Margaret had revolutionised Primary School education in Nottingham.

Leaving Leicester House

On Thusday 24th we got to moving day. We made a first trip with Margaret and her essential items.

Willowcroft Care Home, Spondon

The chaplain Rev. Paul greeted Margaret and spent sometime talking with her as we unpacked.

We were able to have lunch with her in a somewhat elegant dining room. One of the carers was assigned to take her photograph.

After lunch we returned to collect a further load of things. We made another delivery on Friday morning. Margaret is in a good place and is beginning to settle.

The home that Margaret is in is a brand new Methodist Housing Association Care home. She is about the third or fourth resident to take a room. Residents are being admitted a few at a time. The rooms have full en suite, new flat screen TVs, a video player, a refrigerator and Wi Fi. The dining areas are small and cosy as are the lounges. Dementia patients are in an identical, but more secure half of the home.

It will take some time, but we are sure that this is the best place for her to be in.

A Busy Three Days: Day 1 - Wednesday

The Midland Railway, Butterley

For a change, the one 'free' afternoon that we had, the sun shone and it turned out to be the hottest day of the year to date. So of we trot to Butterley which is about 12 miles north-west of here. It did turn out to be a place that we had visited with the boys some 13 years ago. This time we completed the walk from Butterley to Swanwick Junction. Being the middle of the week and out of school holidays we had the place to ourselves, apart from the enthusiasts at work / play around the site. The one disadvantage of mid week visits is that often a site is not fully open. We were not able to visit the model railway or the Railway Museum and nothing was moving on the line. But it was an interesting visit never-the-less.

At the Butterley end there was a very well presented diesel shunter.

The signal gantry at the Swanwick Junction end was also very impressive.

Railway junk is quite fascinating. Some is just that - junk. But other piles can make pleasing photos such as this collection of wheels.

The Swanwick Junction signal box with the low loader in front makes a good shot.

The red and white building which turned out to be a church was quite fascinating and had an interesting history. It was built at the request of the old railway builders in a village some distance away and was transported in sections to the were it now stands. Although we did not go in we could see that the interior could be used for services. It had a font, pews and an organ. It now stands on many expensive tons of concrete although the original corrugated iron building stood on a few piles of bricks. Apparently, unlike other buildings on the site, it cannot be used for weddings or such like, even though it is now not consecrated building.

Next to the church stands 'Oswald' the engine. I presume that he his a friend of Thomas, who makes special visits to the centre.

We learned about the church from talking to one of the workers painting the cafe where we had our hot drinks. I use the term 'hot drinks' to avoid having to say 'a cup of coffee and a cup of tea'.

After refreshments (another way of saying what I just said) we headed down to the big sheds. Contrary to the booklet information the sign on the transport museum section said closed. Fortunately, a lovely old gentleman inside heard us talking and invited us him. He declared himself to be an owner. He obligingly moved things to let me take photographs. The shed was stacked full of large vehicles of all types. I asked him what he owned and he took me to beautiful blue single decker bus. He even invited me aboard. But, just behind the single decker was pure nostalgia - green Midland General double decker bearing the number 102. Not quite, but not unlike the 101 that we travelled on from Sutton-in-Ashfield to Mansfield Woodhouse. He told me that the lad who owned it lived in Mansfield. He told me that the very good condition of the bus was that it was a colliery bus. (Miners are respectful travellers.) I asked our host how old would the lad who owned the 102 was. I was given the predictable answer. "Just in his 60's".

As we approached the car the garden railway that was deserted when we started was now occupied by a lovely engine driver. He was running two engines. One was live steam and the other battery powered. He was happy to tell us his tale.

The sky on the next to bottom photo is taken from the sky on a photo taken earlier in the afternoon. The background was originally a frayed tarpaulin cloth over rusty carriages. The carriages of the battery powered loco are made of perspex and the sunlight produces a strange glow on them and through them. The picture at the bottom shows the same train in the shaded area and its light can be seen.

Just to finish off we passed a carriage with its bogies freshly painted.

A return visit is a must.

Website: http://www.midlandrailwaycentre.co.uk

Appropriation Art

Today we went with Joni and Fiona to the Nottingham Contemporary.

Featured at the gallery were the works of Anne Collier and Jack Goldstein. Anne Collier is an appropriation artist. This means that she uses other images in her photographs. Sometimes she uses her own. I can't help but think that some of the images are to copyright infringements, but images are often featured, less deliberately in some photographs.

Here is my use of Appropriation Art. I have used it to show the pieces of artistic jigsaw that I am working on and the exhibition booklet. You are left to work out the deep meaning of the juxtaposition.

The Puzzle or Untitled?

Anne Collier

A Developing Tray by Anne

Jack Goldstein's worked consisted of projected loops of movie film. They were quite fascinating to watch. He also painted spectacular, huge, acrylic canvases. It was hard to believe that they were not photographs.

This does not do justice to the work. The few visible lights at the foot of the hill seemed to depict the glow of different lights on the water front. The lightning flash was very vivid.

We ended the session with coffee and muffins in the gallery cafe.

Riverside Walk

On Wednesday we had a busy morning; largely taken up with decorating and we had a late start to the afternoon.

I needed to do some 'silver' shopping in B & Q and so we decided to add in a little walk along the Victoria Embankment. The entrance to the embankment was coned off, but we were able to drive in and turn around. Unbeknown to us at the other end of the embankment a drama was unfolding as there was flooding into the river from a burst water main. The people who caused the flooding were installing flood defence. We found out about this on East Midlands Today in the evening.

It was very cold and dull and we decided on a short walk. The river was being used for rowing training by the Nottingham University Club.

There was a rowing eight being coached by a man on a bike.

A men's eight

Gull's were out in force

A ladies' four were also training. Their coach was showing some frustration, but was kind and hopeful. I wonder if he noticed that a small flotilla of ducks were out in the lead. I didn't until I looked at the bottom corner of the picture.

...and the ducks are in the lead

Is this another sign that Spring is round the corner - four drakes pursuing one hen?

I had to attempt to photograph one reflection even thought the water was being disturbed.

Towards the end of our short walk we inevitably came across a group of Canada Geese. Signs along the river asked people to protect the wildlife by not feeding. Have you ever tried to eat a sandwich with these characters around?

Canada Geese

Here our walk ended. We were yards (metres) from half-way mark of this semi-circular look when turned back. The buildings on this picture can be seen on the footage being taken by BBC cameras just around the corner. I bet the folks there were glad to see the sun.

About turn

In only a few days the grass will be lit up with yellow daffodils.

And so back to the Wilford Bridge, into the car and home before the rush begins. One of the joys of retirement.

Wilford Bridge