Archive for December, 2011
Saturday, December 17th, 2011
As a young lad of 8 or 9 growing up in London! One of my greatest joys was to spend a Saturday or Sunday with a friend traveling into Central London by Tube (subway) We would buy what was then called a Child’s Twin Rover Ticket! (Oyster card today) It allowed us to travel on the London Underground as well as all London Transport Red Bus Routes!
One of the things we used to “Get Up To”, was to go up and down the Gigantic Escalators and Elevators! and walk through the many tunnels that led to different Subway levels, eventually riding the different routes to all parts of London! Seeing a great many of London’s major attractions The Tower of London: Buckingham Palace: Trafalgar Square: Piccadilly Circus, to name but a few!! Which at the time we took for granted!!
One of our most frequent stops, being The South Kensington Museums, Which offered Free Admission, To either the Natural History Museum, The Victoria and Albert Museum, or The National Science Museum, the later being our favorite as it had many exhibits in Glass Cases! (It’s important to understand the period was in the late Fifties) Where one could push a button or turn a handle, and the display in the case (Mostly Steam Locomotion) would move! you see they all had working/moving parts, making them fascinating for the young adventurous mind!
They had a Mock up Coal Mine with Trucks that carried fake coal along the tracks, with life size dummies displayed in action like positions, The manikins even had their Davey Lamps lit! with coal dust and grime on their faces to make them look even more life like and Scary!!!!
And here we would be, not a care in the world, walking through this mock up mine shaft, absorbing everything, totally engaged and fascinated!
For Hours we were immersed in a Surreal world! Most of the time it was a fantastic Romp around London! Totally carefree, getting high on life’s experiences! our imaginations running wild
Never realizing for a moment, that this adventure was setting the stage for our Adult lives! Unaware we were absorbing a venerable store house of knowledge, experiences and information! A young boys journey into manhood if you will! Part of a journey that would be invaluable in later years!!
It’s important to understand the period we are referring to in this blog is during the late 1950’s when an 8/9 year old could wander around London unsupervised, With their parents blessing! and would be considered Socially acceptable, and safe to do so! and I might Add the Norm!!
These British Boyhood Adventures! I’m sorry to say, have become a thing of the past, in today’s climate of Ugly Predators, Over Parenting!! and Government Controls!
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Thursday, December 15th, 2011
While touring throughout Britain I tend to take for granted the many waterways that wind across the country!
Many are navigable originally built for commerce, while others naturally wind their way down to the coast providing simple pleasures like fishing and boating, along with the many fine footpaths one can walk for literally miles in the peaceful pastoral setting of the English/British countryside!
One such experience came my way through a friend I had not seen since my teenage years He captains a pontoon on The River Stour in Suffolk! A craft similar to those used in the Florida Everglades, In fact this particular craft was used on the Everglades and has since been restored and put into service on the Stour! Which is I am told, one of England’s oldest navigable rivers!
I usually see Britain via the British back-roads this allowed me to see a small fraction of Britain from a different perspective ! On the outward and inward journey we had to negotiate a Lock gate which was operated manually! Under his direction I assisted in raising and lowering the water levels ( an experience in and of itself) to continue on several miles downstream where we tied to a small boat dock, and lunched at a wonderful riverside Pub! After several hours, several glasses of wine, and a delightful lunch, we returned by way of the Lock gates and our start point
With my friend and his enchanting wife to share this pleasant moment with !one couldn’t ask for a more endearing time! I simply can’t express how relaxing and mentally satisfying this whole experience was for me!
And the wine wasn’t too bad either!!!!
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Monday, December 12th, 2011
With the Collapsing Euro!
I am sure the British Public are relieved that in hindsight they continued to have faith in their own currency and not join the European Monetary Union! I do believe it is only a matter of time before all of Europe returns to their Old Individual Monetary Systems!
In theory a collective Monetary System looked like a uniting of Europe, but with so many diverse cultures and political views, along with each countries financial instability it was inevitable someone would be propping up those countries unable to change for the group as a whole, and be forward thinking!
Britain and the British peoples have always been a separate entity when it comes to the mainland of Europe!
I kinda like the idea of Borders and different Currencies! has more of an International Flavor and meaning to me!!
But then I am a hopeless Romantic!!
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Sunday, December 4th, 2011
I had some time between my Tours of the British Isles this year, and decided to visit some old neighborhoods where I grew up! Not too far from Stratford in England, where the 2012 London Olympics are being held,” What a Change”, I barely recognized the place!!
While delighted the Old Hood was being completely overhauled! New Buildings New Streets New Everything ! It saddened me at the same time! As I could hardly recognize, my Old Stomping Grounds!
The Corner Butchers Shop where I worked after school Gone!! The School Itself!! Gone!! The Old House Where I lived !! Gone! The Street Where We Used to Play Gone!! And this year We laid to rest my Mom, my last remaining parent! Gone!
The irony is, that as we age, Most of ones Physical Memories tend to Disappear from ones view! and ones life! We are left with only the Inner Memories!
The Physical reference points like, The Department Store where Mom used to take us shopping, to see Santa in his Arctic Grotto! The 5 and Dime! The Cafe on the corner! Even The Old movie Theater where Roy Rogers, would be as large as life! and Cartoons like Woody Wood Pecker that kept us in Hysterics! Are now Gone!! The Tangibles, that meant so much to us growing up, have all but disappeared!!!
Sadly but inevitably all these childhood things must make way make way for New Generations While this is understandable and is considered Progress!!! It doesn’t alter the fact that to me! they are all, “Disappearing Memories”!!
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