Past places

I’m sure it is a common experience that going back to places, particularly ones you knew as children, they always seem smaller. I suppose it is fairly obvious that as a child everything seems larger while seen as an adult it is relatively smaller.

I haven’t been back to the house where I lived as a boy but I have been next door about twenty years ago.. It was so completely different even though it was part of a pair of semi’s that I had no particular feelings. There was no recognition although had I visited many times. The thing which was strange was the garden which really did seem different and small compared to my memory.

When I revisited my primary school it also seemed smaller although the effect was limited as the removable divider was removed whereas it would have been in place when I was attending. The visit was strange because although it was open when I approached a disembodied voice asked who I was. It took a while to locate the owner of the voice who was nearby down some steps marking the edge with white paint. It was all the more strange as it was someone who I had known in the distant past.

I have revisited cities I knew. Easily the most changed was Liverpool. The city I recall has now a large new area , Liverpool 1, between the docks and the old centre. I was completely disorientated to the extent of relief when I finally found parts I remembered. In contrast the area where we lived on the Wirral peninsula across the Mersey seemed remarkably unchanged. Of course things had grown. The acer tree we planted on the front lawn of our first house is now a large tree no longer the small sapling I recall. However the Bebington area is very much the same.

The major shock of our visit, made at our golden wedding, was to find the flat where we lived when first married in a large Victorian house on the banks of the River Dee is now a smart old peoples home. Its large garden is now mainly new houses. Our house on Church Road remains surprisingly similar although I was amazed to see the farm gate I put up with so much difficulty  nearly 40 years ago is still there. Our front lawn is now gravel rather than grass..

Sometimes the immediate contours of the place have changed. Although the house where I lived as a boy looks the same only a few yards away the landscape has been completely changed to accommodate a motorway. The hill which seemed so large as a child is now blended into a slight gradient leading to a bridge. Equally changed further on towards the village of Austrey the unmade lane I remember ( Garborough Lane ) is now the entrance to the village playing field.

As part of our golden wedding celebrations we thought it would be nice to return to the Orton-on –the-Hill pub we reached on our first date. This time rather than sitting outside with a shandy ( Annette was still underage I realise now ) we had a meal. The server was understandably only politely interested when I said we had been there 50 years ago.

I aroused more interest at the Bird-in –Hand pub when I explained my father had been brought up there by his grandparents. In fact pubs featured heavily in his life as he later, after his grandparents death, lived with his aunt at the Queens Head . He briefly ran the pub after his aunt died. Mother was bitterly opposed to his becoming a publican as she regarded pubs with near horror. So he gave up after a few months.

To retell ( with more acceptable language ) a Jack Dee joke.

A boy goes out with his Dad to the shops. The boy becomes lost in a shop and the kindly assistant asks what’s his father like.  “ Beer and women with big breasts” is the reply. 

Church Road House, Bebington

North York Moors Railway

We have had a coffee morning on the North York Moors Railway ( hereafter NYMR ). We started from Pickering and travelled to Grosmont, a few miles south of Whitby, and back again. Along the route we were plied with coffee, cakes, scones and a glass of sherry.

The NYMR is a heritage railway and one of the larger ones in the UK. With a nucleus of professional staff it is largely run by volunteers. The route is some 20 miles across the N York moors National Park. It is hard to imagine it was ever much of a commercial success although ironstone mining was a significant industry years ago. The passenger traffic would have been small as the stations are at small villages and often geography dictates quite far away from them. The villages with stations are Levisham, Goathland and Grosmont. There is a tiny halt not reached by road,berween Levisham and Goathland for use by hikers. At Grosmont the line joins the National Rail network from Teeside to Whitby. A major feature of the NYMR is that limited services carry to on Whitby with a couple of the steam engines approved to travel on the national rail line. Whitby station is fairly unique in being shared by National Rail and NYMR.

The service from Pickering to Whitby is purely a tourist route and not for serious travel. At one time the line continued south of Pickering but the line was taken up years ago. The rolling stock is a miscellany. Pride of the locomotives is 4-6-2 “Sir Nigel Gresley”. This streamlined engine was built by LNER as a one of its flagship class on the London-Edinburgh route by the East Coast main line. Our service was hauled by a unnamed former LNER loco while we passed 4-4-0 “Repton” former southern region a couple of times. At present “Sir Nigel Gresley” is undergoing heavy maintenance at the National Railway Museum at York.

We were in a first class coach built in 1935 with armchair type seats in pairs facing one another on either side of a central gangway. We were served coffee, scones and cakes concluding with a glass of sherry. Our fellow passengers were much amused by the ornate toilet compartment with a decorated toilet bowl. The carriage also featured a small bar, a kitchen and a meeting area with seats for at least a dozen. It also had a small observation area at the end which was also the end of the train.

In general the view is rather restricted. Of necessity the line follows the valleys so the general sensation is one of riding through wooded giant cuttings. The lush vegetation is impressive. The road from Pickering gives a better idea of the sweep of the open moors. The road also has the massive hills and valleys which the railway doesn’t have. The road has a steady slow climb out of Pickering until quite suddenly there is a transition from agriculture to a vast vista of moorland. The moorland road has some the biggest inclines I have seen. The route has won the most scenic in England award.

There has recently been a short TV series on the NYMR. I jokingly asked for the autograph of one of the stars, nickname Piglet, the head of maintenance. Our attendant pointed him out on the platform and I got a cheery wave as he walked past. We took great interest as Martin and family volunteer on the railway. Strictly Ellen is too young but as the family are well known to the organiser of the young volunteers she will be joining in the weekend shortly. The whole family will spend a night under canvas by the railway.

Our previous experience of the NYMR has been their “wartime” weekend which is a sort of combination re-enactment and giant party. We have been highly amused as Levisham is transformed into Le Visham as a French wartime station. In the past it has been “occupied” by German re-enactors  but apparently this aroused adverse comment and they are not to be included this year. The staff at Le Visham with berets and onions fully entered into the spirit of the transformation. I was astounded by how many people turned up in various uniforms apart from the actors themselves; I was very lightly disguised as a 40’s civilian in overcoat and hat.

The event is not just on the NYMR as Pickering is en fete for the occasion. The town is absolutely packed with  many displays and events some of which appeared only loosely connected to wartime

Our carriage bar and seating

Family gathering

It is a rare occasion when all our family are all together. Even at Christmas we tend to have three out of four families at best ( I’m including ourselves ) Geography is a major problem with Martin and family in N Yorkshire and Alison and family in Surrey at Guildford. Frances and ourselves are roughly in the middle in West and East  Midlands.

We started to plan early in 2017 for a gathering. The long gestation period allows time for folks with busy lives to do some forward planning. It was Martin’s suggestion that we combine this gathering with a visit to somewhere interesting. His proposal was the National Tramway museum at Crich in Derbyshire. He is very interested in railways and the like as is Alex. He knows I’m interested in technology so I wasn’t surprised by his idea; indeed I welcomed it. Alison however with a long journey up from Surrey decided that to have a meaningful amount of time required starting early which her family do every day so she elected to come direct to Beechcroft.

We duly met up a Crich. Annette and I arrived first and as we were well ahead of our agreed rendezvous time set about exploring only to return quickly to the entrance as Martin arrived. He and Lindsey and kids had stayed near Leeds overnight  We then set off in search of coffee which we were drinking when Frances and gang arrived. Alison, children and Debajit were joining us at Beechcroft after their long journey.

Essentially the museum is shaped like a ball and stick. The ball part houses the sheds and exhibitions while the stick is a tramline which runs for maybe a mile through an old quarry which houses the whole centre. After coffee we set off up the line to find a picnic spot. Martin and Lindsey professed themselves full after their hotel breakfast. While the others went on the forest walk I looked at the outdoor display of mining equipment then rode back down to the workshop display. After a brief look around trams through the ages and more rides we left to go back to Beechcroft.

I was amused that the trams had conductors issuing tickets in a manner and with machines  suitable to the date of the tram. In a sense these were dummies as all the trams operating were free. On arrival we were issued with an old penny each for our initial fare and then the general idea was that we just exchanged tickets every ride. Most of the conductors were young volunteers who just issued a ticket anyway. One conductor had a rack of preprinted tickets. I last saw these in London in the late fifties.

It is ironic that having dismantled trams in the past now they are being brought back at great expense in some cities. It remains to be seen whether completely new concepts like Hyperloop catch on.

After all the children had run around we had a meal together. Because we were 14 in all we had put a garden table to extend our dining table. Alison and Debajit were staying at the village B&B but we then had to sort out sleeping arrangements for the rest. Frances and Matt had their children on air beds, Ellie had Annette’s work room and Nate had the bunk bed room. Lindsey, Alex and Ellen were in the garden cabin on airbeds while Martin erected a bivouac in the garden sleeping on his camping mattress. We didn’t particularly want this arrangement as we had sofa’s going spare but it was Martin and family choice.

We managed a scratch lunch after haggling indecisively  over a venue for 2019. We plan to rent a house and include Ronnie and Rajiv, Debajit’s boys. To meet everyone’s requirements this has to be at the end of August so is likely to be a problem as we want a long weekend.

                                                           Martin's bivouac

Climate change

Climate change

The earth is getter warmer. This is as much a matter of everyday experience as scientific measurement. In general spring comes earlier and autumn later. This is climate, not weather, as the snow in March and April showed. Just in my lifetime when I was a boy living not very far from where I live now we had snow several times every winter with a heavy fall every few years. We have simply never had a winter like 1947, 1955 or 1963 since I came back to live here in 1987.

There are just a few “respectable” deniers left: their number decreasing every year. By respectable I mean those who look at the evidence and try and evaluate it in a rational way. Their general argument, as I understand it, is that the sun’s output undergoes long term fluctuations. For example in the 16^th century there was a slight dip with long severe winters. From that time were recorded “frost fairs” held on the frozen Thames on thick ice. Since these changes exist they argue the sun’s output has increased a little and hence temperatures have risen.

There are many arguments against not least that there is no evidence whatsoever for an increase in solar output. I have only just realised that there is clinching evidence. This demands just a little ( very gentle, I promise ) science. Climate change is held by most to depend on levels of carbon dioxide ( and other greenhouse gases such as methane ) in the atmosphere. This carbon dioxide is the result of burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. Carbon dioxide very slightly dissolves in water to form a very weak acid, carbonic acid. The more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere the more carbonic acid in water. The level of acid in water can be measured very accurately and shows a rise, particularly in seawater. This increase in ocean acidification cannot possibly be caused by solar changes while it relates directly to carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

Ocean acidification is having an effect on natural organisms. While ocean warming is having a very direct and large effect on coral causing it to die back a part of the cause is acidification.

The irrational denial appears to be based on the idea that climate change isn’t actually happening but is a plot  by green types to sabotage the existing economy. There are some green fanatics who are seeking to overthrow society but these are very much the lunatic fringe. Donald Trump is acting on this but more seriously is trying to muzzle those who look at the evidence and counter his prejudice.

It may easily be argued that mild warming , say by two degrees, wouldn’t be so bad. After all if the Midlands enjoyed the climate of Northern France that could be quite pleasant. Unfortunately that won’t happen. The climate of the UK is governed by the Gulf Stream a current of warmer water starting in the Caribbean. As the Arctic ice melts the torrent of freshwater may disrupt, even stop the Gulf Stream. This would leave the UK with a climate like Norway.

Another big problem is the increase in sea level. While floating ice is not a problem as the melt water would occupy roughly the same volume, a huge amount of water is locked up as inland ice particularly in Antarctica. As this melts sea levels will rise. Quite apart from risk of occasional flooding( which already happens ) parts of coastal cities will be permanently under water. Very low lying countries, such as some Pacific islands would disappear.

Global warming will also change the weather. Generally the expectation is for more stormy weather with severe shifts in rainfall. It seems quite likely that we have had some experience of this already.

Global warming is man made and reversible. There is a fairly clear path towards rectifying the situation. It is good to see that some in the US are just ignoring Trump and getting on with the job( the state of California is a good example ) Here in the UK, while not perfect there are sensible

Meaningful Music

I guess like most people I find particular pieces of music bring back particular memories. Music is one of the most evocative things for memory. I know many couples talk about “our song” but that has never been the case with us. Although our tastes are fairly similar they don’t have that alignment. I’m totally unmusical; I find it frustrating that I can hear music in my head but I’m completely unable to sing, hum or anything else with any accuracy.

The first item with particular associations is “Rock Island Line “ by Lonnie Donegan. This genre of skiffle enjoyed a brief period of fame for about 18 months in the late fifties. It was a sort of cross between folk jazz and pop music. Its claim to fame was the simplicity of production. Usually a guitar, a tea chest bass and a wash board plus a singer was all that was required. My school friend, Bob Groucott, had introduced me to jazz in a talk to the whole music class at school. I briefly auditioned for his putative skiffle group on the tea chest bass; he didn’t hesitate to dismiss me immediately as useless. I admired Lonnie Donegan who performed a series of American folk tunes such as the “Wabash Cannonball”. It was sad that as the skiffle fashion passed Donegan resorted to feeble jokey songs like “My old mans a dustman”.

The first time I heard a live orchestra was the CBSO at Birmingham Town Hall playing Wolf-Ferrari’s overture “Susannah’s Secret”. The secret was that she smoked which was shocking for a lady in the 18^th century. The live orchestra was so much more vivid than recordings, my only route up to then. This was a very major event because I had taken Annette on her 18^th birthday. We have been going out for a few months but this was a very major occasion. In the event it went extremely well. We had walked to the venue through cathedral square and the starlings roosting on all the nearby buildings were in full evening chorus which was quite magical.  The concert was a big success and we later went to several including a selection of the Birmingham prom season that summer of 1961

I loved the Beatles. Discovering them in late 1963 I remained a fan until they disbanded. When I did my industrial placement at Bostik in 1963/4 a young lady in the lab, Audrey, was getting married.  “She loves you” had been No 1 for ages so I wrote on her desiccator in Chinagraph pencil “ He loves you, yeah, yeah “. I enjoyed my time at Bostik and made many friends. But so many memories of that period when there was a great explosion of British groups. I remember sitting huddled round a transistor radio in Victoria Park amazed at Liverpool music scene when so many Scouse groups were in the Hit Parade. Audrey and others were great fans of classical music and I wasted many tea breaks arguing the merits of the Beatles.

With Annette I went to see Dave Brubeck at the De Montfort Hall in Leicester in 1964. I first heard “Blue Rondo a la Turk” on a record of Annette’s brother, Bryan , who was a jazz fan. I was slightly disappointed in the concert as Brubeck played a lot from his LP , the New Americans but this and “Raggy Waltz” also appeared. Brubeck had much with innovative rhythms which I liked.

.Our first overseas holiday to France in 1967. I greatly overestimated our rate of progress in an ailing Hillman Imp. We went to the French GP at Le Mans and decided that rather our plan of going to the Mediterranean we would cut straight to the nearest coast. We ended up at Bretignolles at a camp site on the Atlantic Coast. I don’t recall how we heard “Concrete and Clay” ( an overheard radio? ) there but I remember well walking to the beach by large pine trees. Being the Atlantic the surf was considerable. On some days there was no bathing enforced by the CRS, the French riot police. Nobody messed with them and no bathing meant exactly that. I had to look it up to find the song was by Unit 4+2 and as far as I know they were a one hit wonder.

I’m not sure whether my next pick qualifies; by that I mean it’s not music but the spoken word. “Under Milk Wood” by Dylan Thomas the Welsh poet who drank himself to death. I had a great time as a research student in 1971-2. We were 5 very disparate people sharing a lab and I became good friends particularly with Howard Griffiths. Howard was Welsh from Swansea and I did visit his home once when I was helping him collecting furniture from his parents for his new flat. This flat was on the Wirral shared with Sue, his wife, and small son. Without making a big deal he was proud of Welsh culture and this record of a radio play ( featuring the wonderful voice of Richard Burton ) we bought in his honour when he completed his degree and left. I rarely listen now  but it reminds me of that time. Sadly Howard died a few years ago from cancer but I was very pleased that we managed a reunion of our five before that happened. Howard had successfully set up and run his own business before he retired. In retirement he turned to classical studies completing a OU degree among other things.

Much later on in the 80’s I worked for Castrol at their Hyde labs near Manchester. I managed a small team which included Mark Cullen. Mark and I were totally different as he was a young hippyish type who revelled in Manchester nightlife. His wide musical enthusiasms included Dire Straits.. When I left in 1986 he gave me a copy of “Brothers in Arms” as a leaving present. Amazingly I had much enjoyed “Sultans of Swing” without realising it was by Dire Straits; it doesn’t feature on the record and I only realised later. Mark helped me organise my evening leaving celebration at a pub in Handforth.

My children did not much change my listening. I remember Alison was very unhappy about my enjoyment of Abba. The occasion I recall best was our tour of Granada studios in the early nineties. Martin was a student at Salford and arranged the visit. Frances was particular fan of Alanis Morrisette and I associate “Ironic” with her and this visit.  This track is on my computer and played regularly now. We had lunch the next day at the Mark Addy pub on the banks of the Irwell. I was distressed to see it may have closed after serious flooding.