Coming Together

Life always feels good when you can see plans that are coming together or simply things succeeding around you.  Take, for example, the churches' picnic in the town last Sunday afternoon.  Last year, I remember, I packed my normal 'snack lunch' in a cool-bag and walked into town with my chair-in-a bag.  I sat on the periphery, ate my lunch, spoke to no one and, after a few minutes' watching what was going on around me, came home.

This year I had been involved.  Through being asked to produce a risk assessment for the event, with all the interaction that this had necessitated, I got to know some of those from other churches who were engaged in staging the event.  As a result of this, I had been asked to be an official 'supervisor' for half of the time.  I was a bit apprehensive but, in the event enjoyed it, talking to a number of people, offering advice where it was requested, and feeling 'engaged' in the whole affair.

Last week I wrote of learning flexibility; this week's lesson was patience. Before last weekend, I had ordered a new awning for the motor-home; the initial arrangement was that it would be delivered on Monday but by 5.30 it hadn't arrived so I phoned the supplier to find out why.  He was most apologetic and explained that he'd overlooked an e-mail telling him that the colour I'd ordered was out of stock.  We agreed a different colour and delivery was re-scheduled for Wednesday.  Finding it by my door when I returned from the midweek church service, I thought I'd get straight on with its installation.  Think again!  It was far too heavy for me to lift up unaided and guide into a slot some feet above my head!  I rang a friend who agreed to help but wouldn't be free until mid-afternoon.  We managed the basic installation but some means of stopping it from banking into the wall of the vehicle while driving along was clearly necessary.  My friend had an idea, and returned to implement this on Thursday morning.  What was to have been a simple afternoon's job on Monday proved to take twice as long and need twice the effort!

Furthermore, in the range of success surrounding me just now, is the unexpectedly good performance of my investments.  This is very much contrary to the gloomy outlook reported on the business and industrial front following the EU referendum, and the recent reduction of interest rates.  As I am constantly being reminded, favourable results cannot be guaranteed and past performance is no guarantee of future returns, but with that in mind, I cannot fail to be encouraged when, over the last ten weeks, their value has risen by an average amount the equivalent of an annual rate of over 40%!

The boarding house
where I stayed as a child

Uppermost in my mind today, however, is the great emotional enjoyment of a trip yesterday to the seaside.  As I told one family, as I sought permission to take a picture of their home, I used to stay there as a holidaymaker over sixty years ago! My favourite picture of my father, which featured here only a few weeks ago, was taken on just such an occasion.

The new Temple Road by-passes
the market place

Some years later, I visited the same resort to spend time with the young lady who was my first real girlfriend.  Yesterday's trip allowed me to take pictures of both the house where she lived at that time and one of the places where we would park the car for the endless conversations that were part of that phase of life.

The house where my girlfriend lived

I remember that, one May afternoon, we had parked in a nearby village where there was a view of the railway line; as we listened to Radio Caroline, we watched the passage of the very last passenger train on the Lowestoft-Yarmouth line, the last relic of the Norfolk & Suffolk Joint Railway.
When opened in Edwardian times, this was jointly owned by the Great Eastern Railway and the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway.  It wasn't until this week, as I put thoughts together, that I realised that the place where we did our courting was actually the track-bed of the main line of the M&GN, whence the tracks had been removed - with what many since have agreed was unseemly haste - following its closure on 2nd March 1959.

The track-bed of the old railway

The former M&GN terminus is now
a car and coach park