Nostalgia

Saturday morning - just listened as usual to Sounds of The Sixties. Bit of a tradition - the weekend wouldn't be the same without it. I am quite nostalgic really - but apart from that I still really enjoy listening to sixties music. The weather is cold and damp with mizzely rain that soaks in to your clothes.

This week saw a milestone in my working life - I started my first proper job at the Inland Revenue in Bradford on 20 October 1969 - and have now completed 40 years for the same employer. No gold watch, no thank you letter and definitely NO BONUS payment. Instead I am losing my job - which is being privatised next year. So I am being forced in to a career change or I could choose to take early retirment. Sadly at the moment this isn't financially viable. With just over three years to work I'm sure I can manage to do whatever I end up with - but I must admit to feeling rather sad and hugely disappointed at the way me and my colleagues have been treated. I am over the anger now - honest.

I left school - Cow Close County Secondary - in July 1969 with two GCE's and five CSE's - obviously an underachiever as my school reports are littered with "could do better", "must try harder". Clearly the teachers could see potential in me that didn't materialise. My first paid job after leaving school was at John Colliers (mens outfitters) in Horsforth, Leeds. I worked in the cloth stock room. My job was to pick the rolls of the cloth for the cutters to cut out the suit lengths and then return the rolls to their rightful place in stock room. My granddad (Joe) also worked there - he was passed retirment age by then but was employed to sweep up and keep the stock room floors clear etc.

This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the GAP retail store. They are doing a promotion selling shirts and jeans etc in the style of 1969. I couldn't resist - I'm now the proud owner of a pair of slimline denims - exactly like I wore in my youth - the waist band is only slightly larger!! I can wear these with my baseball boots - didn't have a pair of those back in the day though. So maybe I am regressing - reliving my lost yoof!!

Life is full of coincidences - Leeds United won the First Division title in 1969 and here we are 40 years later and they are top of the First Division again!!!

My favourite songs from 1969 - Blackberry Way (The Move); Something In The Air (Thunderclap Newman); Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival); First Of May (Bee Gees); and Saved By The Bell (Robin Gibb).

What else happened in 1969 - the moon landing of course in July; Golda Meir becomes the first female prime minister of Israel; British troops arrive in Northern Ireland to reinforce the Royal Ulster Constabulary; the very first U.S. troop withdrawals are made from Vietnam; the Woodstock Festival begins in upstate New York, featuring some of the top rock musicians of the era; Monty Python's Flying Circus first airs on British Television.

What will our children and grandchildren look back on in 40 years time - Barack Obama first black American President is inaugurated; swine flu virus classifeid as a pandemic; longest recession in Britain since records began in the 1950's; Michael Jackson dies; Sri Lankan Civil War ends after more than 25 years of conflict; Israel completes its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

We're off to the seaside today - to see Jayne's brother, Ian and his wife Irene. Maybe we will get to the beach chalet and watch the world go by - probably with the wind gusting, the rain lashing and the sea raging. What is it with British fascination about the seaside - perhaps it's because we live on an island.

Thought for Tomorrow - You know you're getting old when you decide to procrastinate but never get round to it.

Lost in Cyberspace

Floating, floating, somewhere in cyberspace. Isolated and lost. How can I reconnect to all things earthly. It feels like I am cut off from the rest of my family and friends. Withdrawal symptoms. Don't know what's happening to anyone anymore. It feels weird, strange.

The cause of my unease, anxiety and frustration......I haven't been able to log in to Facebook since Saturday. Have I been "blackballed" - I've deleted those offending cookies but still no joy. Can FB really still be doing site maintenance.

What did I do before FB - used the telephone or email of course. That seems so passe now.

How the world has changed - social networking is now at a new level. But I'm hooked. I imagine that there are more people collecting friends than there are people collecting stamps - more "Penny Black" friends on FB.

Jayne said to me it's strange that when we meet someone in the street or at work and they ask how we are we most often reply "fine", "OK". However on FB we seem to want to tell the world when we are not fine, not OK, when we are ill.

Who's winning at Bejeweled Blitz - no need to ask really - it will be my sister, Susan of course. Who's posted new photographs. Who's crops need harvesting and fish need flushing or feeding. Who's the latest tough guy in Mafia wars. What's the latest quiz doing the rounds. Will I have any new friends. This got me thinking what the noun for collecting friends might be - here are some suggestions:-

socialallergy - preferring online friends
mateorology - collecting friends who only talk about being under the weather
relatvity - all your friends are family
phillately - all your friends are call Phil - not to be confused with stamp collecting


Technology changes so fast. I heard on the radio the other day from some "techie guy" that in the near future all TV programmes will be delivered via the Internet and not television sets. We will not sit down at 7.30pm to watch "Corrie" as dictated by the TV schedulers - instead we will watch what we want, when we want - viewing on demand on your computer. I know we can get TV programmes that way already - BBC iPlayer and 4 On Demand for example. I also regularly listen to radio on the net - either live or "listen again".

Change or get left behind.

OK drama over for now - taking refuge in my new hobby of blogging. I don't have the poetry and imagery of Jaxter in her Jottings (it's really not boring Jax). Just some rambling drivel I'm afraid.

So I'm sat here with Jayne listening to Rosanne Cash's new CD - The List. A selection of country songs suggested to Rosanne by her dad Johnny Cash back in the summer of 1973. He described them as their musical genealogy. Why did we buy it.....one of the songs is a duet with Bruce Springsteen!!!

Jayne spent the weekend setting up her online shop to sell her handmade Christmas tree ornaments. This is called Ohchristmastree and can be found via the following link http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=8181181

There are more items to add so put the link in your favourites and keep checking what's on offer - you can also buy something if you want!!

Not being on FB so much has also meant that I have been reading more over the last couple of days - Harlan Coben "Promise Me". I like HC - if you haven't tried him yet he's worth a try.

Thought for Tomorrow: Modern art - if it hangs on a wall it's a painting; if you can walk round it it's a sculpture.

Washington CD

Great day in Washington CD today - meeting with other team colleagues. Weather was fine and sunny going there and coming home and the A1 / A19 was not very busy. Decided to go up via the A19 so missed by bacon sarnie at Scotch Corner (Sedbury services).

This was a great opportunity to talk with colleagues in a really supportive environment about the impending loss of our jobs, our hopes and our fears. It's important to have people you can share these thoughts with - people who understand.

Also good to talk about work and get some different perspectives.

I will really miss these people!

Did you know that there is a place called New York......in County Durham.

Jayne's spent the day looking at the possibility of starting an online shop to sell her Christmas tree ornaments. More work to do but I think she'll do it - will this make our fortune...? so she can retire early - certainly hope so....but need to remain realistic.

Thought for tomorrow - gossip: hearing something you like about someone you don't.