The Acknowledgment

I’m making a trip south this weekend to Glastonbury in Somerset for a family birthday.

Glastonbury holds a special place in my heart it’s where I spent my formative years, going to school, making friends, falling in love, falling out of love, falling out of the pub …….

I haven’t lived in Glastonbury since 1994 but frequently return to visit family & friends, it’s when I return that I notice the differences between living in a small close knit town & the large industrial Midlands town that I live in now.

The biggest thing is “The acknowledgement” for this I hark back to the first time I took my boyfriend (now Husband) to stay the weekend in Glastonbury. On the Saturday night we take the 15 min stroll into town from my family residence. As we amble up the road we pass 6 or 7 people, couples walking dogs, people carrying home shopping, others maybe just taking in the night air as we pass there’s a cheery “good evening” or “lovely evening” to which I respond accordingly with a big smile as we continue our way. As we reached the top of the road my boyfriend said “Do you know everyone here?” Momentarily I was confused …. “you spoke to everyone we passed!” …… Laughing I explained that it was the norm to acknowledge people regardless of whether you knew them or not & though nothing more of it …..

Some months later I moved to the Midlands to be with my man, it was all rather disorientating but I carried on as usual. One night we were walking into town & we passed lots of people ….. but no-one spoke, I tried a couple of times but was met with startled looks, I tried smiling at a few but again most people looked at me as if I’d lost the plot! My boyfriend gently took me aside & pointed out that people don’t talk to each other here, in fact it was probably better not to make eye contact at all!

How sad I thought to have lost that human contact.

I still find it very hard not to acknowledge passing people 12 years later & I still can’t help smiling at oncoming people and just occasionally … very occasionally I get a smile back … it makes my heart soar …. in my head that smile might have made someone’s day a bit more bearable!

So this weekend I shall be acknowledging my way up the road & enjoying every moment of it ….. if you live somewhere where “the acknowledgement” is the norm treasure it cause that cheery greeting might be making someone’s day!!!

Theres something about Wednesdays ....

I really quite like Wednesdays, granted they are not as good as Fridays for those of us who work a standard working week.

It's a specific time on a Wednesday that makes me smile ... that time is 1.15pm ... and why ?? well you see at 1.15pm I have done exactly half a working week, don't get me wrong I quite like my job & I'm not clock-watching my life away ... but as that pc clock clicks over to 1.15pm a little pleasurable thought floats into my head .... I have less of the working week to do then I've already done ... which in turn means the weekend is closer than it has been all week!!

In celebration of this little moment of the week, me & my colleague Pete raise a coffee & dip a malted milk biccie!

Let me introduce my colleague Pete as he will probably make a few appearances over time!
He is a what i call a typical Graphic Designer (apologies to those GD's out there), he survives on a diet of very strong black coffee & cigarettes, has a mop of hair that stands up like a mad professor when he pulls at it in frustration at yet another "idiot client" and an amazing ability to hint at double entendre with the raise of one bushy eyebrow when I am trying to conduct a serious conversation on the phone , a talent that has had me spluttering many a time!!

Anyway I digress ....Isn't it strange how we get into little rituals of time ... or is it just me ....??

10.30am ..... all quiet for popmaster on radio 2
3pm ..... must be a caffeine top up time
4.40pm ......... last cuppa of the day the one where you kick back , discuss the day!

Maybe its because I have a structured day, maybe those of you out there that have a more laidback lifestyle don't have time structures?
Maybe its a human trait that we all have to some extent?

Maybe tomorrow I'll live dangerously & have that last coffee at 4.50pm!!

Following in my Fathers footsteps

I'm very new to this blogging .... my dad is a keen blogger & I always read his entries with interest so this is dipping a toe into new waters! My Dads blog by the way is aheronsview ...

I wonder if I will find as much interesting things to talk about I live in a busy midlands town, with a fulltime job & all the trappings of modern life .... but I think we all have something to share from all walks of life!

So let me share a little about myself as I mentioned I live in the Midlands but originally from Somerset, I'm an only child of only children & I'm married to an only child ...there must be a future blog in there somewhere!

I'm a keen amatuer photographer & love to travel all over the world ... which I have a feeling may also appear frequently in entries!

I manage a printroom, which is great because I meet all sorts of people who I'm sure will provide many an anecdote for on here!

So here we go my first post ....