Life Observed

Our town museum has re-opened after a four year rebuild and refit. At the moment it feels rather empty, as if they put the exhibits in storage and can't remember where. There are lots of nice open spaces however, and everything looks clean and new. Here is one of the open areas.  It has a nice pair of chairs.  They face the toilets.

If you are of a certain age (and I am confident you are not..) then the name Hilversum will have particular significance. This mysterious word and many others like it would be found on the dial of the family radio. As the pointer searched the waves (we didn't have frequencies in those days) it swept past these impossibly exotic locations. What were all these foreigners listening to?  It certainly wasn't the quality of the BBC Home Service I can tell you. Well, it wouldn't be.  Generally it sounded like whistles and a continuous buzz. Johnny foreigner must be easily amused.

Bank Holiday Monday was wet. It was very wet, so I decided to go in to work and take a different day off instead. It was quiet at work as you might imagine, just me and Phillip here. He keeps himself to himself, and in return we generally ignore him. I worry though. He may go unremarked in his little corner but I think he is watching the office . I think he notes down what we do and I think he reports back to the management. In fact I suspect he is a plant.

Hooray. A long weekend.  Time to get things done or take it easy and visit a National Trust property . As you see, we are at the Vyne near Basingstoke on Bank Holiday Saturday. Weather: Mixed but dry. Tea shop queue: Huge*. Wasps: Annoying. Children's play area: Mayhem. *I think that the NT could expand their operation at minimum cost. Given that the house and grounds are usually a peripheral attraction, they could be dispensed with. Just buy up waste land, install a tea shop, a play area, a ticket booth, some brown signs and start coining it.

I find the strangest things amusing.  I suspect I inherited my sense of humour, and it is a valuable tool in the daily task of dealing with life. There are many folks I know that have a similar gift, and I feel a special bond with them.  Equally there are a select few I have met over the years that don't seem to find anything amusing at all . Now these folks are rather worrying: I mean, what do they think the rest of us are laughing at? Anyway, it is always a joy to see evidence of a like minded person when I am out and about. For example: BTW. Why do you never hear someone say "Me, I have no sense of humour at all"

Here's a sandstone wall that clearly needs attention.  So with your help, we are giving it some. I don't know if this indicates that northern sandstone is weak or if it shows that the winters in Durham are particularly harsh. Either way, it was one of those little details I could not leave unrecorded. Mmm. Lovely shapes and textures.

Settle down here and enjoy some unusual catering. No. I don't know why they decided this would be a good name for a cafe.