Twas on a Monday afternoon that the gasman came to call…
Birthday celebrations began in Ernest on Thursday. Lovely lemon drizzle cake at work for lunch, and a damn fine Herefordshire steak at the Halfway House later that evening in Bastonford with my sister et al. Yup Bastonford, it's a real place.
The weekend was quite nostalgic including a visit with my mother to Blackburn town centre where I spent substantial chunks of my childhood Saturday mornings trailing around the shops.
During these ddtrips we used to visit a stall on Blackburn market where a man sold sasparilla in real pint and half pint glasses. Propping up the bar with a glass of the cold bubbly aniseed-tasting liquid was a real pleasure for my 9year-old self. On Saturday I made a pilgrimage to the man who claims to have been on Blackburn market for 56 years! And yes I partook in what is, for me at least, an institution.
I also ran into a lad with whom I went to school. 13 years has brought him a wife, 3 kids and a couple of mobile phone shops.
It was back to the present with a bump on Sunday when I returned to Worcester to find my gas boiler had thrown in the towel. Probably the same towel I was using last week to clean up after the leaking water meter under me sink. So this afternoon the Gas man cometh. Something to do with pressure … don't ask me. Anyway it's all sorted. I'm just waiting for the power to go out or something and I'll have had the three, Water, Gas and Electricity.
This week ACB Radio World is covering the European Blind Union Equality and Diversity Forum, plus General Assembly from Turkey. What I have heard so far has been pretty interesting particularly a session exploring the portrayal of blind women in the media. Dolphin are sponsoring coverage which runs until Friday.