Happy memories and Scary Moments

Hi Everyone

One of my earliest memories, I would be about four at the time, was sitting next to the Junior Partner in his car, driving along one of the main roads to what was perceived to be the city centre on the two lane road with Victorian terraced houses on either side, then some commercial business and, inevitably, a couple of pottery factories. With only about 10% of the population owning a car at that time, other vehicles would be few and far between. This week, some eighty three years later, I drove along that same road. The road is still almost exactly the same, with the Victorian terraced houses, the commercial businesses and even one of the pottery factories is still there. The difference this time was that the road was completely full of vehicles from one end to the other, with both lanes going at hardly more than walking pace. The reason, of course, for the almost gridlock is that now almost 80% of the population owns a car, and that does not include the huge increase in vans and lorries. Ok, I know that we have built some dual carriageways through and around the city, but nowhere near enough has been spent to take us from the 1940s to the 2020s. I think that same story could be told about many of the old industrial northern English cities. Add in our 150 year old railway system, then surely when our politicians promise us better times ahead, the dream of achieving that is about thirty years too late.

When  I reached the city centre all those years ago, there were two other unforgettable memories. In one of the main streets was a car showroom which was of no particular interest to me, but to get into the showroom you had to walk down a corridor filled with a display of toy trains, some windup and some powered by electricity. As the Senior Partner was tight with money, I got a wind-up train set. After about six months, my friend overwound my engine, so that was the end of my train set. Fortunately, my friend had an electric train set as his mother was not so tight with money. The other city centre memory was the shopping arcade, which sloped gently down for nearly 100 yards, so I was one of a generation of children who loved the simple pleasure of sliding down the shiny marble terrazzo floor. 

I found the news this week really disturbing, as I find it hard to believe that a young man can legally own a high powered rifle that can kill another man standing 100 yards away. Even more disturbing for me is that the country's leader then defines who is to blame for the atrocity even before the killer has been identified. In that way, he is polarising his people even more than they are already. He seems to forget that he is responsible for all his people, not just the ones who agree with him. Yet again, he has not listened to best advice: "engage brain before opening mouth". Sadly, we have a clone waiting in the wings.

Just a thought: 

Are people born with a photographic memory, or does it take time to develop?

I bought an Avocado to boost my memory, but I forgot where I put it.

As a child, I always wanted to be a train driver, but I kept being sidetracked.

Brian