Its not even snowing

and

just a shirt man had a coat this morning!

Admittedly just a thin coat.

He is a tough Northern Lad after all.

Mind I was hard pressed not to make a comment about the weather.

Which was particularly chill this morning.

Riding backwards and moving forward

A different bus journey today.  A busy bus and for part of the journey sitting in a seat facing backwards. Not my favorite direction.

But as I travel to meet my best friend and her family for a most special day I contemplate beginnings. 

A journey my friend started years ago has come to a certain sort of ending that is in fact a beginning.

Today my friend had her graduation ceremony from the Open University. A journey that included her starting a blog life outside the washing basket and inspiring me to start mine. The Beggining

There have been some interesting stops and starts, ups and downs and experiences on the way for us both.

So here is a rather blurry picture of that moment of confirmation.

(an update by permission with the much better picture taken by her brother)

well done Roni. 

So then whats next?

The derelict building is

no more

farewell

Lot of memories there. 

and a further step is added to my personal paranoia.

sweet-and-sour 

Can they fix it?

Yes they can, wow as I reported the mess of the path after the last hole dug in it I did so with less optimism than I had prior to that path modification.

This time, result. The patchwork that was the section of path in which the puddle in its various forms lived was one flat unified stretch of smooth grey.

You can see in this homeward bound view the bit of patchwork disappearing into the new path.

Took pictures from the outward bound view as well it was so nice.

Yup they even fixed the adding path which removed the issue there too.  I went to complement the council on the wonderful path, there was no where to do that...shame.  

Just a shirt Man

New character in my bus journey is just a shirt man.

I see him walking to the bus station ahead of me some mornings, others he arrives after me. 

He wears a long sleeved shirt...even when it is pelting down with rain and he is drenched.

Now that is not just unexpected weather but even when it has been forecast.

There is part of me waiting with curiosity for the snow! 

So near

and yet so far....

Rubbish aim?

for the rubbish going into the bin at the bus station. A bit depressing really.

There is a song

running through my head as I look at the result of recent digging to the path on the way to the bus stop.

The digging took the form of a long trench stretching the full length of the dark puddles abode and along were the path splits to either the dene or my normal route past the site of my former school. 

Here is an opportunity for the dip in the path to be corrected, for the curb between path and grass to be lowered so the water will flow away.  Here is the opportunity for the puddle in all its incarnations (including skating rink) to be banished.

There was an opportunity...

Sometimes I am foolishly optimistic.

The result, the curb was raised, yes raised not lowered, with the new tarmac to fill in the path edge of the hole packed at a steep slant against it.  What is more the cantor of the path has now been extender by several feet past the place it used to level out and allow some drainage.

So  the song, well slightly reworded from the Nat King Cole original....."there may be puddles ahead!"

And yes in case you are wondering I have reported it to the council, sadly there was no facility to attach pictures.