What a night of dreams… and Nightmares! Can’t recall any details but somehow I know they were frustrating and embarrassing?

Awoke at 0420hrs.

WC.

Blooming cold this morning -3c Brrr…

Started laptop and made a cuppa. Then took me medications.

WC.

When I eventually found me reading glasses I worked on blogs for a few hours, then moved to Facebook.

BT internet okay at the moment?

Got an email from Nottingham City Council about it being free to get into the Castle Today instead of £4. Twixt 1000hrs and 1600hrs.

Bit late now, but I think I’ll get missen ready and join the crowds there to take some photo’s fer me Diary here…? Yes? No?… Yes I’ll give it a go…

Back later folks…

I am back, after quite an entertaining but disappointing little walk at times to Nottingham Castle.

Taking a photo when I was about ¼ mile from the City centre. Took it from the central part of the pelican lights.

Not too cold now at all.

Made my way down into town and though the Slab Square with its Winter Festival in full swing.

As expected the place was teeming with folk, not that very many of them looked very happy apart from the kids.

I’ve noticed this lately… the general gloom of folk in and around Nottingham?

I called in the Chinese food store on Friar Lane to see if they had and new seaweed flavours in so I could get some for my Sister Jane as a treat ‘cause she ain’t very well. Took the surprise out of it when I found they had some Wasabi flavoured seaweed in – so I called her (At last I’ve used me mobile phone) to make sure she liked it first and asked her if she’d like me to get her a packet on me way back from the Castle. She did.

As I approached the entrance, there were many folk lingering about.

You could tell it was free as opposed to the usual £4 to get in. Last time I went and paid there were only about 8 people there besides myself, this time there were four times that number just at the little shop at the entrance.

I made my way left and up the lower hill passed the candyfloss stall and up to the perimeter wall.

I must say the view was breathtaking even though I knew the crimes that had been committed in the various quarters I was looking at.

The first photograph I took, I tried to make interesting by keeping a bit of the Nottingham Castle rocks in view while taking in the long distance shot of the power station.

The next one I took of the City Centre Broad Marsh area with a contrast of old and new buildings in it I hoped.

David Bailey? Phwer!

The next one of my masterpieces of photography (Lie mode adopted here you’ll notice? Yes I thought you would! Tsk!) wot I dun was taken leaning over the wall and straight down onto Canal Street.

Taking this reminded me of my youth, when the consumption of alcohol was of great importance to me.

I was working at Tesco at the time, and my mate Ray Miles convinced me it would be a great wiz to try and climb up the rock face to the Castle. At least on that occasion it was not me but Ray who ended up in the hospital. Ah memories…

In the background was not the Brass Band as promised in the email, but two young lasses singing with squeaky voices of which I could not understand a word, bless em. There were only three people stood or sat listening to em too.

So I walked down a little footpath to escape the noise. I’d never noticed this path before, so sheltered yet so pretty I thought… until I got to the end of it and there were steps all the way up to the top level!

Oh me knees…

Still I made it up to the top.

Once there I took what I thought was a good photo of the growth on the castle rocks in the foreground, and some houses in Lenton in the distance.

I’m was getting worried about myself now trying this David Bailey imitating.

I hobbled around the corner and there was one of the telescopes with no one using it – well for 20p thought I, I’ll have a go.

I dropped in me 20p coin and nothing happened.

Miffed, I dropped in another – same result, nowt!

As I walked on to approach where I could hear organ music coming from I glanced back, and there was two youths using the same telescope that I failed to get working and talking about what they could see?

Hey-ho! I thought this music is too good to be live and was too good to live.

It came from the back of a large lorry trailer. Huh! Never did find me live brass band!

My knees were getting bad now, so I made me way out and down to the Chinese shop to get Jane’s seaweed – I was quiet pleased with remembering to.

When I got into the slab square, I thought I was looking at tram about an eighth of mile long?

But it wasn’t, it was one that had broken down and a few trams behind it.

I warned em yer know… about putting trams back on the streets again. I wrote to the Evening Post and told em about this happening and that they should have put trolleybuses back on the road, if they break-down you just take the booms off the wires and other ones can pass – and with a reserve battery the broken down one back make its way under it’s own power back to the depot! Did they listen? No, they didn’t even print or acknowledge me letter. Tsk!

Oh dear, I forgot to tell you about the new statue of Robin Hood I noticed as I left the grounds of the castle.

He’d been done-up in a Santa Claus get-up.

And it looked crude cheap and nasty – but that’s Nottingham for yer. A bit like BT internet really… You don’t get what you expect to get!

I walked through Exchange Walk shopping parade – and at last Christmas some music I could appreciate and enjoy… I lingered for a while. (They can’t touch me for it)

Fair enough I couldn’t make out a word they were singer either, but they were very melodic and I liked that.

I left the Arcade by the top doors just in time to see some shoplifters being placed in the Police van. The officers returned to the shop – maybe they have more to collect and place in the van – I wouldn’t be surprised in the least.

I walked (limping by now) up Clinton Street.

As I was passing the Sports Direct store it reminded me of what Mike Steeden (A blogger of genuine high quality humour and satire content) informed me of via a comment he made on Facebook.

They have some thermal vests on offer at £3,99 each. So I went in to have a look – I thought I’d walked into a football match! Talk about a popular shop!Any-road I found the vest he was telling me about ‘Campris Sports Base-Layer. And they had them in large too.

On the box was printed 70% off – Was £22.99 now £7.99 – Two for £12.99 and were selling at £3.99 each!

So I got a couple.

When I’d fought my out of the shop, I had to fight me way up Clinton Street to catch the bus back to the hovel.

Got in WC.

Then photographed the vest to put on here like, made a cuppa started laptop and finished this Diary off and got it posted.

Took me medications.

Facebooked and blogged a while.

Had me nosh and faded…