Wednesday 25^th March 2015

Dreamt of struggling to get to work, repeatedly I think.

On a motorbike in the snow… Then at work in a factory larger than a village I kept getting lost trying to find where I needed to go… Then on a massive old bus, all the other prospective workers milling around trying to get the attention of the manager was in answer to questions and fill in a form? Later I was in a factory and lost again trying to find the loading bay (that seemed to consist of bits of places I’ve known over the years) but I couldn’t find it?

Took me medications and started this diary off.

Did some graphics for the TFZ site on Coreldraw9 that didn’t crash.

Decided that after the Iceland delivery I’d have a poddle into town and try and get some shots from the top deck of the 141 bus – knowing my luck it’ll be a single decker and destroy me plans. Hehe!

My old mate Trevor got in touch this morning – but I was feeling a bit low, but it was marvellous to hear from him.

A good scrub-up spit and polish was done.

I got myself ready and put the reserve laptop on to await the arrival of the fodder, which came around noon.

I made sure I’d got me free pensioners bus-pass with me and I went and caught a bus to town and got to the bus station in plenty of time.

The 141 bus was late – not that it mattered to me like.

But it was a single decker so that scuppered me plans for taking photographs of me journey from the upper deck like.

Thinking about it, I’d have struggled to get up and down the stairs anyway, so maybe not a bad thing.

When we arrived at Bestwood Village nine passengers alighted and one elderly lady got on the bus.

We drove on through Hucknall and Linby.

I think every village we went through used to have a colliery of it’s own or shared  one with the next village in days gone by.

There are still signs of them today – Bestwood Miners Community Centre is still there – but of course no miners left.

Linby still has some roadside memorabilia.

So sad, but the industry went from exploited workers to exploited NCB in the end.

We moved on to Papplewick and I took a photo of one of the farms near the bus stop there.

Not easy taking a decent photo cause of the reflections from the windows. Many I took were unusable – Tsk!

We moved into the rather more affluent village of Papplewick next.

The sky changed while we were there, and I thought we were going to get a downpour – but nothing matured.

Then into the even more affluent place by the name of Ravenshead.

Private schools, 4×4’s in the houses drive-ways etc.

And no signs of the old (or new) miners housing that there is in other places on this route.

Further on an we came to the colliery of colliers Blidworth – this pit (No longer in operation of course) won many awards over the years and in the first world war a team from this colliery was sent to dig under the German lines and plant massive bombs, so my old neighbour told me some years ago.

All yuppies and upper crusts nowadays.

Then on to Rainworth.

Where the Rufford Colliery was opened in 1911, and closed in 1993.

In 1975 killer Donald Neilson (the Black Panther) was caught by police officers helped by locals at the chip shop on Southwell Road East in the village.
Rainworth has a five turbine wind farm called Lindhurst Wind Farm which was built in 2010.

I tried to photograph them, but the old bus shaking and it not stopping near them curtailed me plans as the photos came out rather blurred and you couldn’t recognise anything on them. Huh!

We arrived at Mansfield bus-station and I poddled down towards the market so as to have a look at the second-hand book stall if it was open.

As I walked down the narrow jitty people were running up the narrow jitty – I overheard one of the folk say to another: “Somebody’ll get killed…”.

I turned back up the jitty and to the bus station as I heard the police vehicles sirens.

Took me midday medications Better late than never).

I caught a Pronto bus back (Single decker, they all are on that route) and sat camera in hand in readiness for anything interesting coming into view on the way back.

As we drove though the Papplewick turn off I lost it – I woke up a mile or so further on.

I assume that is when I took this photograph without realising it…

Gawd knows how I did it, but it’s certainly different innit?

I wonder if I should enter it in some competition somewhere?

No… okay.

At the Ravenshead turn-off I tried to take a photo of an old American car, no idea what it was, long low, massive wings at the back and coloured pink and white or cream, with white-wall tyres!

But I was too slow and it had gone before I could get me camera going. Tsk!

Another failed photograph here – the missing fox?

He or she was there when I got me camera out but I can’t see any fox in this photographicalisation at all… can you? No, I thought not, shame.

On into Nottingham with me fighting to stay awake now, Anne Gyna getting restless and being on the bus so long started me haemorrhoids off again, for which I am still suffering. Hey-ho!

On the way back from the bus-stop, I came across a piece of Nottingham Street Art with a difference – no idea what it was at all, or why the artist had created it. Hehe!

On the pavement at the base of a telegraph pole it lay there awaiting praise or criticism

Back in the hovel, I was tired but hungry.

INR level results came through the post -1.7, down again. They booked me in for next Monday for testing.

Made some herbed microwave potatoes (Must get some more of these from Aldi, they’re super!) and a beef slice, followed by a pot of ice-cream and a cuppa.

Took me medications.

Started this diary, then did some Facebooking.

Faded fast and gave in to the heavy eyelids…