WHAT A LOVELY DAY

I had fully intended to use one of my Compassion roses for a Blip today, but then events sort of overtook me and I just had to change my mind - but as everyone knows, it is a woman’s prerogative to change her mind!

After a friend came round for coffee this morning, I had to return an item to a shop in the Designer Outlet on the other side of the town, so Mr. HCB kindly took me and dropped me off, to save me catching a bus.

I had a wander around and went into Sketchers, the shoe shop.  Having watched Lucy, the lovely girl on the left in the top shot in my collage, carefully arrange the various trainers, I said to her, with a glint in my eye “Do you know what I would really love to do?”  She said “Go on, tell me” - so I said I wanted to mess up her display by pushing all the trainers up together - so she said she had wanted to do the same thing, so she was happy for me to do just that - so I did!!  

I had been chatting to her and Tara, the other lovely girl, and explained that when I used to go into Debenhams in our town centre, I used to rearrange the shoe displays for my Blips - so of course, I then had to tell them what a Blip was.  We were laughing because I told them that my husband always walked away and just left me to it.  I asked if I could take a photograph of them, and they said I could, so here we all are and they were excited to think they were going to be part of my Blip today.  They both said I had made their day - but would you believe I only had one little wooden heart in my pocket, so I have promised to go back sometime, to give Jess one.  

Then I went into Ritual, another shop that sells perfume and was chatting to Madi and Jess, the second shot on the left, who were both very knowledgeable about the things they sold in the shop, so I complimented them on knowing all about their products, and they too, said that I had made their day - so I promised them I would go back with a heart each.  I can’t believe I didn’t pick up enough hearts to see me through the day!

I had a toastie and cup of coffee at Costa and then decided to walk partway to the bus boulevard - and am really proud of myself because I have done almost 10,000 steps today - which may not sound much to someone who walks a lot, but as you know, since my back surgery, I haven’t done that much exercise, so a bonus for me today.

I took lots of shots on my walk, passing the little railway cottaage, at the bottom left, where my Grandad was born in 1899.  I spoke to the lady who had just moved in next door and said that it never ceased to amaze me that my Great Grandparents brought up 10 children in the house next door - with only one room and a kitchen downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs!  

I walked through Faringdon Road Park, and saw the the War Memorial, commissioned by South Swindon Parish Council and unveiled on 10th November 2018 to mark the centenary of the end of World War I.  There are various symbols within the sculpture, representing medics during the war years, horses that pulled heavy guns in the war, a rifle representing themes of the infantry regiments and the wheel based on a carriage made in the Great Western Railway works.  The wheel is also a symbol representing the various items including steam locomotives, other vehicles and ambulance railway carriages and remembering all those who served in countless jobs during the war years.

I asked Mr. HCB about the Water Tower - middle shot on the top row - and he said that this was to provide high-pressure water for fire-fighting in the GWR Carriage Works.  It was built in the 1870s and is now a Grade II Listed structure.

As I walked through the park, I saw the wonderful sculpture by Graham Derham, who has transformed an ash tree into an intricate carving of Daniel Gooch, who worked as the first locomotive Superintendent of the Great Western Railway. Apparently, in 1840, Gooch recommended Isambard Kingdom Brunel that he build the Great Western’s much-needed engine works in Swindon.  In 1846, Gooch designed the first complete locomotive to be constructed in Swindon, which achieved 70 miles per hour.  And to think I might never have seen this if I hadn’t walked through the park today.  Gooch was also heavily involved in laying the first successful transatlantic telegraph cable, which greatly reduced communication time between Europe and North American from weeks to minutes!   I never knew that.

Just past this sculpture is a “Chatty Bench”, the bottom right shot in my collage and the sign on it says “Take a seat, strike up a conversation or just say hello”.  I must confess, I did baulk at sitting on this seat and talking to myself - there is only so much one can do as a “silly old woman” and I think by that time I had done enough!  

The last shot in my collage - not quite in order, but I hope you will forgive me for that - is me having an ice cream - it was delicious - chocolate and sea salt - from a little café called Kitchen On the Corner in Faringdon Road, where a friend goes for breakfast - so I was just sussing it out before meeting up with her one day.  

So that was my day today - and I could almost break into song,  - and this is one I used to sing often when I was much younger!  Hope yours has been a lovely day too.  Have a great weekend.  M xx