Speeding train

Fast as memories flying through my mind.

Watching my life fly past, my childhood and children's childhood.. neighborhood

I see me, little Marian Bonelli, and then in the rec little Barry and little Tony.. 

Now both with young'uns themselves.

My line, under my house.. under the concrete platform I lay on over the tunnel to watch as the trains past beneath.

The grand Union Canal, weaving along beside the A41 and the Euston line.

Old man's beard heavy on the passing, me passing, hedgerows.. 

Lots of bright winterly berries too.. going to be a bad winter, too many old wives tales, but I guess they must have come from somewhere.

Roads I know, knew, all too well.. the old A41.. following it along from Hemel Hempstead, the road up to Bovingdon.. Bourne End.. 

Then behind the terraces coming into Berkhamsted, under Gravel Path.. then whoosh.. gone the park at the bottom of the road that leads to Tesco.. the old conker trees there.. I have some still, from there, of course I do! I hear ya!

Wanted to make use of the time to follow the words I've recently heard about all the information coming into our minds when travelling and it passes straight through and out.. doesn't cling..

And it's only past hurts grief's that act like a net to stop us or make happy things sad by clinging on..

So plan of watching absorbing and letting go the journey.. turned into a net..

Once out of Milton Keynes.. where our first stop is, now.. and in our parked up pause back there I've quickly penned this.

Now parked up at last station.

I've seen..

Field of Llamas 

Fields of sheep, and cattle

Field of seagulls!

Mistletoe!?! Nope not just now, or maybe! But I meant to say with a photograph the other day, the what appears to be greenery in those trees is mistletoe.  We've seen loads while out walking, last week I exclaimed, as I do, that's mistletoe! And passing workman heard and shouted to his mate, we should grab that!

Back to journey, now.

There has been fog so thick at times can't see to the ends of the passing fields.. oh hang on, they're not passing, I am..

Trees of my step dads.. his type of tree, old and gnarled.. 

Fields burned after harvest.. felt for a moment I could smell the burnt wheat but just nose memory... Another few hectares with giant signs reading.. Growing for Wheetabix!

Pulling into Rugby.. and out again..

On my last train now, had a shortish wait in Coventry.. now here I am in Leamington Spa.. feels like only yesterday I was waiting here! 

I definitely need to stop and smell the roses, metaphorically speaking!

One person got off, and only me got on this train.. although time yet +1 

Taken some nice railway photographs.. said it before, I should have been writing down train numbers! Keeping my trainspotters anorak firmly under cover!

Later I am posting this as written, slightly list-like, but I'm writing lists and ticking boxes so it's all good.

Watched a beautiful movie yesterday, Last Christmas.. 2019. Absolutely beautiful watch it if you can.

Okay on our way! Back to Stratford upon Avon and what looks to be a very beautiful hotel.

And it is. The Mercure, very old, black and white frontage. Lots of twists and turns inside.. 

Very strange from outside, not the hotel, the whole lockdown look. It's a dark gray day, bit foggy here even in the town. And the hotel looked locked up, door closed, downstairs rooms unlit.

A sign telling people to ring the bell, which I did, and someone came to let me in, and locked up behind me.

Hotels in Lockdown, for us solitary lone workers, key workers, healthcare workers.

I checked in, and came up to my room. It's really beautiful, a humongous bed! With all the regular.. the bathroom huge too.

I dropped my things and popped out quickly for some food, unlocked for me to get back in. I signed in on the Covid19 track and trace also as requested.

Came back to my room and ate half the prepackaged food I bought; after a nice half hour and coffee finished I ran a bath, poured in the small bottle of hotel bubble bath.. I applied a mask I'd bought in Mercadona back home, and laid back listening to music eyes closed in the bubbles and hot water.. really really lovely.

Now in comfies, drinking a caramel latte mix.. I'll have a rash in the morning, but what the hey!

And posting this!

TTFN

Marian

VE day. 75 years ago today.

Sorry! Started yesterday but time and whatsit wait for no one!!

Above Birmingham Moor Street station on my way here... Eleven something in the morning on a Thursday..

Bodmin New Street two of us left by way of the Moor Street doors... There was just me on the carriage from Derby to Birmingham.. and only two of us got off at the last stop on my last train coming into the tourist destination of Stratford Upon Avon!

I'm in a small hamlet where I have been before, I did a ten weeks placement of ten weeks here, three years in September..

Very different at this time of the year of course, and at this time of lockdown 2020...

There was a street party of sorts here yesterday, we stopped briefly to join in songs and a radio report from 75 years ago by Winston Churchill, and in the evening sat outside on the kerb, in chairs.. a pizza oven cooking on the small green, and music playing on an old windup record player.. 

Very convivial, was good fun..

Not the greatest photograph of the bunting, but I wanted the milk float in the picture.. as it's makes it seem so much more old school!

There were a couple singing 1940's songs in the village yesterday, and as I walked around people were were getting tables and chairs out in their front gardens in preparation all around the village, looked very Miss Marple!! 

I'm enjoying a walk here every day.. walks I never got to do last time, felt a bit like coming home as we pulled into the road off the main road...

If I'd known I'd be ... Ummm trapped? in England for so long, I'd have brought my proper camera!

Along with clothes for spring.. or summer!!

My three t-shirts are getting holy already!!

TTFN

Marian

Well, odd selection of photographs forsure!

Firstly a new hoodie! I left mine in the house, I can see it there, in my mind's eye, on the coat rack so I don't forget it!

We looked for one a couple of weeks ago and none of them had zippers, well maybe one or two, that I didn't like!

Gave up today and bought one without the zipper! Hoodie good size for hiding in on long flights... It's warm, and instead of two pockets, I can put my hands in and they can warm up together!!

Only problem is it's difficult to get back off, so should be fun on a plane!!!

Bit of a far away shot above but the pair of crows I had been watching were being so tender, checking eachothers feathers, prodding and rearranging feathers... Cute!

And at M&S in Stratford this morning, toasted tea cake and latte! Plastic knife! Lol... Not so cool?

Five days to go, and I had a test run with my suitcase, it's just for some reason I didn't think things would fit! Although I hadn't brought much, and haven't bought much! But even so I worried... Well all is well! Of course!

Nothing much more I can add... I am exhausted, my eye sockets are black in places! And when I went back to my car in the carpark I wondered if someone had moved the car!! Who the hell parked it like that!!! Lol

Country Road

Yes I'm here.... about ten minutes from Stratford upon Avon... Very pretty village, two pubs and small shop and a massive maypole!!

Above a photo taken in Alcester, also very close by and where my initial training was for the company I work for!

The flight left over three hours late, we spent over two hours actually sitting on the plane, after boarding on time, we just never left! We were taken off for fueling and re-boarded! Crazy! So getting into Birmingham airport and then here to placement and only being an hour late, I did okay, reason being of course I would have had a couple of relaxing hours... I thought I'd go around the Birmingham Bull Ring, but it didn't happen... oh well!

We have a rental car so I am able to take the customer to centres and shopping which is great, long days and normal challenges of course, with a few extra surprises thrown in for good measure, its a long placement, and the countdown on my phone will take a while to look like I am making any progress at all!! Maybe I should move it away from the home-screen and only look at it if I think of it! Good plan!

I have got soaked through a couple of times, and although I know not responsible for it... but probably not helped... I picked up a cold from my travels, I guess plane or trains.... I had the usual sore throat, that left as soon as the cold begun to come out and today we have just walked up the shop for some hot lemon powders!! Oh the joys!  I haven't had a cold for at least two years... at least like this I am guessing because my glasses are in the way! And I got them two years ago in December!

These photographs!  Anyone know where they were taken?

Should we tell the world??

I am guessing the top of the blue church in Alhaurín is a bit of a give-away!

Yes a stunning, beautiful roof-top terrace in Alhaurín El Grande.... We went up to the terrace on Friday night, before my 'early' night and early flight... ha ha! They have done the best ever job of a roof terrace! All the decking the beds, sun-loungers, pallet seats... cushions... swing chair! The bar... just amazing!

Where? Oh Bar Sardina por su puesto!