Wonder.

A trip to Glasgow to take the daughter's recital programmes down to her. Was an interesting day.

On the way down I sat opposite and behind this old guy who was clearly involved in some form of trainspotting or other. When he got on he took two notebooks and some electronic gadgets out of a really old rucksack. A couple of different kinds of insulating tape and some iron oxide plasters were all that kept it from falling apart. It was however, meticulously organized. There was a place for everything and as I watched him record times and speeds into one of his two notebooks, I thought about a conversation we had the other day.

We were discussing the "anorak" qualities of various past-times and I said that I reckoned things like trainspotting and stamp collecting were hobbies that originated in a very different time. It used to be exciting to see trains when I was a kid. It used to be a treat to go down to the railway yards opposite my dad's work to see them being shunted around. It was really cool to get on-board and find yourself inside one of those old wooden carriages even if the upholstery was falling to bits. It was cool to learn about the different countries by looking at stamps. In the absence of 24/7 TV, blu-ray, internet and mobile phones, it all helped build up a picture of the world. It made you wonder.

Whether that old guy felt the same way, I don't know but he certainly got something out of his hobby. He kept at it for the duration and only stopped after the train had pulled to a halt in Queen Street.

On the way home, I caught this image. Wonder if this little guy will have a hobby like that in 60 years time...