Photobombed by a witch!

I've had a lovely day today. I went to Walsall to meet up with my old college friends. None of us live there now but we were at college there and met 50 years ago this September (where have those years gone!) We've stayed friends for all those years although we don't often meet up.

We went for a walk around the town to revisit old haunts but it has changed beyond recognition. Old buildings that we knew have vanished to be replaced with new and many shops are boarded up. The cinema where we watched many a film is now a Co-Op and even the statue of Sister Dora has been moved to the other side of the road. Gone is the site of the restaurant where I tasted Chinese food for the first time and the college itself unrecognisable. It made quite sad as has lost it's character with the "improvements".

The parts of the old buildings above the shops are beautiful and illustrate what the town must have been like when it was prosperous - it used to be the capital of leather goods in the country and the football club is still known as The Saddlers. (Extra photo).

We went to the place where we took part in a 24 hour Scrabble marathon for Rag Week, it was in a square that has now been turned into a shopping arcade. I thought that I'd get some photos of my friends in the place where we played but they were  photobombed by a witch from the Children's Halloween entertainment as I took it!

My friend D was always a bus enthusiast at college and used to go bus spotting (writing down the bus service numbers). We walked to Walsall Bus Station where he took out his pad to write the numbers that he saw. Some things never change!

We then went for a meal and a very long chat before going our separate ways. It was really lovely to catch up with them again!