Shadow play

I had a great deal of fun on our school's Christmas toy stall this morning, trying to display games to their advantage, creating appealing displays of teddies and soft toys, and then having people come along and buy them, or children play with them! Time, then, to unpack some more....

Afterwards I walked up to town and a couple of shops, and waited for the bus outside Peacock's, from where I shot this sunny view of the Subscription rooms (a public entertainment venue, built in the 1800s from money donated by subscriptions) and a corner of George Street.

In 2008 I was on a bus going through town, when traffic was halted and we were thrown off the bus outside the Sub rooms. Someone had reported a suspicious-looking device in one of the phone boxes on the left of the white wall. The centre of town was sealed off. After a while we learned that the device was in fact a phone deodoriser! What? There was, though, a marvellous ten minutes in which the wartime spirit prevailed, and strangers spoke openly to each other, united by the common threat of annihilation....


Back in 2014, The early morning's mysterious fog had given way to bright sunlight, and when I got home I planned to have lunch, attend to some housework, and then walk over the fields and uphill to Butterow, where my friend Angela was having an all-day birthday party. Sadly, it had started at midday, and it was already after 2.30pm! On going upstairs, I was amazed to notice how achey and fluey I was feeling, so I helped myself to the Last Lemsip (oh no!) and slid into bed, where Bomble immediately tried to monopolise me. I woke at 4, and then again at 5, and eventually realised I was never going to get to Rodborough. Shame on me! Clearly I am not as recovered from my chest infection as I'd hoped.

Had a wonderful surprise yesterday when I heard by email from the person who'd won my photographic print that I'd submitted to the Stroud museum's Secret Artist project (see my write up here). Not only was she delighted to have won it, but she has read my blips, and is herself a native of the Stroud Valleys, so knows the area well. Thank you, Annette!