How things change

Saturday afternoon used to be a time for new music for me. Saturday was pocket money day, so it often meant piling onto the bus from our village into the local town and then trailing around the music shops looking for singles, albums or 12inch singles that I wanted to add to my collection. Then it would be a quick jaunt to Chatwins, a local cake shop, to buy a chocolate eclair and/or a gingerbread man (to this day, I have never found anywhere that matches the quality of their cakes), and then it was off to the bus station with my carrier bag of vinyl, to wait for the C37 or C38 bus home.

It was never clothes, it was always music.

In some strange way, today has been similar, but in a completely different way that didn't involve me leaving the house. My brother very generously purchased a copy of this for me and I set it downloading today from the link that was sent to me. It's currently playing whilst I'm sat here blipping and pondering on how life changes, but also stays the same.

It's a quality piece of work, with a fantastic 40 page photobooklet that comes with the download. Inspired me to get up into the attic and root through the box full of singles and albums.

My memories were sparked, seeing albums I had long since forgotten. Albums that belong to my mum (The Flying Pickets - yes Mum, it is yours) and to my Dad (Rubber Soul, Revolver, some ELO classics, along with Neil Diamond). Most that belong to me - you can see a very "80's" child in my choices - a lot of Duran Duran. Classics like Pink Floyd's "The Wall" - double album. Everything still in it's original sleeve, in mint nick because I always looked after my records, and other peoples'. I have no record player anymore, but I will not relinquish these circular vinyl memories. The value is priceless.

Spent an hour on the phone to my Dad today - who knew he could talk for so long. Very entertaining hearing about how life is for him right now. Been brought up to speed with new cars, workplace shenanigans, stray cats, breech baby, rotting mice and much more. Hope the smell has gone now Pops!

Another half an hour on the phone to my Mum - tales of the AGM, the German residents accusing the English residents of "having dirty houses" because cockroaches don't appear in the German houses (yeah, right), about the need for secret ballots in order to avoid the inevitable pressure that is felt in public ballots and about a friend of ours not realising that he had been sleeping on a new bed right until the end of his holiday, even though it was a good 6-8 inches higher than the old one and a much firmer mattress. I do wonder about some people.

So, at 7.15pm, still wearing my pyjamas, feeling like my kidneys have been brutally violated, full of a cold and full of the potential to feel sorry for myself, I find that I am no so bad as it happens, because I have a head full of precious memories, my ears are filled with music and my heart is full of love for family who think of me and show their generosity in so many different ways.

Life's not so bad :-)