Lockdown day #76

The first day of June - weather lovely again - but lay in until 12noon ..   June is traditionally Pride month (the Stonewall riots were in June) ... but there will be very few Prides this year.

I was reminded it is okay not to do much - and I didn't do much today.

In America the protests against the murder of George Floyd continue .... why is so much of America's policing racially motivated - I do not understand the point of racism!

I had some exercise, but not much, there were too many people about.  I read some pages of my book, and downloaded an ebook on Garden Flowers.

Lockdown day #68

Today would have been Birmingham Pride ... but for obvious reasons it wasn't.  I only went once (in 2014) - the dance group I am in, the Gay Gordons, were booked to give a demonstration on both the Saturday and the Sunday.  We are provided with accommodation in a posh hotel in Birmingham - only they forgot to tell us they were only reserving the accommodation, and we had to pay for it.  This was not what they told us!

I arrived, checked in, and was presented with a bill I could not afford.  I got very emotional, knowing this was beyond my circumstances, and knowing that I could not get another hotel in the city for much less.  After some trying I got through to our dance group leader, and he had a word with the organisers of Pride, who duly paid for the room.  I was so upset I was on the verge of going to New Street station and getting the first train home.

It worked out ok in the end, but I don't think I am planning on going to Birmingham Pride this year or any other year in future. 

Birmingham Pride 2014

Instead I read an e-book on the trolleybuses of Manchester and Ashton-under-Lyne and watched a video of buses in South Staffordshire.

 

I ended the day re-watching the TV series "A Very British Coup", which remains as pertinent as it was when it first aired.

25 August 2016

After yesterday's lovely weather today was very wet.  At the bus station there was a sign telling us that the Metroshuttle free bus will be suspended during the time of the Pride Parade.  I am sure it could be diverted, but it is easier to just suspend it I guess.

During a walk around the city centre at lunchtime (it was very very wet then!) I noticed the art installation in Spinningfields (given the imaginative title of "Through No 3") being used as a rather fancy smoking shelter.  I am sure that was not the artist's intention.

24 August 2016

At lunchtime today I went to Liverpool Road in Castlefield and saw a sign pertaining to the closure of said road next Saturday for the Manchester Pride Parade.

It was a glorious day today, and I chanced upon an ice cream van (Mr Whirly) serving some children in nearby Barton Street.  I joined the queue and had an ice cream cone (cost £1.50).  Several others joined the queue after me - so the ice cream vendor probably made a good return today.

Finally whilst waiting for the bus, after work,  I saw a great phrase painted onto a window of a disused shop: Why walk through life when you can twirl - I liked this so had to take the picture.

Timeline - Saturday 24th August 2013 - Mardi Gras parade

Today was a full day, a lot of time spent at the Quakers. 

I was aiming to get to the meeting house for 10.30am, but of course when you are in a hurry the buses don't come!  I was waiting for the First 81 to the city centre, and ten minutes after its due time it had still not come.  Fortunately friends of mine were going into town and gave me a lift, which I was very grateful for.  I managed to get to the meeting house for just before 10.30am ...

A number of Christians from other churches joined us, and we had a short prayer meeting, and then I went out to watch the Mardi Gras parade.  Before I settled in my place on Deansgate however I went to the Parade mustering area and gave my friends there my good wishes.  Vic took my picture which was very nice of him.

 

 

One of my Quaker friends was passing by (with one of his friends from Essex) on the other side of the road to me (I had pitched myself on Deansgate near the Great Northern Square), so they came over and watched the parade with me, with was nice. 

It was a fun parade, and I saw many of my friends on it.  Some I saw, but they didn't see me, but the majority of my friends acknowledged me and made the occasion all the better.

 

 

We then repaired back to the meeting house where tea was due, although we got there before the tea arrived.  The afternoon was then spent chatting to other Friends, sharing in the refreshments and getting to know each other.