Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Sunday, 15 September 2013
Timeline - Sunday 15th September 2013 - Heritage Open Days part 3
Today it was my turn to my bit as a local organiser of Heritage Open Days when the Central Manchester Quaker Meeting House was open from 1pm to 4pm.
I was assistant welcoming friend in the morning, and we had a shared lunch. I was eating my lunch in the concourse with a couple of other friends when Beck, one of the elders, called us into the main room with the prospect of an "announcement". The announcement turned out to be handing me a birthday card which everyone present (children included) had signed and a rendition of "Happy Birthday" - all very nice, and I was touched.
We had 13 visitors during our opening of Heritage Open Days and a number had previously been to visit the Portico Library.
One thing that is a constant bugbear is the lack of publicity for Heritage Open Days in Manchester. A comprehensive guide is produced for Rochdale and for Oldham (and in years past a guide proposed for Tameside and for Stockport; I presume that happened again this year), but nothing for Manchester. I produced my own guide, but it was very basic indeed. The other guides I used were the Rochdale guide, the Didsbury Open Doors leaflet and the Cheetham Festival leaflet.
I was assistant welcoming friend in the morning, and we had a shared lunch. I was eating my lunch in the concourse with a couple of other friends when Beck, one of the elders, called us into the main room with the prospect of an "announcement". The announcement turned out to be handing me a birthday card which everyone present (children included) had signed and a rendition of "Happy Birthday" - all very nice, and I was touched.
We had 13 visitors during our opening of Heritage Open Days and a number had previously been to visit the Portico Library.
Timeline - Saturday 14th September 2013 - Heritage Open Days
Today was my main day doing Heritage Open Days. My main focus for the first visit was to be Emmanuel Church in Didsbury, the home of the BBC daily service.
I got the tram down to Didsbury Village, and as I got out of the tram station there was Didsbury Baptist Church in front of me, so I called in. The welcome was not over-friendly but I got a free cup of coffee; also the building is not particularly special.
I then set out to go to Emmanuel Church, and on the way called in at Didsbury Library. There I was totally ignored. The only thing I could see about Heritage Open Days was a display with the Didsbury Open Doors leaflet. I did discover that the recital at St James's Church on Thursday was music from the coronations; had I known that at the time I would have gone to it.
Just round the corner was the aim of my trip - Emmanuel Church. It was shut! Not open as claimed, because, I learnt, they had not enough staff to run it. Big disappointed. Instead I headed towards St Chad's Church, Ladybarn. Here I got a very nice welcome, and they seemed pleased that a visitor from North Manchester had come to visit them.
They have a community garden which is designed to attract bees. I bought a loaf of bread and a fruit cake from here. I asked one of the stewards the best way to get to St Nicholas church in Burnage and she offered to drive me there. I thanked her, but decided to continue on foot and by bus. St Nicholas Church is not an attractive building, but again I got a friendly welcome.
My next port of call was a building I had wanted to visit for some while, Nazarene College in Didsbury. This has in previous years only been open on the Sunday, so a Saturday opening made it a must visit place. It certainly did not disappoint, and the building used is really lovely.
I had to drop Droylsden and Clayton from my agenda due to missing at tram connection by minutes, and the next tram being 28 minutes later. Instead I went on the Crumpsall and visited St Matthew's Church. I must have passed this building hundreds of times since I moved to Manchester, but this was my first chance to look inside.
I got the tram down to Didsbury Village, and as I got out of the tram station there was Didsbury Baptist Church in front of me, so I called in. The welcome was not over-friendly but I got a free cup of coffee; also the building is not particularly special.
I then set out to go to Emmanuel Church, and on the way called in at Didsbury Library. There I was totally ignored. The only thing I could see about Heritage Open Days was a display with the Didsbury Open Doors leaflet. I did discover that the recital at St James's Church on Thursday was music from the coronations; had I known that at the time I would have gone to it.
Just round the corner was the aim of my trip - Emmanuel Church. It was shut! Not open as claimed, because, I learnt, they had not enough staff to run it. Big disappointed. Instead I headed towards St Chad's Church, Ladybarn. Here I got a very nice welcome, and they seemed pleased that a visitor from North Manchester had come to visit them.
They have a community garden which is designed to attract bees. I bought a loaf of bread and a fruit cake from here. I asked one of the stewards the best way to get to St Nicholas church in Burnage and she offered to drive me there. I thanked her, but decided to continue on foot and by bus. St Nicholas Church is not an attractive building, but again I got a friendly welcome.
My next port of call was a building I had wanted to visit for some while, Nazarene College in Didsbury. This has in previous years only been open on the Sunday, so a Saturday opening made it a must visit place. It certainly did not disappoint, and the building used is really lovely.
I then decided I would visit Droylsden and Clayton. I found my way to West Didsbury tram station and encountered the "open day" at Lapwing Lane Arcade - really just a stall selling raffle tickets and a chance to sponsor glass panes in the Arcade. Not really much interest there.
I had to drop Droylsden and Clayton from my agenda due to missing at tram connection by minutes, and the next tram being 28 minutes later. Instead I went on the Crumpsall and visited St Matthew's Church. I must have passed this building hundreds of times since I moved to Manchester, but this was my first chance to look inside.
The welcome was friendly, though the church is fairly nondescript. I went into the church hall and was entertained by the Crumpsall Concert Band, and had a free cup of coffee and a cream scone. I then caught the 118 bus home and got ready to go to the dance at Brighouse that evening.
Saturday, 14 September 2013
Timeline - Friday 13th September 2013 - Heritage Open Days
Today I had a day off work. I woke late at 9am, and had to get ready quickly as I was helping to set up the hall for my birthday dance that evening at 10.30am. I got there just after, and we put the tables out, got the table clothes on etc. I had a 50th birthday banner which I put across the stage, and with four of us we made quick work of it completing the transformation of the hall by 11.30am.
As it was Heritage Open Day today, I stopped off in Middleton and viewed some buildings there. Three of them I had been to in previous years, but it was still good to visit them again. I had a cup of coffee at the Long Street Methodist Church, and was given a one-to-one guided tour of the school rooms. I then visited St Leonards Parish Church and the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School. I also visited All Saints & Martyrs Church in Langley.
I then got dressed into my nines (Prince Charlie Jacket, bow tie and all) and wore the family tartan kilt, went to my birthday dance at St Aidans Church Hall, Sudden.
As it was Heritage Open Day today, I stopped off in Middleton and viewed some buildings there. Three of them I had been to in previous years, but it was still good to visit them again. I had a cup of coffee at the Long Street Methodist Church, and was given a one-to-one guided tour of the school rooms. I then visited St Leonards Parish Church and the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School. I also visited All Saints & Martyrs Church in Langley.
I then got dressed into my nines (Prince Charlie Jacket, bow tie and all) and wore the family tartan kilt, went to my birthday dance at St Aidans Church Hall, Sudden.
The dances were West's Hornpipe, Oxo Reel, Butterscotch & Honey, Pelorus Jack, Napiers Index, Rose of the North and Maxwells Rant in the first half, and Annan Gold, Ian Powrie's Farewell to Auchterader, A Trip to Bavaria, Grey Cairns of Camster, Montgomeries Rant, The Dream Catcher and Machine Without Horses in the second half. Suffice to say I danced every dance.
The cake was made by Pat of the Brighouse Scottish Dance Club, and it looked very nice (it tasted lovely too).
It was nice to see friends from the Gay Gordons (Manchester), RSCDS Manchester and Rochdale branches, Rochdale & District Scottish Society, Brighouse Scottish Dance Club and the Goyt Valley Scottish Dance Club all coming to help me celebrate my 50th birthday. Everyone seemed to have a good time, and I got loads of hugs and good wishes.
Monday, 9 September 2013
Sunday, 8 September 2013
The road to 2013 - part 14
This is the penultimate part of my journey around the country. On 29th July 1991 I moved into a house on Filton Avenue in Horfield, a suburb in the north of the city of Bristol. A friend of mine had moved in a short time earlier and let me know there was a letting room available. I didn't know it at the time but I was to be living there for just shy of 9 years.
The house was owned by Cathy who became a tenant there under the previous owner. He died, and having no relatives, bequeathed the house to Cathy. The house was in a dilapidated state at the time, and she spent most of her savings doing the place up. She also worked at Bristol Cathedral and my friend knew her from there.
Shortly after moving in I got a job at South Gloucestershire Council in Thornbury, employed in the housing benefits section. Whilst in Thornbury I had the foresight of registering with an temping agency, and this proved beneficial because the Council decided to concentrate the housing benefits at their offices in Kingswood, and they adopted a policy of "last one in first one out". I was the last one in ....
The agency then secured for me a placement at the Bristol & West Building Society as a legal secretary in the repossession sales department. Thus started a career as a legal secretary in conveyancing. Most of my jobs thereafter were in this role. I also registered with two agencies in the centre of Bristol - namely Office Angels and Law Choice, the latter specialising in legal secretary appointments. From that point on I was hardly ever without work, and my spells out of work were short. There is one big downside to temping though - when its sunny and people want holidays, that's when temps get jobs; so instead of enjoying the sun I would be found in an office, or a typing pool, producing conveyancing or commercial property documents.
When I moved to Horfield I also switched my allegiance from the Salvation Army in Bedminster, to the one in Horfield. Apparently people were talking about this unbeknown to me, and when I walked into the hall in Horfield I was "expected". I was to be involved in the Horfield Salvation Army until 1998. At that point I transferred to the Salvation Army in Staple Hill where I felt very much at home.
I had a number of holidays during my time in Filton Avenue. I had a lovely week in Penzance, staying with former officers from Horfield who I had gotten on well with, and had a day trip to the Battle of the Flowers in Jersey. Since we travelled by coach it was a very very long day!
The next year, however, I booked a week long holiday on Jersey, and had a superb time.
During the Christmas break in 1999, with the Millennium approaching, I really had a hard think about my future. I was in a job I hated, working for an employer that didn't give references as a matter of policy. I arrived in that job because I had temped with them, and after a short while they offered me a permanent place. My boss however was a crude rude woman who used to swear a lot. I decided I would have to quit. On the first day back in 2000 I handed in my month's notice. Quite a rash thing to do when I didn't have a job to go to. However one of my temping agencies proved good and on the Monday after I had left on the Friday I had a short assignment in the north of the city. However because this job "I went to" came to the end of a contract I was not penalised by the social security. I had three places I would like to move to. One was Bournemouth, a town I love and had good employment prospects (and quite often good weather), an other was Edinburgh, another place I love, and the third was Manchester (where I was born).
Over the Easter period I went to Manchester and stayed with some friends, and decided that this would be where I would move to. I made an appointment with a legal temping agency in the city, and went to see them, and they said I was to let them know when I moved up. I put myself on the council waiting list. After six weeks I was offered a council flat. Then followed a whir of goodbyes and packing. On the day I was to sign for new flat my Uncle Ray's funeral was to be held, and I had been offered the day before a permanent position at the firm I was working for at the time. Talk about mixed emotions! However, I signed for my flat, and at the end of June 2000 I moved to Manchester.
The house was owned by Cathy who became a tenant there under the previous owner. He died, and having no relatives, bequeathed the house to Cathy. The house was in a dilapidated state at the time, and she spent most of her savings doing the place up. She also worked at Bristol Cathedral and my friend knew her from there.
Shortly after moving in I got a job at South Gloucestershire Council in Thornbury, employed in the housing benefits section. Whilst in Thornbury I had the foresight of registering with an temping agency, and this proved beneficial because the Council decided to concentrate the housing benefits at their offices in Kingswood, and they adopted a policy of "last one in first one out". I was the last one in ....
The agency then secured for me a placement at the Bristol & West Building Society as a legal secretary in the repossession sales department. Thus started a career as a legal secretary in conveyancing. Most of my jobs thereafter were in this role. I also registered with two agencies in the centre of Bristol - namely Office Angels and Law Choice, the latter specialising in legal secretary appointments. From that point on I was hardly ever without work, and my spells out of work were short. There is one big downside to temping though - when its sunny and people want holidays, that's when temps get jobs; so instead of enjoying the sun I would be found in an office, or a typing pool, producing conveyancing or commercial property documents.
When I moved to Horfield I also switched my allegiance from the Salvation Army in Bedminster, to the one in Horfield. Apparently people were talking about this unbeknown to me, and when I walked into the hall in Horfield I was "expected". I was to be involved in the Horfield Salvation Army until 1998. At that point I transferred to the Salvation Army in Staple Hill where I felt very much at home.
I had a number of holidays during my time in Filton Avenue. I had a lovely week in Penzance, staying with former officers from Horfield who I had gotten on well with, and had a day trip to the Battle of the Flowers in Jersey. Since we travelled by coach it was a very very long day!
The next year, however, I booked a week long holiday on Jersey, and had a superb time.
During the Christmas break in 1999, with the Millennium approaching, I really had a hard think about my future. I was in a job I hated, working for an employer that didn't give references as a matter of policy. I arrived in that job because I had temped with them, and after a short while they offered me a permanent place. My boss however was a crude rude woman who used to swear a lot. I decided I would have to quit. On the first day back in 2000 I handed in my month's notice. Quite a rash thing to do when I didn't have a job to go to. However one of my temping agencies proved good and on the Monday after I had left on the Friday I had a short assignment in the north of the city. However because this job "I went to" came to the end of a contract I was not penalised by the social security. I had three places I would like to move to. One was Bournemouth, a town I love and had good employment prospects (and quite often good weather), an other was Edinburgh, another place I love, and the third was Manchester (where I was born).
Over the Easter period I went to Manchester and stayed with some friends, and decided that this would be where I would move to. I made an appointment with a legal temping agency in the city, and went to see them, and they said I was to let them know when I moved up. I put myself on the council waiting list. After six weeks I was offered a council flat. Then followed a whir of goodbyes and packing. On the day I was to sign for new flat my Uncle Ray's funeral was to be held, and I had been offered the day before a permanent position at the firm I was working for at the time. Talk about mixed emotions! However, I signed for my flat, and at the end of June 2000 I moved to Manchester.
Saturday, 7 September 2013
Timeline - Saturday 7th September 2013 - visit to Oldham
Today I visited Oldham, and more specifically Gallery Oldham.
I saw two exhibitions, one on Oldham's role in the cotton industry: "Spindleopolis - When Cotton Was King" and a photographic exhibition entitled "Positive Light".
Later I watched the Last Night of the Proms on the Television.
I saw two exhibitions, one on Oldham's role in the cotton industry: "Spindleopolis - When Cotton Was King" and a photographic exhibition entitled "Positive Light".
Later I watched the Last Night of the Proms on the Television.
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