Parking Mafia

I can not believe the activities of the new civil enforcement officers (traffic wardens) as witnessed both physically today and as read in the Express and Star.

There was a two vehicle accident just outside our office today with a white van going into the back of a car and doing some damage to both vehicles. It appeared the van was not driveable (not sure this is a proper word) so it was pushed up onto the footpath to allow the traffic to flow. It had been there for about 30 minutes when along came a stormtrooper wearing the uniform of a civil enforcement officer and slapped a ticket on the van. It should have been pretty obvious to even a three year old that the van was badly damaged and there was still some debris on the road.

Then tonight my wife was reading the paper and said there was an article about buses belonging to the Black Diamond company being booked for being broken down and in one case being booked while at a bus stop loading and unloading - you couldn't make it up could you?

Swimming Lessons

I mentioned swimming lessons in my previous post when I was talking about the Gala baths in West Bromwich. We had dabbled a little at my Junior School where we had a quite small pool where a length was about as big as a width of a normal pool and I think it might not have been more than 4 foot deep.

I never really took to water (even for washing according to my Mom) so found swimming lessons a little difficult to say the least.

When we went to senior school, Hill Top High, we used to go by bus to the Gala Baths at West Bromwich and on the first visit we were asked if we could swim. There was a bridge over the baths and those who could swim went to the bigger side and those who couldn't went to the smaller side.

I remember the teacher who will remain nameless came along and asked if I could swim - I said 'No sir' and he promptly pushed me in. I dreaded swimming lessons after that and never did learn to swim so his methodology didn't work with me

The Public

I notice that Fat Prophet popped into the Public over in West Bromwich yesterday and thought it was an interesting building with some potential. I get the impression that the Public is a bit like Walsall's art gallery in that some folk love it but the majority absolutely hate it - I always think its an interesting looking building and quite colourful, unlike the drab slab of concrete we have in Walsall.

If I am honest though I can understand some of the ill feeling against a building that has cost an enormous amount of money with it seems no real purpose in a town that lacks certain other amenities such as a swimming pool or a cinema. I could not believe that the Gala Baths where our school used to go to learn to swim is now a car park - I don't remember an outcry like the ones about Tipton or Coseley baths. Now! swimming lessons could well be the subject for another post.

I may have to pay a visit myself to the Public so I can see if Fat Prophet was just wearing some rose tinted glasses.

I think I will have to be careful this is two posts in two days

Art or rubbish

I was reading an article in a local paper earlier this evening about a man who had made an art collection out of rubbish. I really do think they should put it in Walsall art gallery along with some of the other rubbish that's in there.

I have been a number of times to see what is in there but every time I have gone they have literally had rubbish in the place - on one occasion it was loads of sweeping brooms standing upside down in one room; on another occasion it was dead rats nailed on to sticks that were stuck in house bricks and on another occasion it was a load of old hospital equipment.

On top of that they have the Garman Ryan collection which is supposed to be a really good collection of art items. Now I know that people may tell me that art is subjective but I can not help thinking that I wouldn't have most of what I saw in the art gallery in my garden shed.

Give me a Constable, or a Lowry or a Turner any time.

I have also been to Dudley art gallery and few times and think there collection is much better and I found it far more interesting - one of these days I must try Wednesbury and see if they have art or rubbish.