I remember we had to note the time for clearance so we could ensure that the letter posted would be cleared in time.
There would also be a different postbox for faster delivery of any mail. ( Green in colour).
When one posts a letter you had to ensure a correct value of stamp was stuck onto the envelope .
The postman cleared the postbox at the designated time and then mail was sorted to be sent to the respective destinations.
Most often the local letters were posted in the postbox .
Foreign mail would be weighed at the counter and appropriate stamp stuck and handed over to the clerk .
These were sent by airmail.
To save on the cost of foreign mail , one could send letters by sea .
This is a big difference to the current way of communication. We would send Christmas cards at least over a month before the 25th December. However post by sea mail could take even two months and it’s not surprising that greeting cards would reach even after Christmas.
During the early years , there were inland letters and foreign letters (aerogramme) which had already been stamped for use. Even earlier were the self stamped cards.
Now most people prefer sending greetings by WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram or on the email. This communication is instantaneous. No paper is involved .
Do you prefer the card or a greeting on the internet ? Which is more personalised?
Technology has improved in leaps and bounds
So where is our postbox now ?
It has become an antique, and beautifully coloured in red; a treasure for our memories.
A good friend and I decided to go on a photo excursion to the Exhibition Center near the Clyde River
We travelled by train to Glasgow Central where we needed to change to the lower level train to the Exhibition Center .
However when we reached the platform we were disappointed to know that the train we were supposed to take was delayed indefinitely due to electrical failure .
Since the station was only two stations away we began our walk to our destination.
As we reached the Clyde , we felt blown away by the strong winds . This is quite surprising as people say it is Autumn.
My love of photography began
The Broomielaw bridge was the first we passed . It has a fancy shape and is meant for pedestrians.
My friend Tony with the Broomielaw bridge at the background
The Broomielaw bridge
It was built on 14 th May May 2009 .This bridge connected the districts of Anderson on the north bank of the Clyde to Tradeston and the neighbouring district of Kingston on the south bank
The Kingston Bridge
The Kingston Bridge is a concrete balanced cantilever dual-span multiple lane road bridge across the Clyde .
The Squinty bridge was next , which is a road bridge . It’s also known as the Clyde Arc . It is near the Rotundas on either side of the bridge which was needed before the bridge was built.
Myself with the Squinty Bridge at the background
A prominent feature is its curved design . I thought it looked beautiful. This bridge connects Finnieston near the Clyde and the renowned Ovo Auditorium and the Amarillo to the Glasgow Science Centre and the Pacific Quay .
OVO Auditorium
The OVO Hydro is a huge Conference and Event Centre. The recent Climate Change Conference was held there with many heads of State attending .Even big musical events are held there …like live performances by Elton John and Rod Stewart . The capacity is about 12000.
The Amarillo
Nearby is the Amarillo shaped like the Amarillo which is a theatre having a capacity of 2000 .
The Rotunda now having a restaurant in it
There is interesting history behind the Rotundas. In the past there were no bridges spanning the Clyde. Ships were constructed in Glasgow and shipped out along the Clyde. Nowadays this industry has practically stopped. At that time the Rotundas were the route for traffic to pass from one side to the other .
The Crane shifting the locomotive many years ago
The defunct crane today
Here we also see the famous now defunct crane . This large crane was used to transfer the manufactured Steam Locomotives onto ships for sending to various countries of the British empire like India, Malaysia and others .
We entered the Exhibition Centre for a Coffee and Croissant . Then proceeded to cross over to the Glasgow Science Centre .
We did not enter the centre but went to the viewing point to see the Pacific Quay .
We crossed the Clyde by walking over the Millenium Bridge. This is a narrow bridge for pedestrians you would walk in a single file.
The boat named …….Queen Mary on the Quay caught my eye, for a photograph
The Queen Mary
Nearby was a viewing tower . The high structure had a stairway going to the top
The Viewing Tower
It has a good view of Glasgow .
After another coffee at the Costas we passed the Science Centre and the BBC building .
The Science Centre The BBC Building Bells Bridge with the Crane on the far side of the Clyde
We began our return to the Station via the Bells Btidge which looks like a tunnel straight to the station.
This time trains were running and we parted ways in climbing up the slope to the final road bridge at Clarkston Station.
What’s the most money you’ve ever spent on a meal? Was it worth it?
The most money I’ve ever spent on a meal was at a Restaurant serving food in the Cordon Bleu style.
We all know that the cuisine in such restaurants is very fine and of a very high quality .
The restaurant that my wife and I dined, was located in South Bombay (Mumbai now). It does not exist anymore unfortunately.
The names of the dishes were very exotic. And we waited for the service after placing our order. I was quite shocked when I saw the dish. The garnish was superb but the portion was too small. As a result we did not feel satisfied.
At the same time we paid a lot.
I’m not surprised, that this would have been the cause for the restaurant to close down if diners did not feel satisfied .
But I spent a lot of money on this meal and did not feel satisfied. Was it worth it ? No .
Scour the news for an entirely uninteresting story. Consider how it connects to your life. Write about that.
Tottenham chairman expresses his view that its supporters will soon give him credit .
Why ? Because of the massive improvement and capacity of the new stadium.
I’m really not interested in the Tottenham football club as the main reason is that I am a big fan of the Liverpool club.
Besides who is really interested in any improvements of a stadium when the club has been languishing at 17th place finish in the last season of the English Premier League.
I have been a distant admirer of the sacked manager Ange Postecoglou, who finally won silverware in the Europa League .
In comparison Liverpool have made a big impact by winning the Premier League with its new manager Slot.
Tottenham has a appointed a new manager in Thomas Frank who had fairly good results with his previous team Brentford. It remains to be seen what the results will be. Their tendency is to appoint a series of managers , and no patience to develop the team with one person.
This morning I met an old friend of mine, he is more like a brother.
Conversation just flowed. There was no hesitation in sharing our deepest thoughts. It’s been a long time since I have had a decent conversation . I think we could have gone on and on, but soon, it was time for him to return home.
Why is it that when I meet people of a younger age group, such deep conversations are not possible?
This may be because our levels of thinking – or experience – are different.
Don’t you think it is a matter of concern? The more one gets isolated when not meeting one’s peers, other problems arise. Slowly, your peers pass away. One becomes forgetful or is not able to keep up with the latest news and trends.
Is there a solution to this?
Yes. You can pick up the phone and chat with a friend. Or better still, meet in person. As your peers pass away, make it a point to chat with your family members.
Now I know why an aging person wants to talk to you. He needs companionship and spend time talking . He just needs a listening ear.
When I was younger and an older person wanted to talk to me, I would feel restless, even irritated. I would avoid such conversations.
Don’t you think that one day we will all reach that age. I’m beginning to experience this to some extent.
Who is Jet ? You guessed rightly …. Our little pet dog .
He is a very friendly pet . I hesitate to call him a dog . In good times and bad times , Jet will always be there to be my side and his tail will surely indicate he understands me . A strenuous wag will be the joy that he shares with me , whereas a simple slow wag and an enquiring look , will be checking on me , as to why I’m so despondent.
I love to take Jet for a walk , rather a run .
He is a very inquisitive pet. He may check out insects , or chase a cat if he sees one or maybe befriend a person who looks innocent, which includes children without frightening them .
The biggest wag is when I tempt him with food that he loves like a morsel of meat or a bone .
He is so friendly that he enjoys company and is playful when a ball is thrown, for him to chase, catch and bring back .
Do dogs laugh ? I’m not sure but Jet appears to laugh with a vigorous wag of his tail .
This gives me boundless joy at all times .
My friends look happy and so does Jet when we are on the playground.
I hope you meet Jet someday to see all his antics .
Right now I would like a Dahi Wada . Currently the temperature is 20*C, which is winter in Dubai where I’m now in, but hot as I’ve just come from Glasgow where the temperature is -3*C.
Dahi Wada is an Indian snack.
This is a fried lentil dumpling fritter floating in sweet yogurt . It is very cooling and also makes a good option for a snack or at the end of an Indian meal.
We know about multiple choices which leave us wondering, which to choose.
Here I’m writing about only two choices. Either to be positive or negative in my thinking.
I have a choice to either rejoice for each day as a gift from God or be forgetful and think of only the negative things .
These days I’ve experienced a gradual decline in health and being negative in my thinking . Is that ok ? Surely not!
Each day when I wake up I need to thank God for another day of life. Everyone is born with an expiry date which is unknown .
How then do I live ?
If I realize he walks with me and talks with me , provided I am silent and listen .
There is so much to thank him for .
A roof over my head, food on the table , finances to live and manage my expenses , and a family….
My loving wife , children all grown up settled and grandchildren too .
I am at peace despite ongoing trouble in the world .
Therefore I need to thank God for these blessings and rejoice . The Lord knows everything. He grants our hearts desires but also refrains from granting some if he knows it’s not good for me
What about my sufferings . I have neuralgia , dystonia , and digestive problems.
At the same time he has healed my cancer , gout and lung problem.
I can share these with Jesus on the cross and pray for others with similar ailments or pray for the departed souls and even for world peace and leaders of nations ,
I have a choice to make ; either to rejoice at this moment even if things go wrong knowing God can even make saplings sprout in the desert .
The reverse would be to drown in sorrow .
Do I believe , trust , and obey our loving God ?
Am I repentant for sinning and going the wrong way ?
Then I ask for forgiveness and move on with hope for the new day
Some good people die unfulfilled; others find length of days to be more of a punishment than a privilege.
Do you really think that when a good person dies young his life was unfulfilled. What about those who live a long life ?
Is that a punishment?
Old people are faced with many types of illnesses . There are persons who fail to recognise , or physically disabled . .
But yet there are elders who are blessed with wisdom and rise to be leaders. Some are blessed with an astuteness for politics. Others can be famous writers, musicians, actors and painters wherein age is not a barrier.
Some examples are :
Jimmy Carter
Jawaharlal Nehru
Mahatma Gandhi
Nelson Mandela
Gandalf from Lord of the Rings
Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter
Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars
Will a young person be considered unfulfilled if he dies young?
There are many young people who have died young and have been successful.
Percy Shelley (poet)at 29 years
John Keats(poet) at 25 years
Ramanujam (mathematician)at 32 years
The essence of this is that the call can come at an any age . Are we ready to face our Heavenly Father.
Jesus Christ died at the age of 33 yrs. As Christian we believe that he fulfilled his mission of saving man from sin, by his death and resurrection and an outpouring of his Holy Spirit. At the right hand of God our Father he is our final judge according to the life we live, whether good or bad .
It does not matter that when a man dies young, we think he is unfulfilled, or if he dies when old it’s a punishment. Rather he can make his contribution to those around him at any age and importantly the life that he has lived
At Dalmally on my second trip, I met a few others who were also having a quiet stay at the Lodge. Among them , Jim’s sense of humour was very interesting. In relating a joke, he would appear to be serious. He was immersed in painting sceneries with an array of water colours . My curiosity led me to peek into his work . “Jim your paintings are wonderful. ” said I, thinking it was his hobby . This was more than that.
His talent in art progressed from high school to his work life. Even though he was in an engineering company he joined night classes in art, 6 days a week. At this stage, he could draw faces from memory. He met Jean who worked in the company office and eventually married her. Their interest in drama and singing, led them to join a drama and dancing club. Soon they participated in public performances.
He later joined the railways . With the arrival of their son Mark they moved from Glasgow to Arbroath . He honed his skill, specially in drawing profiles and was greatly encouraged by a renowned artist.
Since there was less time for art and drama he moved to Elgin. Here he began painting sceneries. The time of Covid was a blessing in disguise. He began an art class called Cant,draw,want to draw . Currently he has 29 students.
An interesting part of his life is his spiritual life . “Jim you are a hard wire” said his pastor meaning his closeness to God through knowledge of the bible. He was a regular church goer. He drew pictures of the children’s Bible when young. He always thought God was too busy. But his life changed when he heard the Word from Isaiah 49:13 ‘ I have carved you in the palm of my hand’ at a charismatic prayer group on invitation from his catholic wife. He thus became Catholic from being a Protestant.
What brought us to Craig Lodge ? It is the peace and quiet; a time of prayer and just to have a break from the busy city life. For Jim , the opportunity to paint sceneries was an added bonus . At the end I saw him paint the Kilchurn castle, which he had visited during this time. The biggest surprise was when I was told that ‘Jim is an amazing cartoonist’ Here are some of his past works. You will understand why I liked his sense of humour
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