Self-Winding · A Sort of Progression

My nephew has fulfilled a long-held ambition to be a band photographer. He did a publicity shoot and went front-stage for Swiss band Choo Choo and made a great job of it. I'm really proud of him and so chuffed that he got and seized the chance. (Photo by Jo)

While doing a subject search at Flickr, I came, by chance, across this powerful image of an old woman in a bookshop - her body language expressing total concentration. It's a magical capture that lingered in my mind. I'm glad that finding it it led me to his fine set of photographs of people reading.

An occasional feature among rural homes is sewage disposal without recourse to a main sewage system. My Mum's little house was built in the 60's with drainage to a septic tank and this method continues to be perfectly successful and saves quite a bit on the water bill.

Each July comes the time when we must call in someone to pump out and remove the sludge. In the old days this was referred to as sending for the 'man with the honey cart '- I can't find the origin of the term in Brewer's... Phrase & Fable - I presume it is ironic, unless sewage does occasionally attract bees.

We send for a delightful chap whose name, Dick Fendick, is utterly appropriate for Norfolk. He arrives in a tractor that pulls a large tank and with great skill backs it up the drive; out come the suction pipes into the chamber and a light perfume fills the air.
The whole operation takes ten minutes and sets me back £45. There are jokes about 'sludge funds', inevitably. But the best bit is having a chat with Dick about his travels, and petting his dogs who always ride in the cab with him - he has three. This time only the terrier came but she was co-operative and posed in the tractor window for my American tenant's children.

They were most keen to watch the whole performance. "Mom, is that really all our poo going in there?" "Can I have a ride, Mr. Dick?" "Where do you dump all the stuff now?" It was a great novelty - there is presumably little opportunity to view such primitive practice in Chicago. As he left, Dick took the dog's paw & waved it at the kids, "See you all next year." No big story - just a fragrant little event in the country calendar.

Childe Hassam
The Garden Table (1910) and The Skyscraper Window (1934)

Every so often one comes along that makes it all worthwhile. I swear that this is pretty well verbatim.

Me: Lovely to see you again. Been doing anything exciting?

Elderly Lady Passenger: Well, I've been to Scotland; coach trip with me usual firm, I've been five times now.

Have a good time?

It was OK but I got stuck with an awful old geezer in the next seat to me, a right old woman, he had dozens of ailments. Went into so much blinking detail too. He was telling us all about his possgate, how he had to get up ever so many times a night to have a piddle. Then guess what he comes out with?

Go on...

Apparently before the doc examined him he said "Goodness, you're very small for a man." and he said, "You know, funny enough, my wife always said that." Well I couldn't keep a straight face and the couple in the seat in front got the giggles. They called him Wee Willie Winkie for the rest of the trip. On the quiet of course. He kept bringing up this possgate thing and what a nuisance it was in the hotel. As if wanted to know about it. In the end I just ignored him. I was lucky, my old man didn't suffer from that. Possgate, I mean, not the willy. Come to think of it he didn't suffer from that either, if you know what I mean.

(Later) How did you get on, did you see the lady doctor?

Yes, she's lovely, gave me tablets. I've got shingles right round me middle, can't stand wearing a bra. Trouble is, without it I nearly trip over 'em! I'm a bit heavy. Couldn't do dancing on the social evening away. Just as well with that old bloke about.

Well, that's one problem I don't have, I always wanted a bit more up top.

You're alright, love. Both me and me sister were big busted, got bigger as we got older too. Me husband always used to say they were hand-reared.

You're just terrible, you know.

Well, you got to have a a laugh haven't you? There's too many miserable old gits about with no sense of humour. I like a laugh, me.