21st century music delivery

Vajraloka, May 2022

Reading about the adventures of Lola II and Mr M in the Far East (via their app) makes this blog seems very parochial. I have done a small amount of travel, but only to London where I was house-sitting again for the travellers. I therefore had a shorter journey to visit mum and dad on the occasion of mum's 90th birthday. Happy Birthday mumsy!

I also went into central London to meet Cousin Y, and at Sister D's recommendation we visited the Wallace Collection. It's amazing - we had a guided tour that lasted over an hour and only scratched the surface. I had no idea! They use all that modern technology though, providing information via scannable QR codes rather than printed labels, and I wasn't feeling hi-tech enough to start messing with that. So I don't think I got the most out of the visit, and I'd like to go back again.

There's been some Buddhism as always, including a Team Meeting where my role is generally Chair, Secretary, Minute Taker and everything else except Treasurer. The person who is supposed to look after the finances invariably turns up saying he hasn't actually looked at the bank account but he thinks it's fine. I also took UJ to the Birmingham Buddhist Centre for a festival day along with my neighbour and another friend, both of whom are being extremely kind and offering to spend time with her - and in the case of my neighbour, also offering up her cat for play time. And another friend and I went off to a local cub scout group to talk about Buddhism. Trying to introduce meditation and explaining ethical principles to a very fidgety group of 8 to 10 year-olds really highlights the gaps in your own knowledge.

Saving the most exciting event until last - I have bought a new amplifier! Although I still occasionally play CDs, and vinyl even more occasionally, since being introduced to Spotify by Mr MXF I have mostly been streaming music through the downstairs hi-fi using a Chromecast audio gadget. Recently the amp has started to become a little unreliable. They made things to last back then - I bought it 40 years ago with my first real wage from employment (a temporary job at the Gas Board before university), and it cost £79.90, when VAT rates were 15% and CDs hadn't been invented. The speakers and cables I bought at the same time (£80.00) are still going strong, the cassette deck died many years ago, and the turntable (£87.50) is a little unreliable but I barely use it now. I never use the tuner; I really should sell it, but it's old fashioned analogue not DAB and I doubt it will fetch very much. [Quick look on ebay - maybe a tenner if I'm lucky.]

I was walking past a fancy music shop in town and went inside on a whim to see what's what nowadays. The man there did exactly what I wanted, taking on board all my preferences and requirements and offering a couple of alternatives. So when I got back from London I went back with my credit card. The new system has barely any external controls, not even an on/off switch, and is managed almost entirely via apps and WiFi. It does have an input for the CD player but not for anything else, and the app incorporates Internet radio, and - most excitingly - I have a second linked speaker for the kitchen, which will replace 'turning up the volume in the living room with the kitchen door open' to hear music in the kitchen. It's such high quality too. And the price? That has increased ten-fold in 40 years. But I hope I won't have to buy another for the next 40 years.

The Games - part 2

Victoria Park, August 2022

While all that badminton stuff was going on at the Commonwealth Games, or 'Birmingham 2022' as it was known in the press and on all the logos, Lolatastic life continued apace. There was a bike service, a comedy gig, a stay in hospital, visitors to Lola Towers, the putting up and taking down of the Lola Towers garden extension (aka the tent), a trip to Lockwoods outdoor supplies shop, Ukrainian news, and the Games in Leamington Spa.

On that last subject I would like to direct your attention to two articles in the press. The first article is the more staid, traditional form of reportage by the staid, traditional BBC, especially notable for the quote from the 'general manager' of Pub Next Door. I put his role in quotation marks because to me he seems little more than a teenager, but I expect he's at least 30. The second article is from The Guardian and is much more amusing but no less accurate for that. Bowling in Leamington Spa has never felt more exciting. I happened to pass the main entrance at one point, where I encountered a very jolly volunteer with a megaphone sitting atop a high chair, whose job was to welcome spectators to the park by shouting interesting information about Lawn Bowls and the Commonwealth Games in years gone by.

I've already described some of the disruption in my local area, but that was during preparations leading up to the start. When the event actually began the level of security escalated enormously, particularly at the end of the road, where a number of the huge lens-shaped obstructions that I've seen protecting Parliament were installed a couple of days before the start, and then additionally a large and heavy horizontal barrier was constructed. I regret not taking pictures (I was too busy and kept forgetting), but as well as the orange-and-grey-clad volunteers there were stewards and security in hi-vis, Army chaps in camouflage, ordinary uniformed coppers and policemen WITH GUNS, all milling about at the end of the road as visitors arrived with their tickets for the bowling and residents wandered through with pushchairs and shopping bags and dogs.

My first guests (JW+JD) arrived by car as they were stopping on the way to their holiday in Cornwall, and I made sure to be at the barrier brandishing my resident's credentials otherwise they would have been turned away by a ruthless official in hi-vis jacket. Later in the week I received one of my frequent incorrect delivery attempts (intended for a house in the Road instead of the Street) from an Asda delivery man, wearing an Asda shirt and carrying heavy trays of Asda groceries whose Asda van had not been allowed past the barrier so had to deliver it all by hand.

The evening that the first guests arrived was also the evening that dad was taken to hospital with sepsis. Lola II just happened to be visiting at the time, so she was able to go with him and make sure all was well. He was in hospital for nearly two weeks, but home now.

JW+JD had tickets for the Rugby Sevens, Squash, Badminton, Cricket and Athletics; the next guests to arrive were Lola II and Cousin Y who had tickets for Hockey and were accompanied by Mr M who didn't have tickets for anything. I took up the residents' offer of free tickets for Lawn Bowls so he went to that. JW+JD headed off for Cornwall, Cousin Y went back to London, Lola II and Mr M had an extra night before they went home and then Mr MXF and BL2 arrived ready for Cycling, Diving, Athletics and Lawn Bowls courtesy of another pair of free tickets. By the time they all went home the house seemed very quiet.

While all this was going on, I was also in communication with Ukraine Jane 2, who is from Kherson but taking refuge in Poland. We introduced ourselves to one another, had a short conversation via WhatsApp, applied for the visa, the visa was granted and we worked out when and how she would get here, all within the space of just 8 days. Then two days later she announced she wasn't coming here after all but going to Slovakia for family reasons. And then, the very next day, the first UJ (the one with the cat) got back in touch to ask if the room was still available. I'll be speaking to her soon to find out her current situation.

The only other event of note was the visit to Lockwoods where Lola II wanted to buy some proper waterproof walking boots. Not only did we confuse the shop assistant by both of us being called Lola, but aside from the boot purchase the most notable aspect of the visit was that despite being over 50 years old, Lola II and I learned how to tie our shoelaces in a useful new way.