Foraging for Vinyl Gems and a Truly Private Record

It's nearly a week since my last post and I would like to be able to say that something significant has happened in the past week. I'm afraid there hasn't, apart from the transition from January to February.
Group has been very poorly attended this week and I worry that if we are successful in our funding bid, we will have insufficient numbers to justify the money we have requested. We are really going to have to look at increasing our numbers somehow though I'm aware there are members of the Group who are uncomfortable with new people joining. I can understand this. It has taken them time to build the trust and confidence to feel able to discuss anything they wish in a secure environment. When new people join the group, there is a tendency for members to become reserved and reticent to discuss things openly.
There is a lack of energy generally at the moment. Group meetings have been quite downbeat and moods have been lower than normal. I too have felt this and it is becoming increasingly difficult to raise any enthusiasm for tasks. My writing is the only thing that really keeps me afloat, besides my music of course which can certainly influence mood. I feels almost as if the January 'blues' are a little late this year. Weather may be a factor. Whilst we had the snow, there was something interesting happening. We now seem to be in a bit of a lull but there is severe weather forecast for next week which threatens a return of the snowy conditions of last month. I suspect in a week or two, I will feel different.
I wouldn't normally be here on a Saturday afternoon. I'm normally to be found at my dear friends Roy and Jan. I'm suffering again with my back today having strained it sifting through some records in a second hand shop this morning. It has the effect of lowering my mood so I've taken the precaution of staying at home this afternoon and have sent my apologies via email.
My rummage through the second hand shops this morning unearthed a number of vinyl gems among them a twin LP set of Bob Newhart and a 'Joe Loss Plays Glen Miller' LP. Others were of popular music from the 70's and early 80's. In one of the shops, there were so many records there simply wasn't the time to go through them all and frankly I would have crippled myself if I had attempted to. Instead, I left some boxes and shelves for the following week having taken note of a Tijuana Brass box set featuring Herb Alpert destined to join my collection in week's time. So all in all, a very successful morning.

I'm making good use of my typewriter. I have decided to begin keeping a 'paper' diary. I've never really been very fond of writing and I have always preferred to type. Since I have a nice 'new' Imperial 80 typewriter, I have decided to use it for the purpose of typing my diary. The reason for doing so is so that I can leave something physical for whoever is interested when the time eventually comes. I know my blog and other digital musings and ditties will drift around Cyberspace for the rest of time but it is nice to have something that is really 'private' and that no one else will see until the day it is discovered. In this digital age, it really is difficult and almost impossible to label something as 'private', but I know that with my paper diary, I can, and that is hugely reassuring.

Taking its rightful place

I've managed to find a home for my typewriter. Having been forced some years ago by my wife to down-size, my desk isn't as large as it used to be. As a result, I have just managed to squeeze my 'new' Imperial 80 between keyboards and this is where it will stay until such time as I'm able to up-size again.
I couldn't be more chuffed with the machine. It's easy to underestimate the workmanship that went into these things. The fact that it works as well now as it did then is testament to build quality and design all those years ago. It surprised me how quickly I have become used to it and it feels as though I was always meant to have one in amongst the humming flashing technology of today.

Of course it lacks any form of correction facility so I must find some of those Tip-Ex strips that allow you to go back a letter and 'white-over' errors. I remember having them years ago and I'm sure they're still available.
It also has that typewriter smell about it. I suspect it's more the ribbon but it's a smell I've had with all typewriters I've owned, and a smell I have missed.
I must confess to feeling a little bad at paying just 99p for it. It's clearly worth more, but the rules of eBay are that I should pay what I bid, and though I initially bid £5 I was the only bidder and hence I paid just the 99p start price.
I suspect over the coming years, the value of typewriters will increase. I have already seen a rise in value reflected on eBay with portables selling for upwards of £50 or more. I dare say in about twenty years from now, a typewriter such as mine will be worth a hundred times what I've paid for it. I'm glad I was able to buy it when I did, and I don't intend letting this go for any price!

I've bought a typewriter!

I'm quite pleased, having managed to procure a rather nice Imperial 80 typewriter for the princely sum of just 99p! A lot of people I know are critical of eBay but it really is possible to find some bargains and considering I've been looking for a typewriter for some time, I'm quite chuffed. What's more, it's just down the road in Holbeach so I've arranged to collect it tomorrow afternoon.

It's not quite the portable I had been looking for, for portable it most certainly is not. It is more of an office machine, much like the ones I grew up with. In fact, I did once have an Imperial 66. Now that was a wonderful machine and effortless to use. I think it was the typewriter I used the most.
I'm hopeful my son will want to use it. It will be good for him to understand what we used before word processors and computers and it may be that he takes to it as I once did and practise his word skills using it.

A Quick Catch-Up

A few days since my last post. The fact is I've been quite busy with the support group, specifically our funding bid and other paperwork that needed completing. It's all getting quite serious now. Tomorrow morning we have an appointment with the NatWest to open an account for the group for any funding we're lucky to receive and fundraising monies. We have formed a committee, of which I am membership secretary. I really didn't want too much responsibility and I'll be quite happy sending out welcome packs and newsletters. That'll do me just fine.
Yesterday, we spent several hours at our secretary's home completing the funding application form. What I thought would take a couple of hours ended up taking more than five! In truth we did keep deviating from the task in hand but we managed to complete it in the end.
Another task has been putting together the costs for our project and activities. We are aiming to provide various art and craft related activities as well as computer skills training and Internet access. I'm managing to keep the cost of the computers down by using refurbished laptops and I have managed to keep the cost of everything so far to about £1.5k. With the art and craft materials, we are currently up to £2,800.
I really hope we are awarded some funding, though it would be brilliant if we could get the full amount we're requesting. We'll be able to provide so much for our members.

Last Thursday saw our first parent's evening with my son's new teacher. To be honest we had our doubts about her but came away feeling quite reassured and confident that our son was being taught well. I felt strangely odd sat on a chair built for a five year old and confess to feeling a little intimidated, much like the way I felt as a school kid.

A small computer job locally brought in a little money which paid for an urgent replenishment of my e-cig liquid. I just wish I could get a few more jobs like this to provide a meagre income.

We had to visit the bank today to discuss our own mortgage which we've had problems paying since I fell ill. We are currently on a high interest rate with them (6.9%) and this changes in March next year to (3.9%) which will reduce our payments considerably. We've been told we can switch to interest only which will bring our payments down further to a manageable level which will be great and will take enormous pressure off my wife who is struggling to pay everything from her tiny part time wage. The arrangement we currently have with the bank ends this month, so we asked if this could be extended until February. Sadly they have refused despite knowing our situation. This means we will have to go back to the Citizen's Advice Bureau to get help to plead our case to the bank in the hope they will see sense. Three months will make very little difference to what we owe and our mortgage arrears, and I would have thought it would make more sense for the bank to show a little leniency, but they've chosen not to.
There are other options open to us but I'm hoping we can avoid them and with the help of the CAB come to some agreement for the next three months.

Despite the worries with the bank, I seem to be holding up quite well. I've been on a 'high' for a few weeks now which has enabled me to produce a lot of documentation for the group. Whatever chemical that keeps my mood in the right place seems to be topped-up at the moment. I wish I knew what keeps it regulated.

As I'm typing this, I hear on BBC Radio 5 that the last typewriter to be produced in the UK will be in Wrexham by Brother. The electric typewriter is being given to the Science Museum. How sad it is that something that revolutionised the way we communicated has been relegated to a display cabinet in a museum. I still feel determined for my son to have one.

Finally a little tip for motorists at this time of year. Do take a few minutes to check your tyre pressure. I did and found to my amazement that each front tyre was 10 PSI lower than they should have been. Now that I've corrected this, steering is feather-light and more importantly, we are saving fuel!

The first weekend of the Winter

Winter is here and I've decided I want to get my son a typewriter for Christmas. This may sound odd, but I had a typewriter at a very young age and it was by using it that I learnt how to spell. I don't wish for him to have anything too big or complicated, just a simple portable model that he can learn on. I recall I used to copy large sections from books and as I came across a word I didn't know the meaning of, I would look it up. It was by using a typewriter that I learnt how to type letters and how to arrange them so they looked professional.
I don't want to force my son down this route. He has expressed an interest in having one and learning to use one and maybe he will become as enthusiastic as I did when I was his age. It would be nice if perhaps from this he began to be interested in words and their meanings. It's worth a try. After all, a typewriter isn't expensive - there are literally hundreds of them on eBay for as little as £10 or £20.

Friday last week and I was training again, this time in Lincoln at Involve in Mint Lane. I was with one of my group colleagues who drove us there for a 9.30 start. Although the course was on the subject of mental health, it was difficult (and still is) to understand exactly what the course is about. So far, we have looked at ways in which we can support ourselves personally if we are affected with Anxiety or Depression related mental illness. There are only two others attending the course so it's a jolly good job we turned up! The second part of the course is this coming Friday. So far the course has been unique.
We were invited to join the Renew Group who hold their gatherings at Involve - so we both joined which means we are now able to make use of their facilities as and when we wish. Being a similar type of support group ourselves, it was useful to become affiliated with them and I'm sure good things will come from it.

Earlier today I discovered a rather nice photograph in my parent's kitchen. It had appeared over the last week and it is one I hadn't seen before. It shows my mother, father, my nan and granddad and their daughter in law at Hastings on the East Sussex Coast. It was clearly taken sometime in the 1960's at a spot I'm quite familiar with. The quality of the photograph is excellent so I took a copy straight away.

The hairstyles are quite wonderful and clearly of a different era!

In the news, the Jimmy Savile scandal continues to steal the headlines and this morning, Paul Gadd (aka Gary Glitter) was arrested as part of the police investigation into abuse allegations. I'm pretty sure he won't be the last and it is probably of little surprise that he's been the first.
In the US, the presidential election approaches and with it a huge storm which is bearing down on the East Coast. There is a possibility that Hurricane Sandy will hit New York in the next few days and preparations are being made for the worst should it come.

It is half term and my son has a whole week off school. He had his Harvest Festival on Thursday at our church in Dawsmere. It was very well attended and like last year, we were entertained with a selection of readings and songs performed by the children. This year, the harvest gifts were presented to Agape Food Bank Spalding, a clear indication of the struggle facing many families in the current economic climate.

My mental health has been steady for a couple of weeks now. Today I scored on Moodscope 62% which is my highest recorded so far. The graph clearly shows a steady increase in my mood but it's difficult to know what has caused it. I suspect that my being discharged from CBT has something to do with lowering my anxiety levels. I used to worry constantly about the next session and it really wasn't doing me any good. I'm careful not to over analyse things as this can cause a shift in mood. I'm just making the most of it while it lasts.

Finally, the clocks changed last night and we are now in Greenwich Mean Time. Everything feels a little odd. I've just glanced at my office clock and it says 5.45. Outside, it is getting quite dark but I've realised I haven't put my clock back an hour! Arrrrggghhh!!! Why can't they leave them alone?!

A Marriage of Technologies

I stumbled upon this in the Daily Mail Sunday magazine. It's a USB typewriter and essentially allows you to use a normal typewriter to interact with a computer. I actually think it's a very clever idea, particularly as the functionality is there for the typewriter to be used normally if needed.

I've probably written before about my love for typewriters. As a child, I had several typewriters and pretty much taught myself how to spell and write by copying large amounts from books. I would look up words if I didn't know their meaning and soon became very adept at writing letters.
Whilst reading the article, my son glanced at the picture and asked me what it was. I explained it was a typewriter and that it printed letters onto paper by pressing the keys. I could tell he was instantly fascinated and enquired of my parents as to whether they still had the old Underwood typewriter I remember using as a child. It turns out they have and it is safe somewhere in their garage. I will one day let my son see it. He's a bit too young at the moment, as it is an original and quite delicate. I would though very much like for him to have his own typewriter. I am convinced the experience helped me with my use of words and I'm sure it would do the same for him.