During a conversation about Reading town pubs, one fellow suddenly blurts out
I love your house!
wendy: that’s the right answer, me too (huge cheshire cat grin)
fellow: it’s like a secret courtyard hidden away from the city, in the heart of the city!
wendy: (HUGE Grin – pours the fellow more alcohol)
Names on below the Maiwand lion in Reading town’s Forbury Gardens.
The lion commemorates the deaths of 329 men from the 66th Berkshire Regiment during the campaign in Afghanistan between 1878 and 1880
Finnicky details like ‘not being in Durham‘ and ‘not being surrounded by Maples’ do not detract from the fabulousness of Mapledurham house (and mill, turbine, tea-rooms, village, riverside)
It is a well preserved Elizabethan building on the banks of the river Thames, a couple of miles outside Reading town. Getting there involved a 2 mile drive down a winding single-track country road bounded by 10ft ancient hedgerows. Thomas and I had to use our skills for
A friend recently bought the derelict Flitwick Mill, that is mentioned in the Doomsday book (1066 AD). Looking around the Mapledurham mill gave me an insight into how the Flitwick mill might have looked and sounded. I loved the sound of the creaking cogs transferring the power of the waterwheel to the millstone.
Other highlights of the mill included the
Lots of lovely things in the actual house, staircases, wood panneling, furniture, textiles, fireplaces…..
I kept a look-out for woodcarvings or plaster mouldings of similar design to the carving on my new, old, bench. They might help me to ‘date’ the bench. I din’t find any, I’ll keep looking….
Dark spring evening. Waiting for the zebra crossing lights to hold the commuter traffic on Kings road
Groped
It takes a few seconds to realise what’s actually happening. First thinking the touch is accidental, before I smell the beer and see the sneer. Then wanting to thrust my fist into his nose. So easy to break his nose. To inflict pain and a public scar
Swallowing this thought – I step back, look him up and down, shake my head and sigh deeply – before turning and walking away
Nothing I could have said or done would improve this old man’s behaviour. My gut reaction would’ve increased his mysogeny. I suspect I was supposed to scream and run away
Two mature ladies perusing the various wool brands:
“I’m cold”
“It was colder last week, it’s not like we live in the Arctic, you’ll just have to man-up“
Once again, for the 3rd time, Reading town’s bid to become a city has failed. Reading town suffers from city appraisal anxiety
I rather like living in such a well-endowed town, though many townsfolk seem to have a chip on their shoulder about Reading repeatedly not being made a city. Big town even sounds good like ‘Big heart’ or ‘Big ted‘
According to the BBC’s description of the recent bid Reading town was a bookies favourite to win city status. Our local ‘civic leaders’ believe that attaning city status will provide Reading town with ” huge economic, cultural and social benefits to the area, as well as a jobs boost.”
I wonder what has changed for the people in the towns that were promoted to cities for the Millenium and in 2002? Have Brighton and Hove, Wolverhampton, Inverness, Preston and Newport all experienced HUGE cultural, social and economic growth since achieving city status?
C S Lewis wrote the Chronicals of Narnia while living in Oxford. On a frosty February morning driving along a deserted Oxfordhsire road reminds me of stepping from the Wardrobe into a frozen Narnia
Old Frenchy
My wardorbe was originally shipped from France to Portsmouth, probably circa 1880. It has a French accent. I found it in a 1993 garage sale (no garage) where the owner was moving to America and selling large furniture that wouldn’t ‘fit’ in an American apartment
Sailed to Seattle
Ironically, in 2000 I shipped the wardrobe from Portsmouth to the USA. The french wardrobe looked decidely small in the large bedroom with its own built-in, walk-in, wardrobe. In Seattle the wardrobe was honourarily called an ‘Armoire‘ in respect of its origins.
Now nearer Narnia
Most recently it was shipped from Seattle to the Wendy House in Reading town, near Narnia inspiring countryside of Oxfordshire. Armoire holds my hat collection. Over 50 hats, silk and top hats in hat boxes, baseball caps on hooks, Cloches carefully laid out and stuffed with wooly ski hats.
Mr Benn
The hats in Armoire provide a doorway to so many different places. Each time I put on a different hat, like Mr Benn, I’m taken to the place that is right for that hat. In Today’s -12 temperatures my ear-muffing psuedo-Russian snow leopard hat will be taking me somewhere….I wonder where…
From ebay:
Welcome to the 4th Naked Archaeologist Calendar, brought to you by “RUINED” (Reading University Archaeology Society). Featuring lovely archaeologists at excavations in Silchester, Jordan and Scotland and various other scenarios and contexts around the university archaeology department
A clean, shiny, black shoe sits in conversation with a lampost on a recently cleaned Reading town street. How did this executive shoe become abandoned, where has its partner gone?
The Italian tourist on Paddington station asked me
“what times are off-peak travel times?”
Gradually realising the sysem craziness I reply
“That depends which direction you are travelling, peak time applies to trains into London in the morning and out of London in the evening, so if you are travelling into London in the evening – there is no peak time
but I’m not sure”
Then I asked my Londoner friend for clarification
“Are there peak time restrictions on the tube?”
My friend didn’t know about ‘peak times’ so we assumed that tube trains within London didn’t have travel restrictions based on time of travel. How could this Italian distinguish between tube trains and other trains when they use the same stations? Should we say ‘you can travel on the grubby looking trains that are travelling around London, sort of, at any time”? I felt daunted. Such a simple question, such a complex answer.
Then, to make matters worse, I remembered that at peak times you can catch some trains which are not covered by the peak time travel restrictions, so added
“You can travel at peak time with a non-peak time ticket on some trains, normally the slower trains, but some of the fast trains”
The Italian looked suitably baffled. We hadn’t really helped her. I had a passing thought of Franz Kafka, imagining him stuck on a train station trying to get out of London at 5pm. No matter how good your grasp of the English language, this explanation, this system is
it’s not designed to make ticket purchase and use easy, its evolved to satisfy diverse organisations that lack customer perspective. The best pracitcal suggestion that we could give the Italian was
“Find the train you want to travel on and ask one of the rail staff if it works, and what’s their best suggestion, it’s the only way to be sure”
When I asked a train station employee at Reading main station he whipped out a PAPER leaflet that listed trains that travel at peak times but accept off-peak time tickets. This work-around suggest that the service providers recognise the problem. The cute, archaic, work-around made me smile. But why not make it easier for the traveller in the first place (or time)!
Currently peak travel times are defined by a mixture of train
I know what name I’d like to give the ticket pricing and travel system, but that’s unpublishable …..
Your’s huiffily, wendy x
PS here are the peak travel time trains from Paddington that accept off-peak time tickets:
The wedding practice-party mingle in the sunshine outside St James and St William of York church. I skirt the party and slip into the substantial entrance porch of Pugin‘s psuedo Norman church. A handsome young man in the porch is talking on his mobile phone:
I’d just like you to take the “a” off the end of my name. At the moment it looks like two girls are getting married – Nicola and Alexa. My name is Alex not Alexa. Please just put it right
I imagine the wedding with the grooms name miss-spelt as a girls name. If they are having the rehearsal, the wedding is probably fairly soon, I am impressed at how well the groom maintains a semblance of calm as he delivers his plea
Reading town has many sculptures, often hidden in unobrusive places where you stumble across them. Suprises in unexpected places.Very pleasing
A girl and a swanSculpture by: Lorne McKean
The girl and swan are easily found at the front of Arundel House, downtown. on Kings Road. I love the way the swan attached to the wall looks like it’s light, it’s flying. I find the seemingly nude, pre-pubescent female figue slightly disturbing
MonkSculpture by: Elizabeth Frink
A fully covered, adult, standing monk has raised his left arm as if about to gesture. Less than 1,000 feet from the girl and the swan it is more difficult to find. Not on a main thoroughfair. In a garden on a quiet walkway within the ruins of Reading Abbey alongside Reading Gaol
I wonder why he’s raised his arm, is it a greeting or the natural swing as he walks?
The sound of christian church bells calling people to prayer cheerfully echos around the Wendy House garden on a Sunday morning. In April London Road, Wokingham Road, Cumberland Road, adjoining streets and park come alive with orange clad Sikh’s singing and sharing goodwill in the streets for Nagar Kirtan
Until recently there were only a couple of Mosques in Reading town. Converted buildings rather than purpose built. Can you imagine approximately 10,000 local Muslims using a couple of tiny converted buildings?
Reading town’s first purpose built Abu Bakr Masjid Islamic centre is part of the solution, and nearly complete. It adds wonderful colour, spirituality and architectural interest to the already diverse and vibrant Oxford Road
It’s on the outstanding Number 17 bus route. Alas, it’s not big enough for 10,000 muslims
Another beautifully architected Mosque is now planned for East Reading, also on the awesome Number 17 bus route
Reading town feels multi-cultrual and as-if people care about more than just the acquisitiveness of capitalism
In its short lifetime of 169 years, 33 London street has hosted diverse cultural activities – institute, theatre, church then pub
Local authoress Ms Mary Russell Mitford laid the foundation stone of the “New Hall” in 1842. Contemporary writing refers to the New Hall as either the “Literary, Scientific and Mechanics Institute” or the “Theatre Royal”. The Institute appears to be part of a social movement that started in Wales to ensure adults of all classes, probably men, had the opportunity to learn about the arts and sciences. It provided a place they could go that had useful stuff like a library and events, for example plays
At the building’s opening in 1843 Charles Dickens read from his work. Some sources say he read from “Great Expectations” and others “Pickwick papers”
The building is later refered to as “The primitive methodist chapel” I wasn’t able to find clear, confirmed dates for this, or a reason why the Institute moved out of the building
Now it’s a public house and hotel named after the Dickens’ book “Great Expectations”. The ground floor of the pub still has a library room
Rummaging around in the history of Reading town one theme keeps cropping-up, Friendly societies, Societies of Friends (Quakers), and their contribution to the quality of life of local citizens. Here’ s an example from the History of Unison website:
By the 1630’s weavers, many of them refugees from Catholic France, were leaving London in search of work and coming to Reading. This was part of the early system of organised labour based on the principle of the search for work being sustained by fellow craftsmen who gradually organised themselves into ‘Friendly Societies.’ In 1841 the Friendly Society of Iron Moulders, with twenty-two members in Reading, gave assistance to 275 ‘tramps,’ (see note 1.) By 1847 these twenty-two men had, themselves, been forced to go in search of work but their branch, kept in being by the landlord of their public house, enabled 1038 members of the union to be given relief as they ‘trampled through the town.’….
…From early meetings of supporters of Robert Owen, the Co-operative Movement was established in Reading, the first shop at 14 Caversham Road being opened soon after the formation of the society in 1860. Not only shops but a diary, bakery, jam factory, printing works, nursery, and even a footwear repairing factory, made the Reading Co-operative Society one of the best organised and strongest in Britain…
…in the area of music and drama the Labour movement also made a contribution. In the mid-nineteen thirties the Workers Drama Association was established with a performance of ‘The Six Men Of Dorset’ a play about the Tolpuddle Martyrs. Today the W.D.A. has become the Progress Theatre…
oh!
I’ve joined a group, a society, a community a Movement!
Berkshire Womens Movement (BWM)
I like to pronounce it as BRRrrrrrrrwwwm, like the sound of a car accelerating. I’m hoping for some community action. Yay! The second incarnation of the Brrrrvrrrrooom website says the movement is all about
bringing about social change through community inclusion
The driving, founding member has already arranged a discussion group lead by one of the UK’s leading feminists, a celebrity – Kat Banyard author of ‘The Equality Illusion‘ and director of UKFeminista
She’ll be leading a discussion on…
‘Why is feminism still relevant today?’
Wednesday 27th July 2011
7pm – 9pm @ RISC Global Cafe, 35-39 London Street, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 4PS.
Meanwhile, I’ll get to wear one of those little plastic-coated paper broaches that says “BWM wendy” excellent!
Come along and join in…
UK universities participate in 2 quality assessment exercises, one for research quality and one for teaching quality. Research quality is primarily assessed by staff publications, the top 4 publications of each staff member.
Reading University Agricultural department proudly displays it’s recent strategy publications on a cork-board with a box attached to hold the overflow.
A disturbing lack of recent strategy…..
Visitors to the Enterprise centre can only park for 20 mins
20 minutes is their time-box
time-box is trendy business language
Is this a cunning prompt for enterprising visitors to think out of their (time) box to either
find ways to stay longer than 20 minutes
or
do what normally takes more than 20 minutes in less time
Reading University fine art degree show 2011
Tucked behind a filing cabinet in the corridor, a departmental sign proclaimed “Fine art map”
The map didn’t embody my understanding of ‘fine art’. The skills and interests of departmental academic staff don’t emerge in this creation for public consumption. The title ‘Lost’ was apt not just geographically, but with the pieces displayed in the show. Final pieces were planted without context, no comment on the artists inspiration or journey. This often left me feeling lost and wishing the artists had put more effort into engaging me. Afterall, I am here as a willing participant
Each piece was labelled with a title, the name of the artist, their course. Some large paintings of nude women were labelled “nudes”. Indeed, the title did convey the content in a stripped to the bare essentials way – like the paintings
I managed to find fun in some pieces. Especially when the artist had planned them to engage with action aswell as thought:
I kept getting distracted from the show by the wonderful language of the building and social structure. Then labelled-stickytape, provided by one artist, kindly drew me back to the thoughtful work of the students in the building
The toilets in the Fine Art department of Reading University are proudly green and probably original features of the one-storey utilitarian style brick building (circa 1930). The subtle differences in styling such as the 3 vertical panels on the womens’ door imply it may be newer (circa 1950) than the more utilitarian design of the mens’.
The addition of a paper sign to the womens’ door is a modern addition, an attempt to change behaviour using strong language “Important, Under no circumstances should…” clear identification of the people who should attend to this notice “...fine arts students…” and their unacceptable behaviour “…clean their brushes in these toilets”
EWE! I always use the sink to clean my brushes – easier and less whiffy.
A loud-mouthed moorhen* Coot was on TV in the River Kennet today. The bird had a lot to say.
TV is a good medium for riding your message to the masses. This TV has a chameleon nature, colours matching the bird and the river.
I suspect the moorhen Coot was announcing that this TV has beeen adopted as high-quality nesting material.
* Correction suggested by AFH in the comments
As we walk into the 1930′s building that houses the Reading Fine Arts degree show we are passed a clip-board with a pen attached on a long string. The
Building Occupants Register
A dedicated labelled plynth proudly holds the list of visitors on a smartly painted brick wall above what was once a modern radiator.
As I leave the building I wonder whether my name should be struck from the list. I’m no longer an occupant. Where does visiting end and occupancy begin? For a firefighter, tackling a blaze, “who’s in the building?” is the key question. A partailly accurate paper list will not help them.
Riding the 6.45pm First Great Western fast commuter train, peak time, from London Paddington to some exotic location in the west. Standing room only, though some people are sat on the floor in the isles. I choose a place where fresh air can shift the almost rank stench of warm and stale sweat.
I lean against the toilet door.
Surrounded by besuited men with unimaginative ties and gently bulging stomachs. They all wear identically styled black leather shoes that are only differentiated by the size and degree of wear. I run my gaze up their bodies, risking eye-contact. No, not risking eye-contact because they are all immersed in their phones, silently thumbing their importance to others.
No fear of eye-contact, even though I’m the only woman present and dressed in bright-blue with flat shoes conforming to neither girliness, motherliness, nor business attire. I am invisible.
The new factory workers are crammed onto this train like chickens in a battery coup. I thank an undefined diety or two that I am not, and may never be, a conformist – no matter how painful noncomformity can be.
look up there, an airplane trail!
At first I was baffled by my aunties enthusiasm for seeing an airplane vapour trail. She sounded like an excited child. Like me when I was younger. Either side of the vapour trail was a fabulous blue sky, I marvelled at its beauty. Something I’d fogotten. Hull has captured the clear blue skies of my childhood.
The skies around my home in Reading town are wrapped in the string of multiple vapour trails from international planes. Only Icelandic Volcano’s clear them.
Can you improve Cemetery Junction?
Is it so gorgeous that any changes are more likely to ruin its existing gorgeousity?
Is it so icky that people have given up hope of being able to improve it without first obliterating it?
The question raises all sorts of emotionally charged, creative, cynical, optimistic, pragmatic and other reactions from people who live near, or pass through, the infamous local junction of the A4 (London Road) and A329 (Kings/Wokingham Road).
A local councilor, Rob White, is working with local action groups to improve the Cemetery Junction area. At the moment he’s consulting with locals. The co-op has a big cardboard suggestions box decorated with a collage of magazine pictures of pretty things. Excellent stuff. It made me feel like being back at school where having a go was important, encouraged and easy.
I’m loving the humour and creativity evident in this summary of suggestions to improve cemetery junction made on a ‘Get Reading’ news article:
Wandering through downtown Reading I often stumble across pleasant surprises.
This is one of those lovely surprises – free books offered from an ostentatious doorway as part of a Healthy planet initiaitive.
Topical that Reading provides free books!
Bux raised my awareness of discarding clothing as street art in everyday Oslo with a string of spectacular posts.
English people also discard their clothes in public, displayed in artistic ways at eye level. Below we see a pink shoe awaiting a push button signal before hot footing it to the Tandoori across the road.
Our correspondent from Barcelona recently provided this little tid-bit:
Most modern English place names have their origins in Old English, the Anglo-Saxon language; most of the other contributions are either oddities or window dressing. Recurring elements that help us to do our own detective work include the endings “-ham” and “-ton“, ancestors of “home” and “town“; Hampton is a combination of the two and Hampstead means, more or less, “homestead“. The “-ing” generally means a place was founded by the followers of a certain chieftain: Reading is called after an otherwise forgotten man, Reada, whose name suggests that he had red hair, and Hastings after Haesta, who was probably quick-tempered.
Reading town is not reknowned for its beauty. Internet research before I first visited provided a rather scathing description of the town as a place that is near other places worth visiting like London, Oxford, Windsor, Stone Henge. A commuter town that people only visited to sleep or shop in the mall resourced with most major chain outlets in a riverside setting.
The descriptions didn’t tweak my aspiration to live in a cute city with a rich history, diverse and vibrant entertainment opportunities. This photograph was taken at 10am in Forbury gardens in Reading town. Whatever the season the gardens are cared for and visited. They are so beautiful. I walk through them to soak up the free tranquility and social vibes whenever I’m walking to the train station (often) or downtown. Like a village, locals use the gardens to sunbathe and play games, I bump into people that I know. Unlike a village the gardens host many, diverse, events. Bands play in a band-stand, it hosts art shows and charity fund raisers. Reading parks are wonderful. They are a good reason to live in the town.
Reading has 3 major parks – Palmer’s Park, Prospect Park and Forbury gardens. Each plays a slightly different role.
Drop by and check it for yourselves, for me its a special place for tranquilty and community
wendy: when I bring Thomas in for his new tyres I’d like you to upgrade the software aswell – but I don’t think I should pay for the software update
Service engineer: (disarming giggles) Good luck! You’re booked in
