I was listening to a radio programme the other day in which a well known pop star was bemoaning the fact that he had spent so much time travelling and touring to promote his career that he no longer knew where 'home' is. It struck me that what he was talking about was a sense of place, that comforting feeling of familiarity with your surroundings. If you have lived in a place for a long time and put roots down I'll bet this never occurs to you. Nevertheless I believe it is an essential part of happiness and satisfaction.
Thinking about the pop star I reflected that my advice to him would be to live in one place for a while and investigate the local history. Even in a new settlement in the US, which is where he was, there is history. In Barlick we have the advantage that we have up to 10,000 years worth if we dig into it and as you walk round every building or nook and cranny can talk to you if you let it. Yes, that's right, this is another of Stanley's pleas for more observation and interest in our history.
How many young people know that as you walk past the War Memorial down Wellhouse Road there was a railway station on the right, a large goods siding on the left where the Green is now and a level crossing across the road where locomotives and rolling stock moved from the sidings on to the branch line heading out of town. The history of the railway in itself has kept many people occupied for a lifetime! Eventually you get to the stage where if you were to walk with me anywhere in the district I could tell you a story about anything you see, it can get that serious! I sometimes think that I never see anything through our modern frame of reference but as it was in the past and the connections that join everything together. If your reaction is"He's living in the past", you may well be right. To be quite honest the past is usually a far more comfortable place than the present!
How many times have you heard someone say "I'm bored!" Very often the younger end. My retirement strategy is to have good routines, always have a purpose in mind whether it's doing the housework or playing out in the shed. I usually have a book on the go that interests me or if everything else fails I retreat into my head and start thinking. That's what triggers articles like this so forgive me going introspective on you!
The message is that in the words of the old Scottish saying, you get back exactly what you put in. Being nosey and asking questions isn't a bad start. That can be another trigger for these pieces, someone asks me a question and I share the answer with you. I shall go in the shed now and if anything occurs to me I'll share it with you.
A busy level crossing in the 1950s.
Nice piece Stanley - thanks for writing it. Having lived in a number of locations here and abroad I sometimes muse whether their surroundings influence the character of the local people. Conclusion - yes I think they do - how can they not? but there are too many factors involved to generalise. 
