In my feed from 11 years ago were a number of items that got re-run yesterday.
So we go back to a time when I was working for the police. My boss was a good artist and we decided to play a little joke against pseudism. You know the kind of thing where somebody tries to justify a piece of art with lots of flowery language. You've probably come across lots of this nonsense.
So we decided to put together a website for a newly discovered Spanish artist. The website would be full of abstract rubbish art but full of glowing and flowing prose about an undiscovered genius. We never got round to doing that website but I did put together a piece of rubbish as a joke and put it on my Facebook page with the following description.
"Came across a major new British artistic talent tonight. Let me know what you think of this. If you love abstract art you will love this. it's by Scott Willoughby and is entitled "Country". I love the vibrant colours and the way they almost blend into each other in a haphazard way. Tell me what you think. This is a rare talent."
Now Scott Willoughby is a pen name I use occasionally in my writing and it's actually the name of a village in Lincolnshire. It was somewhere I often passed. I went on with the following:
"Further to my last post. Scott Willoughby apparently comes from York and is inspired by the Yorkshire landscapes. Country is all about his visualisation of life, built up through a number of years and experiences. That's why if you look closely you can see specks of colour coming through the main colours. Apparently the artist is also a writer who writes in a stream of consciousness and quite abstract way. Haven't read any of his prose yet."
The heap of garbage painting I was using as part of the joke was done in a minute flat using an Ipad. Nobody was fooled but I thought you might appreciate the joke and so reproduce it below.
There were two other comments on this Facebook page.
"Currently listening to River of Dreams by Barclay James Harvest." This would have been of no interest to anyone. The second was.
"As they have now announced it on Facebook I no longer have to keep it quiet that Matt and Emma are expecting a baby in September."
This would have been the announcement of the baby that became Elliot who is now 10 years old and spinning a cricket ball madly.
So that was my dip into the past. Yesterday we called tennis off yet again due to rain. All this good weather we have had but it always seems to be wet on Thursdays. So I wandered to the gym instead and also had a walk.
I usually check my e-mails a ridiculous number of times a day unless I'm away from my computer. In fact it might be considered to be something of an obsession and I get withdrawal symptoms if I don't have any of interest, a bit like if the postie comes to our road and doesn't bring us anything. Mind you all we get most days are holiday brochures. Go on a cruise and over the following year you will receive on average about 10 holiday brochures a week.
Yesterday I had another response to my opposition to the introduction of vehicle parking charges at Norwich Parks and in particular at Eaton Park. My understanding is that this is a national move and would net Norwich City Council an estimated £50,000 a year which wouldn't make much of a impact on the multi million pound deficit it appears to have.
In my last e-mail I asked them how many responses they had received and how many had been in favour and how many against the introduction of charges. I didn't expect a reply but did receive one.
They had 717 responses of which 655 were against, 53 were for and 9 made general comments about the park. That represents 91.4% opposed to the charges and only 7.4% in favour. That's a massive majority against the charges. If they now introduce them it will once again show the futility of holding public consultation when it's all a done deal. Any attempt to now introduce charges will be undemocratic. If I was a betting man I would have a fiver on them still being brought in, or am I being a touch too cynical?