why I love Google Street View

Yesterday's trip went well.  I did indeed head library/cafewards initially - spilling out some words in my well weathered notebook, and having a quick peruse in the library itself before heading off for my 'appointment'. It was great talking to the two pregnancy centre workers - I find on-the-scene research really makes a subject come alive, and gives me the opportunity to meet new people too - we got on very well and I went away very glad to have made contact with such lovely people.

Of course all this entailed knowing where I was going. It was in fact on a bus route of one I already take frequently - it just went beyond the point where I usually got off. This is the classic problem I have always had with buses - knowing where to get off. You may know where it is on a map, but guessing it from the seat of a bus is quite another thing. This is why I love Google Street View. I get an advance glimpse of where I'm heading - not merely of road names on a map but the pizza places, shops, pedestrian crossings that all act as markers. I could tell, for example, that if I passed McDonald's I had gone too far - I'd need to get off at the next stop and backtrack.

And I need more than one marker. There is more than one set of traffic lights or traffic islands on a journey.  I need several backups - things that put the scene in context, let me know where I am in relation to my goal - and in relation to the other markers.


Uh oh.  Analogy approaching.

Sometimes we only use one marker in our patterns of thought and interpretation. We hurtle down the road thinking we're going in the right direction - aha!  Metaphorical weeping willow on right!  But we forget to look at the other markers which define the context, put things in a different light, show us another, better approach. Plus we forget that different people use different markers - different associations, memories, worldviews (street views?!). We can't understand why we've landed at such a different place.

I need to know what markers are there to tell me when to get off the bus. But I need to practise spotting them in life too - whether when reading the written word, listening to a conversation or a quiet confidence, understanding that there is usually more than one point of reference. If I forget to look for others, I usually misunderstand - I get off at the wrong stop and can't work out why.

75

I haven't written much this week as I've had the most appalling headache, although I'm aware that I should be taking note of it. Wednesday was the worst - there was a point when mere gentle movement set off the great clanging pain that is my head. Today it is still what I would call 'high' but I haven't taken any painkillers, so it is much better than Wednesday when I was and the pain was worse than it is now.

Trying to think of this week, but failing miserably. What would I like to remember when I am 75 and looking through my blog (strange thought - hello, 75 year old me - if the world hasn't ended or the Internet turned rogue)?. There's a sweet baby blue tit which is hungrily at the peanut feeder frequently. He is still yellow in the face with a slate grey cap which has yet to become blue. Also a young robin which is also sweet, now with a faint tinge of orange on its chest but with a permanently perplexed air. Have done some bits of gardening and planting out, and started making lists for when we go on holiday.

I've also been thinking about how unpedestrian friendly life is...especially in light of experiences last week, trying to cross busy roads and struggling to keep on the verge until we reach the path. Frequently I wonder about the future of the car in general. When will anyone ever want to give up the little bubbles they drive around in? When will the petrol companies stop sitting on the patents for alternative cars? And even if we ended up with electric cars, would it still be a good thing for our lives to be so ruled by them there is no room for people on foot at all? If there was a guilt-free, 'environmentally friendly' way to drive, would it get rid of all complaints? Or would we simply have to build so many roads that there was no green left? Will there be a public transport system that is actually preferable to individual cars? Is it feasible to have privately owned vehicles indefinitely? Will the big aeroplanes become unfeasible and become legend?

I'd be interested, 75 year old me, to hear your observations on the matter.

Tuesday: 5/10, medium high
Wednesday: 4/10, super high
Thursday: 4/10, high
Friday: 4/10, medium high

sluggishness, and the education of public transport

Eech. Feeling incredibly sluggish today. Was hoping to be bright, energised and constructive. Uh huh. I have done some things I wanted to but in a very limited way. I had a massage this afternoon. I am just as crunchy, apparently, but have a little bit more movement. Well what with doing exercises 6 times a day I would hope there would be something!

I am planning to pop into town tomorrow morning to get some things sorted. If I catch the earliest bus after Rest Stop 1 I should have a good sized window. At least now there is another bus company running from the top of our road, three times an hour. Previously there was only one. That one is still running, so in fact there are now four. As long as you get a return journey with the same bus company, it's fine.

I really think in order to convince people to use public transport it's not about making car travel more difficult but making public transport a more viable alternative - no, a better alternative. There are some cities where this is the case. It is easier to go by bus than by car. The rates are good. You can get cheap citywide travel cards. Until the public transport systems become reliable, affordable and preferable it's no good railing at people not to use their cars. We choose the easiest way. We choose the way we know will get us there. It is how people see the world of transport, in practice - whatever their theoretical - probably more environmentally friendly - opinion is.

Not having the option of going by car, I go by bus. It certainly keeps you from getting 'inside my bubble' syndrome. The other week I was waiting at the bus stop. There was another man who asked me when the bus was coming. Then he explained he was visiting his mother. Then he proceeded to call his mother. Every now and then, he would spit in the hedge. A little old lady came and stood beside me. Another little old lady in a green coat hailed her from a distance.
'Always digging up the bloody roads, ain't they?' she said to me, motioning to the roadworks opposite, while I smiled and nodded at her. She then carried on to tell us how lovely the roads were in Canada. And that she was surprised that this bus stop was still operational. I felt silently grateful that it was. She continued in this vein, punctuated by the occasional 'pssft!' of the bloke spitting in the bushes.

Trains too, can be educational. I once unintentionally went to Brighton on Gay Pride weekend. A lad with pink hair called Tim befriended me at Westbury and insisted we sat together. He then showed me his purple feather boa and fish net stockings with great enthusiasm. His stilettos were too deep in his bag. He offered to get me a job working with Orange, if I wanted one. A guy from the Welsh valleys sat opposite (we were at a table). It was obvious he had never seen anyone like Tim before in his life. He wore a moody expression, didn't say much, and looked frankly baffled as Tim engaged him in conversation throughout the journey. There was a middle aged lady sitting across the aisle wearing so much jewellery she clanked and clattered as she moved. She, too, became very enthused in the conversation. I sat there for most of the journey simply watching the dynamics with some amusement.

You see, if I had gone in a car there is so much I would have missed. Some say it's not worth the hassle of taking public transport. I say the hassle is worth it. Who can beat the sense of camaraderie when the train is late?
Who do we have to say 'typical!' to and roll our eyes?

Perhaps, like Flora in Cold Comfort Farm, I am gathering 'experience' and will put it all in a novel one day. Whether I'm cut out to be a novelist, I really don't know.