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What was your fasting blood glucose? (full on chat)

I have been witness to a few accidents on my travels, but the worst was at a sharp turnoff, and it seemed as though the driver was unaware of how tight it was and approached it too quickly, not realising that it had a crossing there. When I got there, there was a woman trapped under the front bumper, my coat came off and supported her head, I gave a quick once over but she wasn't lucid, there was no blood, she was breathing but I didn't want to move her. I secured her bag.The ambulance came very quickly and I stood out of the way. After a long while, the paramedics were able to get her out as a pick up truck winched the van up.
My coat was rotten along with my pants legs. I never did find out, through no want of trying, what happened to her!
The worst I have seen was a juggernaut on fire on the M6!
You did really well there @Lamont D . I am sure that she was really grateful for your help.
 
This is a reply to @Lamont D

Here's my two penny worth on this.

@Lamont D said "The artwork on this thread is unbelievable, I am so jealous about your creativity. I am also angry that I can't replicate my younger days and my drawing. Because of my arthritis!

I might try my hand at painting by number, "

I do not know what you used to do in your younger days. I cannot draw with the arthritis in my hands the way I did in the 1970s. (I used to illustrate poetry books amongst other things, very detailed black line work, and I was very upset when over the years I couldn't do that any more). There's no way I can replicate those drawings, because I do not have control because my hand shakes now... even with digital work, I cannot hold a digital stylus to draw with. I use my fingers to draw, so my finger does all the work on the screen. So keeping my fingers are actually on the screen helps the stability of my hand I don't shake my hand, but there's a few jumps and bounces with my hands sometimes, but there is usually the undo function digitally.

My actual paintings reflect that I cannot do that fine line drawing any more. I was very upset for a long time that I couldn't do the fine detailed drawings and watercolours of the Liverpool ferry boats any more. I just couldn't accept it. I had lost a part of me. But we have to adapt as our bodies don't obey us as we get older.

You have your own creativity within you. Use that as a meditation, a calming technique. I presume you have a tablet or phone. That is always to hand, no preparing. Find some apps, even children's drawing apps. I started with them in 2010, and was still using them 5 years later....I couldn't figure out Procreate or the other 'fancy' grown up drawing and painting apps for a long time. I still struggle trying to understand where to figure out what to do. I find a few brushstrokes within them, and bit by bit I discover more. I have only just recently worked out layers and how they help me digitally painting. In 2010, no amount of reading or instructions helped me figure layers out. Now I am thinking, why couldn't I understand that 13 years ago. I am a slow learner, but I get there oneday.

What do you write with? A biro, a fountain pen? Then doodle and draw with that. I need something round the barrel to get a good grip or I cannot hold it. I make a hole in a cat's foam play ball, or my best is to use a foam covered wire hair curler, wrapped around the barrel. Some biros have 4 different colours or more. That means I only have to wrap one biro barrel.

And please post on here what you do (I know I shouldn't push that, but I have a tendency to say share it).
Your twopenneth worth was worth a threepenny bit @gennepher.
And appreciation from me about my artistic failings.
I was not bad at drawing caricatures and copying cartoons but real life and pure art was always beyond me. I never had the artistic teachings to further my drawing or the time after school through work.
Another form of artwork I did receive was in lithiography. And artwork for printing where you needed to create a page, pamphlet, advert, and get it all together before photography, masking, cutting and then more photographic work into the lithographic plate. And then printed! Do you remember the old 'John Bull' printing set. I got to see how the professional letterpress, even ovens that make the individual letters, and the punctuation, never mind the spaces in between words to build a page.
I was allowed once, to create the whole process to understand printing as it was in the early seventies. I did want to become an apprentice, but couldn't find a firm to take me on. I wanted to become a full colour process printer. It never happened, but I have seen it done. Every process was something I could turn my hand to from the paper coming in and then packing the finished work going out! Which if you have never seen it done, bookbinding!
So I did have an artistic training in my teens, but an opportunity to earn decent wages took me away from it!

If you have a look at my description of conditions below, you will see I have been diagnosed with 'essential tremor disorder', so along with the arthritis and the restless legs, I can't sit long enough, without shaking, twitching and being comfortable to start. My hands shake so much especially when concentrating that, my fork or spoon when eating is always spilling food on the floor or in my lap.
I have done some roller painting on the walls, and some (not a lot) gloss work, but I found it impossible to cut in, and even when tape is used, the paint just wants to escape and that includes using a mahl stick. It can be embarrassing, the floor is heavily covered and plenty of paint thinners nearby!

I'm so intrigued by your reference to the ferries.
I hope you're not referring to the gawdy paintwork, such as the quilt like patterns on some of the refurbishment on them that started with the Royal Iris and continues today, with the two other ferries now left that do the prime time short services and the cruise up and down the Mersey.
I was dragged up in a place that is called Seacombe Ferry! So close to the river opposite the front of the port and docks of Liverpool. You could say that I am more scouse, than the thousands over the water! I grew up on the river, I played by the river, my infant and junior school is on the river, my first printing job was the first main road up that ran parallel to the promenade. My time was spent along so much of the river, promenade, docks, the swings, baths, the sand, the parks and of course a bus ride to New Brighton or the now defunct ferry from Liverpool to New Brighton. I have broken my arm, fingers, damaged my hip, cut, bruised, got scars, burnt different parts of me, built bonfires, got drunk, smoked and of course other activities along that river front. It is a part of me. It is my birthplace and I do miss that smell of the tide ebbing. The glimpse of the ship's coming in on the tide, the big and the small, the new liners, the warships, the tugs, the pilot boats. The tankers, even the odd yacht and you can't leave out the tall ships!
The whole area around the river has always been about the maritime traditions and everyday I would look across and see the four graces including the liver buildings, cunard, India buildings, Tate and Lyle, Albert dock even the dock which has now been converted to be home to Everton's stadium is directly opposite my old school, funnily enough called.............
Riverside!
The place where I was dragged up, was hard and it was like many dockside places, poor and rundown. The people were mostly honest hardworking families, however, such as in the eightjes, which was a disgrace then, the likes of activities not as legal as it should have been, came out cos most people had to survive and many businesses suffered because of it. I would never forget the amount of people queuing up at the local dole office, looking for work or trying to get some money for basics. And it seems that those days are back!

This has brought so many memories back for me!

My beloved, came from the same neighbourhood, a few years younger, but made of the same stock, from a big family, looking after her siblings, cos of alcoholism.
Drink in my young years, was probably the only relief most adults used to escape their hard lives.
Around our neighbourhood, there was over twenty drinking establishments within walking distance, indeed over the same main road mentioned before, there was three in a fifty yard triangle. Flanked by another adjacent and the local Labour club across the road, not a hundred yards furter, two more, then back towards the ferry terminal there was three more, with one being called The Seacombe Ferry hotel, for some reason. Most of them now gone!
I have probably glamourised my birthplace a bit but it is mine and I did live there. But regardless of how I describe it. It is a bit of a dump and probably the majority of people wouldn't want to live there. I had the chance to move and we did. I'm glad we did and then again I'm not!
We have always discussed going back to the area. But there isn't much of our close family around there no more. You never know!

I deplore short posts!

Gonna listen to the footie in a bit, cook something, p!entry of tea!

My best wishes.
 
Have good memories of Newcastle United.
And Mr Robson. A proper gentleman!
You're still teasing!
Wasn't refering to Carlisle, Lamont.
If I was going support a club it would be Newcastle.

The Bobby Robson Cancer Center saved my life when I had advanced prostate cancer c.20 years ago.
D.
Best wishes.
 
Your twopenneth worth was worth a threepenny bit @gennepher.
And appreciation from me about my artistic failings.
I was not bad at drawing caricatures and copying cartoons but real life and pure art was always beyond me. I never had the artistic teachings to further my drawing or the time after school through work.
Another form of artwork I did receive was in lithiography. And artwork for printing where you needed to create a page, pamphlet, advert, and get it all together before photography, masking, cutting and then more photographic work into the lithographic plate. And then printed! Do you remember the old 'John Bull' printing set. I got to see how the professional letterpress, even ovens that make the individual letters, and the punctuation, never mind the spaces in between words to build a page.
I was allowed once, to create the whole process to understand printing as it was in the early seventies. I did want to become an apprentice, but couldn't find a firm to take me on. I wanted to become a full colour process printer. It never happened, but I have seen it done. Every process was something I could turn my hand to from the paper coming in and then packing the finished work going out! Which if you have never seen it done, bookbinding!
So I did have an artistic training in my teens, but an opportunity to earn decent wages took me away from it!

If you have a look at my description of conditions below, you will see I have been diagnosed with 'essential tremor disorder', so along with the arthritis and the restless legs, I can't sit long enough, without shaking, twitching and being comfortable to start. My hands shake so much especially when concentrating that, my fork or spoon when eating is always spilling food on the floor or in my lap.
I have done some roller painting on the walls, and some (not a lot) gloss work, but I found it impossible to cut in, and even when tape is used, the paint just wants to escape and that includes using a mahl stick. It can be embarrassing, the floor is heavily covered and plenty of paint thinners nearby!

I'm so intrigued by your reference to the ferries.
I hope you're not referring to the gawdy paintwork, such as the quilt like patterns on some of the refurbishment on them that started with the Royal Iris and continues today, with the two other ferries now left that do the prime time short services and the cruise up and down the Mersey.
I was dragged up in a place that is called Seacombe Ferry! So close to the river opposite the front of the port and docks of Liverpool. You could say that I am more scouse, than the thousands over the water! I grew up on the river, I played by the river, my infant and junior school is on the river, my first printing job was the first main road up that ran parallel to the promenade. My time was spent along so much of the river, promenade, docks, the swings, baths, the sand, the parks and of course a bus ride to New Brighton or the now defunct ferry from Liverpool to New Brighton. I have broken my arm, fingers, damaged my hip, cut, bruised, got scars, burnt different parts of me, built bonfires, got drunk, smoked and of course other activities along that river front. It is a part of me. It is my birthplace and I do miss that smell of the tide ebbing. The glimpse of the ship's coming in on the tide, the big and the small, the new liners, the warships, the tugs, the pilot boats. The tankers, even the odd yacht and you can't leave out the tall ships!
The whole area around the river has always been about the maritime traditions and everyday I would look across and see the four graces including the liver buildings, cunard, India buildings, Tate and Lyle, Albert dock even the dock which has now been converted to be home to Everton's stadium is directly opposite my old school, funnily enough called.............
Riverside!
The place where I was dragged up, was hard and it was like many dockside places, poor and rundown. The people were mostly honest hardworking families, however, such as in the eightjes, which was a disgrace then, the likes of activities not as legal as it should have been, came out cos most people had to survive and many businesses suffered because of it. I would never forget the amount of people queuing up at the local dole office, looking for work or trying to get some money for basics. And it seems that those days are back!

This has brought so many memories back for me!

My beloved, came from the same neighbourhood, a few years younger, but made of the same stock, from a big family, looking after her siblings, cos of alcoholism.
Drink in my young years, was probably the only relief most adults used to escape their hard lives.
Around our neighbourhood, there was over twenty drinking establishments within walking distance, indeed over the same main road mentioned before, there was three in a fifty yard triangle. Flanked by another adjacent and the local Labour club across the road, not a hundred yards furter, two more, then back towards the ferry terminal there was three more, with one being called The Seacombe Ferry hotel, for some reason. Most of them now gone!
I have probably glamourised my birthplace a bit but it is mine and I did live there. But regardless of how I describe it. It is a bit of a dump and probably the majority of people wouldn't want to live there. I had the chance to move and we did. I'm glad we did and then again I'm not!
We have always discussed going back to the area. But there isn't much of our close family around there no more. You never know!

I deplore short posts!

Gonna listen to the footie in a bit, cook something, p!entry of tea!

My best wishes.
Hi @Lamont D

I had no idea they had done that to the livery of the ferries. That is awful.

I painted the ferries in the 1970's and 80's.

I worked as a gopher in a printing firm, or tea girl if you want to call it that, late 60's to 1971, but I was more interested in the printing, screen printing which was used then to make posters (a very convoluted process compared to desktop printing of nowadays), and more of the processes. I learnt a lot then, but there was no way a woman could get a job in printing because for one thing women were not allowed to join the unions. The men humoured me and taught me how to do screen printing. I was shown the lithographic process. And I was allowed to set the type, but I was warned if I dropped one of the massive trays where they were all sorted into compartments, then I would be spending the next hundred years sorting them back into their right compartments...
I learnt about the different typefaces, and those pesky pica spaces. Sometimes a very fine one was needed to balance out a heading in some typefaces between the letters, to makes it look right. I have forgotten all this now. I still have my steel ruler (somewhere) with the different points measurements, because I designed some layout pages. But I wasn't supposed to be doing that, but I enjoyed it...

A very interesting read, I lived in LIverpool from 1971...

Thanks for writing.
 
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Good morning everyone on what promises to be a smashing day here in the dark and dangerous north. Mrs Miggins and her sister went to a garden Centre yesterday. They are like a posh version of a tat magnet that you find in holiday resorts or a giagantic Poundland or the isle of mystery in Lidl; drawing folk in to buy all manner of things that they didn’t even knew existed, extracting phrases like “ooh! That’s nice.”, or “Oh, that’s a good idea.” - And all you went in for was some lawn feed and the possibility of finding a decent Wisteria to plant. Neither of which you actually purchased. Humbug, humbug, humbug - my new political rallying cry. Art bit - a touch of colour and a weary traveler. Hope your day includes some warmth and brightness. I really must try this koffy that I bought yesterday.


1691559348869.jpeg
 
Fbg 6.6
Wildlife cameras
Cat Midnight sleeps all night! Fox & Badger often arrive together - do they share the same tunnels? This particular Fox often arrives the same time as Pa Badger, so I googled. It seems they can share the same tunnel system. If I were writing a children book, I fancy Mr Fox knocking on the Badger Family's burrow/den, and saying "Coming to gennepher's garden..."

I have tried for years to keep the badgers out, yet they still arrive. But when the new (2 years ago now) next door AH neighbour who built the Fort Knox high wood fence all round his property, he built it a couple of foot away from the low brick wall (his wall), and he created a passageway for any beasties to easily access my garden...

I also have got some old maps of this area before these bungalows were built. And the woods at the end of my garden are called Badger's Rise. And through those woods is a footpath which actually led right through my garden, and led to more ancient woodland the other side of me. This footpath has been there since time immemorial, and the foxes and badgers, still want and intend to use it even though my bungalow is part of a housing estate.

The foxes, and badgers (in particular) play games in my garden. They race back and forth from the back fence, down the side of my garage, and down the side passage to my kitchen door, and race back again.

Creative. Acrylic inks and a hake brush and water. I did this last night. I hate it. Tried to play with it digitally. I hate it even more. For some reason I was doubting intensely last night that I can manage in this modern world of everything being internetty and no contact/no reply communication (it is only one way from them and you cannot reply). Part of this doubting was from the prescription ordering where you cannot contact a real person when it goes wrong, and you get these no reply messages from them that you haven't dealt with such and such. I had been into the health centre to my doctorless surgery and had been told all was okay, I'd had my health and med check approved by the nurse, and there was nothing for me to do. Now I am being refused my monthly prescription until I arrange for this health and med check... long overdue it says...but it is all in no reply messages. So, I will have to go all the way in to the health centre and 'explain nicely' to the receptionist again.

So second pic is dark.

Am going to forget about everything today and tomorrow. The rest of the world can go hang. I am not going to communicate with these idiots until Friday. I have prior arrangements for today, and a plan for tomorrow for my sanity...

This insane world can wait until Friday.

Have your best day...

IMG_2418.jpeg
 
Good morning everyone on what promises to be a smashing day here in the dark and dangerous north. Mrs Miggins and her sister went to a garden Centre yesterday. They are like a posh version of a tat magnet that you find in holiday resorts or a giagantic Poundland or the isle of mystery in Lidl; drawing folk in to buy all manner of things that they didn’t even knew existed, extracting phrases like “ooh! That’s nice.”, or “Oh, that’s a good idea.” - And all you went in for was some lawn feed and the possibility of finding a decent Wisteria to plant. Neither of which you actually purchased. Humbug, humbug, humbug - my new political rallying cry. Art bit - a touch of colour and a weary traveler. Hope your day includes some warmth and brightness. I really must try this koffy that I bought yesterday.


View attachment 62545
Ah, it's a road not a river @dunelm I would be checking upwards for falling stones..
You could have drawn my partner J there. It is just like him with the colour of clothes he wore, the backpack, and that hat...
 
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Good Morening Ladies and Gentleman and lonely backpackers on mountainous trails and a special hug for @gennepher, Friday will soon arrive.

Blood sugars this morning were 7.5 and then straight after 7.6, these readings are stress induced from high levels of knee pain.
Sympathy is not require this is all self induced from leading a sporty youth, then years of being rather portly and lastly over doing things in the garden the other day.

@ianpspurs yes you correct Friday is a significant day and 31 years. More importantly Thursday is a day when me, me’s and myself to remember the brave choice a family made which enabled myself to have these 31 years. Given a fair crack of the whip I shall write more on Thursday. Thank you for remembering.

Now I have to prepare for a visit to the doctors then later plinky plonky lessons, a dash into the indoor rain cabinet, covid test, breakfast and medications. Life is fun, fun does exist, sometimes it’s hard to find, but easier if you avoid the media.

Stay safe and try to avoid things that will get you a mention in the Darwin awards.
 
Fbg 6.6
Wildlife cameras
Cat Midnight sleeps all night! Fox & Badger often arrive together - do they share the same tunnels? This particular Fox often arrives the same time as Pa Badger, so I googled. It seems they can share the same tunnel system. If I were writing a children book, I fancy Mr Fox knocking on the Badger Family's burrow/den, and saying "Coming to gennepher's garden..."

I have tried for years to keep the badgers out, yet they still arrive. But when the new (2 years ago now) next door AH neighbour who built the Fort Knox high wood fence all round his property, he built it a couple of foot away from the low brick wall (his wall), and he created a passageway for any beasties to easily access my garden...

I also have got some old maps of this area before these bungalows were built. And the woods at the end of my garden are called Badger's Rise. And through those woods is a footpath which actually led right through my garden, and led to more ancient woodland the other side of me. This footpath has been there since time immemorial, and the foxes and badgers, still want and intend to use it even though my bungalow is part of a housing estate.

The foxes, and badgers (in particular) play games in my garden. They race back and forth from the back fence, down the side of my garage, and down the side passage to my kitchen door, and race back again.

Creative. Acrylic inks and a hake brush and water. I did this last night. I hate it. Tried to play with it digitally. I hate it even more. For some reason I was doubting intensely last night that I can manage in this modern world of everything being internetty and no contact/no reply communication (it is only one way from them and you cannot reply). Part of this doubting was from the prescription ordering where you cannot contact a real person when it goes wrong, and you get these no reply messages from them that you haven't dealt with such and such. I had been into the health centre to my doctorless surgery and had been told all was okay, I'd had my health and med check approved by the nurse, and there was nothing for me to do. Now I am being refused my monthly prescription until I arrange for this health and med check... long overdue it says...but it is all in no reply messages. So, I will have to go all the way in to the health centre and 'explain nicely' to the receptionist again.

So second pic is dark.

Am going to forget about everything today and tomorrow. The rest of the world can go hang. I am not going to communicate with these idiots until Friday. I have prior arrangements for today, and a plan for tomorrow for my sanity...

This insane world can wait until Friday.

Have your best day...

View attachment 62546
Hugs for modern day frustrations. Idiots were at one time rationed, only one per village. Nowadays, they seem to churn them out. It’s always good to take your frustration out through some brush strokes and the second one is very dark, pleasantly so. I have a thing about self serving checkouts and I think that yesterday, many other customers at the supermarket also did. Only two people on the real checkouts so we queued and queued and eventually two more members of staff came and opened up - small victory for the patience of pensioners.
 
Ah, it's a road not a river @dunelm I would be checking upwards for Salli g stones..
You could have drawn my partner J there. It is just like him with the colour of clothes he wore, the backpack, and that hat...
Yes, not a river and pleased that it had reflections of your partner J.
 
Good morning everyone on what promises to be a smashing day here in the dark and dangerous north. Mrs Miggins and her sister went to a garden Centre yesterday. They are like a posh version of a tat magnet that you find in holiday resorts or a giagantic Poundland or the isle of mystery in Lidl; drawing folk in to buy all manner of things that they didn’t even knew existed, extracting phrases like “ooh! That’s nice.”, or “Oh, that’s a good idea.” - And all you went in for was some lawn feed and the possibility of finding a decent Wisteria to plant. Neither of which you actually purchased. Humbug, humbug, humbug - my new political rallying cry. Art bit - a touch of colour and a weary traveler. Hope your day includes some warmth and brightness. I really must try this koffy that I bought yesterday.


View attachment 62545
I love this painting is progressing @dunelm
 
Well. I am amazed. I didn't phone the GP's yesterday because Neil has been having problems with his blood pressure and needed to talk to a GP about it. So he made the 8.30 call and I didn't bother even trying, also the pains I have been having have produced no spots and have spread to the other side as well, so it isn't shingles after all. He was advised to speak to a pharmacist and will be called later in the week.

Anyway, I decided to start trying to get through to the surgery at 8.25 this morning and found that I was already in a queue. Not much chance then of getting a phone call today but I hung on - you never know. When I got through the receptionist said, "Do you want a phone consultation or face to face?" You could have blown me down with a feather! Obviously face to face but I had to say that I didn't think they were doing that any more unless the GP said it was necessary. "Oh no, we've gone back to the old system now." Silly me. Should have known that by some sort of telepathy. I was offered an appointment at 9.30 today. Unfortunately, I can't get there by that time, so was offered 3.45 today. Wow!

BG at 2.30 am was 10.4. 3.30 am - 9.5 (that was when I gave in and got up). Have to think about breakfast now and get myself organised. Neil has just come through and confirmed that 3.45 is fine, so it's all systems go.
 
Morning all from a sunny and warm L.A. where we are promised even more mildness tomorrow - except no one is actually promised tomorrow. @Annb winner on winning the Drs Appointment Lottery twice in one day. @gennepher winner for the stupendous creatives but hugs for the maladministration of your medications. @dunelm as usual the finished artwork is glorious, thank you. Your garden centre and automated checkout riff remind me to look on Dave for Grumpy Old Men. No doubt Mrs Miggins feels the same about whisky, wine and (previously?) motor bikes and eqpt. @alf_Josiah although we may have different perspectives on some things I admired and respected a post of yours thanking the family of that young man so put a recurring reminder in my google diary. Latest scan results came in as stable with slight reduction in size of primary so thanks be to God and his gift of modern medicine, especially Cambridge University Hospital, aspirational steak and red wine are in order. Keto and immunology seem to be working despite the keto being more difficult for me. Have a good day.
 
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Morning all from a sunny and warm L.A. where we are promised even more mildness tomorrow - except no one is actually promised tomorrow. @Annb winner on winning the Drs Appointment Lottery twice in one day. @gennepher winner for the stupendous creatives but hugs for the maladministration of your medications. @dunelm as usual the finished artwork is glorious, thank you. Your garden centre and automated checkout riff remind me to look on Dave for Grumpy Old Men. No doubt Mrs Miggins feels the same about whisky, wine and (previously?) motor bikes and eqpt. @alf_Josiah although we may have different perspectives on some things I admired and respected a post of yours thanking the family of that young man so put a recurring reminder in my google diary. Latest scan results came in as stable with slight reduction in size of primary so thanks be to God and modern medicine, especially Cambridge University Hospital, aspirational steak and red wine are in order. Keto and immunology seem to be working despite the keto being more difficult for me. Have a good day.
So glad to see that your results were good. When I see what everyone else is having to suffer, I feel so humble. My problems are just uncomfortable really and nowhere near as stressful or dangerous as others'. I do count my blessings, but probably not often enough. I can offer nothing to ease the problems of others, other than prayer. God bless those people and institutions that can help in a practical way.
 
So glad to see that your results were good. When I see what everyone else is having to suffer, I feel so humble. My problems are just uncomfortable really and nowhere near as stressful or dangerous as others'. I do count my blessings, but probably not often enough. I can offer nothing to ease the problems of others, other than prayer. God bless those people and institutions that can help in a practical way.
Your prayers are effectual and I am very grateful for them. Everyone's problems are different - there is no hierarchy. I am in awe of how you and others here cope and remain so positive. 7 years ago today we made almond milk for the first time. Just in case anyone missed it from my posts I sorely miss that kitchen, home and area. Joni said it so much more eloquently from a non Christian perspective. God bless and protect you and all you hold dear.
 

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Hi @Lamont D

I had no idea they had done that to the livery of the ferries. That is awful.

I painted the ferries in the 1970's and 80's.

I worked as a gopher in a printing firm, or tea girl if you want to call it that, late 60's to 1971, but I was more interested in the printing, screen printing which was used then to make posters (a very convoluted process compared to desktop printing of nowadays), and more of the processes. I learnt a lot then, but there was no way a woman could get a job in printing because for one thing women were not allowed to join the unions. The men humoured me and taught me how to do screen printing. I was shown the lithographic process. And I was allowed to set the type, but I was warned if I dropped one of the massive trays where they were all sorted into compartments, then I would be spending the next hundred years sorting them back into their right compartments...
I learnt about the different typefaces, and those pesky pica spaces. Sometimes a very fine one was needed to balance out a heading in some typefaces between the letters, to makes it look right. I have forgotten all this now. I still have my steel ruler (somewhere) with the different points measurements, because I designed some layout pages. But I wasn't supposed to be doing that, but I enjoyed it...

A very interesting read, I lived in LIverpool from 1971...

Thanks for writing.
Do you mean black, white with a bit of red!
If you Google Mersey ferry, you will see what I mean!
Oh yeah, type faces, hmmm! What can I say! The trays were stacked high on shelving, all labled up, and the lads didn't like sorting after a run, and you could here the language when a rogue letter was found!
In my first printers, there was ten of us, we were in three unions, mine was S.O.G.A.T. With the bookbinders, lithography and guillotine operator. One man who ran the machine, a gestetner, was father of the chapel, a lone member of the print union. The typesetter, was in another one.
And, yes, a woman couldn't be a member of that union not in my other printing firm allowed anywhere near the typesetters place. Other than bookbinding, there was only two women in my second firm who ran the small gestetners, and only a couple in the office.
I was terrified of having to go into the bookbinding department, for a seventeen years old, it was scary to be told that I had to go in there! I was lucky to come out in one piece! I kid you not!
I never did do screen printing, or use a computer to get work done. A lot of copying and pasting with ____ gum! I just can't remember the name of it! Was it cow gum? Fiddly stuff, with small printed cut out letters, couldn't do it now with my arthritis!
However, I learnt a lot of what life is all about from those few years. I was more aware of how political it all was and the absurdity of how things were done.
But it was fun!
Thanks for letting me have a good old remembering!
In 1971, I was discovering night clubs in and about the North West, going to places, to here artists, discos, all nighters and having a good time with the scene! Not The Beatles, but Northern soul!
Which is very deep within me! It gets your toes tapping!

Oh yeah, nearly forgot.
6.3, I think it's working????

Have a wonderful Wednesday. Keep on trucking!
 
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