Friendly chat

I received an email from NIHR NHS 'Be Part of Research' just now asking me to take part in the Measuring Loneliness in the UK (INTERACT) Study https://imperial.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8ojdcvCZWWwQBvM "Responses will help build a picture of how loneliness affects people at borough and city level, and across regions." On a different note, Last Thursday I took part in their Our Future Health study. https://ourfuturehealth.org.uk/ They are going around the country with mobile clinics where they measure weight, height and blood pressure, then take blood samples and give you an immediate result of your cholesterols and triglycerides. I stopped statins last July and have been on a keto diet since last November, having cut out starchy foods, sugar and unsaturated vegetable oils. I was dreading being told my LDL and total cholesterol were stratospheric. Much to my amazement all readings were in the normal range! (I have lost 20lbs and have more energy). Roll on Brekkie, but I will give the hash browns a miss.

Loneliness is an odd concept that seems hard to define as people don't experience things the same way. It's not necessarily a feature of those who are on their own as some are very lonely in a relationship and others are most content while they're away from other people.

I suppose people who prefer to be 'left alone' are not lonely. Our social society has evolved so that we have a range of natural abilities and personality types allowing each of us to take a role in preserving the human race when faced with the unpredictable changes ahead. Unless they were not somehow important the genes for autism would have been bred out and society would operate more like a beehive. I believe over 100 genes are now implicated in autism. Those, plus some as yet not fully understood environmental factors during gestation combine to create the broad multi-dimensional spectrum that is said to involve 700,000 in the UK (https://www.beyondautism.org.uk/about-autism/understanding-autism/statistics/) My fear is that we are changing society with the help of "experts" who think they know how to make everyone happy with top-down rules enforced by increasing surveillance and AI capability. Perhaps I should spend less time answering surveys and spend more time helping my neighbours. Maybe the close neighbourhoods of the old courts and Hillfields' terraces have been replaced by friendly forums!!?

It has been noted that the B.N. archive has finally got around to printing 'The Coventry Graphic'! So my pleas to them have finally paid off!!! The quality still leaves a great deal to be desired. A trip to Boston Spa is well worth the trip for a quality photo however. Although many of the photos are tagged 'Coventry Graphic Photo' it may be of interest to forum members [though not the British Newspaper people] that most of the athletic photos were actually taken by Coventry long time resident, Charles Winterbourne (see Graphic Dec 15th 1913 or The Mystery Photos on this Forum). Winterbourne came from Lewes in Sussex where he was a cross country runner of some note - County Standard - with the local Harrier club. He moved to Birmingham to further his photographic career, and worked for a photographer there for a time. He joined Birchfield Harriers and won Midland and National team medals / honours with them. His next move was to work for a Kenilworth photographer before purchasing [renting?] a Coventry shop. He took plenty of Godiva Photographs having joined the club, including the huge Bettmann one in our Mystery Photo section which incidentally hung in Bettmann's office and has a note on the reverse "I have a list of all the names" written in pencil by Club timekeeper and sometime treasurer for one of the club sections, Fred Allcoat, who tragically died in a car / coach smash near Berkswell while measuring the 26 mile course for the 1979 National Marathon Championships which was a part of Godiva's Centenary celebrations. Coventry's 1978 Olympic marathon runner, Bill Adcocks, was badly injured. The large Godiva club photo led Siegfried Bettmann to offer Winterbourne photographic work for the Triumph car factory, and other Bettmann activities while he was Mayor.

I should have added that Winterbourne lived in Jesson Street when he moved to Coventry, I have no idea whether it was a house or a shop, but I believe the street was bombed. My wife's grandparents lived in the street and had serious problems trying to rescue what they could from the ruins.

Has anybody used the NCP at the Belgrade recently?

If that one is the Leigh Mills car-park then I've not used it for a while, because it's so expensive.

We used this car park last night for a visit to the Belgrade. It is now called Belgrade Plaza. It has good access, is well lit, and has reasonably sized parking bays. Payment is made before exit by using one of the three pay machines in the ground floor foyer. Payment is by card or app only - no cash. The downside is that our visit crept ever so slightly over three hours because of the queues waiting to use the payment machines so it cost me £7.80 as opposed to £5.85 for 2 - 3 hours. Some people who had obviously arrived much earlier were paying the 4 - 24 hours rate which is £9.95. I still choose to use this car park on my infrequent visits to this part of the city because the alternative is a walk through the Precinct at night to the West Orchards car park with its winding and tight access and exits plus much smaller parking bays, although it is cheaper I think.

After a week manning our stand at the MACH show at the NEC, it is good to get back to some kind of normality! 23,000 visitors over 5 days, but gladly they didn't all visit us. Lots of school trips, students, army, air force and Navy cadets whom soon strip your stand of any freebee going. A great show with lots of interesting new technology.

Thanks for that. I chose the Belgrade for security and proximity to the Premier Inn but the process was very complicated to do online and the app didn't work. The place has been very full on previous arrivals in the morning, so I started off in the Salt Lane car park and transferred after I'd finished at the Herbert. Yes, it's not cheap, but I agree, that's not always the most important factor.

Hi Mick. Is there a growing attendance of women and girls? Tech and engineering are very good areas to be employed in but schools used to be very tepid (bordering on horrified) that girls might consider them for a career.

Commiserations Coventry but a sterling performance!

Hi Helen, and in answer to your question, yes there certainly is. There roles varied from IT, Health & Safety, Purchasing, Sales, Programming & Software. There were very few who were at the "handle turning" end of engineering. In fact it was common amongst most so called young engineers that they did not want to get their hands dirty.

That was my intention too but I got plenty dirty on occasion. I spent a lot of time under people's desks and behind cabinets. I drew the line at being up a ladder in the ceiling.

Well Anne, As part of my rehabilitation recovery, on day where the daytime temperature is lower than in February, I went here. And here. Every bus was so warm. Heating on max. They were warmer than the pub. I have at least five more pictures, but a will spare you the silly pictures. I went to our local chapel coffee morning. A bit silly as I had tea! I then met a former work friend at the Bull & Anchor in Ash Green. Been to Kenilworth, Leamington, then Sean's pub. I'm home now, looking forward to our Asian curry at home evening.