Hi Everyone
I noticed this week that Stoke on Trent is being nominated as one of the best places to live in England. Last year the city was classed as one of the most deprived cities in England. Those two statements didn't seem to fit but could it be that both statements are in fact true? The first thing to say is that Stoke on Trent is a geographical freak in that instead of being a radial city spreading from a central area, it is a string of six separate towns brought together into a city just over one hundred years ago. When, as a young man, I started traveling to cities like Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool, I often thought how lucky I was to live in Stoke on Trent as it seemed that the people living in those large cities had to travel a considerable distance to find beautiful countryside whereas our city is about fourteen miles long but only four or five miles wide so within a half an hour drive we have access to the beautiful towns, villages, and scenery that surrounds us.
The other side of the coin is a little harder to explain. Again as a boy, most people living at one end of the city did not work or shop at the other end of the city and the same situation mostly applies today. We have hardly ever been to the other end of the city since I retired. If, as a visitor, you find yourself in Stoke you will find a railway station in need of modernisation, the all too familiar struggling shopping streets, and a pottery factory but nothing that resembles a city centre. For that, you have to go about 2 miles to one of the other towns Hanley where there is at least a modern shopping centre although it must be at least five years since we have been shopping there with many people reporting its general decline. Now the city's traditional industries have gone, coal mines, steel works, and many of the large ceramic manufacturers, and is now in need of new investment and skilled jobs. On the other hand, we don't want too many people discovering the wonderful scenery that we have all around us as we are very happy to keep that to ourselves.
This was the month when the Senior Partners purse would open, well half open as this was the month of the January sales, you know when bargain hunters would queue outside shops for hours to jostle and battle for the best bargains. Now in that day, there were department stores, many family owned selling quality goods which have now all but disappeared from our urban landscape. Now the Senior Partner was a privileged customer at one of these stores so she had a pre-sale viewing of the sale items instead of subjecting herself to the unsightly scrum with the masses. Armed with her half open purse she would then slowly (her middle name was slowly) scan the clothing rakes for those unbeatable bargains. It did not matter if the items did not fit as she would then disappear into her sewing room to dismantle and rebuild dresses and coats, some top designer's pride and joy creations. Every dress or coat had to have pockets, not for her purse, but for a handkerchief. She could never understand why the top designers had never thought of that. At least it gave the Junior Partner a peaceful January as the sound of the foot treddle on the sewing machine reverberated through the house.
Every member of the population of Taiwan was told this week that they will be receiving £166 from the government as they share in the country's prosperity. Does that mean that we will be getting an invoice from our government anytime soon?
Just a Thought:
The Senior Partner went to buy a mattress. She couldn't make her mind up so the salesman told her to go away and sleep on it.
Why don't children in Stoke on Trent play hide and seek? Because no one would look for them.
Hold on, January is a long month.
Brian
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