Nojomo 27. Dancing in the street! in The season for arachnids. Autumn 2016

We’ve actually done fun and interesting things today! I kid you not 👏😨

It started without an alarm but was still a run day nonetheless 🏃 - today was a 13km day - I love Sunday runs because I see the daylight but it seemed like every other bugger in Swindon had donned day glo clothes before hitting the streets, looking jolly and fresh, pony tails bouncing like perky puppies on their heads. What had happened to my usual quiet, early morning streets?

Oh, I had slept in and was an hour later! 13 tough but enjoyable kilometers later I was cooling off, walking the last bit of the way to my house, doing a long stretching session, eating a huge bowl of chocolate porridge and soaking in a hot bath (not all at once you understand…)

I didn’t have all day because We Had Plans… I had my time away yesterday so today was about doing stuff as a family. Today was the Christmas Light Switch On in Old Town. Hmm, perhaps it’s time for some history…

Swindon was originally the Swine Town on the hill, near the ancient Ridgeway track, as the rail boom took hold a large train manufacturing works was built at the bottom of the hill. Houses were built for the workers; pubs and community centres. In fact the NHS was based on a health care system which existed within the railway village. During the Victorian period the small settlement on the hill and railway village were slowly joined, houses and streets slowly reaching out until their fingers grasped one another, clinging together as a unified Swindon.

The railway works closed in 1987, the buildings used as a railway museum and a designer outlet mall, which holds the history in it’s heart. In the still of the night the buildings still hear the call of the men, the clanging of tools and chains. It still remembers the men killed on the job, the accidents and injuries. As the sun rises it sees the hordes with their credit cards and their desire to own a slice of the world.

Between the railway village and Old Town grew a main shopping street. It contains the chain stores - M&S, Primark, H&M, Pandora and more Costas than could be believed possible. There is a gap between there and Old Town, a gap filled with decaying Victorian splendour before, as you reach the top of the hill, you are faced with a small village centre of independent shops, cafes, restaurants and a museum. There is a food market, restaurants spanning the globe along two or three streets. There is a home made ice cream parlour and a running shop, furniture and hardware, Indian and Italian, Thai, Spanish Caribbean.

I often wish that we could afford to live in Old Town, but if we could afford the house we wouldn’t be able to afford the food I would buy every day!

Last week saw the town centre Christmas Light Switch On but this was Old Town’s turn. A smaller, less glitzy affair, all along Wood Street. There were pop up stalls run by the restaurants selling food, charities selling raffle tickets, a stage upon which a ukulele band played Christmas music, loud and fast. We danced in the street - or at least I did; Rich watched the band and the girls tried to kick each other…

There was so much food we were spoiled for choice, I eventually chose a Spanish hotdog from El Toro - a ciabatta sliced open with two chorizo sausage, some sauteed onions and peppers with a garlic, chilli and parsley dressing… It was dayamned good - T had a Christmas dinner sandwich (turkey, sausage, stuffing and cranberry sauce in a bap!!) While L had a cupcake. Rich stoically ate nothing, stating that it was all too expensive, in his Yorkshire accent 😉😂

There was a weeping angel in the guise of a balloon seller, I swear that every time I looked around he was a little closer to us!

People were advertising their business’, L ended up with a flag and both girls had stickers advertising a children’s Christmas play at the theatre in Old Town. The Arts Centre shows plays, films and concerts that are left of mainstream while the theatre in the town centre has all the well known comedians, musicians and the big name panto each year. We actually saw this play two years ago for T’s birthday party. Then some ladies from a local estate agents came along offering chocolate filled advent calendars to all the kids, and neither of my kids knew what they were nor what they contained because we’ve never bought one off the shelf! So now they have a chocolate advent calendar each as well as the one I made!

Knowing how busy the Light Switch On can be, we had parked at the football ground at the bottom of the hill and walked up to Old Town, so when the girls were cold and bored (but before the lights were officially switched on) we started to walk back down.

Apart from a near meltdown when T dropped some turkey out of her sandwich (she had been stressed beforehand in case some of the food fell out, but decided to have it anyway), when the turkey went the rest of it nearly followed forcefully. I saw her fingers tighten around the rest almost causing it to crumble so I rested my hands on hers and spoke calmly. Her hand unfurled before she ate the rest. Also, there were several moments when the crowds or sounds got too much but otherwise she thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon. Giving L piggy backs and the two racing each other up and down the hill, past the 1930s semi detached houses on the other side of Old Town, towards the Magic Roundabout to pick up the car.

I think I’m ready for a hot bath with my last Lush ballistic - but only a week to my birthday so I’m sure more ballistics are in my near future… 🛀

Photos swiped from t’internet.

Last updated November 27, 2016