Mornings after take a little longer to boot up. Words and concepts float a little longer through the mind. Happy thoughts conveyed through written form as she far away from me goes off to sleep. I woke at my usual time for the weekend. About an hour later than normal. It qualifies as sleeping in unlike in times past when it was a day or two spent lying in. 

That beer last night tasted and went down well. The company was good we get along great and the conversations go to various different places. A good chin wag they call it at work. Part of the local dialect or gwara in po Polsku. It was another busy day and the new machine they got works really fast. All the processing protocols and settings are there as well too! They moved the old printer that sat there for three years without use. It used up a lot of functional counter space without any benefit. They couldn’t use it for whatever reason so it sat there a white elephant for all of that time. I cleaned up the dust that built up underneath. These machines seem to attract and hoard dust under its space. There was some sticky stuff there too I wonder if it was from my coffee mug that I sip as the acquisitions keep ticking away. Seconds then minutes flow into hours until the day’s done. Can’t help but watch time it’s part of my job. 

I rushed out as usual I need to catch that bus at seven past the half hour. Yesterday I missed it so I decided to walk. The weather’s been nice it’s been quite warm with the sun shining bright. We comment on how we are within a dungeon of sorts trapped in the basement with no natural light. They could of had some skylights built from above to let in some natural light to improve our morale. It hasn’t been that bad lately we’ve been working to hard. There are people who along their path have encountered some problems sometimes of no fault of their own. It’s time to deal with with those problems and fix what went wrong. I can empathize with their worries having been through my own. 

I’m finally going to go and check out Stoke. There has been one excuse after another and even though there are some works going on on the line there is still a train service going to that town. The longer train ride gives meantime to compose and occasionally look out the window at the sunny green countryside rolling on by. All of a sudden trees all have leaves and those that don’t have that fuzz ready to burst. 

Due to a confluence of events I didn’t get paid this week meaning that because of all the payments that I had to make there isn’t much money to do much else. 

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Stoke on Trent is not a bad little town. In the hot hazy day reflecting my mood and my state of mind. It’s actually not that bad I feel pretty good. After taking off my shirt and looking down on my arms I realize how much my arms need the sun. There are people in shorts just walking around sunglasses are on and all those fake tans are getting a natural top up. Most of the people are like me in the same boat. Today’s been the first day where it’s been this warm. It boosts everyone’s mood. Warm weather that is because everyone knows the rains are coming again. 

When I got off the train I walked towards the city centre. The area is called Henley it has the core cordoned off from the car and inspirational quotes lining the paths and some of the seats. It’s built on a slight hill so as you walk up you look up towards some of the buildings rising above. Their facades are varied depending on when they were built with the more older buildings a bit more ornate. There was one brutalist concrete structure imposing in its glare and a multi colored glass modern structure as well. It’s as if there is one example of each architectural period that has happened before. Our modern buildings are more technological the materials are engineered to serve some kind of function back then it was different.  The structures themseles firstly had to stand. The brick is a convenient material that weathers really well. Almost everything here is clad in it its red color having different shades depending on age. In the sun the brick work stands out really well. The way different patterns are incorporated into the wall. There are angles and bulges and different colored brick. Limestone lentils used for support over windows and doors. 

My impression of this city changed with this visit in these conditions after all this time. It wouldn’t be the same on a cold wet gloomy day. Well maybe who knows? 

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After getting back to my humble abode and eating I waited for a call from home. My folks were visiting my brother’s family and they it was neat to have at least a brief chat with them. The hours whittled away after that and the lack of sleep cought up with me. Rain and thunder fell from the sky and that fresh scent of nature fills the air making rest something a wise thing to do. They say sleep while you can because when kids show up there won’t be any time then.