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Bristol, England, UK
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Croft Radio on the High Street, West Wickham. In the distance to the right can be seen the church of St.Francis of Assasi.
20th August 2017.
Odd place for a photo eh! This is Sandgate Dry Cleaners in the suburb of the same name (Sandgate that is!) of Brisbane. We had a walk around in the blustery sunshine Saturday morning and passed this rather long lived shop, bringing forth its usual swathe of memories. I told you I was pensive this weekend!
When I was a kid in the '60's, my dear Aunty was the manager of this exact shop, then part of the Peerless Dry Cleaners group. It has hardly changed, maybe the computer screen on the counter and perhaps the counter has been refurbished, but otherwise, it looks no different from when my sister and I used to spend hours here, waiting for my Aunty to finish work and take us home to her place. When I think about this now, I wonder where my Mum was...maybe out shopping but not far away I am sure.
My Aunty's home, the family home was not far away in adjacent Brighton. I am much older now then they were back then. Where did all those years go? And how great to be back in their always loving embrace. I guess we all have memories of childhood like this in millions of different ways. Personal and irreplaceable.
Well, that's enough of that, but whenever we occasionally walk past, I can still see my Aunty's smiling face at that counter serving a happy customer. And she never had to ask them to wear a mask!
See the very professional sign on the counter!
Exiting her cramped confines, she took a moment to stretch her legs. The other half-dozen operating cabinets were lined like office cubicles of old. At some point the operatives had started referring to it as ‘The Arcade’, for obvious reasons.
From the Arcade it was just a short walk into the main workshop area of the makerspace. The stuffy smell of solder, spray paints, and industrial lubricants caked the air. Light-tube fixtures overhead bathed the room in a steady dull white. Worktables split the room into aisles, with workbenches and tool cabinets lining the outer walls.
Over the years the operatives had tried to spruce up the space; fixing posters, old Christmas lights, or any other oddities along the walls to create some visual interest to their surroundings.
Surplus robotic limbs and body parts hung off hanging rods along the ceiling. Some compared the scene to a butcher’s house, others a drycleaner; depending on your personal disposition.
Toward the middle of the room, Paul Fugitt sat on a roller stool hunched over a Rootlet light utility chassis. A welding mask was over his face, though he was currently doing no welding.
Watching over him was Mac Bradford and one of his underlings, Delaney. They were remote presence workers part of Pittsburgh’s Construction Corps. Bradford and his crew were semi-regulars through the shop, coming in every now and again for spare parts or help with repairs.
Kelly leaned against a nearby workbench and joined the small audience. The men noticed her as she approached, while Paul remained fully engrossed in his work.
“Hey Kel’.” Bradford said in his usual gruff voice. “Happy hunting?”
“That remains to be seen.” she shrugged casually. “Paul still fixing your toy?”
“ ’d be nice if he showed me how to do it myself.” Delaney said. He sounded like his patience was running thin.
“You want it done, or you want it done right?” Paul mumbled under his mask, not diverting his attention away from the proxy.
“Knowing Paul, he’s just making sure he knows how to do it right.” Kelly chided in, nodding toward him.
“Well the kid already shorted out my wire group ten minutes ago, so that ain’t saying much.”
“Nearly blinded himself from the arc.” Bradford chuckled.
“Don’t blame me for shitty color-coding.” Paul muttered, before adding " ‘Think its rated one way when it really isn’t…”
“Excuses, excuses.“ Kelly teased.
He ignored her, carrying on with his work.
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*random electrician techno-jargon*
Sorry this scene took so long. It ended up being a lot more complicated than I expected. Me being all weird with my cinematic angles and such. Plus I decided to experiment with focus stacking, which added a whole other aspect to deal with.
And to further throw a wrench in the progress of the story; I finally got a job. I still don't have a full grasp on my hours, so I don't know how it will impact my free time. I'll try to pump out a few more entries over the weekend. Don't be surprised if progress continues with this slow schedule.
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Many Thanks To
Hans Jakobsson For The Classic Retro Photo On The Left www.flickr.com/photos/hjakse/50893085123
The Original Paddington (Praed Street) Station Stood Here But That Was Demolished And Replaced With This One In 1914 It was Designed By Charles Walter Clark...Regent Drycleaners Was Established In 1975...The Pillar Box The Roundels By The Station And Eurochange Still Stand....Meccas Now A William Hill....What Are Those Posts On The Left?...Dismantling A Bus Shelter Perhaps...