Farewell to York. Our train passed by Durham and its cathedral. We visited the cathedral during a visit to England before the last.
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Arriving back in the city of bridges over the river and tunnels under the river.
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It was good to be at Sister 3's, with some space around us. She is at the top here somewhere.
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With its fabulous views.
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I've never seen a lift like this before. Obviously there was a second lift to take people to the even numbered floors.
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The next morning like every morning when at Sister 3's, we found a reason to visit the local shops. This sticking out 'architectural feature' is at eye height, just ready to kill you if you were careless. It was worse than it appears here. Apparently the area was quite nice, until the tower Sister 3 lives in was built and then to quote, 'The immigrants came'. The area was the dirtiest part of Newcastle I had seen, but one morning clearly the council workers had cleaned the litter up and it didn't look so bad.
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Sister 3 drove us to Sister 2's bungalow which is being renovated, and so she and he husband could not offer us accommodation. That was pretty well all we did that day. An hour after being there, Sister 3 took a phone call from her son in law who was caring after his young boy with severe autism. The boy had an explosive bowel episode, all over the carpet, the television screen and himself. He was very distressed by what happened and screaming. Sister 3 went to the rescue and returned home two and a half hours later. The boy's parents are on difficult road. Meanwhile Sister 2's husband had driven us back to Sister 3's place.
My photo undersells the dodgy construction of the new house next door to Sister 2's. It was a disgrace and I wonder how it has been allowed.
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The next day we bussed to town and met the brother and sister of R's cousin in Chesterfield. If you are confused or not keeping up, I don't blame you. The brother and sister we met at The Goose are also obviously R's cousins. Sister 1 joined us later with her partner. It went well and I took some nice photos of the cousins and R.
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Sometimes I am amused by simple things.
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I've photographed and written about this civic structure in the past. I forget now and feel no need to look at information again.
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Sister 1's partner had driven into the city and parked at a commercial parking station. He dropped us back at Sister 3's high rise flat.
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The view from that apartment is pretty amazing. Imagine seeing that from your window every day.
ReplyDeleteBack in the 1970s I went with my then boyfriend to visit his aunt and uncle who lived in a similar tower block in London's eastern suburbs. I was terrified the whole time as the block was swaying slightly in the high wind. Couldn't wait to get back down on the ground.
JayCee, while I would not like to be in a swaying building, they do need to have some give. Sister 3's building seemed very well built, while many similar towers have been torn down. Possible hers survived because it is age restricted and believe me, are people in the tower friendly and chatty. We've had a couple of earthquakes here of late and our building seems to bounce up and down. At least I do when I feel one.
DeleteI suspect the whole family has a long road ahead.
ReplyDeleteLove those views, and was also tickled by the toilet signs.
Indeed EC. A very long road.
DeleteI see the lifts with even number or odd numbers commonly in Asia.
ReplyDeleteOk Roentare. I haven't noticed that myself. I did notice in Thailand that like in the US, there isn't a ground floor as such.
DeleteOh boy, autism is certainly a difficult road forever for parents. Neighbor next to me has an adult son with Asbergers. Fortunately he has a supported work job at a bead shop that loves, so is gone most of each week day to that. Other than that, he mostly stays in his room and plays video games. He's maybe 30 now. Or so.
ReplyDeleteStrayer, that is great about your neighbour's son but how will he survive when his parents die or can no longer look after him.
DeleteShe worries over that all the time. She's moving back to Arizona near family for that reason, once she retires, she said.
DeleteThen the immigrants came?
ReplyDeleteHels, scratch a Geordie and you will find great racism underneath. This is currently being directed towards Kosovans and Albanians. Of course it is never their foreign born neighbour, who will be 'great', nor the friendly foreign born staff in their supermarket. "They' are ok, as are their 'lovely medical staff'.
DeleteI must ask: Did you try out those toilets? What made them so awesomely accessible? I have questions, so many questions. You were so relieved to be once again in a high rise looking across the city from your lofty perch. I wonder if you could ever see yourself living on the ground again?
ReplyDeleteDebby, I can't remember if I used the toilet there. It would not have been the disabled toilet. It was a bit like that at Sister 3's, except no balcony. I've always adapted to where I've lived but I think I would miss 'a room with a view' more than anywhere. Maybe a lounge room with large windows overlooking a courtyard would be ok. I wonder if Shady Pines has any of those.
DeleteHow awesomely accessible can a toilet be if its required that you be a brilliant boy or gifted girl minding your step? The more inattentive oafs must go somewhere else to relieve themselves.
ReplyDeleteKirk, the oafs must piss in a doorway alcove on the street, as many do.
DeleteWe have numbers and button in some of our elevators (lifts) like that.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on, and stay safe.
That's interesting Dora. I didn't know that.
DeleteLove those toilet signs. Interesting lift and what a mess sister 3 had to clean up..oh dear me.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, the boy's father had it easiest. He just took the lad into the shower with him and cleaned him up.
DeleteWhat a whirlwind of activity.
ReplyDeleteJB, I always manage to make it seem busier than what it was.
DeleteThat "eye height accident waiting to happen" probably wouldn't bother me, I'm short, but some sort of warning should be on it. A strip of reflective tape at least. I am confused by all the relatives, there seems to be so many of them. I like the photo with all the bridges.
ReplyDeleteSomething River, anything would help with sticky out bit. I'd just chop it off. Sorry you don't get all the rels, but I'm not surprised. There were a lot of them. The bridges all have names but I've yet to grasp them all.
DeleteI imagine the Awesomely accessible toilets are for wheelchairs or other wise disabled persons. Like parents wirth twins in prams who need a wider space.
ReplyDeleteYes, for...those who need better accessibility.
DeleteI worked in that Civic Building for four or five years.
ReplyDeleteReally Rachel. You are a dark horse. So I assume you lived somewhere nearby.
DeleteI find it sad that R's parents could not be bothered to give his sisters proper names. Sister 1, Sister 2, Sister 3... I would have called them Margaret, Pauline and Cleopatra. Even Cleopatra's cat didn't have a name. I would have called it Pussy.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Were you goosed in "The Goose" Andrew?
Worse YP, they weren't given second names. I am unsure about goosing but if I was, I'll take it up with my bank. Or should that be my doctor?
DeleteWe need a scorecard to keep track of the family.
ReplyDeleteTP, maybe a family tree?
DeleteOur building has low rise and hi rise elevators - three on each side. Low rise 1-25 and hi rise 25-46. Handy for people on 25, they have 6 elevators. Being on 27 we can walk to 25 which is also handy sometimes. As for all the relatives, John has to get a refresher course when we go to Dublin.
ReplyDeleteYours is a very large building Jackie. Six lifts, or even three would be luxury. I did put in effort into relative knowledge before we went and it served me well.
DeleteI was reading Steve's comment below and it reminded me that one elevator on each side can be commandeered for moves, freight, or renovations.
DeleteJackie, you still have plenty of lifts to choose from, unlike when one is commandeered here, we only have one to use. Mostly it is not a problem but a third lift should have been installed.
DeleteI have never seen elevators like that. It would be annoying if you need, for example, an even floor and someone on 16 was holding the doors or moving or something.
ReplyDeleteAn explosive bowel episode on the television screen??
Steve, I am sure there are arrangements for moving etc and the worst that could happen is you walk for one floor. The lifts there are due a huge upgrade. As in two comments above, such lifts are seen in Asia and Idaho.
DeleteI guess I should have written, all over the television screen.
I wonder if I could live on the 18TH higher floor without getting dizzy when I look out of the window. I live on the 4th floor and my neighbor sits inside because she doesn't get dizzy but she wants to jump down !! Never had heard that. Its apparently a disease. There are a lot of sisters in R family was he the only boy ?
ReplyDeleteGattina, you'd have no problem looking out. It is looking straight down when even I struggle at times, that feeling of weak legs.
DeleteThree sisters and R had a brother who suicided at the age of about 23 in the 1980s.
You do well remembering all the relatives and the relationship to R. You haven't had much of a break on your own this time. Hopefully you have now fully recovered from having tobe pleasant to one another 24/7
ReplyDeleteMarie, back to home problems really. R and I had one big issue when we travelled, the day before we went to York. I will post about it.
DeleteI think I would have been a quivering mess with all that moving about. Hats off to you both and I do get it that it was a poignant trip and worth all the effort and ferrying about.
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
WWW, that sort of thing never worried us when we were younger. It does now. Unsaid, but in the back of our minds we knew.
DeleteI cannot imagine raising any child, let alone one so impaired. Ugh... Those signs are amusing. Thanks for the giggle.
ReplyDeleteDarla, my hat is off to those who do it, especially if there are extra difficulties.
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