What a weekend! Two festivals in two days!
The Sharrow community turned out for their ding on Saturday which proved to be an entertaining and inclusive event. Loads of this and that with lots of the other pending until night fall. We sampled the food and enjoyed looking at the people in various ethnic dress while wondering why many of the white indigenous folk either looked like beach white whales or hookers touting for trade.
We mixed and mingled while eating the odd samosa, Ital, lamb pattie and drinking espresso coffee. One old, articulate brown person said he blamed all the "troubles" on the TV, American pop culture, poor parenting by people who hadn't grown up themselves and over educated civil servants who could call meetings, write policy documents but had no idea of how to actually do things. "They think they're in some bloody TV show," he said in a Yorkshire-Pakistani English.
I talked to a group of community workers who said that most of the problems which involved young people was attributed to "boredom" and lack of "self esteem". Where have I heard that before? Er ... oh yes, it's the usual knowledge-college social studies doctrine; very PC or New Labour if you're a UKite. Maybe it's too hard for a "young person" to open the local paper and see all the opportunities to do things. Then there are literally dozens of courses - free if you are out of work. Nah, it's just not cooool and the crew will dis you. Much better to be a prat in a hoodie. Talking to a brace of cops provided a view in keeping with the old fellow I previously mentioned. Maybe we need a compromise - an iron fist in a kid glove. Let's move to Sunday ...
A typical English summer day found us walking in the Sheffield botanic gardens, music gentle on the breeze. Both kinds of music ... Country and Western cum Dylanic folk. Not too intrusive on the setting. Mums, dads, kids and dogs sitting on the grass while munching on their picnics. There was even a mobile bar - no drunks evident. We sat under a tree enjoying a Danish and espresso listening to the local talent.
It's better to travel than arrive ... then again ...