Predestination????
As a teenager at Northampton Grammar School, a youthful and less f fbb was invited to attend Friday Fellowship, held at the home of Mr and Mrs Moisey on Abington Avenue Northampton.
The house was nearly opposite The County Ground, a site then shared by the county's cricket club and Northampton Town Football Club.
The assembled group often indulging in a "Bible Study" whereby a knowledgeable 'leader' encouraged reluctant and self-conscious teens to 'discuss' and thus understand passages of scripture.
fbb was terrified of appearing to be a first class ignoramus and rarely made any attempt to 'contribute' in case he got it all wrong!
So, having read these words from Romans Chapter 8 (Authorised Version then, modernity had yet to reach Christianity) ...
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
... the leader would ask, provocatively, "What do we think of 'predestination'?"
Fear not, dear blog readers, there is no sermon on the way!
fbb thought nothing of 'Predestination' because he neither knew the word nor understood what on earth (or even what in heaven?) the passage was about.
The only destinations he knew were those on the front of his local buses.
Northampton Corporation used to have one-piece blinds with route number, ultimate destination and three lines of intermediate place names ...
United Counties had three separate blind apertures, one each for route number, ultimate destination, and three lines of intermediate localities. Sorry about the grotty picture extract.
There were three tracks in the route number window. Complicated or complicated? But usefully flexible.
York Brothers, fbb's local independent ...
... only had a one line ultimate destination. They had fun squeezing "BOZEAT AND WOLLASTON" into the space available.
Over the years of a passing interest from the boy, The Corporation reduced its blind display, first to just two intermediates ...
... and then just a one line ultimate!
United Counties began a similar decline by showing the ever helpful (not!) "SERVICE" in the intermediates block ...
... leading, inevitably, to the removal of any intermediate information.
Yorks remained as constant as the rising and setting sun ...
... until the company gave up bus services after getting its fingers injection valves badly burnt by post deregulation competition.
So trips to London became fascinating to the callow youth. Although he knew little of London Buses network, he, in the company of his late lifetime chum, Northampton Alan, enjoyed days of exploring 'The Big Smoke' using a 'Twin Rover'.
Alan was more knowledgeable than fbb, but the latter often took the lead in choosing intriguing places to go by bus, like Surrey Docks, Wood Green or even Croydon!
But London buses always had full destination blinds like this.
But not quite all of them.
Once the two pals took a trek to Clapton Pond, because Alan knew about a London Bus that was "different".
fbb thinks it was the last 'lowbridge' route operated by red buses which ran from the Pond out east.
Ah, the excitement if teenage youth; travelling all the way from Northampton to the pond at Clapton ...
... just to see a rather tired old London bus with a non-standard destination display. Such were the delights of youth?
More destinations tomorrow!
Puzzle Picture AnswerThe model was pne of a series of five very high quality locos made by Marklin for Gauge 1.
Gauge 1? It's big, man!
The company is only making 150 of each and they will sell for a modest ...
... and that's EACH, by the way!
After careful consideration, fbb has decided not to buy one for his static model display, mainly because ...
... it would break the shelf as well as the bank!
In Case You Missed Itfbb did!
Will anyone notice any difference?
Puzzle Picture 2
Where was this?
Answer tomorrow.
Next (Pre)Destination blog : Monday 11th May
No comments:
Post a Comment