Friday, January 12, 2007
Last night, tonight and tomorrow
Last night the rain held off, thankfully, and we just had to contend with the darkness, wind and cold. Still, we were successful, and shipped 300 leaflets before 21.00.
We (and by “we” I mean “Team Baum” of my mum and me) did all of Hilton Lane, Spring Vale, a couple of side streets off Hilton, Kersal Road, and then drove up to Prestwich Hills and did there as well. Mum has remarkable stamina for someone of her incredibly advanced years. I think I may have been more tired than she was after we’d finished, although I think I maintained a manly aura of calm which didn’t reveal my inner exhaustion.
When I first started with all this a couple of years ago, I noticed that some of the more dedicated leafleters had cars stuffed full of crumpled old leaflets and piles of disorganised papers from their various rounds (I thought that they had personality issues, and were possibly clinically insane). Yesterday I peered into the back of my Punto to discover that I had become one of these people. Which either means that I am now as dedicated as them or, more probably, I had just forgotten to do a couple of streets and thus had 50 leaflets left over.
Tonight I am putting the finishing touches to the new Focus, which will hopefully be hitting people’s letterboxes in the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately, the winter time really isn’t the time to get photographs to go with the stories. When we go and visit places where the issues are, it’s dark, and obviously we can’t take photos. So the weekend sees us racing around trying to snap photographs. I do get the occasionally funny look posing for photos next to particularly un-picturesque local spots such as the Metrolink sign outside the station, and some abandoned garages. Maybe the baffled passers-by think it’s some kind of art project.
Also this weekend I am heading to the theatre to see Cyrano de Bergerac at the Royal Exchange. I can’t remember whether I have mentioned this before, but a season ticket there (six plays) costs barely £50, which is great value. And it’s for Saturday nights too!
Anyway, I’d best get back to work.
Rick
We (and by “we” I mean “Team Baum” of my mum and me) did all of Hilton Lane, Spring Vale, a couple of side streets off Hilton, Kersal Road, and then drove up to Prestwich Hills and did there as well. Mum has remarkable stamina for someone of her incredibly advanced years. I think I may have been more tired than she was after we’d finished, although I think I maintained a manly aura of calm which didn’t reveal my inner exhaustion.
When I first started with all this a couple of years ago, I noticed that some of the more dedicated leafleters had cars stuffed full of crumpled old leaflets and piles of disorganised papers from their various rounds (I thought that they had personality issues, and were possibly clinically insane). Yesterday I peered into the back of my Punto to discover that I had become one of these people. Which either means that I am now as dedicated as them or, more probably, I had just forgotten to do a couple of streets and thus had 50 leaflets left over.
Tonight I am putting the finishing touches to the new Focus, which will hopefully be hitting people’s letterboxes in the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately, the winter time really isn’t the time to get photographs to go with the stories. When we go and visit places where the issues are, it’s dark, and obviously we can’t take photos. So the weekend sees us racing around trying to snap photographs. I do get the occasionally funny look posing for photos next to particularly un-picturesque local spots such as the Metrolink sign outside the station, and some abandoned garages. Maybe the baffled passers-by think it’s some kind of art project.
Also this weekend I am heading to the theatre to see Cyrano de Bergerac at the Royal Exchange. I can’t remember whether I have mentioned this before, but a season ticket there (six plays) costs barely £50, which is great value. And it’s for Saturday nights too!
Anyway, I’d best get back to work.
Rick
# posted by Richard Baum @ 13:42 
