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I recently rifled through my dusty pile of old copies of Deadline and racked my
brain to attempt to remember the AUKML Conference Programmes (through the hazy
memories of some of the worst hangovers ever endured!) and couldn't come up
with a single mention of the issues surrounding the archiving of images.
Considering that the development of electronic picture archiving has had as big
an impact on media libraries as that of electronic text archiving I find this
fact extraordinary. I know for many of the larger media organisations the
function of the picture library is totally separate from that of the
information unit but for many of us pictures are an integral part of what we do
every day.
So this short article is an attempt to redress the balance a little
by opening a dialogue on some of the issues surrounding picture archiving.
Background
In September 1996 here at The Scotsman Publications (TSPL) we had our new
electronic archiving system installed. After an initial training period the
system went live and we were quickly having to adjust to a whole new way of
working.
We currently archive all the published pictures for our three titles The
Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News. This includes all
agency and freelance images as well as those on which we hold the copyright.
This works out at around 1,000 published images a week.
In addition to this the
picture desk for each title select unpublished images that they also want us to
archive. This also works out at around 1,000 images a week but can be much more
depending on current events. For example the current war in Yugoslavia and the
election for the Scottish Parliament have had a massive impact on the amount of
unpublished images we are currently archiving. We currently have well over
200,000 images stored in the archive.
Basic decisions
The main function for the archiver is to check the IPTC header for each image
and make the appropriate corrections and additions before archiving takes place.
The basic decisions that must be made are:
Checking all spellings.
Make sure that the caption adequately describes the image.
Record publishing information - paper, edition, date and page number.
Check that the file type is the relevant one for the system e.g. ours is .jpg
Add additional keywords as and when necessary.
Assess copyright status of the image and add relevant payment information.
Sometimes you are working with well captioned images and the additional work
necessary takes only seconds before the image can be archived. At other times
the caption may be very poor or even none existent and therefore the captioning
will take much longer. At all times there is a compromise with what you would
like to do with the images and what you can do given the restraints of staff and
time.
Keywording
The main goal when archiving images is to correct errors and enhance the caption
information. One way to enhance the information is through the addition of
relevant keywords.
There is a lot of discussion surrounding the use of
keywords, from whether we should bother at all to more focused discussions on
the actual keywords to use. Here at TSPL we use a controlled list of words that
are based on our old hard copy classification system. We simplified them and
adapted them for use with the electronic archive. The system works well for us
most of the time. We feel we are adding relevant information that greatly
improves the accuracy of searching. The controlled list we use is updated and
checked for errors about once every two months.
Workflow
With an electronic archive you are obviously limited by the amount of hardware
you have available. At the moment we have two Apple Mac's that are used for
captioning and archiving and a third that can only be used for captioning. We
have a member of staff working virtually all day every day on the published
images for our two dailies and the Sunday edition takes a member of staff about
two full days to archive.
To make more efficient use of this hardware we have taken on extra staff at
evenings and weekends who deal specifically with unpublished images. They can
caption and archive about 40 images an hour.
Staff who are used to dealing with photographs and have good computer skills can
be trained within a couple of weeks. For staff with no background knowledge of
working with photographs the training process can be much longer probably taking
about a month with regular ongoing sessions. The two main areas which need the
most amount of work while training are keywording and assessment of copyright
and payment.
Pleasure or pain?
So to return to my initial question - electronic picture archiving pleasure or
pain?
Obviously the biggest pleasure is that the end users now have direct access to
the archive from their own desktops.
The increased flexibility that an electronic picture archive offers is beyond
question. If an image is well captioned and keyworded it can be accurately
retrieved for use in many different situations within seconds.
We also love the end to mountains of picture retrieving and filing!
On the down side:
We still don't receive 100% of all published images. This is because our system
is not fully automatic and still relies on a person to physically "tag" an image
as published- inevitably they forget to do this.
Users of the electronic system often don't read the caption information.
With a
print the most natural thing in the world is to turn it over and check the
information on the back. Scrolling through information on an electronic system
does not seem to come as naturally. This has caused us many problems especially
in relation to copyright and payment. We now have a limited access database
where "expensive/unusual" images are stored. This database is controlled by the
library staff with users made fully aware of any conditions of use before they
are allowed to access the image.
Correcting mistakes - inevitably mistakes in the captions occur and they need to
be changed. Our system does not cope too well with images being deleted as they
eventually corrupt the database and lengthy repairs have to be run.
Finally I would like to state something of which you are probably already aware.
Picture Editors never forget! This is the same for an electronic archive - that
one image that didn't get archived among the hundreds of Monica, or Bill is the
exact one that they want and heaven help you if they can't find it!
Have you got anything to add to the debate? I would welcome your comments and
contributions - Are you using keywords? Are they plural or singular? Do you
archive agency pictures? How do you deal with picture selection? ....
Let me
know via e-mail or post. If I get a positive response I will summarise for the
AUKML list.
Those interested might also like to check out the following web
sites.
The VisualEdge '99 programme will appear at:
http://metalab.unc.edu/nppa/ve/ there is also a link to the '98 programme.
The SLA discussion site on keywords can be found at:
http://metalab.unc.edu/slanews/conferences/sla1998/photokeywords.html
An article on picture indexing by Stephanie Willen Brown appears on the SLA
website at:
http://metalab.unc.edu/slanews/archiving/VE98/presentation.htm
The Picture Agency Council of America also has some discussion and is at:
http://www.pacaoffice.org/
Fiona Boyd
fboyd@scotsman.com
The tour was adjudged a great success and we all thought that it was not long
enough. We were welcomed by Anne Crawford, Press and Public Relations Officer,
who gave a half-hour introductory talk before the tour of the Office, which has
about 96 miles of documents and a growth rate of a mile a year. This represents
only about 5% of the documentation generated by the government. The building
dates from the seventies and is light and spacious, in attractive landscaped
grounds.
As the PRO has a website (www.pro.gov.uk) I will not go into too much
detail about its history. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1838 to
preserve the records of central government and courts of law and to make
them available to the public. The earliest document is the Doomsday Book
of 1086 and there is an unbroken record from then to the present, subject
to the thirty year rule. The collection includes the originals of Shakespeare's
will, Captain Bligh's account of the Mutiny on the Bounty and Edward VIII's
abdication instrument.
It is the national archive for the United Kingdom and for England and Wales
(Northern Ireland and Scotland have their own Records Offices for documents that
relate specifically to these legislatures) However, many documents created
locally are stored locally; there is a network of city and county record
offices. The PRO does not keep private collections.
Those of you who worked in the environs of Fleet Street may have visited
the Public Record Office's exhibition hall in Chancery Lane, now closed.
Resources problems meant that the proposed exhibition hall for Kew was
scrapped, but it is planned to have an Education and Visitors' Centre,
which will include a museum, for the Millennium.
The documents are arranged according to the archival principle of
provenance; all items are listed under the Department that created them.
The PRO is now capturing government e-mails, as they are public records,
to which the public is entitled to have access. At present they are printed
for storage, but they will be stored electronically in future. As with
media libraries, the PRO has been involved with electronic data for
several years. The nineties have generated more recorded information per year
than ever before. However, while the archival standard for books is 500
years, floppies last up to 20 years and optical disks perhaps 50 years, nobody
knows.
An item can usually be located and made available in about half an hour
from giving the PRO the document reference number. There are about 450
staff employed by the PRO, of which about 5 are librarians, 50 archivists
and the rest are civil service intake trained on the job. Provided that you
are at least 14 and have some ID you can use the PRO. There is no admission
charge. They have about 450 seats and so far no queues. The late opening
days, Tuesdays and Thursdays are busiest and Saturday is the quietest.
For the future, there is space to last until 2010. By 2001 all searching
aids will be on their website. All their detailed class lists should be
on their website by the end of June, 1999. The guides will take longer.
The early "Calendars" - compilations of a précis containing all the key
information of each document which cover mediaeval and early modern
documents - will not be on-line.
Public Record Office, Ruskin Avenue, Kew, Surrey TW9 4DU.
Free tours take place on the second Friday of every month. For research it is
open Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm (7pm Tuesdays and Thursdays).
Telephone:
0181 392 5200, Fax: 0181 878 8905, e-mail: enquiry@pro.gov.uk
They respond to enquiries by sending leaflets or giving you a list of
independent researchers that you use at your own risk.
What's going on at the Library Association? First the AUKML committee is
approached by Mark Fisher, the LA Special Libraries Group representative, asking
if we are interested in developing links with the LA. Then word gets out that
the LA and IIS (Institute of Information Scientists) are talking seriously about
unifying. Is the Library Association trying to take over the information world
and are they aiming to make AUKML another notch on their bedpost?
According to Fisher the aim is to construct a 'network of networks', to provide
a forum for those working in special libraries to share those aspects of their
work which may be relevant beyond the confines of their particular industry and,
as Fisher said, 'to prevent us all reinventing the wheel'. There are three
levels of affiliation on offer. First and most extreme, full membership of the
Library Association Fisher appeared to assume that we would dismiss this out
of hand. The second option would be to become 'an organisation in liaison' .
This would mean AUKML having formal links with the LA, but stopping short of
being a constituent member. The third option was to have a place as an observer
at the committee meetings of the Special Libraries Group. The AUKML
representative would be able to contribute to the discussions but obviously
wouldn't be able to vote on decisions.
Traditionally AUKML has been wary of any links with the LA. We've seen ourselves
as independent and non-aligned, and have jealously guarded against any attempt
to compromise this stance. I suppose an underlying fear is of being subsumed and
losing our identity within a larger organisation. One of the strengths of AUKML
is that we are independent: we don't have to toe any party line.
An obvious point but one worth making is that being a member of AUKML doesn't
preclude membership of other groups. So why is it necessary to formally
affiliate ourselves with an organisation of which many of us are already
members? Writing as a lapsed member of the LA I feel I need to declare my
prejudices. I'm not sure that what the membership gets from the LA is enough to
justify the large subscription fee and know that I'm not the only person to feel
this way. However, there may well be members of AUKML who feel the same way
about this organisation!
AUKML was founded through a mixture of idealism and pragmatism in order to
provide a forum for media librarians to meet and discuss common experiences and
problems; to facilitate the exchange of information and ideas and enable us to
keep up with developments in our industry. The ideal which propelled the
organisation was the belief that although we work in differing structures, the
things we have in common are more important that the things which separate us
and that we can learn from one another. The pragmatism is that when one needs
the inevitable favour, other librarians working in the media will be more likely
to say yes, if they've met through AUKML.
When links with the LA were originally proposed I was instinctively opposed. I
felt that AUKML was doing fine and couldn't really see what we had to gain from
links with any other organisations after all, what could organisations not
involved with the media teach us? At the AUKML conference in Brighton last year
Margaret Wallace spoke about marketing your service. One of the statistics she
mentioned was that the overwhelming majority of public librarians felt marketing
would be of no benefit because public libraries didn't have any competitors. I
began to feel very uneasy because I recognised I shared the same lager
mentality.
My feeling now is that this is an opportunity the organisation should grasp. If
we take up the offer of a place as an observer at the SLG meetings we don't
compromise our independence but gain the opportunity to find out what's
happening in other sectors of the industry, to make new contacts and to raise
the profile of AUKML . I was involved in organising the conference this year
and learned a lot from the experience. The conference doesn't happen if there
aren't any sponsors and it is boring for delegates without good speakers.
Getting good speakers and sponsors depends on contacts. Any opportunity which
gives AUKML the chance to increase contacts, should be taken. An informal link
with the LA will increase out potential contacts.
The committee felt that this was a decision they shouldn't take without opening
it to the membership.
What do you think? Send your letters to the Editor or email Fiona or, best
of all, share your views by posting them to the AUKML discussion list:
aukml@brighton.ac.uk
It was an invitation that was hard to refuse - the man from Free Pint offering
to buy everyone a free pint. William Hann, Managing Editor of the email
newsletter Free Pint, in a bid to get people to come and hear him speak, had
promised drinks all round.
Around 40 people took Hann up on the offer at one of the Institute of
Information Scientists' (IIS) regular meetings. Perhaps not surprisingly in a
room full of IIS members, a show of hands indicated that most already used the
service. For those who hadn't, Hann explained that Free Pint is a free
fortnightly newsletter about the Internet written by information professionals.
As well as practical searching advice it includes subject-specific articles.
These have ranged from Environmental Information, Understanding Cookies to
Coffee Resources on the Web. Since being launched in November 1997 it now has
over 23,000 subscribers.
The actual Free Pint idea came to Hann while he was having a drink on London's
South Bank. This inspirational moment though came after a lengthy period of
research and preparation and his advice to anyone planning to embark on a
similar project is do your homework first.
The key to any website's success he revealed was that while it was free, it
should still be a valuable product that users want to return to. To achieve this
you should at the very least know who your audience is. For example, Hann knew
that there are approximately 30% Free Pint subscribers in the UK, 30% in the
US
with the rest scattered around 120 countries. From a simple occupation
question,
(with a 90% reply success rate), he knew exactly the types of knowledge workers
who use the service.
Promotion had come from word of mouth rather than press adverts. Hann's advice
was to get people passionate and talking about your site so as to build up a
community. This then leads to cross-promotion with other sites and the
generating of feedback . It is also useful to check the log-file so as to find
out what browsers people are using to look at your site as well seeing how many
pages they view.
Judging from the questions asked, it was how the whole thing supports itself
that people were interested in. After all a great resource like this could
hardly be run for altruistic reasons alone? Well for a start, Hann explained,
authors write for free (a common feature to many information related
publications). In the beginning it was supported by Willco, his Internet
company,
but now with four adverts per edition, it's self-supporting and he can afford to
employ someone to help run it.
Surely though there must be some sort of grand plan behind Free Pint beyond that
of improving Internet search techniques? When asked about what he proposes to
do
in the future with such a valuable collection of the email addresses, the
normally ebullient Hann was momentarily stuck for words. With the skill worthy
of a seasoned politician though, he replied that it wouldn't be worth his
reputation in the information business world if he were to sell it and he had no
plans to do so. Developments in the immediate future included The Bar, the
appropriately named chat room and the Internet Guide, a Yahoo-like search
engine.
To the average searcher, such questions about the future are probably
irrelevant. Free Pint is a truly valuable source of information especially the
entire archive going back to 1997 can be searched from the website.
Free Pint: www.freepint.co.uk
Institute of Information Scientists: www.iis.org.uk
The first ever northern meeting of the AUKML was in jeopardy of being cancelled.
Nine days prior to the event we had only one delegate, Jane from the Northern
Echo. I thought it might be better to call her and suggest we forget it. Then I
got a call from David at the Yorkshire Post to say he would be coming. -Great,
I thought -we'll move the venue to the pub. . A couple of days later Brian from
the Liverpool Echo rang to say he would be coming. That made THREE - wow!
Indranee de Silva rang to ask how things were going and I told her. So, bless
her, she got on the phone and managed to round up three more from the York
Evening Press, the entire library staff in fact. This made six and at the end
of the day these were all the northern AUKML members that came. Do you gather
from the previous comment that we had a thoroughly good time? We did!
We decided to keep the meeting informal and although an agenda was prepared we
didn't follow it closely. We began with a tour of the Examiner starting with
the Library itself, which is not large, then the Archive Room and through the
News Room. I think everyone was envious of our pleasant working conditions. We
are situated at the top of the building, with plenty of light through skylight
windows, and air conditioning that works (well most of the time anyway).
After the tour we discussed various topics and common problems pertaining to
newspaper libraries. For example, how we keep tabs on photographs. Has anyone
a foolproof method - if so please let the rest of us know. We all use
different systems for archiving, the Examiner being the only non electronic
library present at this meeting. How we are all continually fighting to keep
standing still, trying to keep up the levels of finance and maintaining a good
service.
The end result of the meeting was that we all felt we had gained something by
talking to one another and that it was very useful to see how different
newspaper libraries tackle the same problems and difficulties. The main message
was that in most of our difficulties WE ARE NOT ALONE.
We were so busy discussing everything that we forgot to arrange another meeting.
We did talk about it briefly as everyone was leaving and the consensus of
opinion was that we must carry on now that we have started to meet. David from
the Post has offered the Yorkshire Post as the next meeting venue - time and date
to be fixed.
I did think that Huddersfield was pretty central but maybe the lack of interest
means that we need to pick somewhere else that is easy to get to and Leeds I
think fits the bill fairly well. I think that these meeting should continue.
If more people attend it should lead to better solutions to our common
difficulties. I realise that each library is different and needs to use
different methods but I firmly believe that if we communicate with one another
we may be able to pick up new ideas and solutions to enable us to move forward.
It would help the committee of AUKML to know why more people did not attend this
inaugural meeting. Was it cost, time, venue or agenda? If you let them know, we can adjust the next meeting which we hope
will be in the autumn.
The 1999 AUKML Graduate Trainee Open Day did not begin well for the delegates
from the Guardian. The mirrored hallways confused us and for a while we were
unable to find the lift. Luckily, these proved to be minor obstacles.
We were looking for reassurance, from the event, that we had made the right
decision to pursue a career in this field. Worries about the increase in course
fees, reduction in bursaries and uncertain prospects had dominated our thoughts.
Would our fears be allayed? Would it be interesting? Would there be any decent
food for lunch?
The first speaker was David Nicholas from City University. He offered advice on
how to choose a library school, taking into account the reputation of the
institute, final destinations of previous students and course content. For
example, a university like City concentrates mostly on new technology whereas
some courses also offer more traditional elements such as cataloguing.
Therefore, course decisions should take into consideration career aims.
Moreover, he gave an insight into the attributes he would look for in a
potential student. Communication skills, enthusiasm and self-confidence were
all emphasised. While we thought that his advice was sound, it was slightly too
late since most of us had not only chosen courses but had actually accepted a
place. It would have been more beneficial to have heard this speech before
Christmas while in the process of making these decisions.
You could almost smell our trepidation as Ophelie O'Hanlon was introduced as a
representative of Lexis-Nexis, whose overwhelming software we were all too
familiar with. But on an emotional roller coaster of a day, we could barely
suppress our delight when we were introduced to the web version of their wares.
As Ophelie demonstrated, this user-friendly package would be an asset to any
media information library, providing a wealth of sources from which to search.
(NB the promise of 10% commission from any new subscribers has in no way
influenced this article)
Professor Charles Oppenheim of Loughborough University addressed the prospects
for the information scientist. He discussed the issues of navigation, security
and quality of information on the internet as well as the expanding role of
intranets and push technology. He believes that advances in technology will
change rather than endanger the profession, leading to the information
specialist as a trainer and evaluator. (As he said, end-users are lazy)
Although the content was thought-provoking, his speech was most memorable for
his numerous anecdotes and extravagant tie. But there was no tie in the
popularity stakes, Charles was a clear winner.
The contrasting experiences of the three speakers who described 'a day in the
life' of a media library gave further evidence of the breadth of possibilities
the profession offers.
Jill Tulip from Time Out who heads a department of two - housed in what used to
be a broom cupboard- says she loves the intimacy with the journalists that a
small library offers. She is Jill, not just a librarian, not just a voice at
the end of a telephone line, but Jill. And for that we grew to love her.
Representing the BBC was Panorama's Annabel Colley who told of her ascent 'from
gopher to guru' status. From humble beginnings, her role has evolved to
incorporate primary source research, net training and seminar presentations.
Though it is possible to remain with Auntie's celebrated archives, her story
indicates that a larger organisation proffers multiple career paths.
The News International Centre is relied upon by four national newspapers with
diverse needs. John Turnbull explained that he may be digging up the historical
context of a political crisis one minute and asked for the latest celebrity
gossip the next. Apparently, some tasks are more gratifying than others.
All three of these speakers had carved very different niches for themselves.
The lesson of the day was that information science can be, within reason,
whatever you want it to be. Vive la difference!
Finally, Lucy Wingar from TFPL consultants gave a positive account of employment
opportunities in all areas of information science. (Despite having her visual
aids destroyed by a thunderstorm on her way to the conference) Although they
deal less frequently with media organisations, who tend to recruit directly, the
agency can still provide help with CVs and interview technique.
Our thanks must go to Amanda Watson from News International for organising and
chairing the conference. Thanks also to the speakers for sharing their
knowledge, experience and enthusiasm.
As far as the food was concerned, it exceeded all our expectations. We were
presented with a dazzling array of sandwiches (not a soggy one in sight), little
sausages on sticks, cakes and fruit. This feast was much appreciated.
We left the Open Day in high spirits, with our fears far behind us and our
pockets full of leftovers.
Over the years I have clocked up a fair mileage travelling to London from North
West Kent.
Rail travel from this neck of the suburbs has always been notoriously bad. My
local train the 8.14 from Barnehurst to Blackfriars became legendary for it's
lateness and cancellations. To the extent that after all the radio
announcements informing travellers that the 8.14 was yet again cancelled a
record was made to the tune of Day Trip to Bangor called The 8.14 from
Barnehurst to Blackfriars.
In my Fleet Street days we had to work nights and did not finish until 4am.
This is fine if you have a car. If however you are not so fortunate then you
have problems as the last train leaves at 11.30 pm.
One Saturday afternoon I jumped into the old jam jar to begin my shift at 5pm. -
You have guessed it, Genevieve did not want to go to London. Trying every trick
I knew to coax the old girl into life I eventually resorted to John Cleese type
actions. I kicked it. Swore at it. Threatened it with the knackers yard. All to
no effect.
In desperation I searched for an alternative means of transport. Eventually I
found a rusty old push bike belonging to my sister which had not seen the light
of day since Queen Victoria's coronation (The bike not my sister)
After mending a dozen punctures I managed to stir the machine into some form of
life.
The plan was simple. For the outward journey I would put the bike on the train.
For the return trip I would cycle the sixteen miles.
After getting the bike off the train at Charing Cross and cycling the short
journey to Fleet Street I could now see what a daunting task the return journey
would be. Man and machine were not in perfect harmony.
4 am Sunday morning eventually arrived and I wheeled the contraption on to the
street. The day started as a perfect summers morning with the dawn breaking.
My adventure was about to begin.
On reaching Blackfriars Bridge the first rain drop the size of a dinner plate
hit me. Then the sky lit up as snake tongued lightening cracked the dawn sky. (
This is good stuff Ed. You could pay good money for this) Within seconds the
road had become a river. There was no point in sheltering as it was impossible
for me to get any wetter. I put my head down and pedalled harder. Then - PING.
Looking down in horror at the noise coming from somewhere near the back wheel I
discovered the cable which operated the Sturmy Archer gears had snapped (Who
remembers them?) and was trawling along in the river behind me.
I assessed my current situation. It was 4.10 in the morning and I was fifteen
miles from home in a thunder storm on a push bike stuck in top gear. The speed
of my pedalling was like a slow motion film. My legs resembled Heathcliffe
running across the moor to meet Kathy.
As I struggled on I drew a mental picture of my journey ahead and of Blackheath
Hill and Shooters Hill. These had now taken on the proportions of Everest and
K2. I kept thinking of other alternatives and decided on a different tack.
All my previous journeys by road however had been by car, and the thing about
driving a car is that you do not appreciate distances and inclines in the same
way as when you are struggling along on a clapped out push bike stuck in top
gear. (Dunno though - You should see some of the cars I've driven.)
I managed to avoid Shooters Hill and Blackheath Hill by travelling on the A2.
Only thing was I had now increased my journey by another five or six miles.
Man and machine eventually reached their destination just as the rain stopped
and the sun was high in the sky.
Strange as it may seem this experience did not put me off - A reflection on how
bad British Rail was. I reasoned that if I had a decent bike it would be a
great way to commute and I would be quads in.
Passing the local bike shop I first saw her. The dream machine. In the window
before me stood a metallic powder blue racing bike. Reynolds tubing. Umpteen
gears. Wheels the width of razor blades and shod with tub tyres. For those of
you who don't know, tubs are tubular tyres which do not have inner tubes. In
the event of a puncture you just remove the quick release rimless wheel and roll
on the new tyre.
The deal was made and we were united. Of course I had to have all the right
apparel to go with my new love.
The first day saw me cycling like crazy. Dressed to kill in my lycra shorts and
top Chris Boardman would have been proud of me. (If I wore that gear now I would
look like a burst tea bag.) Head down and pumping my legs furiously. I then
heard "Good morning" in my right ear. A man twice my age on an upright bicycle,
pin striped suit and cycle clips slipped effortlessly passed me. Horrified I
started selecting various gears in an effort to catch him. I was hopelessly
outclassed. My ego had taken a mortal blow.
On the third day I heard a crack from beneath me. Looking down I discovered my
rear tub tyre was like spaghetti. No worries. Within minutes the wheel was
removed and a new tyre rolled on.
On the fourth day the suede saddle disintegrated and had to be substituted for a
common plastic version.
The following day saw me performing the most amazing gymnastic feat as the
straps holding the saddle bags came loose and jammed in the spokes. I left the
saddle and cartwheeled over the handlebars.
Monday the following week saw my second puncture. This was followed by another
on the Thursday and again on Friday. The local bike shop was making a fortune
and would soon be able to buy a bigger shop on the proceeds of tub tyres. I
soon realised that tub tyres were great for the race track but useless for
commuting to London. The rimless wheels had to go and be replaced by
conventional wheels and tyres. My bike was now just an ordinary bike and
costing me a fortune.
I was no longer in love.
How else could I get to work? Hoop and stick might be worth a try.
Apologies if I caused offence in my last article in which I mentioned Ronald
Bedford. On reflection I realise this was in bad taste.
O.K so Charlton Athletic are relegated. After winding up orders. Ground
sharing. Standing in local elections as The Valley Party in order to get
Greenwich Council to allow us home. Fans having to raise nearly two million
pounds. - Relegation is a mere trifle.
Anyway I had trouble reading the team sheets in the Premier Division. - Am I
xenophobic?
My advice is transfer allegiance to the Faroe Isles - great team (- Ed)
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