Night, night

Olive Thomas c1914

 

Olive Thomas c1914

Mixed Lingerie

 

Biederer Studio

Be kind!

I make no apologies for my posts, hopefully some will amuse, some will make the viewer think “that’s a nice postcard” and some, people will dislike and possibly be offended by, but then life would be terribly dull if the world was only vanilla white.

All that said every now and then we need to take a step back and be serious;

Be kind is an over used phrase and one wonders whether it still has any meaning, but it really doesn’t take much. I found this piece on Facebook and it’s worth reading and thinking about the next time we see someone struggling, don’t laugh at them, ridicule them or cross over to the other side of the road, a kind word, a smile and dare I say a gentle touch (yes, bugger social distancing!) could make all the difference, we could make that difference.

T/W: Suicide

I travelled to North Queensferry today to do some filming for some Uni assessments. I filmed by the water and spoke to a man who had retired a few years previous. We spoke for quite some time about the local area, the history of the bridges and he asked me about my Uni project. I told him that I was filming a piece about mental health in Scottish men and the stigma that often occurs about men not feeling they can speak about their feelings or thoughts. He looked up at the bridge then looked back at me, understanding exactly what I was filming about. He encouraged my work and gave me directions to the bridge with a kind smile.

I made my way to the middle of the Forth Road Bridge and set up to film some scenery and my assessment. It didn’t take me long to film what I needed and I enjoyed the scenery for a while.

After standing and looking across the water for a few minutes, I overheard a group of cyclists go past me. They all seemed to be about my age, or a little older. As they went past, one cyclist sarcastically said: “Oh no, don’t do it…” before he and his friends laughed and cycled on.

I decided not to leave yet like I intended, but to instead see what observations I could make if I waited for a while longer.

Several people pointed at me or spoke about me as they went past. One woman thought I may be there to jump, but she walked off with her family before saying I probably wouldn’t. One teenage boy actually told me to jump.

I stood for an hour and a half, and not a single person walking over the bridge asked me if I was okay.

Eventually a contractor for the bridge came along to ask me how I was and I told him all about why I stayed, and that no one spoke to me. The guy was as disappointed as I was, and we spoke for some time about his experience working nearby and the people that he often speaks to that stand on the bridge for a long time. I was shocked to hear how often he has to go to that bridge to speak to someone.

I didn’t go onto that bridge with any intent to hurt myself or any negative thoughts, but I very well could have been someone who was troubled and maybe just needed to be spoken to.

In the times we live in, it’s clear that there are lots of people struggling for many different reasons. Please check up on your friends and your loved ones. Maybe even take the time to speak to a stranger.

If you feel that you want to speak to someone for whatever reason you may have troubling you, contact the Samaritans on 116 123.

James Arran Scott

Maude Fealy

 

Maude Fealy (RTS 1104 G) 1905

Mary Pickford

Maud d’Orby

 

 

Maud d’Orby, born in Valladolid, Spain, (1851-1929) performing during the Belle Epoque era.

Fun at Ostend – The National Police Gazette – 26th May 1897

The National Police Gazette – 26th May 1897

During the Raid – (Kiss 682)