100 ABSTRACTS - NUMBER 53 & DERELICT SUNDAY

You will, no doubt, have heard of "Variations on a Theme of Paganini" by Rachmaninoff - and I love this one!  I also discovered today that Brahms also wrote two sets of variations - I’m always learning things when doing research for my Blips!  Well, today’s Blip is “Variations on 100 Abstracts for the Mamie Martin Fund” by Honeycombebeach!

Just after 8 o’clock I was up and dressed and ready to go into our Town Centre because I had seen in a recent Tweet that there was a large window painting on the long display window of the now defunct Debenhams.  Mr. HCB offered to come with me and stay with the car, because the parking wasn’t good, so off we went.  We hadn’t been into our Town Centre since about January 2020 and on a drizzly Sunday morning, there wasn’t much that would entice me back on a normal shopping day!

I was surprised that there were so many people about, even at that time - a man standing smoking a cigarette, with a cup of coffee, perched on top of a rubbish bin, smiled and said “Good Morning”, then several young ladies, who were obviously carers, in their nurses uniform walked quickly by, while others in their uniforms waited outside the Tesco store, ready to start work.

In fact, one of the young nurses walking by, started to move and began to apologise when she saw me taking a photograph, but I encouraged her to stay, saying it made more interest in the shot, so she smiled and walked on, after I had thanked her, then I heard the young man say, “Great idea.” 

In the UK all the Debenhams stores are now closed and the one in Swindon is no exception - and although I like the painted window, the actual building looks rather unkempt and shabby so as a “Two-for-one” today, I am tagging this for Derelict Sunday.

It was quite difficult getting a reasonable shot, as there were lots of extraneous things in the photograph such as old seats, and a lamppost and I realise this is not an abstract in the proper sense of the word, but there are abstract parts to the painting, so this is Number 53 in my 100 Abstracts Challenge for the Mamie Martin Fund, which seeks to help young women and girls with their secondary education in North Malawi.  I also felt that it typified what the Mamie Martin Fund was all about - Helpfulness, Opportunity, Equality and People and I’m sure that all those helped by the Fund would agree.

NJEMILE completed her education at Elangeni Secondary School with the help of the Mamie Martin Fund.  Having obtained her Malawi School Certificate of Education in 2016, she was selected to continue her studying for a Bachelor of Education in Business Studies at the Polytechnic University of Malawi.

Once again, there were issues with her tuition fees being paid, so she requested that the university keep her place open until she was in a position to pay them.  Sadly, this happens a great deal to girls who complete their secondary education but then find that they and their families cannot afford to pay the university fees, so they obviously have to look elsewhere for funding.

The drizzle seems to be settling in for the day, so I doubt there will be much work done in the garden today - but better go and have my breakfast before Zoom Church.  Have a good day, whatever the weather.

“Originality is only variation.”
Holbrook Jackson

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MaureenIles