Black Boy fountain, originally uploaded by bobsee.
I was born and brought up in Stirling. I left in 1972 to go to Edinburgh University but about 6 years ago I came back. A home town changes a lot over a decade or two but some things stay the same.
This fountain is called “The Black Boy” and I would see it every day as I walked to Primary School. Its good to see it still alive with cascading water. It’s one of those physical points in the world that gives me such a strong sense of connection. The familiar can become invisible to us of course and we just stop seeing. That’s the benefit of carrying a digital camera with you everywhere. It’s kind of a catalyst to seeing again.
I was really struck with the brightness of the sun sparkling the water in the fountain this week.
Then I looked again at the photo later and I noticed the surveillance camera in the background. All of a sudden I had such a strong feeling of lost innocence. When I was a child the world seemed a gentler, kinder, safer place.
Can we make it that way again?
Heroes Not Zombies 
I don’t think it was gentler, kinder and safer. I guess we to think of it this way. Question is: Can we make the world a better place? Well, I have to do my part and you have to do yours but I’m not optimistic about it being a better place. I think we have to give up this idea.
I like the picture anyway. Great shot.
Nice to see you back sugarmouse,
I don’t know your past or your present and neither of us know your future.
For me, living in a town in the middle of Scotland, I used to walk to school with my younger sister every day – from age 5 to 12. Parents nowadays wouldn’t even consider letting small children walk by themselves all the way to school (about a mile from home). The security camera behind the fountain made me think about that. My world was a safer world for children it seems to me.
About the future though I AM an optimist. My youngest grand-daughter is one year old this week and I hope she will continue to experience the gentleness, kindness and safety that she currently has in life.
Part of my work with patients is encouraging hope so that they can find the will to become well. I heard Kevin Ayres being interviewed on the radio this morning and he said “everyone needs their dreams, needs something to get up out of bed for in the morning”
I hope you have your dreams, sugarmouse. We can all act kindly and gently and in so doing make the world a better place.