Things don't often turn out how you'd expect, but today - the first of British Summer Time - started in a blaze of warm sunshine and stayed bright and clement throughout. Having missed yesterday's steamer due to pretty filthy conditions, it was pleasant to be able to wander out to the station in the early evening sunshine to catch one of the final First Great Western HST stock moves - in this case Midland Main Line coaching stock set LA79 finally returning northwards after sterling service covering for FGW stock under refurbishment. Interesting to see 47828 remaining, for now, in the surely soon to disappear Cotswold Rail livery.

There is of course every possibility that LA79 will return to the area, as Crosscountry's summer additional services commence in May, and eventually when their refurbished HST sets begin working the South West to North East corridor. For now though, content to get my first hazy shot of the year at my local station - which must mean summer isn't far away.

When I first began travelling to Bristol on the train, I'd often walk along Temple Back to and from the city centre record shops. I was always curious about the Central Electric Lighting Station, which appeared to be entirely disused and almost falling down. Over the years I learned more about how the city fitted together and always regarded this building as a sort of central point for me. Then one day, probably in 1995 I think, I noticed signs on the end walls of the building advertising a new office development. A week later I returned with my cheap and poor quality camera to take a picture of a building I thought would soon be gone. Note also how the view towards the grand entrance to Temple Meads station is uninterrupted. The same view now would of course be obscured by much of the Temple Gate development.

But it didn't disappear. Five years later I was a reluctant commuter to an office in Portland Square, and sometimes I'd walk back to the station this way and still see the building and the sign advertising the development. The sign was fading fast, and I hoped this resilient building would outlive the developer's plans.

Tonight, on a bus into the centre to visit my mother in the Bristol Royal Infirmary I glanced across from Temple Way to see demolition in progress. At first I couldn't place the building they were working on at all. Only the southernmost wall remained, and it looked quite different viewed from the interior. Gradually it dawned on me that my hurried trip up to Bristol twelve years ago may have been far too hasty, but was entirely necessary. Some searching today has located the new plans for the site and the south wall will remain, albeit cut down and shorn of much of it's interesting detail. So my rather grainy, dim photograph is suddenly significant. A fine building bites the dust.

So, the Lemmings Elections are on! Contrary to my weekend position on this ("I'll write a procedure but I'm damned if I'm standing") I now find myself a candidate...

My non-IRC friends won't be surprised, for someone lacking utterly in self-esteem and desirous only of a quiet life, I seem to have a need to expose myself to public opinion at every possible chance - in one humourous contributor's words: "Mike will stand for anything except the National Anthem".

As I grow older, my faith in democracy weakens with every passing poll. The chance to vote via new media seems wearisome - another escape route from real-life brought firmly down to earth. But strangely this one seems to matter. I care very much about how things happen in the land of the Lemmings.

Think global, act local - as they say...

Not a positive day - my reserve job opportunity fails to produce the goods, and I'm left high and dry. Still, the weather was cold and bright - just how I like it, and after a reasonably productive morning (in which Pix had her stitches removed and her recovery deemed remarkable) I ventured out. Paid a brief visit to Balancing Energy, which cheered me somewhat. Principia actually sold something! Bashing bugs in gwvedit with a fury previously unknown. I don't particularly want these doldrums to pervade next week - so could anyone bearing bad news please speak now and get it out of the way.