David Bowie sang about changes way back …

As my daughter Naomi says often if you snooze you loose…

In a fast paced world there are so many changes and if you don’t keep up you will be left behind!

As I journey around various areas of London and central London I can see so many changes since I left here in 2002 … 16 years ago it only cost £1 for any bus journey and you could use a coin now it’s £1.50 and if you change buses within the hour then it doesn’t cost extra! But you can’t use cash !

I would say that pretty fair as an increase ? And if your 60 or over you can travel for free everywhere at any time in all the zones 1-6 with your Oyster card ( only 1 year till I get that )

Good changes there then but how about the not so good or the changes we find hard to adapt to?

A few decades ago most of East London and other parts of the country were full of manufacturing and wholesale , rag trade and bag trade.

Hackney Road from Shoreditch church to Mare Street were hand bag wholesale shops even ten years ago , now there is only a few remaining and the trendy bars, vegan leather shops and crafters wood turners have moved in !

Moving up to Old Street where there was manufacturing, religious benefaction and Moorfields eye hospital is now a hub for the digital industry and was recently quoted in Hackney GaZette ” Once a place of manufacturing clothing is now a place where you make something out of thin air ”

The digital age of work is here!

Millenials are everywhere with their Apple Macs in every coffee shop and corner bar… working away producing something from nothing , dress code casual, beard optional, bike a necessity.

Work is casual in hubs and work spaces , communal rooms. Hot desks, e – work!

As I observe and often join in ( writing this in a Pret whilst my grandson sleeps in his buggy)

We are going through change , big changes and if you snooze you loose,

If you opt out your left out!

Brexit shmexit, euro sceptic.

Government shifting , moving the cabinet around, football managers sacked after one lost game .

Snoozing is loosing… ch ch changes

If your over 50 you may be unable to keep up with it, you may be bewildered by it , you may be asking are there any real jobs around anymore…. M and S closing stores, Lidl and Aldi take over .

What will happen when we leave the E U the future is uncertain, it’s certainly not orange but it could be bright but a different sort of bright a new colour perhaps a grey or beige one that’s not easily definable ?

My advice is keep up, listen up and watch what’s going on , get active , fight for what is right but let something’s go , the past is not all rosy it just appears it sometimes.

I’m taking hold of all that the future holds in its bright new colours even if I dont know what they are…

Ch ch..changes , turn and face the world ….

From one pearl to another