North Walls 2017 - briefly

I am on my way home, with a bit of assistance from a few kind people.
I couldn't really stand or walk any more, so I am grateful for the help.

Well it started at 4am this morning, so I am tired. I live a long way from Winchester, for my safety, not because I want to be exiled from my home town, although it is a sad and useless home town since the Bishop and his personal pit bull estranged me from my friends, churches and community there.
There isn't any way of ever putting that right, which is why Jane Dodds' stupid comment about making things 'like they were before' made me so angry. She really didn't have a clue about what I had been though.
It always annoyed me that Bob Hill didn't take in or understand any of what had happened, and thought I still lived at Winchester and kept telling people so. I was driven violently from Winchester by Jane Fisher and the Bishop in 2010/11 to protect the Bishop's reputation, and they didn't stop but kept driving me when I fled.

Anyway, it was heavy rain as I set off this morning, and it rained until 10am.
I had a spare jumper and spare socks with me and I was glad I did.

It was nice to see my Southampton again, my special precious Southampton. Southampton is like a hug, a hug with too much walking, but a hug nonetheless.

Then it was on to Winchester.

Winchester was dozing, so I poked it and it woke up, coughed and said 'Oh, JJ is home'.

I had breakfast, as it was now 8am by the time I had kicked Winchester into wakefulness.

The morning went by peacefully, and I enjoyed tea in a favourite cafe at lunchtime.

I enjoyed popping round to St. Peters, who helped Fisher and Scott-Joynt to destroy me, just to scare the hell out of some of their old gossips.

I wrote a nice letter to some of the people who aided Fisher and Scott-Joynt in destroying me, and wished with all my heart that the Winchester of before then could still be my Winchester, my home town, the Winchester of rolling down the Arbour bank with Poppy in the snow, that was my home town. But it remains the stained and shamed and unsafe Winchester of the church destruction of me.

Here is my nice letter

http://www.opnlttr.com/letter/open-letter-complaint-winchester-churches-nightshelter-and-trinity-centre

I would not have been a rough sleeper and open to rapes and assaults if those people had not aided the Diocese of Winchester in destroying me.

At some point the police turned up, so I strategized, legged it, and watched with great interest as they didn't find me. They continued to not find me until they were busy with North Walls.

An addict collapsed in the road outside McDonalds and the police were there as well, trying to revive him.

I sat on the wall by the site of the old police station, the police brutalized me and abused me there and behaved appallingly, nothing will ever heal that, but if I sit there and pray, it helps.

I found some really good tea before going to North Walls, I didn't have drinks and snacks with me, and it is my last North Walls, so it is no good saying be better prepared next year.

I walked down, I used to be there for hours, like many people, getting all hyped up and excited. But now I am too tired and can't stand, so by 6.15 I was playing with the light sculpture rather than down at the Broadway. There were a lot less police this year.

I splatted happily at the light sculpture for a while, and cried a bit, the light sculpture, the 'pillar of light' is interactive and if you splat it's middle, the lights dance and play with you and I love it so much, I adore bright LED colour lights.
But some children came along and they wanted the sculpture, so they were using the text service to choose the colours and light patterns. I just watched.

Then I had to go and join North Walls.

But I didn't even try to get to the Broadway, it was packed. I stayed up by the Buttercross.
It felt funny, I was doing North Walls differently.

I stood on a bench and I did photos and videos of the brands. I didn't have a brand this year, to symbolize that the flame has gone out and the light is fading.

The crowds and brands grew and grew.

I couldn't believe it when the blues started to move, they have never in my life started North Walls on time!
But yes, the marshalls were shouting everyone to move, and the fire engine was coming through.
There was little by way of bands and parade following it this year, but never mind.

I stayed where I was for some time, the crowds were so thick and I just didn't feel able to walk, normally I would be at the front, and would look back from Jewry Street at the brands all the way to the Broadway.

I videod from the bench for some time and then joined the brands.
And even when I reached Jewry Street, the brands were thick back to the Broadway, it will never get old, that sight, the pride of Winchester. The sight that a terrified seventeen year old saw for the first time and overcame her fear of fire from an upbringing of petrol bombs and malicious fires.

'Winchester! My heart! My Home! My Heritage! Nothing they do will take you away from me!'

As I did the video from Jewry Street, some lovely people, new in town, asked for directions, I had to tell them with a grin that they would have to walk against the crowds to get to their destination, the crowds remained thick and solid down to the Broadway.

I walked Jewry Street, and stopped at City Road for more video and pictures. The usual trapped traffic on City Road was fuming.

And then it was onto North Walls.

Down to the Fire Engine.

And down past River Park.
Someone fell over, but they were OK.

In the old days you didn't have to hold your wristband up on the bridge, because there weren't wristbands, back when I were a lass.

Oh, the strangest last North Walls for me.

I had made an effort to be later in the parade so that I wouldn't have to stand and walk around on the muddy field, it is such a stress, and now alone, there is no excitement or party atmosphere for me in waiting. No.

There was still some time, as the bonfire was late being lit!
Another bloody tradition.
And then they did this stupid disco stuff, making the fireworks really late.
I was hopping mad because I was sure I would miss the fireworks now, as I had to start heading back.
Eventually the fireworks started.
And they were as good as ever.
I had actually got a seat, on a step, which is a never for North Walls. No seats.
But even so, I had to get walking up the road part way through, and watched as I walked.

I hoped to get a train before they got too crowded, and hurry on home, but no such luck, the points and network failures meant it was chaos, and the crowds poured in from North Walls.

I was panicked. But Passenger assistance flung me into first class on the first train that was running and I had a nice journey thus far.

I am still on my way home, I have maybe 90 minutes or so of travel, and I am utterly exhausted and aching. I am worried about falling asleep before I get home.

Tomorrow I hope to transfer some of the photos and video, maybe, there is always a first time, then you will see what North Walls has been.

And when I am dead, they will still march with their brands, and the pride of my home town will echo, but that seventeen year old who overcame her fear of fire, will no longer be there with them.