Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)

We gorra bit of snow here in Dublin, about 4 inches, and there’s a lot more to come including a blizzard, the government has issued a red alert and advised everyone to stay indoors after 4pm tomorrow. The weekly state pension will be paid tomorrow morning instead of Friday and the fuel allowance will be doubled for the week thats in it. All schools are closed as are government departments, no busses, no post, and no luas trams, Dublin will be a ghost town tomorrow.
Sorry for sounding like a newsreader but it’s me first time to see so much hassle over a storm and a bit of snow, folks are becoming very soft these days, a few months ago we had another red alert about a hurricane that was little more than a bad storm, what’s the world coming to.
I hate to say “back in my day” but on this occasion it’s warranted.
Before I became an apprentice I worked briefly as a messenger boy. I can remember as a 14 year old cycling 5 miles from the city centre with a basket full of christmas fare to the hill of Howth on a delivery, it was a Christmas Eve, pitch dark and the snow and wind was pelting into me angelic face all the way up that hill, and all for 15 bob a week.
When I laid the contents of my basket on the posh cow’s kitchen table, she just stood there as I had to place every item on the table for her inspection, she hadn’t the humanity to offer me a towel to wipe me face or even say thanks, as for a tip, in my dreams. Today grown men would not be asked to do that in bad weather, as I say we’re all getting soft, is that for the best I wonder?
When I got back to the shop (Home and Colonial) it was 8.45pm and the manager had another delivery ready for me, a turkey, this time it was just around the corner to the flats, when I got to the humble abode the woman brought me into the kitchen and gave me a towel to dry meself, then she cut a large slice of sponge cake and poured a tall glass of lemonade to wash it down, I was in paradise, as I was leaving she pressed a half crown into me hand and thanked me, just goes to show you the difference between the toffs and your own kind “Tight as a camel’s arse in a sand storm, that’s how they have it” as me granny used to say.

Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)

Could be summat to do wiv not a lot of us use aitches ere so they think we don't need one

Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)

Thought you were basking in sunshine there Jem. Seems to be those Red Alerts are going up for Scotland as well but they are a hardy lot..well you have to be wearing a kilt in this cool weather.

Not forgot 1963 when it was the right kind of snow that could be dealt with

Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)

It's blasphemy, that's what it is. I can understand changing the Yo to Yeo, as the Yeo Valley company offices are just outside Cheddar, near the Cheddar Yeo river, which is how the company got its name.

The farm and yoghurt manufactory however are in the Chew Valley, adjacent to Blagdon Lake, nowhere near the Yeo.

But to miss out the h in the ghurt is a misuse of the English language, up with which I will not put!

Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)

I just about remember the winter of '63. I was nine at the time.

I also remember other winters but can't be sure of the exact year, but I think '82 was one of the baddish ones.
I had driven down from Bristol to Torquay near the end of January a-cause it was my Dad's borfday.
I had booked the following morning off work, planning to have a lie-in and leisurely drive home. We awoke to about 15cm of snow, and warnings that many roads were impassable. I 'phoned the police to ask for advice about my journey, and they told me one lane of the M5 was passable with care.
So, armed with extra blankets, a borrowed shovel, and a vacuum flask of hot soup I set off Northwards.
Virgin snow greeted me from my parent's drive to the main road, so was fairly easy to negotiate at low speed in high gear.
At the junction I spotted a gritter heading my way, so waited and tucked my self a-hind it until I got to Newton Abbott. There I settled in the wake of a Landrover that was cutting nice furrows along the dual carriageway all the way to the Motorway.
I then proceeded at a steady 20-25 mph all the way to Bristol, and then the last mile to my house. I parked up then walked to work, arriving at lunch time.

After a while, my colleagues started to trickle in from the canteen. The same conversation was then had several times.
I thought you were going to Torquay.
I did.
Oh, when did you come back?
This morning.
You drove back from Torquay this morning?
Yes, why?
Well many people have 'phoned in to say they couldn't get in to work today because of the snow. (Some of them lived less than two miles away.)
Well (says I,) they obviously weren't trying hard enough.
(I had driven a hundred miles and walked the last mile.)

Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)

I really enjoyed that video Solo, thanks, I love trains especially the old trains, my dad and his father before him were train drivers so it’s in the blood.

Fair play to you braving the elements Fruity.
Something you said there (a-hind it) reminded me of being in the picture house as a boy, when the ghost or the villain was creeping up on someone all the kids would shout out “Look out, he’s a-hind ya”

Don’t worry about your missing ‘H’ Pug, as long as you don’t miss your Tea you’ll be alright.

A thought has just flicked through my mind, with everyone thinking recycling these days why do people have to be buried with clothes on? As you can only see the face of the dearly departed in the coffin it would make perfect sense to bury folks in their pelt and give the clothes to charity.
God, do you remember those horrible old brown habits they used to bury folks in, is that where the saying “I wouldn’t be seen dead in it” comes from?

Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)

I bet Cheddar Man has more to reveal, than his DNA

Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)

ah the lovely winter of '63 heh - I had left home for the first time and last - and was workin darn seth in 'ampshire with the 'ampshire hogs. I was also walkin out with a Ja -mai -can girl and it was here first winter in UK - but one amazing transformation among many others I can recall vividly was seeing her beautiful brown skin - starting from the lips turn blue/purple - it was a strange experience - so I had to keep her warm somehow and quickly - well that's another tale

and then there was another year - fast forward must have been mid to late '70's perhaps when for some reason there was an extreme shortage of petroleum and I had planned to drive back up t'north lad to spend a few weeks with the parents. as my departure time with them drew closer petrol stations were running out of fuel rapidly - fortunately my dear mama worked as an accountant at a local garage and through various nefarious means got me a full tank of fuel - I also remember there was a national rule of no driving over 50 miles an hour on the motorways as a means of conserving national fuel sources??? can anyone fill in more details???

Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)

men of steel in those days!

Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)

which then reminded me of steeley span - god read the wikipedia on THEM - changed band members and themes more than they changed their underwear and kept going in some format up to the mid 2000's

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steeleye_Span

over to uze spittie?? oh and pugsy can't forget the other musician on board!!