OneGuyFromBarlick

He's braver than me David! I don't think I would feel safe. But there you are, he went and that's a good report.
A steak dinner for a tenner? Those days are long gone here I'm afraid.

Concern for welfare.

I don''t go out much at all these days - I went out to post a letter on Wednesday night, and noticed that next door had abandoned a gardening task, and left his ladder and wheelbarrow out. That's odd I thought. Went out on Saturday afternoon, and the stuff was still out, and the house was in darkness - the car was in the carport. Curtains were open, with no TV and no log burner fire going. That's odd I tought. I rang him up, and and to my relief he answered, and said he had a nasty case of 'flu' which he could not shake off, and had been in bed for a few days with fluids and paracetamol. I wished him well, and told him I was here if he needed help.

I rang again today at lunchtime. Twice actually, and got no response. I became quite concerned.

I rang 111 to get advice - to be told it was outside their brief, and I needed the Police on 101. I rang them and spoke to a very sensible lady who asked the obvious question - had I gone up to the house and looked for activity. I said I hadn't as I was afraid of what I might find, and did not wish to get the 'flu' myself. Go and look she said - you won't catch anything doing that.

I kept her on the line, and rang the doorbell - Iain answered the door, looking in reasonable health, and said he had been taking the dog for a walk! "Good " says I -welcome back.

Good prompt service from 101 and 111 it must be said, and a fairly poor response from me. I blame age.


PS - Not related but I noted that Home Bargains are selling individual Covid testing kits for 91p each. Never seen that before.

Tripps - What a good neighbour you are .
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Luckily for your neighbour that no opportunistic types came along and noticed the ladder etc.

I'm with Cathy, don't be hard on yourself, you were a good neighbour David.
Cheap Covid kits may have been because they were nearing their expiry date.....

Thanks for the kind comments.

C - I know what you mean but the ladder wasn't an issue - he lives in a bungalow.

Whilst searching for something else entirely I came across these recordings from 2020. Goodness knows how they got where they are today - and I'm not even sure where that is.

One is my email to Oldham Community Radio which they kindly read out in full and thanked me for.

The other is from a tape recording of Mrs Tripps washing the big one's hair in the bath whilst the little one teases him with great glee, and without mercy. It's not a good qualty recording but typical of how my family sounded then. Probably made in Dover in the mid eighties.

I enjoyed being reunited with them both.

Tape recordings

You don't need to know how they survived David. Finds like that are pure gold and all we need to do is enjoy them!

Tripps, not quite the same as your re-connection with your past, but ‘quite spooky’ all the same.
Yesterday a person from Marilyn’s past , who after coming across an old shoebox of photos, sent Marilyn two photos of us.
We think they were taken in 1972. Neither of us can remember exactly where the photos were taken. Or who must have taken them.
Gosh , 53 yrs ago. Out of the blue… Spooky .

Nice that they got back to you and Marilyn Cathy and full marks to whoever looked after the pic and took the trouble to get it back home....

I was watching a video about life in the 1950s and the commentator said that anyone reared under rationing didn't see food as any sort of indulgence or art form, simply as fuel to keep going.
I'm sure that's correct about me and explains why I can live happily off what most people would see as a very restricted palate!

I am not sure if that applies to the London Cafe culture (and Hotels) in the 1950s, likewise occured in the 1920s/30s too). Rather depends on ones supply of Pheasant , Venison and Trout.

Before the BBC Gave us points of view The Spectator generated some films created by Denning Films pre WW2 on issues that would continue to have contentious talking about for many colum inches in the Daily Mail and Express or the Manchester Guardian. Labour and the control of industry and means of production effectively - communism or the "free market" as think tanks from the Fabian Society to the Institute for Economic Affairs would produce completing tracts and booklets all backed by vigorous research to suit ones arguments
https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/newsonsc ... g+Films%22 a short list of five, they are probably on YouTube and fit in many of the discussions here still today, healthcare, bringing up children and so on

I will continue to attribute my attitude to food to the fact I was reared under strict food rationing....

Dont forget British Restaurants the food was external of the ration system - mainly an urban thing - I assume to allow the workers to continue to work the five and a half days a week to keep the war effort going and I assume works canteens and railway canteens were likewise supplied by the govt , mainly snook and whatever the US sold to us with Red Cross parcels. One could dig and grow ones own in the rural areas but many playing fields were turned into crops - I guess winter greens and potatoes in the main , with the campaign of good for ones eyesight for the kids to eat carrots. The replacement of horses with tractors allowed more use of oats as livestock or human feed too.

As I’ve mentioned before, my daughter is living just outside Nuremberg. This is part of her msg from the last few days.
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Scary / Scarey to say the least.

Nice one Cathy, I like Nuremberg, it's a good city and full of history. The UXB is a good reminder, there are still hundreds of them left including here in the UK of course. Glad your daughter wasn't affected...

why so many duds ? ( German manufacturers I think were hit with sabotage - though ironically a fuse that didnt work meant a lump of explosive material that is probably more dangerous now when they are found or washed up

I can imagine some questioning my choice of wood for my chopping board when there are so many modern alternatives.....
Many years ago when I first got into the cheese making industry I noted that there was only one go-to material for the shelves in cheese stores and it's Sycamore. Chosen because it is naturally anti-bactericidal. I also noted the use of wood for cutting benches and chopping blocks in butcher's shops. When I asked I was told that properly maintained wood surfaces gave consistently better results than the modern plastics.
So that's why i continue. I shall occasionally bleach, scald and scrub my board just as I did the old one and I don't expect to have any problems....