VIEW OVER THE RIVER BLYTH. WEST GEARS AND RIDLEY ARMS PUB IN BACKGROUND

Logan_5 :- The Ridley - aka the 'Wilick'.

high pit wilma :- Heh! heh! Long time since i heard that used...!

FREDOOO2 :- I used to attend the Willick on a more than regular basis,in fact my missis said I was in there longer than the wallpaper was,and the Vikings put that on!!

high pit wilma :- Cheers Fred! Did the vikings not consecrate the original Willick?....!!!!!

Philip Hodgetts :- Wonderful to see Bates as I remember it. I grew up on Taylor Street Cowpen 1968 - 1981. The panorama that filled my bedroom window was the power station the river and Bates including the West staiths. Sounds hideous I know, but I had plenty of fields to play in down by the river. Miss the old homestead. How things change with time.
One of our neighbours Mr Simpson used to get coal by the ton load for my mum and dad which was delivered by side tipping Bedford TK in the navy blue of the NCB.
How I remember the biting east winds in mid winter.... brrrrrrr.... rattling the old sash window and sticking the net curtain to the window in ice. Outside toilet too........ nearly stuck my arse to that bakelite seat on cold nights, so learned to 'hover' lol!

Thanks for the memory.

high pit wilma :- Thanks locohodgetts,now you woudn't happen to know anyone called "Wandre".....would you?,cos if you do,you know high pit wilma...![unless it might be your dad,or granda.....!]

high pit wilma :- Plenty Hodgetts knocking aroond,but the word "Loco",as a pre-fix....! I bet Iano the fireman would cotton onto this one immediately,and be askin' what
the hell did ye part wi the "Framus" for....! Have i got you,or do i sound like i am just rambling on....?!!!!

Philip Hodgetts :- Hehe, no, you've got the wrong Hodgetts in mind. None of that means anything to me. Sorry. lol

high pit wilma :- Ah weel, Hodgy, nivvor mind bonny lad,nice of you to appreciate my pics,and your kind comments!
Ootside netty?!!,wors was bust pipe in the bleak mid-winter of 1976-ish,for a few weeks we had ti tek a bucket o' waata owa the yard ti flush the netty,afta we used it.
Noo,a might hae me date wrang a bit,cos thatcher -thi-hatcheter was prime minister then,and when a couldn't get nae joy oot thi coaal board,ti get wa netty pipe fixed,and a had two little bairns gaan owa in freezing caad conditions,and not being able ti flush the netty,a wrote ti 10 Dooning Street,and addressed me nasty letter ti thatcher-thi-etc.
Whey 2 days later the coal board foremen [2 of them!] knocked on me door,when aa was doon thi pit,and wor lass answered.
They were both full of sheepish excuses as ti why we hadn't got wa netty fixed.
One of them said.."Your man's been writing sumwheor,hasn't he?"
Wor lass went through them like a dose o' salts...thi pipe was fixed thi next day!!!

high pit wilma :- A forgot ti say that a got a reply from 10 downing street by return of post,all official letterheaded,and a letter from thatcher's personal secretary,apologising for the trouble we had wi wor netty,but that seeing it wasn't thatcher's dep't,she had forwarded my letter to the appropriate dep't in the national coal board..[building dep't at Ashington!] if a cud find me original letter copy,plus the reply from thatcher,a wud post them up here for posterity!!
A wrote a few times since then,aboot different things,and aalwis got a speedy reply!!