Canny lass

It seems there was more cheating going on with conkers than there was with leeks!

They would have been very much appreciated, Eggy. Im hoping to increase the scope of the experiment by varnishing a few.

You obviously didn't travel with Nelly. You only got a ticket when the conductress was on duty. Otherwise you paid the driver and you didn't get a ticket. Nelly had a wonderful ticket dispenser. Something of a Heath - Robinson contraption. It hung on a thick, leather strap across her chest and obtaining a ticket from it involved the pressing of heaven knows how many buttons.

So, the length of the string is important as well! Mind you, those conkers look very shiney - possibly buttered, possibly varnished?

I remember those! I've had many aticket from the 'conductress' of the 50's Nelly Halliday.

Thanks Eggy! The plaster of paris method sounds like blatant cheating so I won't be leading the grandchildren up that street! I picked up loads of conkers the other day so I'll have a bit of an experiment with half of them in a shoe-box (any excuse to buy a new pair of shoes) and half in vinegar. We'll see how it goes. I must have got it all wrong as I thought the aim was to produce a conker with a tough, leathery skin rather than a hard, brittle Shell. The butter, I assumed, was meant to give a slippery Surface so that the attacking conker would shoot off at a tangent on impact thus causing less damage. I can't remember where the steaming came into the process - Before or after the soaking in vinegar. Oh happy Days!

Not sure if I should be posting this here or in the hobbies section under sport. It was taken very seriously in Netherton giving it a status akin to top class athletics. Who can remember gathering, preparing and taking part in the noble sport of conkers? It's many a year since I've seen any conkers (horse chestnuts to the uninitiated) as they are not too common here, but today I found lots of them. I can't remember playing conkers but I remember collecting them and threading them on string to make a necklace (yes, I know. Little things please Little minds). My older Brothers used them to play conkers and I remember many hours spent sweating over steaming kettles, Bowls of malt vinegar and knobs of butter in order to achieve just the right leathery texture and a shiny Surface - both of which were deemed to be of the utmost importance if the conker wasn't to crack on impact. I can't remember the exact procedure though and the rules of the game escape me as well. Can anybody help. I'm sure there must have been other methods of preparing a winning conker apart from vinegar, steam and butter. I thought I'd have acrack at it with the grand-children.

I Think I've remembered a couple of others. Picture: Nedderton Village School Back row, fourth from right looks like Joe Lumsden (West Lea) and on the same row seventh from the left is Brian Dalgarno.

Thanks, Eggy! Certainly taken during the fifties. Both myself and my brother are among the pupils. One or two names: Picture: Netherton Colliery School 1 Back row, third from the right is Pauline Tatlock (Second Street). Second row, far left is Brian Moore and third from the left is Christopher Bower, my older brother, (both Third Street). Far right is John Sharpe (Netherton Institute). Front row, middle is Christine Sutcliffe (I Believe from Clifton Row) and third from the right is Lorna Nesbitt/Naisbitt (Third Street). Far right is one of the Stewart Girls - maybe Margaret or Nancy (Third Street). Picture: Netherton Colliery School 2 Front row, far left is Brian Moore. Behind him is Christine Sutcliffe. Front Row, far right is George Mitchell (Second Street) and behind him is Lorna Nesbitt/Naisbitt (Not sure of the spelling). Back row, second from the right is Christopher Bower. Picture: Nedderton Village School Front row, far right is Peter Saddler (Clifton Row). Second row, fourth from the left is Edith Mullen (Netherton Lane). Seventh from the left is Joan Short (West Lea). Fourth from the right is Ann Amos (lived in the new houses beside the 'store'). Third from the right is Margaret Stewart (Third Street). The girl next to her is familiar. Maybe somebody else can put a name to the face. Next to her and on the far right is Christine Ainsley (Plessey Street). Third row, far right is the headmistress - Miss Gair. Second girl from the left is Margaret Coppin (First Street). Next to her is Denise Groves (parents had the shop at West Lea). The fourth girl is no other than myself and next to me my best friend and neighbour Ann Moore (Third Street). Same row, fourth from the right is Moira Climson (First Street). Far right is Nancy Grant (Clifton Row) flanked by the class teacher Miss Short (Shorts Farm). Back row, third from the right could be Joe Potts but I'm not too sure. Maggie can probably help with a few names from West lea.

You might just have a Point there, Mercuryg.

Great poem! "Laggard in love and dastard in war" - they don't write them like that anymore. I Always read Netherton instead of Netherby.

Foxy, I've got enough problems with hairy legs over here! There are four of them on every body and they are ploughing up my garden at a rate of knots. They are known as wild boar. Don't mention mornings. We're up at the crack of dawn trying to get 500 metres of Electric fencing up Before the ground freezes over for Winter. I am not a happy Bunny!

Just noticed this and hope it's not too late to wish you a very happy birthday!

Can't remember lops but can remember the 'dickies' - and of course the 'Dickie norse' at school (Nurse Crow, if I remember rightly).

Done! Nice to read what 'moving on' and not dwelling on what might have been can do.

And thanks from me too! A very interesting document. There appears to have been a great deal of forethought and planning with regard to Front Street and I personally feel that this is a significant part of the way forward for Bedlington. The town has a great history which could be used to advantage if everybody pulls together to make it happen.

I'm already afraid that we can't compete with the non-EU markets.Just to give you a personal example of why I Think that way let me tell you about my old man's job.He's worked with ship design all his Life. When I met him, 35 years ago, things like steel and Labour were becoming very expensive in Sweden so the Swedes were looking further afield for these two valuable commodities. At that time, my old man was sent to such exotic and far away places as Denmark and even the North East of England in search of these vital requirements. As the years have gone by the search has taken him further and further afield: France, Poland, Croatia, Yugoslavia, India, Korea and China. For many years the prices were rediculously low. However, you get what you pay for and even if the price was low the standard of the work was even lower and many times it had to be re-done - not just once but several times. Despite all this reworking and numerous extra costs to the Company in Sweden they still came out very much on top. But, the Chinese, and all the others, soon caught on to the idea that they too could increase profits by getting the job done better and more quickly. So, they started getting things like equipment and job training written into the contract. This made them just as skillful as EU countries and attractive to even more countries. Prices have increased but even today are nowhere near those of the EU. This type of contract is by no means restricted to the shipbuilding industry. I think it's a trend that's going to continue for a long time to come and the far east is certainly a market force to be reckoned with.

I second that, Maggie and Mercury. We have to remember that whatever we read is always somebody else's choice of facts and there will always be a risk for predjudice and manipulation.

From The history of the Cornish Pasty: " since 2011 the European Union's rules for what constitutes a true Cornish pasty have been much more restrictive: to be a cornish pasty you must have potato, swede, onion and beef wth the filling containing at least 25 percent vegetables and at least 12.5 percent meat. Most importantly, the pasty must be made in Cornwall". I wonder how things stand with our very own Bedlington Terrier. How long Before the EU rules state that it must be concieved in Bedlington in order to use the name?

Try telling that to the Swedish pensioners! No subsidised dental care. No free Health care - they pay for every contact they have with any kind of health care worker. No free prescriptions (until you reach 130 GBP. Then the rest of the year is free). They pay for their food when they are in hospital and also for the ambulance that took them there. No free bus pass (but they do get a reduced rate if they travel outside of rush hours). No heating allowance and definitely no Christmas gift from the government. However, they are well used to it - it's the same for everybody, old and young alike.

Happy birthday Malcolm. Such a shame you had to work though. Never mind - the week end will soon be here. You can celebrate then.

43 Children and only one teacher! You wouldn't see that today! 20 Children require i teacher and 1-2 assistents in my neck of the Woods.

Now that's a very good idea! Pitmatic would be wasted on the majority. I'm sure there are miners all over the UK who would thoroughly enjoy HPW's 'ramblings'. OR and even better, the book written in standard English and including a cd with the narrative related by HPW himself.

As usual HPW, fascinating reading!

3g, I have my own rule that says you should never own anything older than yourself - unless it's signed by Rubens, Renoir or Gauguin.