Canny lass

I'm afraid you've got me beat there, Maggie. Is there a clue in the Picture?

Who's not counting! I Think he's 21 with 47 years of experience - just like me!

There must be a couple of very proud parents in Bedlington today!

Well you certainly kept that quiet!! Happy birthday from me too.

Lovely pics! Did I see people in short sleeves and without socks! You can send some of that weather over here! We are barely hitting double figures on the thermometer.

You do the talking HPW just let it flow "like water from a tap"and let Mercury do the writing! You'll get it done in no time.

There you go HPW. That's an offer you can't refuse!

Couldn't agree more, Mercury. Can't you persuade him to write a book?

I cannot imagine it being easy to find your way around in a coal mine. Everything's more or less the same colour and there can't be too many landmarks about.

... and we've led a very sheltered life above ground HPW. That's why your stories from underground are so interesting for us. Experiences and knowledge are best when shared. You'll find Bilbao on the North coast of Spain - I Think. Yes, just checked and it's exactly where it was last time i visited.

That looks absolutely lovely! Good initiative. Well done.

I Always thought it was slang, so I was surprised when Brian's post showed otherwise.

Glad to be of service!

I was wondering the same thing HPW! Must be Spanish as that's the spanish coat of arms in the middle.

Gruesome Reading 3g - except for Sanson's operating of the device "in dead earnest". That caused a chuckle but perhaps I have a warped sense of humour. It's no coincidence that the doctor's name was Guillotin. That was his real name and the Word guillotine is an eponymous construction - just like watt, wellington, stetson and volt. Even though the device was around long before the good doctor revolutionised legal murder, by making it more humane, it wasn't called a guillotine until the late 18th Century in honour of his work.

It's got a diminutive ending - might be something to do with guillotine perhaps?

A rather nice turn of phrase, Pilgrim and definitely not sad to remember it. Maggie, that's a nice thought to play around with on a rainy day: What will our politicians be called by future historians? Maybe they will still be called politicians but - language change being what it is - the meaning of the word maybe something quite different!

When I lived in central London I preferred a push bike. I could get across London quicker than in any car. A couple of years ago I saw a couple of 'ambulance' push bikes outside the British Library. Great idea. They must be able to get to an accident scene quicker than the traditional ambulances. Other than that I started my motoring life in a Morris Minor purchased from the Lion Garage in Bedlington. It had done a lot of miles and did even more around the highways and byways of Northumberland during the two years I had it. Some parts of the body work had actually been repaired using paper maché!!! I loved it. Since then I've had all sorts: Nissan, Vauxhall, Opel, VW, Ford, SAAB and Volvo. I can't claim to have any favourite. To me the car is just a tool which get's me from A to B and it should do that as problem free and cheaply as possible. Give me the type of car that I can do simple repairs on using basic Tools and bare hands rather than requiring a computerised workshop and a degree in science just to open a window! My old man on the other hand ...........

Interesting theory pilgrim. I'll get my magnifying glass and deerstalker out of the cupboard at once!

Thanks for that clarification Pilgrim. Is it likely that monks would have used bell pits for coal? I don't know how true it was but I have vague recollections of hearing stories as a Child of a family in Howard Row, Netherton Colliery who were evicted for doing a bit of 'private mining' underneath the living room floor. Anybody else Heard that?

What, may I ask, is a "bell pit"? Mr. Abrahart! Great teacher but I hated history in school. I've learned more of Englands history through studying it's language than I ever did from any history lesson!

happy birthday from me too, and do like Maggie says!

... and you're the very men to do the flushing Malcolm! Give em Hell!

My sentiments exactly!

Well done Maggie! Were the "kippers" of the edible type or left overs from the election?