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Posts posted by Canny lass

  3. Doomsday

    in Chat Central

    Posted

    Dear God,

    I'm very afraid! The 21st December I'm planning a big party to celebrate being/surviving 25 years on the other side of the North Sea. If your planning any kind of big bang could you save it until midnight ... just to make the firework display a bit more exciting and keep the costs down. My old man thinks this Doomsday thing has all gone a bit too far. He says the date is right but the year is obviously wrong as he experienced Doomsday 21 December 1987. I wonder what he means by that?

  4. Banana Sandwich

    in Food & Cookery

    Posted

    Butter and sugar are a must!!

    Speaking of sandwich fillings, did anybody else have jam with everything? My dad took sandwhiches to work at Netherton Colliery. No matter what the filling, he put a layer of jam on it. he said it was too dry to eat otherwise. To this day my favourite sandwhich filling is fried pork sausage with Robertsons thick cut orange marmalade. Cheddar cheese and strawberry jam comes a close second!

  13. Blyth Shipyard

    in History Hollow

    Posted

    Can your old man give this guy any tips?

    He says: it depends what the problem is . If it's the shorts gliding downwards because of the weight of the water then a bit of good old fashioned, British knicker elastic should do the trick. If it's the ramp structure then he'll need a bit more time to think about it.

  15. Blyth Shipyard

    in History Hollow

    Posted

    My old man sends a great big thank you for these pics! When I met him he worked for a company called Navire,who had a base in Blyth, and he visited Blyth quite regularly. The pics reminded him of his early days in the shipyards in Gothenburg and he said he could smell the steel! He is, or was, a design engineer - not so much in ships themselves but in the equipment used for handling passengers and cargo. If you've ever taken your car on a ferry there's a good chance that he designed the ramps and hoistable decks. He was also responsible for the system of stacking containers on ferries

  16. Clive Dunn

    in Tv & Movies

    Posted

    Only in his late 40's I think when he started played Corporal Jones. Good make-up, and good acting! The actor who really was old was Arnold Ridley of course. But few people knew that he'd gone through it for real in both world wars as he never talked about this, even to his own family. As well as an actor he was also an accomplished play-write.

    http://www.telegraph...ar-heroics.html

    I'm amazed to learn that Clive was only 40! Good make-up indeed and the acting ought to get an award!

    Thanks for the Telegraph link Threegee.That's a real insight into the life of Arnold Ridley. I had no idea.

  18. Clive Dunn

    in Tv & Movies

    Posted

    He really was a star! I loved Dad's Army. Those characters complemented each other perfectly. Cive's catch-phrase "they don't like it up'em, the fuzzy wuzzies" caught on everywhere. How old was he? I think he was a good age way back then.

  23. Truancy - How Is It Being Dealt With?

    in Chat Central

    Posted

    When I was a teenager at school in the late sixties early seventies my mam got visited often by the schoolboard man. The reason was I had a poisoned heel and couldn't get any shoes on. In the end the headmaster - Mister Surtees - gave me a lift every day. As I say, that was 1960s-70s; and I believe the schoolboard man was around before that.

    I can remember the schoolboard man as well Keith but as far as I know he just came to the school, looked at the register and knocked on doors. I'm more interested in this more intense activity which Keith (the otherin) describes above " phonecall, e-mail , letter, summons, fine, then if you still don't get them to school, Jail." At some point in time a decision must have been made to take these measures, probably at government level, and if that's the case the method is likely to have been evaluated at some time - unless it's very recent. It's this evaluation I'm interested in. Is the system working? Anybody know if the amount of truancy has been reduced?

  24. Truancy - How Is It Being Dealt With?

    in Chat Central

    Posted

    They are not just fined , Canny Lass, There is quite a number of parents who have been jailed for not ensuring their kids were at school. The truant officer, (school board man or the hookey man as we would call him ) takes on a different role these days, no more lurking in the half light of doorways to grab a handfull of kids by the collars and marching them to school to re-start their day with 6 of the best. Now its phonecall, e-mail , letter, summons, fine, then if you still dont get them to school, Jail. Being at work and thinking little Johny is at school is no excuse. You are to ensure your child is at school or give a very good reason why not.

    Any idea how long the truant officer has had this type of roll Keith? Is it something relatively new? Have there been any reports (government, newspapers, TV etc.) on how successfull the system is or otherwise. Anybody know what the children think about this system?

  25. Truancy - How Is It Being Dealt With?

    in Chat Central

    Posted

    Thanks for the response. I totally agree with you both, Keith and Malcolm. Academic achievement isn't everything. They seem to have an odd idea here about reporting the amount of absence in school reports. It's not allowed here but there is a growing contingencyof people who are pressing the government for this to be allowed. The reason it's not allowed is because it's seen as "a form of punishment for the child" - yes, those are the very words being used! - and not as a means of informing parents who may be unaware of the situation. I myself can see several positive aspects to recording absence. Firstly it gives a background against which to judge a child' achievements. If a child does really badly at school It may be because they have been absent for half the term because of illness and that should be taken into account. Equally a child can do extremely well despite having been absent for half the term because of ill health and that shouldn't be overlooked either. Secondly, I think it's a good thing for prospective employers to know how the attendance rate has been. Thirdly, I think it's good for the child to have some concrete figures so that he/she is made aware of the size of the problem.

    I'm interested in knowing what effects this system of fines in Britain is having - if any. Can anybody point me in the direction of any articles, information etc. on this?

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