Canny lass

Try having a look at another topic on this forum: https://www.bedlington.co.uk/forums/topic/3197-ewart-hill-opencast/ HPW gives a good description of the wooden trestles of the bridge being built in 1954. There's a lot of information about the workings at Acorn Bank as well.

Neither did I. My girl-guiding knowledge stretched to Granny- and reef knot. What a mine of information this quiz is!

It's Friday, it's quiz night. Time to give the old bumps of knowledge an airing: 1. What name is given to a joint of beef cut from the breast next to the ribs? 2. Which English king married Mary of Teck? 3. Yenisey and Irtysh are both major examples of which kind of geographical feature? 4. The Dome of the Rock was built in 691 by Abd-al-Malik. Where is it? 5. Which Cole Porter song was inspired by a leaky tap? 6. In boxing, what name is given to a class under 8 stone? 7. What is the more common name for aquaculture? 8. Which member of the British Royal family was born on 15th September 1984? 9. Which US President’s presidency was called the Thousand Days? 10. In which year was the Wall Street Crash? 11. Ryeland, Kerry Hill and Roscommon are all breeds of which animal? 12. Who played the title role in The Incredible Hulk? I’ll bet you didn’t know …. There are 4,000 different types of knot. Answers on Thursday next week.

Answers to last week's quiz: 1. Bismark 2. Pericardium 3. Harold Wilson 4. Weser 5. Georgie Fame 6. Whitehall 7. Bullfighting 8. Biggles 9. Almonds 10. In the temporal lobe of the brain 11. Arundhati Roy 12. Chequers New quiz tomorrow.

Vic, there are no words that I can say that can take away the great pain you and the family must be feeling at this time. It is sad news indeed. Dot seems to have had a rich and wonderful life and I'm sure she enjoyed all the children and grandchildren. There must have been many happy, family times which now become happy, family memories - of which she is a part - for all of you. Enjoy those memories. I know that you nursed Dot for a long while and that you did a great, if sometimes dufficult, job. Let it be a comfort to you, knowing that she was able to remain at home so long thanks to your kindness and effort. And don't forget, that Dot, despite her poor health, has helped in the documentation of Bedlington's rich history on this site thanks to her knowledge of Phillips Yard and the bakery. My thoughts are with you.

On many census returns these are registered as halves- 17, 17½, 18, 18½ etc.. It can be confusing at times.

You're forgiven!

Less of the BH, young man! Equality rules in this household so OH will do nicely thank you (that's unless you're referring to my OH's BH , of course).

...and here it is! 1. Which Prussian statesman was known as The Iron Chancellor? 2. What is the membranous sack which surrounds the heart called? 3. Which British Prime Minister said “A week is a long time in politics”? 4. Into which river did the Pied Piper of Hamlin lead the rats? 5. Which male vocalist of the 60s had number one hits with Yeh Yeh, Get Away and Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde? 6. In which London thoroughfare are the headquarters of the Horse Guards? 7. In which sport are banderillas used? 8. Which literary character’s main opponent was Von Stalhein? 9. Which nutlike seeds are produced by the tree Prunus amygdalus? 10. Where in the human body would you find the amygdala? 11. Who won the 1997 Booker prize for the novel The God of Small Things? 12. What do Americans call the game we know as draughts? I’ll bet you didn’t know …. Florence Nightingale kept a small owl in her pocket, even while serving in the Crimean War. Answers on Thursday next week. Advance warning: Only five more quiz nights! Sadly - or not, as the case may be - the last Friday Night Quiz will be posted 18th June. The reason being that by then we will be fully vaccinated and intend to make some attempt to resume a more normal lifestyle. We won't be going mad but are hoping to get out and about a bit further than the local forests and lakes. Of course, should there be any change in the situation you may have to put up with me a bit longer.

Answers to last wek's quiz: 1. Erwin Rommel 2. Latvia 3. Knock, Knock who’s There 4. Boris Karloff 5. Antelope 6. Splinter 7. 3 pennies 8. Scottish National Party 9. Max Planck 10. Jimi Hendrix 11. Per Lindstrand and Steve Fossett 12. Stephen Hendry New quiz tomorrow.

There are many ways to skin a cat.

There's 'clutter' and there's 'knowledge'. Now, what i'm doing here is not looking for clutter. I'm simply retrieving stored knowledge from dingy corners of the memory, where we ourselves have stored it till the time it may come in useful. It needs a dusting off now and then to make it more accessable when the time comes for its use.

Fiday Night again! Very easy quiz this week. You should know most of the answers without the help of Google 1. Which German General was known as the Desert Fox? 2. Of which former Soviet republic is Riga the capital? 3. What was Mary Hopkins entry in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1970? 4. Which actor’s real name was William Pratt? 5. What sort of creature is a gerenuk? 6. Which rat trained the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? 7. What did the American golfer Jack Nicklaus always carry in his pocket at tournaments? 8. Which British political party was founded on 1934? 9. Which German physicist formed the quantum theory? 10. Which rock guitarist was the first to be honoured with an English Heritage blue plaque? 11. Who were Richard Branson’s co-pilots on his attempt to fly around the world in a balloon in December 1998? 12. Who became a world snooker champion for a record-equalling sixth time in 1996? I’ll bet you didn’t know …. The first comb dates back to Scandinavia around 8000 BC. Answers on Thursday.

Last time I looked it was Thursday so here are the answers to last week's quiz: 1. Shropshire (or Salop) 2. 4’ 4” 3. 17 4. Matthew 5. The Automobile association 6. Australia 7. Hindi 8. Lizard 9. Jealousy 10. Isaac Newton 11. The Hobbit 12. Fair Isle New quiz tomorrow.

Here it is, this week's quiz: 1. In which English county is Much Wenlock? 2. How wide apart are the ‘tramlines’ in tennis? 3. How many syllables are there in a haiku? 4. Who is the patron saint of tax collectors? 5. Which organization has the motto ‘Courtesy and Care’? 6. For which country did David Campese play rugby union? 7. From which language does the word ‘shampoo’ originate? 8. What is a chuckwalla? 9. What did Shakespeare describe as ‘Green-eyed monster’? 10. Which scientist, who produced the Laws of Motion, was born on Christmas day 1642? 11. Bilbo Baggins appears in which book? 12. What is Britain’s most remote inhabited island? I’ll bet you didn’t know …. Telephone boxes have been in use since June 1880. Payment was made to an attendant. Answers on Thursday next week.

Answers to last week's quiz: 1. Karaoke 2. Tom the piper’s son 3. Scilly Isles 4. Richard III 5. Roberto Baggio 6. Vodka, orange juice and Galiano 7. Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens 8. 12 9. Diamond 10. Notts County 11. Butterfly 12. Mrs Tiggy-Winkle/ Washerwoman New quiz tomorrow, same time same place.

Thanks John! We seem to be having a lot of this kind of 'advertising' lately. Can we just report it and have it removed?

... and can you tell me just what this has to do with Chinese take-aways?

If I might just clarify this, I didn't mean just any garden waste. Only those that may possibly, in the long run, enrich the area. The weeds you pull up are just fine as are the dead flower heads you remove from your garden. No tree parts, as these will also grow high, and nothing that will look like dumped rubbish: branches, heaps of grass-cuttings etc. Bramble cuttings and wild raspberry cuttings have really thrived in my nearest clearing and I've had a moderate success with heathers here and there.

Once the trees get to a height where they can fall onto the cables, should they be blown down in a storm, it's better to remove them. Large areas of Bedlington could be cut off if that were to happen. It's unsightly, I know, but believe me it's necessary. The cleared area will soon be filled with wild flowers planted by birds. You can help them out in their planting work by throwing out seeds collected from wild flowers when they themselves go to seed. Dumping your garden waste there also helps if it's allowed in the area. I've found that Coltsfoot, Cowslips, Milkweed and Rosebay Willow herb do particularly well in these areas. Experiment with others. You'll also be helping to save wild bees who's extinction will soon be a fact if we don't do something about it. Think of the effect that loss will have on food production.

👍! All done and dusted and so far no ill effects. This week's quiz: 1. Which Japanese word (English spelling please) translates as ‘Empty Orchestra’? 2. Who could only play one tune – Over The Hills And Far Away? 3. Off which group of islands would you find Bishop Rock lighthouse? 4. Which English monarch had a horse called White Surrey? 5. Who missed the last penalty in the 1994 football World Cup? 6. What are the three ingredients of a Harvey Wallbanger cocktail? 7. Which British architect designed the Cenotaph? 8. How many months have twenty eight days? 9. The Star of Africa is what type of gem? 10. Apart from Newcastle United which other team is nicknamed The Magpies? 11. What sort of creature is a Hairstreak? 12. What is the name and profession of the hedgehog character created by Beatrix Potter? I’ll bet you didn’t know …. The CIA once employed a magician to teach agents how to use sleight of hand in their work. Answers on Thursday next week.

Answers to last week's quiz (a bit earlier than usual because in a few minutes i'll be off to get my first vaccination against Covid 19. About time too!!): 1. Trombone 2. Saint Tropez 3. Cheepers 4. Sir Charles Parsons 5. The groove between your nose and top lip 6. Fingerprint 7. Pineapple 8. Mace 9. Chewing gum 10. Racehorses 11. Three Steps to Heaven 12. The Vatican City New quiz tomorrow. It's already prepared just in case I'm feeling any bad effects of the vaccine.

Same here! It's been a while since we heard his voice.

Personally? Are you name-dropping again!

You're welcome, Heather. It filled a few hours of a grey, rainy day for one confined to barracks waiting for the Covid vaccination to come my way. The Trotter's do seem to be an interesting family and I'm posting the entry from Burkes Family Records, compiled in 1897, where you (and anybody else interested in the family) can see the development from Robert, the father of the three Dr Trotter(s). It's Robert who is the subject of the main entry and as spouse names and children's names are entered there are lots of ways forward for research. Burkes records the geneology of the junior houses of British nobility so Robert wasn't just your ordinary, every-day kind of guy and as you can see (bottom of page) the family had its own coat of arms.