keith lockey

What is the problem with Bedlington businesses?

Answer: Lack of foot fall!

How do we solve this?

Good question!

Seriously not being funny here, Adam, but what is 'foot fall'. It's sound like politic-talk / jargon but I don't know what it means.

I'm afraid it's not just Bedlington, TomTom, It's in most of the towns. Shops closing down, businesses uprooting elsewhere; half-finished projects. (Elliot's Garage fiasco) I'm beginning to think Threegee might be right about radical change. (Was that a Tony Blair phrase?) As far as fag ends and rubbish goes they should get the tobacco companies to finance the clean up of their loathsome products. But the fact is that Britain is full of forgotten towns and the light at the end of the tunnel might just be afterglow.

Bank holiday coming up, Malcolm, my money's on Monday night for the first one to go out.

I see the Clayton Arms is getting new windows put in.

Cheers Reedy. Yes, that would be my Uncle Jacky - he lived in the Rows (Raas). Don't know about the Polish guy, Lewinsky. The guy on the bike wouldn't be Fanna Brown, would it? And finally, yes, my dad was nicknamed Nipper. Good one, thank your dad, cheers.

Er, are these them???

And some of them can ride tandem at the same time.

No good, Threegee, they can't do U-turns, the politicians' greatest manoeuvre.

I found these photos of my father and wondered if anyone can identify the other blokes on them.

My dad is second from the right on both.

James, here's a photo of Yvonne Brown getting married. Her mam and dad were Peggy & Alfie Brown. (Standing to her left) Is the guy at the immediate right of the picture - as you're looking at it - you grandad, 'Fanna'?

I saw the reports last night when I went to bed. If it is indeed suicide then I can only hope those who have never suffered from chronic depression can try to understand how numbing it is. Many will think RW had everything, but sometimes you have nothing inside...or at least that's the way it seems.

Merc's right. I have this running argument with a friend about violence - past and present. The world seems a more violent place now - but that, as Merc says, is because we have 24 hour TV and mass media coverage. It's a violent planet we live on.

I'll hunt them out as soon as I can, James, hope they will be some help.

Jamesbtx - my aunty, Margaret 'Peggy' Cullen - married an Alfie Brown, He had a brother called Fanna. Alfie and Peggy lived in the prefabs then moved to Hollymount Square. Don't know if this is any good to you. If it is I'll dig out some photos for you.

I remember it well, Tony. Me and Jimmy Hunter went on the High Flyer and the challenge was to get high enough to see over to Blyth.

Was there a 'crab' apple tree nearby? I remember being ill after eating some!

A confused and depressed identical twin decided to commit suicide...so he shot his brother.

Third from the right - front row - I think is David Jackson.

Brilliantly funny.

I got gold but I found the pin drop a bit 'IFY'. I knew the answer to a few of the question but I could not find the 'exact' place - IE Whitechapel for Ripper murders, Stormont for Irish Parliament. On the Ripper one I dropped the pin on the area of Whitechapel and it kept coming up You have chosen London!!

I chose a category - History & Current Affairs - then I looked at Entertainment and hadn't heard of half the 'celebs'. Good fun though, probably try again later.

Tony, there was Pringle's Farm at the top of the woods on the Blyth side. Is that the one you mean?

Checked the reason up on Wikipedia, Micky, and they say if a jackdaw is widowed then the colony will reject it and drive it off. (It must be a mating threat to the other pairs that mate for life.)

Fascinating story, pleased you had the guts to save it.

That was my Date, Tony. I've gone out with worse!!!

You were lucky to have a jackdaw, Micky, look what I had to put up with.

Sorry, I meant to get back to this one. I still don't like Northumberlandia as a tourist attraction. I just cannot see the point in the design. There is too much up and down and going around. They might as well have built a rollercoaster on the site. But the views are impressive and the insect life is flourishing.

Any chance of a stair or ski lift, Malcolm!!!!