HIGH PIT WILMA

In 1972,my car had to go to the happy resting home at Sleekburn. To keep on the road,until I got another decent car,I bought my neighbour's 1964 green minivan. The big-ends,little-ends,main bearings,camshaft bearings....were all shot! It was like a bag of hammers,and I had to put a pint of oil in to go to Rothbury,and another pint to come back home!!! But it was a good little workhorse,and often shifted eight full coal sacks [1 cwt bags],to keep my elderly Mother-in-law's fire going,during the bad winter. ! After about six months,I bought a lovely M.G. Magnette MK IV with full leather,and walnut dash....oh..and a fitted in radio as well...luxury!!it was a 1963 model,just before the letter started on the plates...,and within an hour of buying the MG,one of my neighbours bought my Minivan,so it was a gud day, that day! I paid £40 for the Mini,and got that back when I sold it,and I paid £180 for the MG.[aboot 6 weeks wages,at the time..a lot of money..in 1972!]

Maggie,aam a bit late o' cottoning on ti this one,but wat is "Invalid Stout"? Me Wife and me met a really canny couple doon the Furnace bank,"Black Path",thi other day,and thi canny young lass mentioned finding thi remains of old bottles,wi thi writing on them,[stone bottles...],saying "Invalid Stout".......had me puzzled,and I never thought of it till reading your post!

Mickey,what did your Jack say,a hope ye didn't larn unrepeatables....like me Faatha did wi Charlie,one of wor budgies,when a was a little bairn....wi had him for years,a grew up hearing him say..."Cheeky Charlie"...etc etc....then......."Cheeky P...pot"....repeatedly!! Me Faatha used ti blow cigarette smoke into his cage,with a cover over him at night,cos he used ti squark a lot......poor little thing,nae wonder he used ti squark....it was cruelty. But he was a cruel person,so aa grew up tekkin ti me Mutha,who looked after birds and animals aal thi time. She used ti mend bird's broken wings wi bits o' matchsticks and elastoplast....nae sellotape in them days!! Remember,in those days,there was an abundance of most birds in the book,and the government blamed kids birdnesting for thi decline in numbers...... Kids nested for hundreds of years,with no effect,but as soon as hedgerows were taken oot for bigger farm machinery,and concrete was laid doon for massive housing schemes among other nasties,pesticides etc,not ti mention,of aal things...the testing of nuclear bombs in thi '50's,as if it wasn't ganna affect migrating birds on a massive scale,totally unprecedented! So what a meant was,when numbers were high,in thi old days,it was inevitable that there were more injured birds taken in by kind hearted people to be nursed back to health.. Mrs Weightman comes to mind....AND Mrs Locker at Ashington.....Angels on earth.

Eh ye bugga!! Thanks lasses for ya kind comments. Any amoont o' folk wud think we were crackers...keeping a Herring Gull....it's not by choice,we wud rather see him fly off and join his marra's owa the fields and lakes! But it's satisfying ti knaa and watch him moult successfully owa the last two years,and his third one is starting noo! He's looking a smart young fella noo,wi he's adult plumage!

Mmmmm......had a re-think...was a bit hasty....a divvent want ti be seen as judge and jury.....! A shud hev made it clear that aam against irresponsible drinking,drunken pigs who attack innocent folks,dopey folks who jump inti freezing waata,for a drunken joke,and risk wor emergency services,and that sort o' thing,as well as cruelty ti family members and animals,when drunk...! A couple o' pints,sensibly,socialising...nae probs!!

It was Malcolm,I was replying to,above......got carried away,forgot ti mention his Name!!

Hey bud,that was awesome,the hillbilly "Thunderstruck"...where do you find stuff like this? Being aan aad muso mesel',a appreciate gud jams like that,and instrument improvisation! A like loads of xmas songs,cheesy or not,it's the spirit of the festive season!! Surely naebody can knock the big favs,Slade and Wizard......and wat aboot Sir Cliff?...he stopped releasing them cos he was takin' number one every year!! Chris Rea..."Driving home.....",he was hard up as hell,and was in his minivan,driving from London,when he wrote it,in a traffic jam!![true or not...it's a nice story!!]...aa can believe it,cos aav seen me and my marra's learn a track in the dressing room,a quick run through a couple o times,and play it on the second half of the set! That's what aad Muso's did in them days!! "Spaceman came travelling" has ti be just aboot near ti thi top for me,but it's hard to decide,cos me musical tastes vary so much. Elvis's xmas album takes sum beating,but so does "A xmas carol" played by Ellington Colliery band. Anybody remember Johnny Ashcroft who was resident at the High Pit Club,in Cramlington,in the '70's..[keyboard synth wizard]? Whey,HE released a double single caaled.."Dog Leap Stairs"..,which was,in fact "A Xmas Carol." On one side,it was up-beat,but thi flip-side was played very slow,and mounting to a crescendo of luvly harmonies on the Synths,which was the newest organ-offspring in thi seventies. The title intrigued me for years,until one day,when my Wife and me took our Son ti thi toon,ti get thi too-too back ti London,we had a bit of a waak aroond the area near the train station.[ti kill time]. We passed a long stone staircase leading up ti the higher road,from where the station was,and there ,on thi wall,was the nameplate,for the steps...!!! It reads..."Dog Leap Stairs"...!! Does anybody knaa where a mean,it's aroond from "Amen Corner"[if a remember reetly] Noo wat aboot "Stop the Cavalry.."....howeh folks,Maggie's got it reet again! Mind,aam a miserable party-pooper,a tee-totaller,Son of a Father who was bad to me Mutha through the evils of alcohol,during the war years,afore a was born,and if it was up ti me,a wud ban new year's day celebrations where it only depends on alcohol uptake ti mek miserable folk happy. A saw it happen aal the time,when a played the club circuit,ivry bugga sitting like stookees,till they had a few pints aboard,then they were ivry bugga's mates!.....[digressing!!!!].......do I digress........................???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Taylors are tops..really canny and friendly.. A think why that was,Pil,we were at the centre ,[in Hollymoont Square],of the lads from Haig,Beattie,Millbank,Cornwall crescent,the Park,and Millfield,aal at the bottom end of toon,and a two-minute waak doon Bedltn bank,and inti the woods,or doon the Furnace bank,and ditto. There was over a hundred kids [well over a hundred!],and we had wa choice of playmates at any one time. We aal went bird-nesting doon the woods,and owa thi fields,owa thi pit heaps,doon ti thi Barntin tip....owa thi brickyard,up Netherton lonnen,owa ti thi oppencast,nae wonder wi were aal fit as lops! So,inevitably,somebody would have a tame bird or animal....somewhere...but Jacks were the favourites!! Wi thi exception of people like the lad who caaled me Wilma!,when HE was a kid,at Barntin colliery,he had a little monkey sitting on he's showlder!!

We had ti hide in wa tree camp owa Knox's field,cos if we had tried thim oot in the street,P.C.Mann would o' clipped us and howked us doon ti wa mutha's,fo'anotha howkin'...! P.C.Mann knew aal the locals in Bedltn,proper "Heartbeat country" was it not...nae cars....on thi beat!

A tried when a was ten years aad,wi thi big lads,and fell oot the tree camp where we were experimenting wi a box o tabs that we fund in the street,a was coughing and chowkin',and vomited me guts oot...being polite to describe the scene! Nivvor again did a try!! Best lesson a ever larned as a laddie!! That's hoo aam a millionairre noo!!

Mickey,here's one of wor Jackie,sitting on he's cage....[an orange box...we were hard up in 1974!] Me Wife's been delving through aal the aad albums ti find this one! She recalls thi time when aa was at the pit,in backshift,and a neighbour came ti tell her that Aad Ernie Moore,[a lovely old fella],had caught jackie,amang he's strawberry patch...he wasn't raiding them,he was flown oot,wi thi wind,and was desperately trying ti lift off but couldn't..this was doon the allotments behind East Terrace,at Stakeford..aroond 1974-ish. How she is sure of thi year is because she went doon ti seek Jackie wi wor youngest Son,in he's pram,and she brought him back in he's orange box cage, and wor Son was 1 year old in 1974. There she was,pushing her treasure along in he's rolls royce,wi an aad orange box on the top cover...as yi dae ,like...!![mind,it WAS a Jaffa orange box!! Happy days!

Ye cud be reet theor noo,aav put me order in for a wil... -warmer as weel!![smaal,like the bootees!]

A gotta give a big plug for Taylors seafoods,at North Shields,they have given me a lot of support in the way of fish offal,heads etc,for Percy,cos he's been feeding on cheap dog food since he was a a babby,whey he is two-and a haaf yeors aad noo,and needs fish oil in his diet. Thanks Tony at Taylors seafoods!

...a wus jus syen...a wus jus syen......a wus jus....................................................................................................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Heh heh,Pilgrim,wat a wit!! Me Wife's knitting a nice little coat and bootees ti keep him warm....cos she feels sorry for him sittin oot there in the caad...!! Pity aboot the video,aav got sum real funny ones!...wi Percy and Jess...that is..!!

So,aam not allowed ti upload,then when a put sum pics up,me text has repeated itself in me last post.......queer gaanin's on heor noo! Aav spent the last haaf hoor typing a story aboot Percy,and it said a wasn't permitted ti edit this topic...!!....a wasn't editing owt...!! Tha's nowt mekkin' sense ti me heor noo!

Many thanks Foxy!! You pulled me oot thi hole!!...much appreciated. Well,let's see if Little Black Jess, and Percy the Herring gull will perform for you!........

Many thanks Foxy!! You pulled me oot thi hole!!...much appreciated. Well,let's see if Little Black Jess, and Percy the Herring gull will perform for you!........ Hmmm.....error message saying I'm "...not permitted to upload this kind of file." [it was a video clip of them both] Let's find a decent pic...!

Hoo can a post a pic of wa gull and Jess tigitha.....please?

Hi folks! Mickey,your story is really sad but fascinating at the same time. I wouldn't want to steal your thunder,but can I relate a very similar story? Around 1954,when I was aboot 10 years aad,my older Brother,born on the same day,was aboot 13 yrs aad. One day he came in wi a babby jackdaa [as yi dae like..],and we caaled him "Jackie". He was put in a cardboard box under the kitchen table,for a few days,ti get he's strength up,and he's feathers sorted oot.[they were aal scraggy and wet wi being blaan aboot in thi wind and rain.] As time went by,he quickly grew inti adulthood,being fed aal thi time from me Faatha digging the big back garden,at Hollymoont Square,and feeding him wi worms etc. He went oot in the early mornin' when ma Faatha went ti thi pit,and used ti come back and forward aal day lang,as soon as yi went inti thi garden. Noo!...wa neighbours used ti [smiling........!],tell me Mutha "wi had ya bord in wa bedroom again this mornin...on the dressing table....tryin ti pinch trinkets..."![gaan in through open windaes in the summer days!] A bet they were really narked,but didn't waant ti faal oot wi me Mutha! Jackie came in ivry neet and went inti he's box hese'll When aboot a year and a haaf went by,me Brother decided he wud mek a wood cage for him,wi plenty room ti move aroond in,and perches ti stand on. Away aroond ti Smail'ey's shop,and one plywood tea-chest later,he started wi a pit hammer and pit nails,ti mek the cage. Me,in the meantime went wi thi lads doon ti the Barn'tn tip,ti get bullrushes,ti sell aroond thi neighbours,for ornamental purposes.[we got nae pocket money so we had ti work for owt we got!]...a was aboot 11 yrs aad...a bit more.....maybe! Wat 'rushes we had left,we used ti soak in parrafin,and light them,and throw them up in the air,etc etc...generally just playing with them. Whey,this day,aa came yem aal excited,wi a greet armload of bullrushes,the most we'd ivvor gotten,cos ye were risking ya life in the slecky waata,ti get thim,when yi couldn't swim!! A remember throwin' the wesh-hoose door oppen,and shoutin' in ti me Brother,[who was on the floor hammerin away at the cage..],"Youngin',luk wat aav got...!" A also remember vividly,HIM,shoutin'..."shut thi door man...."....then me glancin' up ti the shelf,and seeing Jackie taking flight,at precisely thi same moment that he kicked the door shut,with he's foot. Aam shudderin reet noo,recalling seeing Jackie being trapped by his neck,near thi top of thi door,and falling lifelessly,to the floor. A ran like a rabbit,inti the hoose,up thi stairs,and inti thi bathroom,locking the door behind me,wi me Brother screaming at me he was going to kill me... A stayed there till me Mutha came and made me come oot. We buried him at the bottom of the garden,beside our other pets that had gone. As thi years passed,and my two sons were very young,living at Stakeford,we had another Jackie,for about a year,and I canna mind what happened to him....we had countless birds of all breeds,brought to us by the local kids,cos they knew we looked after them. At one time we had a baby song thrush,and a babby sparrow,at the same time ,kept in the same cage. As they started to grow,the thrush used ti cuddle up ti the spuggie,wi it's beak open,thinkin thi spuggie was it's mutha! When it was fliggyin' time,we had to gradually stop the hand-feeding process,and take them roond ti thi allotment,ti try and get them into the wild,safely. They stayed in thi hedge for weeks,and every time me Wife went roond wi thi weshing,ti hang it oot on the line,they would both fly doon ti me Wife's feet, beaks open,and chirping away like hell! Noo,we've had a handicapped herring gull,who has one deformed wing,[canna straighten it oot],for nearly two and a half years. He's gone through two moults,and is just startin his third moult noo,smaal feathers aal owa wa garden...yi cud mek a duvet wi thi amount he chucked oot last year!! He struts aroond thi garden,chases the sparrow-hawk ,the neighbours cat,and the crows and jackdaws oot,but leaves the small birds alone. He feeds cheap dog food off wa dog's food knife,by hand,wi his head aboot a foot off little black Jess's head,[wa labrador /cross],who feeds at the same time![one for him........and one for him......!] It's better than telly-watching,when yi see the antics of these two in the garden! It's very committing looking after animals and birds like this. A think we must be crackers!!

Ozzrahog....sittin' on a log....lookin' fo' a frog....sittin' on a log....ozzrahog......sittin'............! Thi divil cums ti bedltn....lukkin' fo' a fish........but he didn't fiind any.............. Wait till a tell thi mad ginger geordie drummer!! ....and a mighty BIIIIIG WELCOME ti thi forum............!

Also Sprach Zarathustra....!!

Puddlaa's Raa,Maggie,it was the syem place,only posh gadgies caal it "Row"!!!!!!![Aaaah Maggie,ye knaa me!]

Miracles can be implemented immediately........!.....the impossible may take a wee bit longer....!!!!! God is in an Analogue domain....the Analogue/digital incompatibility displays it's weaknesses at the Pearly "Gates"......Truth tables go haywire....... ........God needs re-inventing....!