Joe Rooney

I didn't know you had Greek relatives Denzel, so do I! Just shows you, beneath all the chatter, youre a canny lad after all. Greek, mind you. I would never have guessed! Joe

No CK, but I did cruise up the Mississippi from New Orleans on a five day river cruise. Interesting and fun, and no Sabre toothed tigers. But some pretty shifty characters trying to "provide" all sorts of strange enjoyments! And yes CK, the old days had their charms. I would hate to think that the memories and stories of the pre war generation are forgotten. Especially since the school age generation are growing up with scant respect for their ancestors times and achievements. Not to mention their work ethic! Joe

We used to go out in classes to pick them during the war. Of course we never got any money for them. They told us we were doing for the war effort. Now it would be seen as child abuse! Joe.

Of course I didn't see it, but I am sure it will turn up on BBC Canada eventually. It just reminds me of how things used to be. We had tough times and tough people to weather them, but despite our petty feuds and fusses, there was always a sense of mutual respect among neighbours. If anyone trouble in the family, the grievances were forgotten, and everyone rallied round to do what they could to help. And though they might fight outside the pub on a weekend, let a stranger be in the neighborhood, and they were taken in with open arms, and treated with the utmost respect and hospitality. It was the "Geordie way", and you didn't have to have a lot to give what you could, or share what little you had. They may be gone, but it's a loss to everyone. Good people in bad times! Joe

I am glad to see the posts back to a more pleasant and fun tone than they were last week. I usually enjoy everyones opinion, but last week I found it a little mean spirited in poking fun at the subject of domestic or sexual abuse. I know that most of it was meant to be humorous, but as the father of four daughters, and grandfather of five, It is never far from my mind, especially in todays apparent lack of respect for anyones rights to security and quiet enjoyment. End of sermon! Joe

Baseball is not the most popular sport in Canada. Their are only two professional teams here, in Toronto and Montreal. I would imagine that Hockey, Canadian football, and Winter sports have more followers. Recently I read an article that school age kids are more likely to play soccer in the Summer, and skating activities in Winter, than any of the other American sports such as baseball, softball, basketball. This is not surprising considering the high proportion of immigrant kids, both first and second generation that we now have. Personally I prefer Soccer and Hockey. As for the big truck shows. They would appeal to the destructive tendencies of the "Redneck". And of course, they are more typically American. ( If it moves shoot it, if you can't, then run it down! Regards, Joe

Now Denzel, You'd have more than your share of Rednecks in Bedlington. If you only had enough sun! Joe

This morning I had a long phone conversation with my cousin and her husband who live in North Shields. We were talking about weekend trips since my wife and I have just spent a long weekend in Vancouver. My cousin then told me that their favourites weekend trip is to Stannington, Morpeth, and Bedlington with a little casual wandering added. When I asked how Bedlington looks these days (Having heard a lot of moaning on this site recently.) her response that this is one of the best kept towns in Southern Northumberland. In her view it is kept very clean and tidy. The grass and flowers are always well groomed, and the people seem to have a great deal of pride in the towns appearance. She went on to say that in her opinion, ever since the old pit heaps were removed, Bedlington has always looked good, and well worth a visit. Both of them admit that the town has obviously suffered since the closing of the pits some twenty or so years ago. But they feel that despite this, the town has always maintained a far better appearance than their own home town of North Shields. That was good to hear, but how many people in Bedlington would agree? Joe

It is inconvenient for the smoker, but worse for any non smoking staff! We had a case here last year in which a nonsmoking staff member who had worked in a large Calgary Bar/Restaurant for almost 40 years died of lung cancer. Her family claim was rejected on the grounds of natural causes. She was 58 years old. Her family countersued, won, and now all Calgary bars and restaurants will be non smoking with a few special exceptions. The evidence which led to the win was a special analysis conducted by the local health department on the health of restaurant and bar staff. This showed a striking imbalance among non smokers in the industry who contracted various cancers, against the rest of the population. I have never smoked, and I can't presume to know how smokers feel about it. But I would not want my family to expose their children to the risks entailed. And they don't. But how do you avoid the threat of second hand smoke without banning it in general, or providing special venues for those who feel that they must. Lets not talk too loosely about personal freedoms, without considering the rights of children and non smokers too! Joe

Happy Birthday Denzel. and many more. But I am shocked, you are still a kid, and here I thought you were at least fifty. Must be all the living you have done! Joe.

Oh these were not miscreants mind you. They were upstanding members of the community. On the weekend they would clean the coal out of their lugs, put on a white collar. Take the family to Mass, or church, or chapel as appropriate. Get into the Bank Top to have a beer or several, discuss the important issues of the week. And when disagreement on state or international affairs might arise they would adjourn outside and have at it. They were no mere brawling riffraff. They were pitman all, and men of conviction if not substance. So this was a fight to the finish for honour and and the unofficial title of " Bank Top bruiser". And win or lose, on Monday they were all back down the pit! God knows how they survived as long as they did. Both their work and their play could kill or maim them, and too often did. Joe

That was the local entertainment, and cheaper than going to the dogs too!

Is that why Bedlington was so safe and friendly in the thirties? All the teenagers were too beat from hard work in the pits, and only the adults had the energy, time, and money to drink and fight on (and in) the Bank Top! Joe Rooney

Well, it won't be a "White Christmas" in Southern Alberta. We had a fair amount of snow, but the Chinook has blown for a week now, and the forecast for tomorrow is 15 Celsius. Oh well, if we want snow we can always look up to the mountains, some of the ski hills have in excess of 150 CM of snow on the ski runs! A merry Christmas and a prosperous New year to all of you. My best wishes to Swallnalla, CK, and Chianti in particular, and thanks to all of you with whom I am not that familiar, but who have brought interest and pleasure into my life. (Even if I don't always understand everything you say!) My wishes for the year are 1. Friends who respect you and enjoy your company. 2. A spouse whose day is complete when you walk through the door. 3. Children who listen, and like you! Regards to all of you. Joe Rooney

Since it seems to me that I am hopelessly lost in identifying existing or prior pubs in Bedlington, perhaps one of the experts in the field, can enlighten me as to the construction date of the existing Bank Top pub! In a couple of Bedlington maps, what I think is the Bank Top Hotel, is shown under two different names on the same site. As the "Puddlers Arms" in 1897, and then as the "Bank Top Hotel" in 1936! Was the Puddlers Arms renamed as the Bank Top Hotel, or was it built as a totally different building? And if so, when did the change or new building occur? My feeling is that perhaps the Puddlers Arms was converted into part of the Craggs row cottages and two story housing project. As a kid, I occasionally wondered why some of Craggs row was a series of cottages which appeared to be built onto the two story units which each contained four apartments divided by a central stairway? Not earth shattering stuff, but who knows, I might just have one of my childhood questions answered after all! Regards, Joe

It seems that Morpeth can get enough interest in lighting up the town. I was just looking at this weeks crop of Northumberland pictures on www.northumberland-cam.com, and he has a pretty good set of pictures of Morpeth,s Christmas lights. Do they have more local pride there? Or what is the problem! Joe

Hi BB, I figured from your comments that they were your childcare group. That has to be self induced agony, looking after 60 of someone elses little dears! Unless of course you were breeding rabbits, then 60 would sound reasonable! Regards, Joe Don't you have an old coal shed to put the boy in? Regards, Joe

I have seven kids, and twelve grandkids, and thats more than enough! It is only on one of my bad days that they feel like sixty. Come to think of it, there are days when anyone the four youngest grandkids can feel like "SIXTY". BAH HUMBUG!!!! Joe

As one of my long gone uncles would say, (In suitably booming voice of course) "COLD!, let me tell you about cold!!" November 18th we came to the end of a two week Chinook (A warm wind from over the Rockies. It had been up to 21 degress celsius daily. Then the Northern cold stream swung South, and the cold Arctic air came flooding in behind it. For over a week now the nighttime temperatures have fallen to 26 to 34 below zero. The daytime highs have been anywhere from minus 8 to minus 21. It is cold enough to make us welcome a mere minus 8 as a definite warming up. we haven't had too much snow yet, too cold for more than about 12 inches, but what we have had is frozen in place. Earlier this week one of my sons was out on a night service call, he is an electonics tech, and normally parks his car in the underground parking garage at his Condo, which of course is heated. After about three hours he left the service site to get his car. He got in, started up, and couldn't move. The warm tires had frozen to the now solid snow. So he had about a couple of hours wait until the Automobile association service truck could thaw him out and get him on his way. On the Prairies it is customary to plug cars into a electrical outlet which is available at many parking sites. This keeps the engine and battery warm, but no such luck for the tires in the snow. You can send all your little woolly offerings such as Balaclava's to me . Do not be too amazed folks, Winter on the Prairies is cold. And even the avid skier has to call it quits at about minus 35 degrees Celsius. (Not too mention the wind chill. But thats another lecture!) But from the inside with the furnace cranked up the Prairie is a beautiful sight. Even cold as it is to us, we have a daily visit from a small herd of Mule deer, two adults and two fawns. They graze on the hills above us, feeding on our bushes, and taking frozen little crabapples from the trees. It's quite a nice way to have a leisurely breakfast , watching them eat. But the cold doesn't seem to bother them unduly, any more than we do, as they come to our back patio in search of morsels of last Summers withered shrubs and small plants. Oh God is it cold? But that is Winter in Alberta, and all in all, it is worth the occasional deep freeze! Warm up folk's, head for the pub or stay in front of the television. Joe

I am afraid that I was always too old for "Heavy Metal" , and Hip Hop, and any of the other Talking, Growling stuff which passes for music nowadays! Joe.

This weekend I was reading Evan Martins latest, "Bedlingtonshire now and then" which I recently received. He mentions the Palace, on Palace road. Built in 1911 as a live theatre, named the Wallaw from the thirties to the fifties, showing pictures. I remember seeing a newsreel showing the battle of the River Plate, and then the subsequent scuttling of the Graf Spee . This was in late 1939. Early in the Blitz, it was temporarily closed as it was thought it might be a target, and then later on it reopened for morale purposes when it was seen that either the luftwaffe didn't care, or couldn't spare it a bomb. Evan goes on to say that it then became Lucy's and then the Domino, being demolished in recent years. I remember it as a Bingo Hall when I visited Bedlington in the sixties or seventies. Joe

Whats with this "older folks' bit Swallnala. As I remember, you are still in the prime of life. Not like some of us. Now I am old, and have the decrepitude to prove it. CK is obviously catching up with me, and as for Denzel, thats anyones guess, anywhere between six and sixty I would think! So give it a rest, and get back to the wry and witty Swallnala we all remember and enjoy so much! Joe Rooney

The Phoenix arises! Good to know you are still in this world, I am pleased, but there may be a couple of others who will not share the sentiment. As for me, I am still slogging along. Every now and then the leg kicks back, and I find myself back on a hospital bed for another enforced vacation. But you know how it is. You get too ambitious, and fate slaps you back into reality. But pretty good for now. So, you are back in the UK again. How does that fit in your scheme of things? We moved to Calgary in May of this year. My wife wanted to retire early. And I thought it would be better that she be closer to the kids. So here we are, looking at the Rockies, ignoring Klein and other assorted Rednecks, but generally enjoying life. Hope all goes well with and for you. I await to see what you post next. It should be lively! Joe

Afraid not Colonel, for that you need her oldest brother Aaron, at 9 he is the technical opinion specialist. Last year I was having trouble with my mouse. It kept skipping over the pad, and would not go where I wanted. Aaron, looking over my shoulder told me that I had an old ball thing. This was I gathered "not cool" whatever that may mean! Instead I needed to get a new "floating mouse", that would do it, and presumably make me faintly cool. At my local electronics store I talked to the tech advisor, and he told me the same thing, in grownup language. So bought one took it home, installed it. It worked, although I had noticed that it had no ball, just a strange red light that shone onto the pad, but it worked! Aaron was impressed, especially since his grumpy grandpa had taken his advice. I guess that I will have to keep him after all. Not just for techy advice, but mainly because he the only one of the four of them who shows a glimmer of future intelligence. He is a voracious reader, but is not above reading the "Boys annual" or "Beano" that I givce them for christmas each year. The others play interminable electronic games, and he does occasionally, but his real passion is reading. Perhaps in the near future he can explain to me what happened to my hero "Biggles". And after thet Dickens, perhaps we can start with A tale of two cities. But that is the future. We will see. Joe

I think that the tub of Garlic Mayo might put a crimp in any thoughts of "offering out" of yourself, and having a curious wife is a definite problem. What is it they say now? Prgnant, barefoot, and with no computer access at all! Joe