pilgrim

safe as hooses ...... strangely enough there was more probability of being subject to some form of molestation/abuse between 1940 and the late 60's than from the 70's to now!!!!! the difference is - the press and the advent of television and the banner headlines about what was once 'unspeakable' and went largely unreported, the fear factor that sells papers!! but, yes, the 'darling buds of may' era - that time of nostalgia and great happiness that occludes the hardship and perils - but we lived through and made us what we are. I do wonder what folk in 50 yrs time, when I am long gone, will look back on and see as highlights of how they spent their youth - how does texting and speaking with thumbs compare with a walk with the dog and dare I say bird nesting and being at one with the natural world all around us??

I would comment but it would have to be approved................

a girl I was at school, with that lived in that house and strangely enough her father was a sea captain as far as I recall !! (although I seem to think as a teenager I was more interested in her jeans than her genealogy !)

It reminds me of an old anthropological tale about a tribe of pygmies (can we say that these days ??) who lived in the savannah grasslands. The tribe were called the Fukawi and were nomadic hunter/gatherers. They had problems with surrounding tribes encroaching on their traditional and very rich hunting grounds and of course wanted to protect what was rightfully theirs by tradition and prevent interlopers from other parts of the area taking all the 'goodies' and depriving them of their rights. They sent out patrols every day, but the main problem was they were only 3ft 6inch on average height and the savannah grass was 4ft tall. so they developed a gait involving jumping up every third pace to see over the top of the grass. To emphasise their presence and deter the interlopers they shouted out their tribal name when they leapt above the grass to see what was around them. they called out loudly 'We're the Fukawi, We're the Fukawi' strangely enough that may be a good slogan for Bedlington as I'm sure it is heard at many NCC meetings ....

I think it was an NCB /railways thing - if it worked do it again and don't bugga about wi it!! - pity the council cant learn that!!

as I previously posted = post beeching - the sidings at choppington station were used to store the steam engines prior to scrapping -- boychilds dream lol

seems very odd - as I was born 55 and all the embankment was grown over when I used to adventure there. am wondering if was during some refurbishment but is suppose that it would be another 2 yrs before I ventured forth there on my own -- those were the days - 7 yr olds being ok to wander miles wi the dog (mine was a golden retriever) and no thought of the coming to any harm!!

I heard it said that corbyn has a certain coloured cat only to swing over the postal unions ....

tremendous picture !! I am assuming from the timbers lying about it was taken when the bridge was completed the engineering is remarkable in that it hasn't changed since roman times!!

used to have a pentax me super, then Nikon 601's, then canon range, now using a canon eos digital (mainly cos I could use most of my old lenses!!!) digital is brilliant but it makes a lazy snapper!! but again you can catch the moment by getting one lucky shot in a 100 you take!! I put off going digital for a long time because the best quality you could get was half page magazine unless you spent £15000!!! Use a little polaroid now to carry as its shock proof and waterproof si ideal for kayaking and walking the dog

ref the gates -- when they started building new housing at the hall a few years back the gates were taken away by the developer for 'cleaning and restoration' never to be seen again! at the same time there were a lot of complaints about build quality and faults in some of the housing and I think the 'developer' was never seen again? the brick building mentioned is still there along towards morpeth on the north side of the road. (it is mistakenly listed as an raf building on another site which puts it as part of Cramlington aerodrome certainly stone from the quarry was used in London as well as the hall and at sometime there was a dwelling built into the wall of the quarry on the section just below the wall on the left of the road going towards morpeth from the bridge. the cutouts for the support timbers can still be seen in the rock face..

I forgot to add - I recall Dr HICKEY and Dr Ivory. There was mention on another thread about a pilot and I recall Dr Ivory had been a pilot in fighters. When he retired he moved to a bungalow in Cramlington, but haven't seen him for many years.

I recall playing on the 'black bridge' as we called it, on the way there was a small wooden bridge where the stream led from under the embankment of the railway and further on from the black bridge was a bed in the stream which was deeper and good for paddling in! UP the bank was the pit yard where you could sneak in and build all sorts of dens from the props stored there.

alack and alas - we have found the answer but find it has been subverted by malefactors lol - i always did like the soliloquay of the gatekeeper in macbeth, when he rumnates on alcohol -- its gives one the urge but takes away the performance perhaps we should all link hands and sing - 'oh happy days' whilst being bathed in a rosy glow

interesting article i found today - it may shed light on the origin of fluff question.. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35237863

As far as i recall the halfpenny woods had a toll becuase the Ridley estate had no problems with access, but the toll of the minimum amount (apart from a farthing - remember the wren) was so that the pathway could never be considered a right of way due to usage - its a bit like the modern thing of certain houses having to open up the grounds or the house 1 day every year. It kept the land within the full control of the estate and didn't compromise their full control in perpetuity.

what all those (clever expert folk ahem ) missed was going to the site and listening to the language of the local folk - it isn't some cryptic code or higher meaning - tis life and language - lay back have a glass of local wine and speak the text as it was written with the populace it was written for - then you will understand

the search for a rural bus ticket is similar to the quark or the higgs boson - (one has more change of finding the jabberwocky than a rural 'bus service) we suspect they exist but no one has seen any evidence.. as we speak the child is watching cider with rosie at my insistence and loving it -it reminds me of the darling buds of may. war and peace is being broadcast over the next few weeks and I have told her that its like downton abbey in Russian which sort of interests her - one can only hope!! I find that the halls of academe are populated by those that can and those that are oooo so bitchy 'cause they didn't think of it first lol. now silver is an interesting thing -- do you know that it is a very effective treatment for bacterial issues??? it has been used in dressings and is now coming back into use (its worth a look up on latest thinking) its like a lot of stuff - many years ago I mentioned to the other half about the use of pot permanganate and she looked at me as if I was some sort of alchemist, but now its being prescribed, but only north of the border. I was with a local dr last yr and mentioned it - and would ya believe he is a believer !! anyways - I am away to wyre and gimbal in the wabes -anon xx

to me a literary masterpiece can be a segment of a much bigger piece of sh**e, but if it sums up the emotion of a moment or describes something that i could not have expressed as well it does it for me - its like art - its art if it serves no purpose but is ridiculousy expensive.. but as i explained to the child - art is the non verbal expression of emotions. i think it was nicely put into context by an ex colleague at oxford - he would tell his secretary - no calls today i'm reading a book .. now thats what i call class!!!!!!!!!!!! re the bus ticket thing -- it would be more worthy of research to analyse the DNA on them or perhaps the prevalence of proscribed substances (the data on such on bank notes is horrendous!!!)

good literature shouldnt need to be laboured over, but grasped with both hands and an open mind and relished!! a sad reflection of so many 'literati' that are so far up themselves! - laurie lee's - when I walked out one midsummer morn ​was wonderful (lol probably have that wrong - but you know who I mean) BRIAN CROSS - this all your fault -- learn and weep -- never post a Christmas card on here again or suffer the consequences!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dante wrote 'inferno' as a result of inspiration from doing a 'hermit' thing in a cave. many years ago i tracked down the cave and it was fascinating - agnostic shrimp, white spiders and it meanders on and on from the valley floor up to the top of the ravine you got the feel of the unknown journey. and well done for spotting the reference.. we all travel many paths, often without a guide or a sense of direction, or even knowing what awaits and at the end is always the darkness ... but its life and its fun!!!!

rule maker? rule breaker? - no .. just a simple seeker after truth, hence the name -- in the middle of the journey of my life i came to a place in the darkwood where the straight way was lost.............

as if !!!! wash my mouff out if i wuold dare to !!!!

............ bringing in a different thread ... DOH...