pilgrim

persevere -- the dates for the seam closures are on the last pages -and since the nights are getting darker and colder it will give you something to do in the evenings!!

now the boring bit --  

there is a brick called a Bedlington common  which was produced by NEB ltd.(stamped in the 'frog'  not sure where it was produced but could have been at Choppington or any of the other brickworks. Get your tape measures out - it has a ratio of 1:2.92 - now that is easy enough to identify!!!  (they were used in many locations in the rea and also seemed to produce a finer facing brick)

Also attached is a survey from 1990 which will make more sense to the miners on the  site but I think its also very informative - its about the BUTTERWELL but covers the area and is quite comprehensive re all the seams etc. and I found it very informative and puts into context where all things were. Maybe some could put other things on the information.

its worth looking through as it also gives the date of when the seams were abandoned in each pit

coal seam geology.pdf

no - but I saw a dog (a Bedlington terrier at that) who expressed its opinion on them ....

I was in the parish today and noticed there are many and varied signs  of the green variety pointing places of import.. can I ask why they are, for example, police station 230 m and market place 120 m -- is that miles?? or some Johnny foreigner thingy ,we may have to be aware of cross contamination from .............dare I say hitlers highway (herself was most amused when I said that was what it was called -- or used to be) but lets have some standardisation - ok the younger ones are all metric  but the UK standard is IMPERIAL (I always think IMPERIAL deserves caps  - as Q Victoria always wore a cap..)

ok - I got out today and the big world was confusing .................

it was still the same in the early 80's in Yugoslavia, they managed 100% employment as in a shop it was exactly the same -- ooo the sight of all the huge wooden drawers with dried peas etc in, but there you told the assistant what you wanted - another assistant went to get it and gave it to another who wrapped it. It then went to the till - where someone totalled it (and then whizzed it away somewhere to gawd knows how many others, in one of those wire machines) and then another packed it all in bags - you were given a till receipt and took that to the payment till and paid ---then you could go and pick up your shopping. I think the last time I saw one of those wire cash carriers in this country was in Smailes in Morpeth, although I seem to recall that all woolworths were fitted with them. 

might be able to shed some light on this --

During the 'cold war' and all the hype about the 4 minute warning - a network of sirens was put in place nationally. They were local authority and council responsibility and had to be tested every month. There was also a telephone system known as xy which was the precursor of the internet, in that it used multi nodal routing. Some councils who were very - shall I say Left - made everything difficult to install and test these. I cannot say too much as I think it is still covered by 'authorised release'.

but there were also 'civil  defence ' dumps of emergency supplies and immediate need equipment, one of which was the green 'nissan' sheds beside the spine road opposite Cambois  - now I believe a worksite HGV training place - or was. These were supply bases to be used in the aftermath - should it ever happen - and it was taken as a serious threat at the time , hence the regular testing

eeee - recall my first step into the world of PC (noo not being falsely nice to folk ya thought were eeedjits -) 

a Sinclair - had to build it in kit form in about 1975 - then up into the heady world of power computing -- a commodore -- 20 hours of typing code to make a ball change colour and bounce about the screen...

then a real PC!! in the days of max hard drive size of an eggcup - so how come in them days we could get a whole word processer prog on a floppy - now ya need umpteen gigglebits jus to use a browser???? -- sloppy coding grrrr 

on a more disturbing note -- the classic poster of a tennis player scratching her arse - there have been rumours for years that it was a bloke in drag - be afraid lol

Canny Lass - you prob didn't have a sheltered life - I just don't recall ever seeing you in the cold showers at Morpeth rugby club -(and I'm am sure I would have remembered!!) or The Old Edwardians as it was known then

this was one of the top songs at the rugby club -- with actions - it was well published in a series of rugby song books which were very popular in  the 60's - 70's along with a very 'active' version of swing low sweet chariot' and many others!! there must have been about 6 books in the series and all had appropriate - or should I say very inappropriate accompanying actions.

Eee - happy days of drunkenness and mud..

oh and mention - Alnwick Castle and gardens - its full to bursting over the summer and full of tat at this time of year - I can prob arrange a visit to chillingham castle - which is much more quiet and almost en route -- also beamish might be worth dropping into as a stop on way  the lakes  - I think you have my e-mail address and I have no prbs if they want to contact me directly

j

ye def getting senile like me lol - 

Canny Lass    - (oh -- damn - it went all wrong ..will try again) - I can see a prob if they travelling from Edinburgh to the lakes and want to visit holy island !!! but if they want to, the Lindisfarne at Beal is not bad for an overnight and I live only 10 mins away and am more than happy to act as a native guide - thus avoiding the tourist silliness - I know the island very well and also the cheviots. can you speak to them and tell them to get in touch if they want to call down this way. I am more than happy to show them some of the local sites.

ing local up this end and including the cheviots I can help -- happy to spend some time assisting -and all fro free!!!!

10 hours ago, HIGH PIT WILMA said:

...

A canna see why the tunnels shud be regarded as an urban myth ........the Monks were working shallow seams of coal wi nae tools other than wood shuvels and very primitive picks ,artifacts as such were found aroond the Bedlington A pit site years ago,then more recently when Bower Grange was being developed..a JCB was digging the foundations and fell into some aad workings aboot 20 feet doon![aroond 1980-ish],what the old monks had left!

Some of you might recall the opencast at Plessy which was on the site of what is now MSD the drug manufacturers which extended from Windmill Hill to the old airship field at the beacon hill end of Cramlington. they found wooden shovels etc there and they were from workings which had been accessed by adits driven in from the river bank on the north side of the river at the bend. There was a sign put up many years ago warning of mine shafts on the north side of the river.

just dim.. where has he been the last  40 years?? (mind you the rest of them don't do much better!)

NCC seem to have a good track record of 'pruning the old wood away' particularly at Count Hall... runs and hides

thank you for that eggy!!! (I do like the Pontiff stamp - the depths you went to impress me) -- or should be lengths??

what I did forget to add was the bit about cannabis and its delivery system - i.e. smoking.. now how does that reconcile with health and wellbeing??

I have to put a caveat on my post as I am now thinking that all the relevant party leaders have been 'sampling the goods' over the last few weeks as I have never seen so many supposedly professional people shoot themselves in the foot since Blazing Saddles!

(this was entered after spending 3 days doing my tax return so I am far more spaced out than a 60' srock band)

might be in the wrong place - but.. ref section 7.7 of the lib dem manifesto - am I being a bit dim?? make cannabis legal and tax it? so how will they undercut the criminal element of supply by undercutting prices and at the same time taxing it? and at the same time offering a lower strength product?? I assume they are thinking that the money raised would pay for the paranoia and psychosis related problems with the use of THC? repeal the psychoactive drugs act?? -they were only 'legal' highs because the legislation was not in place to keep up with the problem.

And this is the party to boost the NHS and children's care??

I note that nothing has been mentioned of these items by the north east candidate who of course has a history in NHS and child education!

answers on a postcard to 'bewildered'

might have to move into other house down there to get a vote

totally agree with the first two comments moe - its a self fulfilling prophecy - in that don't attend or show any interest and folk will stop reporting ergo no crime - easy!!!! I recall someone saying to me - you don't want a drug problem? don't have a drug squad! the ostrich syndrome works wonders to make you look as though you are doing well.

no - sometimes you have to shovel other things...... although perhaps not as much of that stuff to get through as a decent, hardworking council member! I do have dire thoughts though that we might be the last generation that can leave doors open and cars unlocked. Crime rates are falling - but the response and detection rates are falling much faster.

Canny Lass - in the old house the front door key had been misplaced several generations back and never replaced! the keys were usually left in the car as it made sense so you didn't have to hunt for keys when you wanted to go out!

We still don't lock the doors even though we have moved into our house in the village (although the cars do get locked) Last crime in the village was seven years ago when a couple of kids from Newcastle area broke into a holiday cottage and stole about £3 - it makes up for having no mains gas, no library, no post office etc etc etc

It was wonderful help  -

Its half term here so used the opportunity to lay down 8 tonne of gravel in a grotto we use for the camp fires. (we are in an ex convent) the kids loved doing it, especially with the quads and trailers whizzing about! Then we took the opportunity to sort some wood out for the fires - there was only one casualty - er a  leader who wondered how sharp these new axes were -  I think I might have to revisit the whole safety thing !!!!!

But after an hour or so of use the hatchets were still as sharp as they started out - lovely bit of Swedish steel.

Way back in the 60's and 70's a couple of men lived in a cottage on the river bank deep into the grounds of Hartford Hall and I believe they were brothers. Possibly ex staff from the 'old hall?' They were getting on and had been there many years. the cottage had no mains facilities and they had to 'barrow' coal from the hall down through the woods as well as anything else they needed. I have no idea who they were or what happened to them.

Dredging through what is left of my memory - I recall being told that in one of the competitions there was a full cooked pigs head as a table centre piece - complete with apple in the mouth etc. (it may have been in France) and Joe munched through his allotted amount of pies, sausages or whatever the competition was and finished well head of the others - the tale goes that he then reached for the pigs head.... with the immediate effect of the other competitor/competitors - passing out - throwing up or just walking away....